Unveiling
of God no 56
not
believing unto but Understanding His Word
October
10, 2018
Brian Kocourek, Pastor
Sunday we examined the difference between just believing and fully
understanding. We showed from 1 Corinthians 2
that the evidence that you are filled with the Spirit of God is that you will
understand the things of God, and that evidence that you are not filled with
His spirit is that you cannot understand the things of God.
1 Corinthians 2: 11 For
what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?
even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God knows. 12 Now
we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might
know the things that are freely given to us of God.
So the Apostle Paul
taught us that the no man can understand the things of God unless he has the
Spirit of God in Him. And he even tells us in verse 12 that the reason why we
have received the Holy Ghost is in order to know and to understand.
In verse 14 he tells us But the
natural man (the unregenerate man, the man that is not born again of
the spirit of God) receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness
unto him: neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned.
Notice he tells us the
natural man cannot understand the things of God, and in fact the things of God
are foolishness to him. And he tells us that only the man that is born again
and filled with the Spirit of God can understand the things of God because they are spiritually discerned.
The suffix "ually"
added to the word "spirit" modifies the word Spirit from a noun,
to an adjective, and this modification shows a quality or characteristic of the
word that is modified.
Therefore, by saying
that no man can understand the things of God unless they have the Spirit of God
in them, he clarifies this by saying "because the things
of God are "spirit"-"ually" discerned."
The suffix "ually"
shows therefore an attribute or quality of the Spirit which in action produces
discernment, (which is a knowing or understanding the things of God).
And Paul tells us that
action of the spirit, produced by the Spirit, is to
discern and understand the things of God. Therefore, take the
Spirit out of the equation and you have no discernment, and therefore no
understanding of the things of God.
15 But he that is
spiritual (Spirit-filled) judgeth all things,
yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who
hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind
of Christ.
Sunday we showed you that "believing" does not mean that you are
born again, because the Bible teaches that you "believe unto salvation".
Ephesians 1:13 In whom
ye also trusted, after that ye heard
the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of
promise,
So the Spirit comes after the believing. The believing is not the
infilling of the Spirit, but prepares us for the infilling.
Acts 19:2 He
said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so
much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
Therefore, I want to make sure this
is clear, because there are many who are standing on the supposition that all
you have to do to be saved is to believe, yet we know the Bible teaches us that
the devil believes and he trembles.
James 2:19 Thou
believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and
tremble.
Therefore if
you believe that all you must do to be saved is to believe, then
according to your doctrine the devil will have to be saved as well because
God's Words says he believes.
From his sermon Five identifications 60-0911E
P:96 brother Branham said, "You say, "Well, Brother Branham, I believe,"
well, listen, "and I've never received the Holy Ghost." No, you don't believe yet.
You are just
believing unto belief. You have hope. For in I Corinthians the 12th
chapter and the 3rd
verse, let's
just grab that right quick while we're close to it, if you want to. I
Corinthians 12, the 12th chapter and the 3rd verse, and we'll get that just
right quick, and read this here and see what the Lord has in this for us. I Corinthians 12, all right, and the 3rd
verse. "Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaketh by
the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and... no man can say... Jesus is the
Lord, but by the Holy Ghost". 97 You don't know nothing about it until you've received the Holy
Ghost. You say, "I accept Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour."Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? If you don't, you can't even call Him the Lord, because
He's not Lord, He's a historical Being that you by faith have accepted. But
when He's come into you by the Holy Ghost, He is your Lord. No man can call Jesus Lord, only by the Holy Ghost; until
you are borned of the Spirit of God, and the Holy Ghost is in you...
Then if you are, you are borned into this Kingdom, and you're part of the
church. You're the called-out ones then. You see it? All right, now.
Things that are to be
65-1205 P:59 A certain
denominational minister the other night said to me; he said, "Mr. Branham,
looky here, Jesus said, 'Whosoever believeth...' The Bible said, 'Whosoever believeth that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God is born of the Spirit of God.'"I said,
Don't the Bible also say that "no
man can call Jesus the Christ only by the Holy Ghost?" See? You can't make the Bible lie.
It's got to hook right in, so you have to become absolutely born again of the
Holy Spirit in you that witness out, yourself, you know
that He is the Son of God. And then if you are in a part...If you are a
child of God in the Word of God, how can you deny the Word? How can
the Holy Spirit make you believe a creed that you have to do something like
this when the Bible said something else: "We have to join a church, and do
this, or do that," when the Bible plainly tells you what to do.
