Preparation #58 Giving an Account
Brian
Kocourek
ACTS 20:25And now,
behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of
God, shall see my face no more. 26 Wherefore I take you to record this day,
that I [am] pure from the blood of all [men]. 27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you
all the counsel of God. 28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to
all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed
the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 29
For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in
among you, not sparing the flock.
30 Also of your own selves
shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after
them. 31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the
space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. 32
And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace,
which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them
which are sanctified. 33 I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or
apparel. 34 Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands
have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. 35 I
have shewed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak,
and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to
give than to receive. 36 ¶
And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them
all. 37 And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's
neck, and kissed him, 38 Sorrowing most of all for the words which
he spake, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto
the ship.
PREPARATION 53-1111
E-97 Now, just reverent as
you're singing this folks. Christians, I will have to answer at the day of
the judgment if I told you wrong. God Almighty will hold me responsible for
what I say. You know that. You don't know how I'd like to take each one of you
in my arms, set down here, set there and talk with you a few minutes, see just
what your trouble was, and see if God would tell me what was wrong; or maybe
something in your life that you've done that wasn't just right, would hinder
your healing. Now, you confess all your wrongs. Tell God that you'll make it
right. Tell Him that you'll do it and confess your wrong. Now, you're
standing here right now to accept Jesus as your Healer just as you accepted Him
as your Savior. I seen two little girls moving just now. There were healed. I
seen It move over them when they come up. See? Now, I just had to go, bless
them because that He told me to. See? Now, I want you to come on these basis to
accept Him.
E-98
Now look, Christians, you love me; I love you. If God, Who knows... If that's wrong, I don't know my heart. See?
But I believe that I know truly that I love you. And I wouldn't stand here
as a deceiver, and you know I wouldn't do that. And you know God would never
bless a deceiver. How is this message just goes the whole world over now,
when literally millions of healings... Even the jungles of Africa, after they
was converted, I said, "Don't wait till you get an education; go right on
out; lay hands on the sick." Why, up in the jungles they got the healing
campaigns going on amongst the natives, men who don't even know which is right
and left hand hardly. But they know Jesus Christ. They seen Him do it, and they
believe it, and they pray for their native friends, and they're healed.
Preaching Gospel, accepting Christ, breaking up their idols, forming big
churches and groups, praying all night, fasting for weeks at a time, no
education or nothing... They just believe God. Now, you do the same.
E-99 Now, look, I don't think you could
find fault with what I preached. I don't get it out in the right way, maybe.
But I give it the best way that I know how, and I know it's the truth. I
haven't got the scholarship and education to present it, like a man that could
do that. But I just have to reach up, and grab it, and spit it out, and
reach and grab it, is the only way I can get it, just as it comes to me.
But look, brother, I know it's the truth. I've tested it in death; I've tested
it against demons. All across the world. This is my third trip around now, and
this... I've seen witch-doctors, and devils, and hypnotists, and demons and
everything, and critics, and everything come up and say, "It's mental
telepathy. It's somebody out in the audience is looking up here, and I'm
reading their mind; mental telepathy." And all such things has been tried
in every fiery furnace. And every time God slays the adversary, drops them
right to their feet.
E-100 There's a man setting tonight,
paralyzed in this world, because he tried to hypnotize me in New York City. Went
to one of these Army guys that goes and makes people bark like dogs and things
with hypnotism. And I said, "Why'd the devil put it in your heart to do
that?" And that settled it, they packed him out paralyzed. He's that way
yet tonight. Many other things I could say, hundreds, but I've told you the
truth. God has confirmed it to be the truth.
CHURCH ORDER
58-1006 1200-64 May every officer of the church fill his post
of duty, knowing this, that God is going to hold you responsible for how you
held your office in the church. Each one will have to give an account.
CONFERENCES 61-0410
E-86 Every one of us is going to stand at the judgment seat of Christ to
give an account for what we've done with Christ and His Word. E-87
There's going to be a conference, and you're going to be there. I don't
care what you do with your life. You can commit suicide, be so guilty you have
your body cremated and taken our upon the seas and blown to the four winds.
