What the Holy Ghost was Given
for no 16
The Conversion
Brian Kocourek, pastor
33 He gave them power against
unclean spirits. They went out. He put their names in the Lamb's Book of Life.
And He sent them out (Matthew 10) and gave them power over unclean spirits, cast out evil spirits,
and do works, and so forth. And they come back rejoicing, said, "Even the devils is subject to us." He said, "Don't rejoice because the devils is
subject unto you, but rejoice because your name's in the Book." And Judas was with them. See how
close he can come, right on up through justification, move right on into
sanctification, but where did he show his light? Where did he show himself?
Before Pentecost he showed his colors.
34 Watch, that spirit will be just as pious and just
as sanctimonious as it can be, until it comes to the Holy Ghost, and they'll
cut it off right there; that's that spirit, can't you see it moving up, the
antichrist? And Jesus said "they'd be so close together in the last days
it would deceive the very Elected if possible." But remember,
it's just the elected that will see it. God calls by election.
He'll... Aren't you happy that you're one of them? Aren't you
people here tonight, knowing that something in your heart tugging,
"I want that Holy Spirit. I want you, Lord, in my heart"? That's
because God put your name on the Lamb's Book of Life before the foundation of
the world. He said that. "No man can come to Me," said Jesus,
"except My Father has drawed him first. And all
that comes to Me, I'll give them Eternal Life." What is Eternal Life? The Holy
Spirit, Eternal Life. Take that word and run it in the Greek, and it said
"Zoe"; Zoe is the Holy Spirit. "All that the Father's given Me will come to Me. And all that comes to Me, I'll give him
the Holy Ghost, and I'll raise him up at the last day. I will do it," He said. Not no "if"
and "ands" about it, "I will." All that comes... And I'll give Eternal Life. He will have to raise,
'cause he's got Eternal Life. He has to come. Can't die no
more than God can die...
35 Oh, my dear friends from around this country and in
this little city, if I could only with my human voice place into your heart
the importance of receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost, it would be the most wonderful
revelation that you ever had in your life to see what... you must do
it. Let me make that clear about you're not converted. Peter had been saved;
he believed on the Lord,
followed Him. Jesus told him who he was, had him to
follow Him. He gave him power against unclean spirits and sanctified
him. But after all of that... And become the chief spokesman of the
group, as the Catholics would want to call it, the bishop of the church, or the
pope, or whatever it was, the head man of the church. Yet Jesus said the night
of His betrayal, "Lovest thou Me, Peter?" And he said, "Lord, You know I love You." He said, "Feed My sheep." He said that three times. And Peter
said, "You know I
love You," said, "I'll go with You to the end, and I'll go with You to the death," and so forth. He said, "Before the cock has crowed three times, before
the cock crows, you'll have denied Me three times." He said, "But, Peter, I've prayed for you." Listen. That's not all of it. "I have prayed for you, and after you are
converted, then strengthen your brethren." After you are converted... He had shouted; he had probably
danced in the Spirit; he had done all kind of things, but he hadn't received
the Holy Ghost yet. "After you are converted, then strengthen your brethren." That's true. Carry out His plan.
Now, I would like to
just summarize what we just read. Brother Branham using pater
as his example he says, You can be justified, saved,
and even living a sanctified life, but that does not even mean you are
converted yet.
You can be aware that the Shout
of the King is in the camp, you can live in the Presence of God, you could see
God work in His great supernatural ways, and even be aware of His Parousia
Presence, and that still doesn't make you converted yet.
You can have that great
revelation Peter had wherein he said, "Thou art the Son of the Living
God", and understand all about Father and Son, and that does not yet make
you converted.
You can go forth with a miracle
working healing ministry, and that still does not make you converted yet.
Therefore, it is not about what
doctrine you believe, nor is it about your witnessing miracles, and healing, or
even about how many prayers you offered up to God and how many healings came as
a result to your prayers, that still does not make you converted.
There is only one thing
therefore that you can do, and that is to die to yourself and all that you are.
Die, die, die, to yourself and then if God chooses to raise you up and place
his Spirit in you, you will be converted.
The word conversion
means: the act or process of changing
from one form, state, etc., to another.