See?
Patmos
vision 60-1204E P:39 While we're
talking on Revelations, ask Him to give you a revelation of this. For it can
only be known by revelation, and you can only be saved by revelation.
You have a knowledge of it intellectually, but you can't be
saved until it's revealed to you. "No
man can call Jesus the Christ, only by the Holy Ghost." That's what the Bible says. No
man can say Jesus is the Christ until he has received the Holy Ghost. He might say, "The pastor said so; the Bible
said so." Them are true. "The church says so." That is true. But
you don't know yourself until the Holy Ghost has revealed it to you, and
He's become in you. "No man can call
Jesus the Christ, only by the Holy Ghost."
Not by knowledge, not by intellectual.
Why cry
speak 59-1004E P:29 Jesus said,
"The works that I do, he that
believeth on Me..." Saint John
14:12, "He that believeth on Me the works that I do shall he
do also. He that believeth on Me..."
No man can believe Jesus Christ to be the Son of God until he's received the
Holy Ghost. You're only taking it by faith and accepting it. You can't
say that it is. You can say, "I believe it is." But no
man can call Jesus the Christ until the Holy Ghost is in him. The Bible
said so. The Holy Spirit has to come in first, then It gives a witness.
You know yourself that Jesus is the Christ because He lives in you.
But when the Holy Spirit enters you, you will know it, and you will
understand the Word. Not by how thorough you can study, but you will just know
it because the Holy Spirit Himself is the witness inside of you to His Word.
1 John
5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath (echoes) the witness in
himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he
believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
Queen of
Sheba 60-0710 P:40 The Bible said
that "No man can call
Jesus the Christ only by the Holy Ghost."
If you've never the received the Holy Ghost, you don't know that
He's the Christ yet. Remember that. You're only walking towards that light.
You can say, "My pastor said so." That's true. "My Bible said
so." That's true. "My mother said so." That's truth. "My
church believes it's the Holy Ghost." That's true, but what about you?
As an individual, you don't know until you've received It. And when
you receive the Holy Ghost, then you are a witness that
He's alive forever more. Now, the Holy Ghost is within you; now,
and then you watch Him as He works. If the Life of Christ is in you, it
will produce His Life in you."The works that I do shall you
do also." The
same works, because it's the same life. If the life in a watermelon vine
produces a watermelon, well, it'll... The next branch that comes out, it'll
produce another watermelon; every time it'll be a watermelon. And if the
church is really anchored in Christ, every church will write a book of Acts
behind it. That's exactly right, because the first one wrote a book of Acts
behind it. So, there we are.
Unfailing
realities of God 60-0626 P:27 The Holy Spirit comes
today in like manner to present God to man; but man wants to go to church. It
drowns his thinking. He cannot fathom it. And we must learn that God is not
known by intellectual conception. God is known by the new birth, by
the Holy Ghost, not by any other way. Jesus, the Bible has plainly quoted us
that, "No man can call Jesus the Christ, only by
the Holy Ghost." And if
you've never received the Holy Ghost, you don't know that He is the
Christ, for that's the only way He reveals Himself. You're not converted
until you receive the Holy Ghost. The Bible said so. After Peter had
both been saved and sanctified, give power to cast out unclean spirits, and to
preach the Gospel, Jesus plainly told him he was not converted, until he
received the Holy Ghost. And He said, "After
you're converted, then strengthen your brethren."
That was on the night of the betrayal, that he was not yet converted. And no
man is truly converted until he's been changed, and died to himself,
and the Holy Spirit has control of that person. They don't want
to do it.
Discernment
of spirit 60-0308 P:56 God's got to
reveal Himself to you. And no man can call
Jesus the Christ by intellectual
conception. No man can call
Jesus the Christ because he feels
sorry for his sins and comes and repent. No
man can call Jesus the Christ, only by that revelation of the Holy Ghost making
it known to him. "Upon this rock I'll build My church, and the gates
of hell will never prevail against it."
There's the revelation. There it is, what He's built His church upon.
And remember, the word revelation means an unveiling, a being made known.