You'll be there anyhow, for every knee will bow and every tongue shall confess.
There might have been a mighty conference, and many of them that you'd miss;
but there's one you're going to attend.
E-88 And I'll tell you, every time you see a
gray hair it means that you're going. Every time you hear a siren,
you're... it's a conference you're going to meet. Death is meeting you in the
face. Young or old, whoever you are, you're on your road. Every time you
pass a grave yard, it speaks that you're coming to that conference. Every time
you hear a sermon preached, a hymn sang, it means you're coming to that
conference: and you're going to be there. And you're going to answer for what
you've done with God's Word, and with God's Son, and with the Holy Spirit that
He sent you. You're going to answer. You're going to be at that conference.
E-89 So if you're here tonight, friends, and
have never had that conference with God... Some men's sins go before them,
confessed; some follow. If your unbelief, hasn't been confessed yet, won't
you think of it while we pray, as we bow our heads? In the reverence and
solemnity of this moment I would ask a solemn question that all people will
have to answer for. Be sincere, and let this be a searching time in your heart.
What will you do after this conference? This is a conference tonight, where we
have gathered together here in this gymnasium to speak the Word of God in halls
and so forth just like they did in the early days. The same Word of God has
been preached. You're going to have to answer some day for it. Are there those
here tonight, or how many are they (I know there's a group), that would say
this to me, "Brother Branham, I have never been born of the Spirit of God.
I have never received God's Holy Spirit. And I know if I stand at that
conference, after I been told so plainly by the Scripture, witnessed by the
Holy Spirit, I'm going to have to give an account for my life at that day. I'm
going to raise my hand to God and ask Him to be merciful to me, and I want a
conference right now with God. I'd like to talk it over with Him right
now."
E-90 Now, with every head bowed (Cursed be
the one that raises their eyes), would you raise your hand and say,
"Pray for me, Brother Branham. I've not yet received the Holy Spirit.
" God bless you. Someone else? Surely you'd be honest in a time like this.
Going to a conference. God bless you, lady, God bless you, lady. God bless you
here. You're going to a conference. And remember, no matter how good you've
been in church, that doesn't, that doesn't do one thing. The Pharisees in the
days of Jesus lived a lot holier life than any of we here in America live; but
they were considered evil, because they were sinners, unbelievers in Christ and
His Word. And I've told you plainly the conference, when God wanted to decide
what kind of a church He wanted, it was a Sprit-filled church from Pentecost.
If you haven't met that conference yet, would you raise your hand and say,
"Brother Branham, pray for me." God bless you, you, you…
WHY SO HARD TO LIVE CHRISTIAN LIFE 57-0303A E-61 Everybody
in prayer. I'm going to stand at your face at the judgment bar. And you're
going to give an account for what you do with this message this afternoon. Your
mind, the way you're thinking now, is going to vibrate on God's radar screen at
the day of judgment. If it's a thousand years from today, it'll still
vibrate.
WE WOULD SEE JESUS SIRS 60-0109 E-1
One day there will come a time where we will all meet again, if we never
meet no more until then; and we'll be at another judgment seat. And there we
will give an account for what we have done, and what we do tonight (what we
say), and our actions, and whether we are able to accept what we hear, and to
believe on the works of the Holy Spirit. That being the case, it makes us
rather tremble to think that... What will take place at that day if our sins
are not under the blood? It'll be a terrible day for many, and a glorious day
for many. For it'll be the day of rejoicing for those who have accepted our
Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Then all of our sins will be put upon Him, and
He will be our Attorney at the bar. I'm so glad to know tonight that the
testimony, that I have confessed all my sins to Him some thirty years ago, and
have been on the field trying to represent Him to people, as a real Attorney
who can plead the case so perfect, until God forgives every sin and sends back
the Seal of His recognition to us to be sons and daughters of His--the Holy
Spirit to give us witness.