Therefore what brother Branham
is illustrating through looking at the life of Peter, is although, he had lived
with Jesus for over three years, and had been saved, and was living a
sanctified life, filled with power to heal, and lay hands on the sick, and to
walk on water and see many mighty miracles, yet Peter still was still not
converted and therefore was able to backslide and renounce his friendship with
Jesus just as easy as anyone else, because he still was not converted.
Then the conversion is the most
important thing we could have in our life, more than miracle working power,
more than the ability to understand all the doctrines of Presence and Godhead,
and sonship etc.
Because being converted means
you have changed from one form to another form. From human to
son of God. From mortal to immortal. And you
can not do it on your own.
The Bible says it is God who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure.
It also says, He that began
the work in you will perform it.
And therefore as we read in 2 Timothy 1:9 It is God "Who hath
saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and
grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
Romans
And again we read
in John
We see from these
quote that Brother Branham is showing us that when a person is born
again something enters into that person, the
very Life of God comes into them and they begin to see what
others can not see. In John 1:12 we are
told, But as many as received him, to them gave he
power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Now, the word power was translated from the Greek word Exousia which means "an ability, power or ability to become or manifest oneself"
And we see what that manifestationis to entail. We
are to come into manifestation as Sons of God. This does not read "as many as received him to them gave he the ability to change
from what they are now to what they would like to be." But it
reads, "as many as were of such a nature as to
be able to receive Him and hold onto Him who is the Word, the same gave He an
innate ability or authority to exercise what they were ordained to be, and that
is sons of God."
That is why this same apostle
later wrote, "Beloved, You are already sons but
you just don't see it manifested in yourselves that you are sons, but when He
shall Appear, then you will see Him as He truly is, and when you see Him as He
truly is, then you too will manifest what you truly are."
So we are dealing with
something that is in your nature deep in the recesses of your soul to begin
with. What Paul calls the inner man by election and predestination.
Romans
Now, how can you be conformed
to the image of Christ if you were not ordained to it in the first place. A knot on a tree could never understand what it means
to be free or to walk around and live an active life. He is stuck in the tree
by his very nature.
Return and Jubilee 62-1122 P:39 Before I
could act as a human, before I could walk like a human, before I could talk
like a human, I have to be borned a human.
How would a knot on a tree know how I acted? How could he ever say, "I
don't act like that." The only way he could be
that would be to be born like me. That's the way organization is dead, drawed people away, because it went after a creed. But in order to be a son of God
you've got to be borned of the Spirit of God, then you become Christ-like and
do the works of Christ; then you're not funny to them people. A
human acting like a human's not funny. And a Christian acting like a
Christian, borned of the same Spirit...
And neither can one who was
never in the mind of Christ, nor can any who were never predestined to be
conformed to the image of the first born son, know what it means to be a son of
God in the image of the first born son.
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God, even to
them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of
the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
It's not about you, It's all about God and what he has done.
And your part is very, very simple.
all you have to do is just die to your own self, and
let Christ come in and live your life for you. And brother Branham illustrates
peter to show you that no matter what your circumstances are, you must be
converted, and changed.
Now, back to our reading from
"What the Holy Ghost was Given
for."
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
And that is the problem all over this
Message, the people
have believed unto the Message, but have not yet entered into
the Message which is Christ.
Knowing about the Message and becoming
the Message are two different things completely.
Knowing about Christ and
becoming Christ himself are two totally different things. To know about Him and
to become him, there's no comparison.
The Apostle Paul didn't say that
we might know about Him and about the power of His resurrection, but he said, "that I
might know Him and the power of His resurrection."
Philippians 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his
resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
And when you know the power of His
resurrection, it is because you have experienced it firsthand.
And notice he said. after
knowing Him in the power of His resurrection, he said, being made conformable
unto his death. There's your key
right their to understanding your conversion, and
whether it has genuinely taken place or not.
Have you been made conformable unto His death? Have
you entered into "the fellowship of his
sufferings,". Now, remember fellowship
is defined by brother Branham and br. Bosworth as "two fellows in one ship."
Everything that happens to one happens
to the other. You share life in that ship together, equally. The same rain that
falls on one falls on the other. The same heat of the sun that bakes one bakes
down on the other. And the Apostle Paul said, That I may know
him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being
made conformable unto his death;
In other Words by joining him in being conformable
unto His death, you are dying to self just as he died to self, and you suffer
right along with him when he suffers, and you are raised to Life by the same
power that raised Him to life.