Oncoming
storm 60-0229 P:31 Sometime ago, I
made it, making altar calls... I love John 5:24. "He
that heareth My Words, and believeth on Him that sent Me, has Eternal Life; and
shall not come into judgment, but's passed from death unto Life." He that believeth...Said, "That's
pretty light."No, that's pretty deep, for when you believe, no man can call Jesus the Christ, only by the Holy
Spirit. When you have the Holy
Spirit, then you have believed unto Eternal Life and have Eternal Life. "He that heareth My Words, and believeth on Him that
sent Me, has Eternal Life, and shall not come into the judgment, but's passed
from death unto Life."
Questions
and answers COD 59-0628E P:27 Now, now, I
knowed that great Scripture; I use It myself--I've got It written here: St.
John the 5th chapter, 24th verse. It's a pet Scripture to me. For Jesus said
this: "Verily, verily, I say
unto you, 'He that believeth on Me has Eternal Life.'" Let me read it, so that I'll get It just
perfectly right. St. John 5, and I want you to listen close now as we go into
this Scripture, 5 and the 24th verse. Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my words, and believeth on him that
sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is
passed from death unto life."He that believeth on Me..." Now, the Scripture says that no man can say Jesus is the Christ only by the Holy
Ghost. So you cannot believe that
Jesus is the Christ until you have received the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
You're only testifying or saying what the Scripture says, saying what the
pastor says, saying what mother says, or some good preacher says. But you
don't know it yourself until He has witnessed His resurrection to you.
And no man can call Jesus the Christ
until by the Holy Ghost.
Book of
Exodus 1 55-1005 P:8 Jesus said,
"Except a man be borned again, he
cannot understand the Kingdom of heaven."
There's no way of
understanding it until you are borned again, and then God reveals
Himself to you, and then you know that you've passed from
death unto Life, because no man can call Jesus the Christ, only by
the Holy Spirit. See? The only way that you'll ever
know that Jesus is the Christ, is when the Holy Spirit personally witnesses to
you that He is the resurrected Lord Jesus. No matter what He
would do, what kind of signs, what kind of miracles, you'll never know it until
your personal experience with God. You say, "Well, I believe it
because the Bible said so." Well, that's good. The Bible, it's true. It
knows it. "Well, the preacher said so." Perhaps, he knows it.
"Mother said so." She knows it. But what do you know
about it? You'll never know it until it's revealed to you
individually by the Holy Spirit. And then, by accepting it, you become
a new creature in Christ Jesus, borned a second time.
Notice these quotes we
have read all say the same thing, you will never know, you will never
understand until the Holy Spirit comes into you and reveals Himself. That means
to make Himself known. Then you will know. Then you will understand.
Questions
and answers COD 59-1223 P:86 Now, before
you've receive the Holy Ghost, you are believing unto Eternal Life.
But you do not have Eternal Life until you receive the Holy Ghost,
'cause It is Eternal Life. The Holy Ghost is God; It's God's Life
in you. Then you got Eternal Life. Do you understand that now?
See? Look. See? You're believing unto. Wait, here's a good thing.
You women excuse me for this if it sounds too flat (See?)... make a point. A
mother, it's life... But still that baby isn't born. But if you treat that baby
right and follow the rules of nature, that baby will be born normally. But if
you don't apply everything to the rules of nature, you let a hard bruise, or a
hit, or--or something take place, it--it--it's going to ruin it (See?); it'll
kill the baby before it's born.
Now, that ought to tell you how fragile just believing is. You have the
potential, but until you are born again, you just do not know. You think you
know, but that is only a mental condition. But once you have that experiential
relationship with God, the epi-ginosko, then it is a sure thing to you.
I Corinthians 13:9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come,
then that which is in part shall be done away. And there is no one perfect but
God...
Then this speaks of when He, God comes... 11 When I was a child,
I spake as a child, I understood as a child,(why did I
understand like a child?) I thought as a child: but when I became a man,
I put away childish things.
I put away
childish things because I put away childish thinking. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then
face to face, (Face
to face? That word is personal presence. Therefore, there is coming a time when
I will see Him Presence to Presence. ) now I know in part;
but then ( When? At that time that He is personally here,) then shall I know even as also I am known.
Now this word Know is translated from the Greek word "epiginosko",
and it means: to become thoroughly
acquainted with, to know thoroughly; to know accurately, know well... to
recognize; by sight, hearing, of certain signs, to perceive who a person is...then will I understand... Therefore is speaks of
an experiential knowing, or knowledge. A knowing because you are witnessing. A
knowing because you are experiencing.
Then you see, this
knowing God is what brings on our change. Now let's turn to the book of John and
examine this revelation which is to bring forth our change.