REVELATION BOOK OF SYMBOLS 56-0617
57 Your pastor, when he stands here on the
platform, ministering the Word of God, he is God's angel to the church,
messenger to the church. Therefore, a pastor should never leave that Word,
but stay straight with the Word, because He's feeding the shepherd's place,
'cause the--the word "pastor" means "shepherd." Look it up
and find out if that ain't right. A pastor is a shepherd, and the Holy Ghost
has made him overseer over a certain flock to feed them. What with? The Word of
God. Amen. Oh, my, what a...
WHAT IT TAKES TO OVERCOME ALL UNBELIEF 60-0729
E-15 First is apostles, prophets, teachers,
evangelists, pastors, those five God-given gifts in the church. So each of
you people, who has a godly pastor, has a gift from God in your church, a
shepherd. "Pastor" means "a shepherd," to watch over the
flock, to teach them the Word of God.
UNCERTAIN SOUND 60-1218 128 I'd
rather be a pastor of a little old rackled-up building like this, where the
power of God meets with the people, where the Church comes together with those
things like that, than to have the biggest cathedral there is in all the world
to preach in, with a lukewarm bunch of cold, professed, so-called
Christians, that have to watch what every word you say. And you can't preach by
inspiration; you have to have it so--so, and watch every judge and every doctor
and everything in there, so you won't say something to hurt their feelings,
because they're big payers on the church. I'll take the way with the Lord's
despised few. See? You can't evaluate it. There's no way of doing it. 129
So therefore, today the man that's rich is the man who is in Christ.
Now, say you had good sight, good health, a lot of money and everything else,
but yet without--without Christ, you are lost. You are a wretched, miserable,
poor, blind, naked, and don't know it. See? That's what the Laodicean Church
Age was. You might belong to the biggest church there is in the nation, you
might belong to the largest denominations, but still be lost as lost can be.
See? So the rich man is the man who is in Christ. That's right.
WHAT DOEST THOU HERE 59-0301E Elijah, in the midst of it all... Yet many of
the children of Israel, thousands of them had compromised and wanted to live
the modern trend of life. Yet Elijah would not compromise. He told Jezebel her
place and how she must do. Oh, she hated that prophet. But just the same, she
wouldn't claim him, but he was her pastor. Oh, there's a lots of times they
don't want to claim it, but a God sent man to a community is a pastor of the
entire community. Whether he's Baptist, Presbyterian, or who it is, God anoints
His man and he will not compromise. And the people sometimes hates him, because
that he stands for truth. But yet, he's God's pastor for the hour. E-14
Oh, she despised him. She'd do anything she could to kill him. But yet
he was true to God's principles, and God's standards. Her modern parties, and
socials, and her painting of her face, and the wearing of her clothes had
polluted that nation. Old Elijah wasn't easy. He told her right where she was
standing. God, send us some more Elijahs in this day, that'll not compromise
with sin, somebody who'll preach the truth no matter how bad it hurts. God's
still got servants in every community that won't compromise with the things of
the world. Elijah didn't like the modern trend of things, so he stood true to
God. E-15 And the showdown came. And the showdown has
come again. And Elijah up on Mount Carmel, when they thought that all the days
of miracles were passed and there could not be nothing else like miracles,
there was one man who believed in it. And he said, "Bring up all your
prophets. Bring them up here on the mountain, and let's prove and see who's
God." I love that Scripture. Oh, if there ever was a time and a place that
the true power of God ought to be made manifest is today.
SIGN OF HIS COMING
62-0407 E-82
I think this time it's going to be spiritual death to--to some of
Jezebel's children. Yes, sir. Spiritual death, dry up... I could say something,
but I just better leave it alone, 'cause I believe there's a tape recorder out
there playing this. Now...?... Oh, my,
the day that we're living in... Yes, sir. After his God-given ministry, the
true Word of God with true signs and wonders had been rejected, what could the
man do? Bawled them out. Jezebel hated him, and all of her modern first ladies
hated him. They didn't like him. Certainly not. They thought he was a horrible
thing. But he was their pastor just the same. He was. Oh, yes, Pastor Elijah,
oh, she wouldn't claim him, but he was a God-sent pastor, God's pastor to her.