I stand at the door and knock 57-1208 P:25 When He's Lord, He's Lord
over all. And that's what He's knocking for. Let Him in. "I want to come
in and sup." What supping is, is fellowship, when you got fellowship one
with another. How that the Lord and you are buddies.
You're partners. And whatever you have, He has too. Whatever He has
then, you have too. You see, He becomes you, that you might
become Him. And everything is in common.
Ephesians
4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and
some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting (maturing) of
the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of The faith,
and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect (mature) man, unto the measure of the stature (character) of the fulfilling of Christ: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and
carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
But this being built up into a mature adult in Christ he tells us will result in 15 But
speaking the truth in love, that we may grow up into him (him who? Him-Christ,
that we might grow up into Christ Himself) in all things, which is the head, even
Christ:
What is Paul saying here? He saying,
look there is only one Body, and that is the body of Christ, and that body has
but one head and that Head is Christ Himself, and He is the Word. And as you
are a member of this one Body which Christ is the head of this Body, then all
you do as a member of this head will be governed by what the head calls for you
to do. All actions of the body are governed and controlled by the head.
And he tells us in verse 16 From whom the whole body fitly
joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth,
according to the effectual working in the measure (in the metron, in the limited portion) of every part, maketh increase of the
body unto the edifying of itself in love. of every part, maketh increase of the body
unto the edifying of itself in love.
In plain
English he is telling us, there is only one body, and that we are part of that one
body, and the head of that body is Christ. And every joint, every cell, every
atom which makes up every cell, no matter what limited portion we may be, we all work together for
that good of this one body in order
for this body to function or operate correctly. In other words, every single
vessel in this body is fitted for the purpose of bringing energy to the rest of
the body. All the vessels, all the capillaries, all the arteries work together
with the heart to supply energy to the rest of the body, making all things
working together for the good. And we are the "all
things in Christ". And all members working together
he said to the "effectual working"
which is the "energeia"
or the energizing of that one Body so that the Body may manifest the Life of Christ.
Notice
he said we are to grow up into Him in all things. Now,
the Greek word that was translated as into is "eis" and it expresses motion,
indicating the point
reached or entered. In other words, indicating the final
resting place.
Galatians 3:27 For as many
of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Romans
Fellowship
56-0212 P:55 Did you ever think of it,
sinner? I thought this, "Me, unlovable, me, not worthy, and Christ, the
Son of God, came down and become me that I through His grace might become Him.
And we stand in the Presence of God not as sinners but as sons and daughters
of God washed by the precious Blood of Jesus Christ. Amen. That ought to
tear the heart of any sinner to realize that Christ become sin that you through
the righteousness of His obedience to God might become Him in the
Presence of God to stand without a blemish or with out through the shed Blood of His offering.
Romans
8:11 But if The Spirit of him that raised up Jesus
from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up
Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that
dwelleth in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors,
not to the self, to live after self. 13 For if ye live after self,
ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of self, ye
shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God,
they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received
the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of
adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit Itself
(God's very own Spirit) beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of
God:
Workings of the Holy Spirit 56-0816 P:54 No
wonder Paul could say, "I know Him in the power of His resurrection." Now, I don't know Him by book.
I don't know Him by letter. I know Him in the power of His resurrection. Do you know Him that way? If you've
been borned again, you do know Him that way, in the power of His resurrection.
Seal of God 54-0514 P:1
...like
In Questions and Answers
COD 64-0830M P:51 Someone asked Brother
Branham the question: "Now, "Brother
Branham, could Jesus look like you, or you be Jesus, or something like
that?" One sense of the word, that's exactly the truth; another sense
of the word is an antichrist. That's the difference between right and
wrong. To make me the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, would be an
antichrist (See?), for that Person of the Lord Jesus is setting at the
right hand of the Majesty on high, and will come again in great power and
glory. But for His Life
that was in Him being upon me, and upon you who have Him, it's exactly the
truth; and you become Christ. You remember my message on
Messiahettes? See? You are... The word "Messiah" means "the
anointed One." Now, you are, if you have the Holy Spirit, you become the anointed one.