John 14:7 "If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also:" This
tells us that that Jesus did not come to manifest Himself but his Father. "and from
henceforth ye know him, and have
seen him." Now, this is where the ONENESS believe that Jesus
was his Father. But Phillip knew Jesus was speaking of another. For He said, 8 "Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the
Father, and it sufficeth us. 9 Jesus saith unto
him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me
hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?"
So we see the importance of knowing, but you cannot know unless God ordains for you to know. And
when Jesus said, "no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any
man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. " He used the Greek word epiginosko which means to
become thoroughly acquainted with, to know thoroughly; to know accurately, to
know well to perceive who a person is or to understand.
Therefore, if they don't know the Father
then they do not know God. And John told us that if they do not have the
doctrine of Christ they have not God. Jesus told us the gentiles worship what
they know not? In other words, they worship a guess? There worship then could
never be perfect. It could only be stabbed at like shooting in the dark. Hit or
miss and they must not really care because they so willingly turn away from the
light.
Now, let me give you three more usages of that word "epiginosko"
as Jesus used it.
Matthew
11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man
knoweth the Son, (now man has an
experiential knowledge of the son) but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, (and
neither does any man know God experientially) save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. (he
to whom the son will unveil him.)
We see Jesus tell us the same thing said in Luke
10:22 All things are delivered to me of my Father:
and no man knoweth who the Son is,
but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will
reveal him.
Now, in this next scripture we will see how that Jesus is not speaking of
Himself, but the day of His coming. And notice he speaks of an experiential
knowing of that day and say no man knows it. No man has experienced that day,
not even me he says. And also remember, that God interprets His word by
bringing it to pass. So the manifested word is the experiential knowing of the
Word.
Mark
13:32 But of that day and that hour(he's speaking of His coming and the events that
surround that coming) of that day and that hour knoweth no man, (epiginosko no man,
no man has an experiential knowing of it, because it has not happened yet.) no, not the angels
which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
Now, in getting back to brother Branham and how he separates believing
from actually knowing and understanding. in his sermon QA on the Holy Ghost COD 59-1219 P:25 The Holy Spirit's
what... You are believing unto Eternal Life, but when the Holy Spirit
comes, It is Eternal Life. You're believing unto... You're begotten of
the Spirit at sanctification, but never born of the Spirit until the Holy
Ghost comes in. That's correct. A baby's got life in the womb of the
mother, little muscles are quivering; it's a life. But it's a different life
when it breathes the breath of life into its nostrils. It's a different.
That's what it is, it's...My dear Methodist brother, and Pilgrim Holiness, and
Nazarene, the baptism of the Holy Ghost is different from sanctification.
Sanctification is the cleansing, which is preparation of life. But when
the Holy Ghost comes, It is Life. Preparation is cleaning the vessel; the
Holy Ghost is filling the vessel. "Sanctification" means "cleaned
and set aside for service." The Holy Spirit is put it in service. You
are the vessel that God's cleaned up.
What
Holy Ghost was given for 59-1217 P:37 A
brother said to me the other day, he said, "Brother Branham..." (or
some time ago, months ago)--he said, "Brother Branham, Abraham believed
God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness."I said,
"Truly."Said, "What more can a man do than believe?"I
said, "That's all a man can do. That's all he can do today is believe God.
But God gave him a seal of circumcision (that we went through last
night) as a sign that He had accepted his faith in Him." And today,
until God... You believe unto Him when you accept Him as your personal
Saviour. But when God gives you the Seal of the Holy Ghost, He's sealed
you to your eternal destination. Now, you Baptists take that, and I'll go
with you on eternal security. Yes, sir. Because, "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are
sealed until the day of your redemption."
You are not sealed by believing unto, but sealed
by the Holy Ghost. Ephesians 4:30: "Grieve
not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you're sealed until the day of your
redemption." That seals
you, when you've found favor with God, and He seals you by the Holy Spirit.
That's so, for the Bible said: "No
man can call Jesus the Christ, only by the Holy Ghost."
What
Holy Ghost was given for 59-1217 P:36 Now,
let me finish reading John
14:12. Now, in the 14th chapter and 12th verse Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth (and you cannot believe...)--believeth on Me..."