He didn't spare her. He poured out the Word. And they rejected him, and thought
he was a idiot, and--and turned him away. None of the organizations would have
him. They kicked him out. That didn't stop the Word: went right on just the
same. So way up there he waited till he had THUS SAITH THE LORD for Ahab, and
he come told him. And when he did, the famine hit the land. That's right. And
you know what taken place. Sure. That was Elijah before the drought.
THIRST 65-0919
158 Paul, he was a smart man. But when he come to Christ
and received the Holy Spirit, went to the Corinthians, he said, "I never
come to you with enticing words of man's wisdom," though he could've done
it. Said, "I come to you in power and manifestations of the Holy Ghost,
that your faith would be in God, not in the wisdom of some man." Now, sometimes we make the church programs.
They also call for their--their pastor. The church goes to vote the pastor;
they say, "Well, this pastor now, he's got two degrees in college. He
learned four years of psychology. He took this, that, the other." And
they'll vote that kind of a man in (why?) instead of a pastor who believes in
God's Word being inspired and being God, and will preach the Word regardless of
how people feel about it. 161 God told Ezekiel, you know, said,
"Preach that whether they believe it or not. You preach it anyhow."
See? Right. Whether they accept it, or not, that ain't it. They didn't accept
Jesus. He went right on preaching It just the same. See?Instead of a real
pastor that will really preach the Word and believe in God, they--they--they
try to bring in the--the intellect, the man who's got the best education, the
man who can stand in the pulpit and don't take but just about fifteen minutes
so they can get home right quick, and go some--do something else, and Ricky can
get his hot rod and start out, and--and they can go to the twist parties and
everything. And it's, oh, it's--it's just it's a--it's nothing else but a
hybrid educational pollution. That's right. That's just exactly what it is.
That's right. But what is it? It satisfies their taste (See?); it satisfies a
worldly church member's taste.
It don't satisfy a saint's taste. He'll take the Word every
time.
THIRST 65-0919
173 A vulture wants dead
things. That's right. And that's dead. That's exactly right. Plainly shows, it
just plainly show here what is their head and their control tower, what it's
giving them (See?), what's in their soul. Their soul longeth for things like
that. Their soul longeth for a high intellectual church, where the people dress
real fine, and the pastor takes fifteen minutes, or twenty. And if you go over
that, they throw him back on the deacon board. And he mustn't say nothing about
sin. He mustn't say anything about wearing shorts, and wouldn't say nothing
about people doing this, that, or the other. He mustn't mention that at all. If
they do, the board will have him throwed out. See what it is? That's their
thinking man's filter. The Bible said in I John 2:15, "If you love this
world system, or the things of this world, it's because that the love of God's
not even in you."
JESUS CHRIST THE SAME
58-0323 E-58
And how many know that the ministering gifts in the Church is, first
apostles, then prophets, teachers, pastors, evangelists. How many knows that
that's right? Now, the word apostle means "a missionary." The one a
missionary, why the missionaries ever want to be called missionary instead of
apostle, I don't know. But the same word "apostle" means "one
sent." "Missionary" means "one sent." They was to
missionary the world. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, five
spiritual gifts that's predestinated, that by foreknowledge God set in the
Church. That's exactly right. Gifts and callings are without repentance. All
those gifts are in the Church. I'm not a preacher, not much of one. I'm just a
spare tire more or less. Brother Vayle is the preacher.
HEAR YE HIM 58-0328
E-68 Now, I am not a healer.
All can bear record of that. I have no way of healing people. There is... Speak
the Word, Lord. If that would be sufficient, but God's good. He has set in the
church, gifts: first, apostles or missionaries, both the same: Apostles means
"one sent." Missionary means "one sent." Apostles,
prophets, teachers, evangelists, pastors, they're all predestinated gifts of
God. Gifts and callings are without repentance. They're placed in the church to
bring the church together, hold it together for the glory of God.