See? Then there's all kinds of anointed ones.
Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I
live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the
flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for
me.
Go awake Jesus 63-1130E P:37
But the real
believer, no matter what, they're thoroughly satisfied. They're thoroughly
convinced, because the
Life that's in them has already become Christ. It is Christ. It's
no more you, but Christ that lives in you. And, no matter, "There's nothing," Paul said, "present, future,
death, peril, nakedness, whatever it is, can separate us from that love of God that's in Christ." No, matter how many of this, that,
or the other rise, how many Doctors of Divinity can try to explain it away and
say it's for another day, that don't separate you at all. You're there to stay.
It's you in Christ, you're no more your own. That's you, you and God
alone.
Forsaking all 62-0123 P:86
If the spirit of a
gangster was in me, I'd have guns on me. If the spirit of a painter was in me,
I could paint the picture of a painter... he could do. If the spirit of a
mechanic was on me, I could tell you what was wrong with your car. See? And if the Spirit of Jesus Christ is
in me, I'll do the works of Christ because it's the life of Christ in you. See?
Manifested in who? Manifested in who?
He forsaken His Sonship and became sin and took our sins, that He might take
sinners and make them sons. He became me that I might become Him. He become a sinner that I might become a son of God. Oh,
it's striking what He done. See, He taken your place that you might
take His place. You're joint heirs with Him in the Kingdom. He become a
sinner like you, your sins placed upon Him that He might take you and make you
a fellow citizen of heaven and set you with Him in God's Kingdom. There you
are: put His Spirit in you. And if His Spirit's in you, the works that He did you'll do also.
Kinsman Redeemer 60-1002 P:69 He become me, that I might become Him. See? He become a sinner that I might
become a son of God. He become a sinner, that
you might become a son of God. And now, we are sons and daughters of God...
His Wonders to Perform 58-0112A P:42 He
loves you so much that He gave His only begotten Son, that He might drink the
bitter cup for you. Remember, He became you, that you might become Him.
He become a sinner, separated from the Father, when He screamed, "My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"
He was separated from God in His death, that you in your death might have
God's Presence. He become a child of sin, your
sins, not His own, yours, that you might become a child of
obedience. He took your place as a time creature, that you might take His place
as an eternal son and daughter of God.
Thirsting for life 59-0414 P:43 He
become you that you, who through His grace, might become Him, sons and
daughters of God.
John 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me,
and I in you. 21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth
them, he it is that loveth me.
Things that are to Be 65-1205 63 You confessed your sins before God, and He
forgive you for it. And you was baptized to show that you'd
been forgiven, confessing to the people and showing to the world that you
believe that Jesus Christ died for you, and He took your place, and
now you stand in His place. He become you that you might become Him. Then the sanctifying power of
God cleansed all the habits out of your life. You used to smoke,
drink, do things that wasn't right, tell lies,
everything. Then the sanctifying power of the Blood of Jesus Christ comes
into your life; it takes
all the things away from you. If you happen to say, something's got
wrong, quickly you say, "Wait a minute; pardon me, I didn't mean to say
it like that." See? The devil got a trap setting there, but you've got
grace to come back if you're a real Christian, say, "I was wrong."
Yes. So therefore...
Identification 63-0123 P:27
Now, you study that
character a little bit and then look at yourself, and I look at myself. But
that's what He was; that's Who He was, and that's why
He was to save you. He took... He become you, that you might become Him.
He took your load of sin. Therefore, when we come to meet Him we will not have
to stand... We could not stand in the Presence of God. There's no way for us to
do it. But when we stand in Him... See, He's already recognized the Sacrifice.
"This is My beloved Son in Whom I'm well pleased." He recognized it. There was no
blemish on Him, and yet He suffered temptation like any other man, and yet
was... He was scorned; He was made fun of; He was persecuted, from the hour He
was born until the hour He died. And yet He returned good for evil. 28 You cannot no way ever produce a Character
like that, only accepting that Character in you. A church cannot
do that. A creed cannot do that. A denomination cannot do
that. An education cannot do that. It must be a birth. It's got to be a dying out,
and let God in it.
By the grace of Christ, mold this type of character in you, that you become Him.
And your life and His is the same. Then you are sons and daughters of
God.
Let us pray