You can believe unto
Him. How many understands that, say, "Amen." [Congregation
says, "Amen."--Ed.]You remember in Acts 19 (I hate to stop this here, but I just have to say
it as it comes to me.), in Acts
the 19th chapter when
this Baptist preacher, which was a lawyer and was converted... And he was
preaching and getting people saved, and they had great joy, just rejoicing
and shouting, having a meeting (Acts 18). Aquila and Priscilla... (We referred to it last
evening.) And they had went to see him. And they knowed he was a great man, and
he was a student. And he was proving by the Bible that Jesus was the Son of
God, only knowing the baptism of John; he didn't know the baptism of the
Holy Ghost yet. So he said... Aquila and Priscilla, that husband and wife,
little tent makers (which Paul was a tent maker too), and they'd received the
Holy Ghost under Paul's teaching; they said, "We've got a little brother
that's coming up here. Let him talk to us a little bit about it."And when
Paul came up and heard him preach, knowed he was a great man, he said, "Have you received the Holy Ghost since you have
believed?"They said,
"We know not there--whether there be
any Holy Ghost."He said, "Then to what
(or the real Greek word there is to how) was
you baptized?"They said, "We have been baptized already by John the
Baptist."Now, watch
what Paul said. Paul said that "John
verily baptized unto repentance, not for remission of sins, but unto repentance," Saying... That's what you believe when you
accept Christ as your personal Saviour, you're believing unto the baptism of
the Holy Ghost. That is not the baptism of the Holy Ghost, my
dear Baptist brethren. It is wrong.
What
Holy Ghost was given for 59-1217 P:32 You
are not converted until you've received the Holy Ghost. That's right. You are believing unto... The
Holy Spirit has spoke to you, and you've publicly confessed Him. The devil has
the same thing. "I believe Him to
be the Son of God." So
does the devil. But you're walking on towards Him. When Peter had been
called and justified by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ... And in John 17:17, Jesus sanctified them through the Word, for the Word
was the Truth, and He was the
Word. I John says, "In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelled among us."He was the Word, so He sanctified them. He said,
"Father (speaking to the Spirit in Him), I sanctify them through the Word." Himself, a-laying His hands upon them. "Thy Word is the Truth."
Questions
and answers COD 59-0628E P:23 Now, the next
question is:77. Is it true that you are not saved unless you have
received the Holy Ghost? There could take about a good five hour discussion on
that. When you accept Christ as your Saviour and are then ready for baptism
in water, you have not yet been converted; you're only believing unto
repentance. "Conversion" means "to
be changed."
Now, contrast
believing unto with the actual evidence of being born again. and for the next
few minutes I am just going to hammer home what brother Branham and Br.Vayle
discussed in the Church age book as the evidence of new birth. and being filled
with the Spirit of God
From his sermon Feast of the trumpets
64-0719M P:42 And Jesus said, "As it
was in the days of Lot, so will it be at the coming of the end of the world,
when the Son of man, not Son of God, when the Son of man will be revealed."Hadn't had it through the age. See that perfect
continuity of the Scripture? (Here we live in it.) The mysteries,
even of the baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus, and away from
the Oneness idea, and these other things, how the Holy Spirit
has moved that in and showed it perfectly; and the true baptism of the
Holy Spirit, the Token, and everything, and placed it;
and how He placed every reformer, and everything just
exactly, and see right before our own eyes. And it's not in a corner;
it's world known. Jesus, the Son of God revealing Himself by the Scriptures,
making that Scripture, that had been predestinated to this day (like it was to
that day, and all other days), live. And to believe It is the evidence of
the Holy Spirit: righteousness. Which we know is
right-wise-ness. Notice he lays out the mysteries which have been made known in
this hour and then he says, to believe It is the evidence of the Holy Spirit: righteousness.
From his sermon Shalom 64-0119 P:65 Now, you call that
fruit of the Spirit? Certainly not. Then where is your fruit of the Spirit
landing up at? No more than you think of compassions, and Him going through
a multitude of people there, multitudes laying, blind, crippled, afflicted,
withered, halt, lame, and never healed any of them: full of compassion. People
with a carnal mind will never know it. Seminaries don't teach it. It's a
revelation. Certainly. Fruit of the spirit drops off there, doesn't it?
Them priests had ten times the fruit of the Spirit. How would you know
what's right? The manifestation of the spoken Word of God being made
manifest, Light of the hour. Certainly. There is what the evidence of the
Holy Spirit is, believing
the Word of God when It's manifested. He was the Word,
manifested. And some of them denied It, laughed at It, made fun of Him and
called Him a fortuneteller, some evil spirit; there's evidence, speaking in
tongues, there is evidence of the fruits. The only evidence there is, is when man believe
the written Word. When It's vindicated, walk in the Light of It.