WE WOULD SEE JESUS
62-0627 E-77
Now, if you believers... How many believers is here? If... I could not
do it. I cannot bring Him. It takes all of us together to do it. I'm just a
part of Him, and you're a part of Him. But if you're sick and needy, I'm your
brother. And they... God set in the church... Now, there's nine spiritual gifts
goes in each local body, which is tongues, interpretation of tongues, and
prophecies, and so forth. But there is five predestinated offices of the
church: apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors and evangelists. That's what God
set in the church. The Holy Spirit... That's a office. The Holy Spirit might
fall on one tonight and speak in tongues, and the other give the prophecy,
and--and so forth. And then next night It might be on somebody else, and
somebody else, like that. That's local gifts in the body to keep us straight.
But in the church alone, five offices: apostles (means missionaries), apostles,
prophets, teachers, pastors, and evangelists, God sets those in the church.
Now, let's believe with all of our heart that through these ministering gifts
that the great God of heaven will send Christ among us tonight, that we'll see
Jesus. Let us pray now as we bow our heads.
DENTIFIED.MASTERPIECE.OF.GOD_ YUMA.AZ
SATURDAY_ 64-1205 Politics don't belong in church, the Holy
Ghost is to take the church over, and not a politic vote of who's who. God
placed in the church some apostles, some prophets, and some teachers, and
evangelists, and pastors, not man voted them in there. God placed them in there
by the calling of the Holy Spirit, prayer meetings, and laying on of hands, and
staying before God.
I E-48 But
today we have socialized our religion to a place till it's almost like politics
itself that we play it in all of our denominations. We're... One can't point to
the other one. We're all guilty. In there you find some genuine men and genuine
women. But the trouble what I'm thinking about, we're getting too much on
the--on the minority side the genuine people that wants to believe, and wants
the power of God. There's too many brought in just by a social act. "Well,
this is a good man. He's a fine fellow." We got good churches. We build
good churches, and better churches than we used to have. That's all right.
There's nothing against that. I like to see the church prosper. But, brother,
I'd rather see it prosper in the power of the Lord than to prosper in the
worldly things. Get back to the Gospel again. Get back to the power of God. Get
back to Pentecost, the--like the original was.
E-49 But, you see, the trouble of it is we don't
want to take that beating. You can say something about something, and some
immoral thing the church is doing, or--or some social thing. Right then they
turn you down, close the doors, you can't come in (See?), because they have a
meeting and bar you out. They don't want you no more. They say you're crazy;
you've lost your mind. But as long as it's THUS SAITH THE LORD, that don't
matter to me what anybody says. It takes the power of Christ to change a man.
It takes the power of Christ to keep a man.
INVISIBLE UNION OF THE BRIDE 65-1125 38-3
Whatever God wants you to do, where your place is... God placed in the
church some apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors. He placed that by virtue of
His own predestination. And you were that to begin with.
RISING OF THE SUN
65-0418M 39-3
Now, now notice. On Elijah, after he... Look, Elijah, that great
prophet... Man, in his day... Excuse me. Brother, sister, in that day he had fussed
at them painted-faced women, them Jezebels and Ahabs, and stood till... And
nobody, it looked like, stood with him. And he rebuked, and devoured, and stood
out there, and God had taken care of him and helped him in every place. You
know, the old fellow got tired one day. He said, "I'm getting old, so I
just can't go no further." They say he was going on, I guess, ninety years
old, real old and walking around there, and he was so full of Quickening Power,
you know what? He looked across Jordan. (Oh God, I can almost see the other
side, can't you?) So full of the Quickening Power until he seen a chariot
hooked over there, some horses of fire and chariot afire hooked to some tree
over there. He just walked across the river and went home without even dying.
