ONENESS
# 63
Oneness
before miracles
Brian
Kocourek
Oneness
pp. 236 <read>
The healings didn't come because Paul or brother
Branham were
great
men, but because God was with them in Word and Power. What
a statement. Why? Because we face today
something that goes
beyond
reasoning. Brother Branham preached a
message called, "If
God
be with us where are all the miracles?"
And I'm sure that sermon is used among many latter rain
type
people who are still looking for some kind of
dynamic type
miracles
to take place. But if you carefully read that message or
better
yet listen to it, you will find out that they are terribly
mistaken.
Brother Branham never emphasized these great miracles. In that
message he
was preaching salvation to the people and spoke of the
miracle of a new birth. How God could take someone
who was a
drunk
right off the street and make a son or daughter of God out
of them. To take a people living in Chaos with no
direction in
their
lives and yet He can still turn them around and bring in an
order into their lives and produce in them
holiness an
godliness.
We speak of miracles today and we think of the super duper, but
God
has always done things hiding in simplicity. Those things
He
does are never recognized as God until years later. Even the
waters of
the
be just a
strong East wind doing it. God hiding in simplicity.
In that message brother Branham said, in order to see miracles
you must
first become one yourself. When you recognize that He is
here
brother and sister, your whole life revolves around Him and
His Word. Then every step you take you take for His
Glory. But
that's the trouble with the people today. They are
looking for
something
to happen that is already happened all around them, but
they are
so blind to what God is doing that they are looking for
something
beyond.
On
cloudy days the sun is still shining, but you've got to remove
the clouds before you can bask in it's rays. And so must
every
Christian
remove the clouds of doubt in order to feel the rays
of
His Divine presence. The [1]same Presence[1] that was here with
the Prophet of God is
still here. The same S.o.n.
that came with healing in
His wings is still here. " He
is still the same
yesterday, today and forever."
I don't think the cry of the people should be, "[1]If God is here, then where are all the miracles?[1]" I think rather that the cry ought to be, "If we believe the Son
of Righteousness has risen with
healing in His wings, and is here, then why do we have so many
clouds of doubt?"
That's
the real question. The rain is here. It's falling on
both
the wheat
and the tares. Then why does it seem that the tares are
receiving
more blessings than the wheat? Well, let's look to the
scriptures
for our answer.
[1]Judges
6 : 7 - 26 <read>[1]
Here we see that
were
loosing those blessings to the Midianites. God had promised
them that
He would bless their lands. But instead the Midianites
had come in and were robbing the people of the fruits of their
lands and
were stealing what fruits the land did bring forth.
Now why were the children of
the same promise of God that had made the promise of blessings
also made a promise of cursing if they turned from obeying His
Word. And
so we find that
even
though He had not forsaken them. He was still on the
scene,
but they were under so many clouds that they could not seem to
break
through into Son light. And so is the message.
Deuteronomy
28 :all
Don't
blame God or His Word if you do not seem to be in
heavenly
places in
Christ Jesus. There's only one person you can blame and
that is
yourself.
God told Gideon that His Presence would be His strength
and
shield.
That Gideon had found Grace in the Presence of the Lord.
Now when God comes into the midst of a people, He does not come
just to show Himself off. He came down in answer to the
prayers
of the
people. But you know what? They were wondering why
they
didn't have victory. They were wondering why
the midianites
seemed
to be able to just drop in and cart
off all their
blessings.
They were being stripped of all their
joy and all
their fruits so to speak. And so they
finally got a little
desperate
and came crying to God. So what did God do first?
Instead of preventing the Midianites from coming
in the first
thing He did was to send forth His Angel to tell them that they
had to
get their own home in order first. And that is
exactly
what Gideon did. In His own fathers house, or property
was an
altar and
grove set up for the worship of Baal. The people would
come forth and set before this great altar to Baal and worship
there.
And God only promised to bless the people if they put
Him
first and
obeyed His commandments.
Now, what about us? Do we have an altar to Baal set
up in our
homes?
What about those of you who have television sets. And
now,
look. I'm
not just going to pick on you. We are every one guilty
of having idols set before us. But what is your
idol? WEBSTER
gives us
a pretty good definition: IDOL: any object of ardent or
excessive
devotion or admiration. Anything that has no substance
but can
be seen....That sounds pretty much like television to me.
E-91
IDENTIFICATION 63-0123
"You know in the heathen world how the
heathen put up an idol,
and
they prostrate themselves before the
idol, and work
themselves into such an emotion till they believe they can hear
that idol
speak back to them. It's a mental affair, but how vice
versa
from God's truth. God wants you. He don't want an
idol. You
are the living image of God. And you prostrate
yourself before
God, and He fills you with Himself, and you express
Him as a
looking
glass, his church."