Jesus was the Light of the hour because He was the promised Word of the hour,
and tried to tell them so, but they were too much in darkness to understand It. So
is it today.
Questions
and answers COD 64-0823E P:21 Now, that's no
evidence of the Holy Ghost. See? You can't rely upon that. You can't rely
upon the fruit of the Spirit, because the first fruit of the Spirit is love. And
the Christian Science exercise more love than anybody I know of, and they
even deny Jesus Christ being Divine. See? There's only one evidence of
the Holy Spirit that I know of, and that is a genuine faith in the promised Word of the
hour. Now, those Jews come; they had more religion than the disciples
had. They were better trained men in the Scriptures than the disciples was,
because they were fishermen, tax collectors, and so forth. And they had real
faith and genuine faith in what they were doing. Now, listen closely now;
don't miss this. See? When it come to being fruits of the Spirit, kind and
gentle, I guess there wasn't a one of those priest but what could outshine
Jesus Christ in it. He went to the temple, plaited ropes, looked upon them with
anger, and turned over their tables, and run them out of the place. Is that
right? The Bible said He looked upon them with anger. The Bible said that. That's exactly right.
Broken
cisterns 64-0726E P:37 Today I was
talking with my good friend Dr. Lee Vayle, who's present now. And he's
quite a theologian. And so we usually have some pretty good discussions on the
Scripture. Very smart, and he asked me one time what I thought about the
initial evidence of the Holy Ghost, was it speaking in tongues? (It's been
many years ago.) I said, "No, can't see that."He said, "Neither
do I." said, "though I've been taught that." He said, "What
would you think would be a evidence?"I said, "The most perfect
evidence I can think of is love." And so we got to talking on that.
And then I thought, "That sounded pretty good." So I just held that:
If a man's got love. But one day the Lord in a vision straightened me out,
and He said that the evidence of the Spirit was those who could receive the
Word, neither love nor speaking in tongues, but it's receiving the Word.
Questions
and answers COD 64-0823E P:107 318. What is
the evidence that a person is really filled with the Holy Ghost? John 14:26:
He will... "When the Holy
Ghost is come (See?), He will show you things to come." See? He'll be a... He'll perfect it; man-made
won't do it; and He is the Word. When He the Holy Ghost is come,
He will identify Himself in you with the Scripture. And that is the
true sign that the Holy Spirit is in you, because It is the Word. Now,
look. What if you spoke with tongues? I just want to ask you that. Jesus said
when the Holy Ghost come what He would do. And what if you spoke with tongues,
jumped up-and-down, shouted, and everything else, and then come to the Word;
and I'd tell you the baptism of--prove to you by the Scripture as I have, that
the baptism using the title of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is absolutely a misunderstanding
in the Scripture; nobody was ever baptized like that, and you go ahead
and hang with it anyhow? Could you tell me the Holy Spirit in you would
do a thing like that? How can It deny It's own Word?
Or how can the Holy Ghost deny his own word that said "if a man put away
his wife and marry again except for the cause of fornication, that it is
adultery to do so", and you do it anyway. Huh? How can you say
you have the Holy Ghost and do that?
Christ
revealed in His own Word 65-0822M P:20 Today's
so confused about the evidence of the Holy Ghost and so forth. Satan
can impersonate any kind of a gift that God's got, but he cannot bring that
Word, word by word. That's where he failed in the garden of Eden;
that's where he's always failed. That's where them... The tape on false
anointed ones or anointed ones... They can be anointed with the Spirit,
speak in tongues, dance, shout, preach the Gospel, and still a devil.
Thinking
man's filter 65-0822E P:55 Now, if you want
the evidence of the Holy Ghost, there it is. When that soul of yours will
line with the Word of God in every respect, it shows you've drawn your life
through the thinking man's Filter--God's Filter.
Church
Age Book Chapter 5 - The Pergamean
Church Age P:20 Remember now,
John the Baptist was both the prophet and the messenger of his day. He was
filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb. When he was baptizing in
Jordan the Word of God (Jesus) came to him. The Word always comes to the
truly Spirit-filled. That is the evidence of being filled with the Holy
Ghost. That is what Jesus said would be that evidence. He said,
"And I will pray the Father and He
will send you another Comforter that He may abide with you forever. Even the
Spirit of truth, Whom the world cannot receive."