The Quickening Power sent--caused a chariot to come down from heaven and take
him up. Even picked off his coat and throwed it back for Elijah. That's right.
39-4 Now, then that fellow picked up that robe
(a type of the church again. See?), picked up that robe. Now, he done twice the
miracles (which is a type of Christ and the church). See? Elijah done four; he
done eight. See? Now, he was--he was double the power, 'cause he asked for it.
"Greater things than this that I do, shall you do." See? But he was
so full of the Quickening Power and everything, till he done all these double
what Elisha done, more than he did. And notice, he lived a life on up to eighty
or ninety years old, and he got old and he--he died. He died and they--they
took him out and buried him. You know, well that Quickening Power didn't leave
him. Many many years after that, when the flesh had all rotted off his bones,
he was laying in the tomb; and they were packing a dead man one day, and they
saw the enemy, and they just throwed this man in on top of Elijah's bones.
There was so much Quickening Power on those bones till the man jumped up to
life again. 40-2 Oh, He'll quicken your mortal bodies. Though
dead and rotten in the grave, and yet, that Quickening Power rested over that
dirt. Hallelujah. Um. He that raised up Christ from the dead also quicken your
mortal body. The Elijah back there--Elisha and Elijah. Remember that dead man,
that prophet, full of that Quickening Power, laying in the grave and rotted
away, there was so much Quickening Power, till they throwed a dead man on him;
he come to life. He could still lay hands on the sick, couldn't he? Amen. There
you are.
GOD'S PROVIDED PLACE OF WORSHIP 65-0425 151 Notice, we find out that this great
Quickening Power struck Enoch; it quickened him and he went home without dying.
It struck Elijah, quickened him till he went home without dying. We find out
his successor was Elisha, which was a type there of Christ and the church,
Elisha. Elijah done four miracles, and Elisha done eight miracles. He had a
double portion, like was poured out upon the church. [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]
Later they had a dead man, throwed it over on his bones, and he come to life.
That Quickening Power was in the grave with him. You can't... It's always
there, when you get that Quickening Power of God, being quickened up with Him
now. 155 Now, remember, in Christ we are flesh of
His flesh, bone of His bones. When God wounded Christ at Calvary, He was
wounded for me and you. We are flesh of His flesh, and bone of His bone, body
of His body, Name of His Name, Bride of Him. See, we are in Him; we are His
flesh and His bones. And God has already raised us up potentially. The
Quickening Power that raised us from a life of sin, and changed our being, it
has potentially raised us up in Christ Jesus, which the resurrection will bring
us forth in the fully maturity.
THIRD EXODUS
63-0630M 44-3
Elijah, the one of the greatest prophets of the age only done four
things supernatural in all his life of eighty some years. And Elisha, with a
double portion done eight, and we see thousands times thousands with our own
eyes. Look at the Angel of the Lord in a Pillar of Fire. Scientific search
taken it to the world, knowing that they're going to be judged by it.
The lame did walk (South Dakota man paralyzed with 2 fused
disks, restored, walked) South Dakota
Diabetic man (gain green foot) all muscles, tissue,
in heal cut out, God restores his foot. Kentucky
The deaf
did hear. Australia
The dead raised (Iowa mother died at dinner table)
Dead stick budded after laying on it for 3 months. (Like Aaron's rod). Ohio
Cancer of the uterus in pregnant woman
healed California
Baby born with hip out of socket
healed Kentucky
Leukemia Ohio
Man dying of lung cancer healed Kentucky
Tumor healed in Indiana man
Neurotic healed and restored their marriage
Poland
Man with 30 year ulcer healed Poland
Man with asthma for 28 years healed Poland
Power over the weather turned the temp down
by 30 degrees within 1 hours time. Oho
MATTHEW 11:1 ¶ And
it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples,
he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. 2
Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two
of his disciples, 3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should
come, or do we look for another? 4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and
show John again those things which ye do
hear and see: 5 The blind receive their sight, and the
lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the
dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6
And blessed is [he], whosoever shall not be offended in me.