204 GREATER THAN SOLOMON 63-0628.2E
" And
you man that can't stop gawking and looking at
women
immorally
dressed, the idols of the day! You man that hasn't got
enough real grace in your heart to make your wife and kids quit
doing such a thing as that, the love of God isn't anchored in
your
heart; don't be called a son of God. You're still in
a man
that can't take over his own house; God ordained him to
do."
I like
that. He calls immorally dressed women idols.
And yet
Webster
says an idol is, "anything that has no substance yet
can
be
seen." That's pretty good.
In the
Message INVESTMENTS brother Branham let's us know that
shouting,
dancing and those things even though they are
all
right, if
we don't have a scriptural reason for doing them it can
become an idol. So the Pentecostal experience that so many
look
for and the feeling they desire to have becomes only an idol to
them.
Anything that takes the focus off of the
risen Lord and
Christ
is an idol and needs to be given the axe laid to the root.
Money,
women and popularity are three idols that have taken
down
more men
of God than anything else.
10 BE.CERTAIN.OF.GOD[1]
-- JEFF.IN -- V-5 N-12 -- 59-0125
"And one might ask me to retrace what I
have just said, that it
was a
very likely picture of today. We may not think that we
are
idol worshipers, but we are. And the
government endorses it.
People today are idol worshipers, because
they--they worship
idols.
Some of them worship movie stars for idols. Some
worship
money for
idols. And some worship television stars as idols. But
all that
you put before God is an idol, let it be whatever it may
be. Even Satan, our great adversary is such
a smart one, until
he even put sometimes the church before God. You might
have a
great church. It may be a great building, or it may be a great
denomination,
and again, it may be a great congregation, but let
nothing
come before God in your heart. Anything put before God is
an
idol."
ROMANS
1: 28 - 32 <read>
Now
how can we not be called a hypocrite if we can sit and
judge
this world as having no redemptive value and as being lost and
yet we
enjoy our boob tubes.
ROMANS
2: 1 - 11 <read>
How can we ask God to give us the victory when we don't take a
step
toward it. How can we say, "Who can deliver me from the body
of this
death." When we are feeding on worldyism.
"If God be with us, where then are all the
miracles." I'll tell
you where
they are. They're just as much here as He is here. The
Power
and Glory of God is just as real and just as present as His
Word
is on those tapes we listen to. Did He not say, "The
Pillar
of Fire will lead us into the Millennium?" Then if that
be so,
and "He is the same yesterday, today and forever."
Then the
Dynamics
of God is here as well.
But
what did
idols.
Now televisions may be an idol to some,
but what other
idols do
we have.
1
COR 10: 1 - 15 <read>
Flee
from Idolatry...WEBSTER says,
IDOLATRY is: excessive
devotion
to or reverence for some person or thing.
Being
covetous is considered idolatry.
Ephesians
5: 1 - 5 <read>
Now the thing of it is, you may very well be able to sit
and
watch a program and it is not an idol to you. That is good. But
what if it stumbles your brother. Then it is still just as
bad.
Now
I know that Jesus taught us that nothing going into the
body
can
defile us but what is on the inside already is what defiles a
man.
Mark
7: 14 - 23 <read>
Now
these things such as televisions and even VCR's are not idols
outright.
Not any more than the clothes you wear. Yet we know
1 Cor 8: 1 - 13 esp. vs 6 one God!
1
JOHN 5 : 18 - 21 <read>
Now
getting back to pp. 236 brother Branham says, "Lord, There's nothing
in my hands, nothing in me as a human being. I
couldn't
rely upon
my own human understanding. I don't understand why this
is so,
but I'm following what you said. They took from the
body
of Paul handkerchiefs and aprons, and evil spirits went out of
the
people. It wasn't because he was a great man, it was
because
that God
was with him in Word and Power.
Now I
believe we have seen even greater demonstration of Gods
healing power in this day because after all, not only has
alpha
become
omega, so the demonstration of God's power should have at
least
been the same, but in addition to that Jesus said in saint
John 4,
"he that believeth on me, the things that I do shall he
do, even
greater shall He do because I go to my Father." So
then
even greater means not only more of the same but
also in a
greater
measure. And we saw Creation take place in this day.
Let's look at the real healing that brother Branham was looking
for in
the people.