Now we know what Truth is. "Thy Word is Truth." John 17:17b. Again in John 8:43,
"Why do ye not understand My speech? even because
ye cannot hear My Word." Did you
notice that Jesus said that the world could not receive the Holy Ghost? Well,
in this verse I just read, neither could they receive the Word. Why? Because
the Spirit and the Word are one, and if you have the Holy Spirit as the
prophets, the Word would come to you. You would
receive it. In John 14:26,
"But the Comforter, Which is the
Holy Ghost, Whom the Father will send in My name, He shall TEACH you all
things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto
you." Here again we find the
Word coming because of the Spirit of God. Again in John 16:13
"Howbeit when He the Spirit of Truth
(Word) is
come, He will guide you into all truth, (Thy Word is truth), and He shall not speak of Himself: but whatsoever He
shall hear (Word of God), that shall He speak
(Word): and He will show you things to
come." (Spirit bringing the Word
of Prophecy). I want you to note very carefully that Jesus did not say that the
evidence of being baptized with the Holy Ghost was speaking in tongues,
interpreting, prophesying, or shouting and dancing. He
said the evidence would be that you would be in the TRUTH; you would be in the
Word of God for your age. Evidence has to do with receiving that Word.
Church
Age Book Chapter 5 - The Pergamean
Church Age P:25 Now comes this
very good question I know that you are all anxious to ask. Why isn't the
manifestation an evidence of being baptized with the Holy Ghost, because
you surely could not manifest the Holy Ghost unless you truly were
Spirit-filled? Now I wish I could say that is right, because I don't like to
hurt people or walk on their doctrine; but I wouldn't be a true servant of God
if I didn't tell you the whole counsel of God. That is right, is it not? Just
let us take a little look at Balaam. He was religious, he worshipped God. He
understood the proper method of sacrificing and approaching unto God, but he
was not a True Seed prophet for he took the wages of unrighteousness, and worst
of all he led the people of God into sins of fornication and idolatry. Yet
who would dare to deny that the Spirit of God manifested through him in one of
the most beautiful portions of absolutely accurate prophecy the world has ever
seen? But he
never had the Holy Ghost. Now then, what do you think of
Caiaphas, the high priest? The Bible says that he prophesied the kind of death
the Lord should die. We all know there is no record of him being a
Spirit-filled and Spirit-led man like dear old Simeon or that sweet saint
called Anna. Yet he had a genuine manifestation of the Holy Ghost. We
can't deny that. So where is manifestation as an evidence? It
isn't there. If
you are truly filled with the Spirit of God you will have the evidence of the
WORD in your life.
Church
Age Book Chapter 4 - The Smyrnaean
Church Age P:103 Now you can begin
to see why tongues is not the evidence of being baptized with the Holy Ghost.
It doesn't say in any age that "he
that hath a tongue let him say what the Spirit is saying." That puts tongues, interpretation thereof,
and prophecy, etc. aside as an evidence. The evidence is HEARING what the
Spirit says. The Spirit is talking. Yes, the Spirit is teaching. That
is exactly what Jesus said He would do when He came. John 14:26,
"He will teach you all things and
bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you." And that is just what happened. That is how
the Gospels were written. These men had recalled to their minds by the Holy
Ghost the very Words that Jesus spake. That is why the Gospels are accurate.
They are perfect. But the Spirit did not only bring all things to their
minds but He taught them further on the truth they already had. That is how
Paul received his revelations. He said concerning it, "But I certify you, brethren, that the Gospel which
was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither
was I taught it (of man) but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." Galatians 1:11-12. He was
taught by the Holy Ghost.
Church
Age Book Chapter 5 - The Pergamean
Church Age P:33 And there it is. You
CAN'T claim that manifestation is the evidence of being Spirit-born,
Spirit-filled. No sir. I will admit that true manifestation is the evidence of the Holy Spirit
doing mighty acts, but it is NOT the evidence of the individual being
Spirit-filled, even though that individual has an abundance of
those manifestations.