ONENESS
pp. 237 <read>
Notice,
he says, "May their Faith just reach up and get ahold of
that Word
right now," Then he tells the people to take the Sword of the Word
into their hand. There's a part in it for you. You've
got to
take a hold of this Word by Faith. Now, all the
ministry
can do is
to lay it out their to build up your faith. But you are
the ones
who must believe. You are the ones who will either press
ahead or
fall behind. Brother Branham told the people they oper- ated
the Gift that he had. It's you, you , you. It depends upon
what you want. Personally I'm not as
interested in physical
healing as I am spiritual healing. In fact brother Branham
said
something
very similar to that in...
WHY
WE ARE NOT A DENOMINATION[1]
pg. 13 pp. 59
"Here's a far greater gift right here. Which would be the best,
the gift of the Holy Ghost of Wisdom to put the Word of
God
together
and show the church where we are standing, than just get
somebody healed. We all want to be well; but I'd rather have my
soul
well, than my body anytime."
108
IF GOD BE WITH US 61-1231.2E
"How can
He be the same yesterday, today, and forever, and
still Divine healing gone? How can the Power, how can... The
Bible
set in order, "First apostles, prophets teachers,
evangel
ists, pastors, for a-vindications that the Gospel
still lives."
And God sends them right among us, and we turn our back on it.
God
doesn't fail, it's the people has failed."
Now, it is not that I do not look so much to Divine
healing for
physical needs. But I need more healing in my soul than I do in
my body.
Now when my body needs become greater than my soul needs
then I
will cry out for that portion as well. we have seen
many
healings here over the years. But the greatest healings
I have
seen have been to see people who were bent over and spiritually
crippled and could not walk alone with God. People who needed a
man for a crutch and to see them become independent and able to
walk alone with God. That to me is the greatest
miracle I've
seen.
Now,
I don't say that because we haven't seen physical
healings.
My daughter Christina had ITP which is a rare form of Leukemia
and she was diagnosed to be so at Children's hospital. In fact
the doctor told us she had the worst white cell count they had
ever seen and yet how quickly the Lord healed her and she was
released on Easter Sunday. Less than a week after entering
the
hospital.
When She went in I cried and LaVonne cried and we really became
desperate.
Brother VAyle came down and we prayed together and
God
spared her little life. God knows how to get us to a
place of
desperation.
I remember having to hold her down while the doctors
inserted
that cork screw into her hip to draw out bone marrow for
testing.
I remember how painful it was for me having to hold her
down, as
she writhed in pain.
I
became real desperate and our Loving Father Heard our
prayers.
I testified to every one that she was healed and that God would
allow her to come home on Easter because I knew that Easter is
Resurrection
and resurrection is the highest form of healing. And
Sure
enough she did.
Another
time I prayed for a man that was paralyzed on one side of
his body
and within days he was released from the hospital and he
was able
to walk on his own.
Randy
and Clara came before the elders when little Jill was
only
a tiny
little baby and the doctors had said her hip was out of
it's
socket. We prayed and God healed the child. Don't tell me we
haven't
seen miracles here. But to me the greatest miracle is
to
see blind eyes open and souls in prison given their freedom in
Christ.
ONENESS
pp. 238 <read>
35 IF.GOD.BE.WITH.US 61-1231.2E
"As I was speaking this morning upon the
subject of what the
New
Birth was, and how we come to it, surely that still sinks
in
your
heart. Now the time has come to act upon what you know to be
the Truth. You cannot act with faith until first you
know what
you're
doing. You've got to first know what you are doing, before
you can have faith to do it. 38 Faith
is not that loose. It's
got to
be based upon some noted fact. You've got to know
some
thing about what you are having faith in, before you can have
faith in it. So we first must know how and
what, what God's
desire is, what God's plan is, and how to approach God by that
plan. And
then we can walk up boldly to the Throne of Grace, and
plead
what the plan is promised us. 45 And
God always, in every
case,
sends the people a true servant, a true prophet that will
bring the
true Word of God. And the Word of God is what delivers
the
people, always."
53 IF.GOD.BE.WITH.US 61-1231.2E
"Now I
want you to notice another thing that might encourage you.
Immediately after that prophet's message, the Lord
appeared
on the
scene. Amen! As soon as he gave his message,
the Lord
appeared under a tree. The Lord came, after the message
of the
prophet,
sitting under a tree. The prophet gave... The
people
fell away, got off in their isms. God sent His prophet. Soon as
the prophet got through with his message, the Lord followed the
prophet's message, for deliverance! 54
Oh, we are living in a
grand
time! Immediately when the prophet went off the scene, what
happened?
The Lord came on the scene! As soon as John went
off
the scene, the Lord came on the scene! Very
strange how God
works,
but He does it, works in mysterious way."