Church
Age Book Chapter 4 - The Smyrnaean
Church Age P:109 Now when
God is silent we had better be silent. But where He has spoken we
had better speak, too, and say what He has already said. He
told us the evidence, or what would happen after being baptized with
the Holy Ghost was that we would have the Teacher come and teach all
truth. But that
Teacher was an INSIDE teacher, not an outside teacher. If the Spirit wasn't inside, you
wouldn't hear the truth and receive it by revelation if you
heard it every moment of the day. That was the sign of the indwelling
Spirit in the days of Paul. Those who were filled with the Holy Ghost heard the Word,
received it and lived by it. Those who did not have the
Spirit heard it only as carnal men, put a wrong interpretation on it and went
into sin.
Church
Age Book Chapter 7 - The Sardisean
Church Age P:77 Now I am sure that
you have noticed that those whose names were in the Book of Life were a part of
the religious order of that day that centered around the true God and worship
of Him, though they did not worship according to Truth (Word). Like Judas they
didn't go all the way. See how Judas was chosen of God. He was instructed in
truth. He shared knowledge of the mysteries. He had a ministry of power granted
unto him and he healed the sick and cast out devils in Jesus' Name. But when
the show-down came, he sold out for gold and political power. He did not go up to Pentecost to
receive the Spirit of God. He was devoid of the Spirit.
Make no mistake
about it, a person that is truly baptized by the Holy Ghost into the body of
Christ receiving the fullness of the Spirit will be in the WORD ALL THE WAY.
That is the evidence
of being baptized with the Holy Ghost. Judas failed. Multitudes
fail right there. And when they fail to go on in that Word, their names are
taken off the Book of Life.
Church
Age Book Chapter 4 - The Smyrnaean
Church Age P:137 Before I close
this subject, I know there is a question in your minds. You will want to know
if I believe in the doctrine of pre-existence. I don't believe in that Mormon
doctrine of the pre-existence of souls any more than I believe in reincarnation
or the transmigration of souls. Be careful here and see this. It is not the person that comes
predestinated eternally from God, IT IS THE WORD, OR SEED. That
is it. Way back there, too far back for the human mind to grasp, the Eternal God
with eternal thoughts, thought and decreed, "JACOB HAVE I LOVED, BUT ESAU HAVE I HATED, (Romans 9:13) AND NEITHER WAS BORN, AND NEITHER HAD DONE GOOD OR
EVIL." See, it was the
THOUGHT, and then that thought became expressed, and God
bought back Jacob, because Jacob alone was SEED. Jacob, alone had the seed;
that is why he had respect to the birthright and covenant of God. If you are true seed, you will
hear that Word; the Spirit will baptize you into the body of Christ, filling
you and empowering you, and you will receive the Word for your day and age.
See how clear the true evidence becomes when the Word is revealed to you?
Again, note, Jesus was the Royal Seed. He lived in a human body. When the
Spirit called to Him (the Word-Manifested Thought), He went to Jordan and was
there baptized in water. Upon obeying the Word, the Holy Spirit came upon Him
and the voice said, "This is My beloved
Son, hear ye Him." The voice
did not say, "This has become My Son," Jesus WAS the Son.
The Holy Ghost positioned Him as that Son before them all. Then having
been filled thus (and the same pattern holds at Pentecost and ever after), He
went in demonstrated power, receiving the full revelation of God and from God,
for that day.
Church
Age Book Chapter 4 - The Smyrnaean
Church Age P:110 In every age,
(and every age is the age of the Holy Ghost for the true believer)--I
say, in every age the evidence was the same. Those who had the Spirit, the
Teacher, heard the Word, and that Spirit in them took the Word and taught it
(revealed it) to
them; and they were of the group that heard the messenger and his message and
took it and lived it.
Church
Age Book Chapter 4 - The Smyrnaean
Church Age P:102 To further bring
out what we have just said, and to also use a Scripture that should be borne in
mind as we talk about who it is that is baptized with the Holy Ghost, see what
Jesus says in John 6:45, "It
is written in the prophets, And they shall All be taught of God." But turn to Isaiah 54:13
whence this is taken and it reads, "And
all thy children shall be taught of the Lord."
The ALL of God are the CHILDREN of God. Thus it is that the
evidence of being a true child of God, (he whom the Spirit has come upon
and in-dwells) is again set forth as one taught the Word by the Holy Ghost.
Br. Vayle told me, "when I am gone there will be people who say that there is no more
teachers, because br. Vayle is gone, and that is wrong, because the Holy Ghost
is the teacher, and as long as the Holy Ghost is here there will still be
teaching."
How
thankful we ought to be in this day for the Holy Spirit is still here teaching.
let
us pray