109
IF GOD BE WITH US 61-1231.2E
"Where is
the miracles then among us? Where are they at?" God
was
talking to this man, getting him ready to go out. 110 Move
the clouds out, the sun's always shining. That's
right. When
doubts are gone, and things are made right, miracles will
be
there
just as sure as the Son's (sun's) there. 111
The sun, by
the command of God, shines every day. It's there
because God
commanded it there. And as long as there is day and
night, the
sun will hang there. Sure. Not all the time you see it,
because
clouds
has it covered up; fog, clouds, low or high, covers it up.
But it's always there, see. 114 What's the matter then? We've
let the clouds of doubt, greed, temper, selfishness, denomina
tions, and other things, break in on us, break
in and take us
away from the Word, say, "them was somewhere
else," denying
Christ, denying the baptism of the--of the Lord,
of the Holy
Ghost,
denying the Christian baptism of the Name of Jesus Christ,
other things, all kinds of things, that our creeds has broke
us
away from the Bible. But in a... 117
Now, Gideon and those
people
there, before they could see, or could ever go, see these
miracles of God, there was a condition that had to be met. To
meet,
to see the Power of miracles, they had to believe. They
also had to believe and obey the prophet's Word, to see
the
miracles of God. Now, remember, before that they could see
the
miracles,
they had to obey what the prophet said. 118 And
before we
can see the miracles of God, we've got to obey what the
prophet's said. The Bible is the Prophet, to us. That's right!
134 How can God take a sinner, arrogant,
high-tempered, fussy
man, and
make a saint of God out of him? How can He take a woman
that's so low, till the dogs won't even turn to her
on the
street,
and make a saint of God out of her? I can't tell you. But
He did
it! It's a paradox. Sure is! All God's great
works are
paradoxes."
145
IF GOD BE WITH US 61-1231.2E
"Yes, take God at His Word, act upon the
promise, regardless of
what
takes place, it's up to God to do the rest of it. Just start
knocking the clouds! "Lay aside every weight that so easily
besets
you. Lay aside all your doubts, your fears, your denomina
tions, you're creeds, and anything that's contrary to
the Word.
Jesus
Christ is just the same yesterday, today, and forever. Just
lay your
creeds aside, lay your denominations aside, lay all your
doubts aside, all your flusterations
aside, and just keep on.
First
thing you know, you'll--you'll move the last chunk, and
He
will be
standing there. You'll meet Him. 153 If
God be with us,
where is His signs? Sure, get back to His Word, signs will
take
care of itself as soon as we get back to the Word. 154 Noah,
before he
saw the miracles of God, like Gideon wanted to question
about,
he had to first act upon the Word of God. Gideon
had to
act upon the Word of God. 155 Everybody
else has to act upon
the Word
of God. Before I could ever say that there was a God, I
had to
act upon His promise, then He manifested Himself. If
you
want
healing, believe Him! Act upon His Word, it'll come to pass.
156 Moses, before he ever could see God's
miracles, he had to
first act
on God's Word. He knowed he had heard his mother say
he
was born
an odd birth, he was hid in the bulrushes. She told him
that God had called him and chose him. 167 How are you
ever
going to
see a miracle, until you become one? Birth! A miracle of
God's
grace, to take an unbelieving doubter and fill him with the
Holy Ghost! Jesus said, "Except a man be borned
again, he can't
even see the
become
one. Let God work on you, first. He's got some overhauling
to do,
some different lenses to put over your eyes, because you
are
blind, dead in sin and trespasses, spiritually blind, double
dead.
Right! God has to give you Life, touch your eyes so you can
see;
perform a miracle, and make you a miracle, and then you can
see the
miracle-working God. That's the first thing. 176 Joshua,
oh, that
great conqueror! Oh, the successor of Moses! A man that
God
loved, a mighty warrior! A man that God loved! God told him,
"As I was with Moses, so will I be with
you." But before the
walls fell, Joshua marched according to the Chief
Captain's
orders; around
the wall, thirteen times, before the Power of God
ever
struck the thing. He marched around the wall, and sounded
a
trumpet,
according to the Word of God that the Chief Captain told
him out there when He met him. He marched according to the
Word
of God.
What did he do? He acted upon the Word, before he saw the
miracle. 177
You know, just to sound a trumpet don't
shake
down a
wall that you can run chariot races around; sounding a
trumpet.
But God said, "Just, just march around the walls,
seven
times,
and, the last day, march seven." And thirteen times. "And
as you
go around the wall, at the last time, let the priests go
before,
with the ark, and sound the trumpet. And when the trumpet
sounds,
the walls will shake down." What'd they do? He
saw the
miracle
of God, after he acted on the Word of God. Where is your miracles?
Act on His Word, first."
ONENESS
pp. 239 - 243[1]
<read>