The Christian and His Attitudes

Bro. Lee Vayle

Saskatchewan

February 5, 1978

	Bro. Guenther, it’s nice to be here.

	Shall we bow our heads in prayer? Kind, heavenly Father, we just praise
and thank You for Your goodness and mercy to us, Lord. You’ve allowed
us to come together again. We pray, Lord, that it shall not be for the
sake of expressing ourselves, but rather, for expressing Your Word, not
only in the preaching, but also in the living thereof. We ask you, Lord
God, now to guide us unto virtue, and may there be such a good spirit
amongst us, Lord, as to really absorb the Word of the living God so that
It might have Its proper course. And now, Lord, we just commend
ourselves into Your hands, Lord, knowing that, if we do that in faith,
then You will see us through. In Jesus Name we pray. Amen.

	You may be seated.

	It’s very nice to be with you. I got off the plane yesterday around
6:20 or so, and I saw Bro. Guenther and Sis. Guenther, and some good
friends there, and I said you can’t help being here, so that makes
you... And I came out in this weather and just wondered if I’ve got
all my marbles or not. Well, that’s not really true. I don’t mind
the weather. The fact is that we’re getting weather like we use to get
when I was a kid. That’s the only difference. We’ve got soft over
the years, and when we had a crust of warm weather. We had weather like
this all the time in southern Alberta—wet and cold weather. So,
weather doesn’t mean anything. It’s whether you’re in Christ.
That’s a different kind of ‘weather’. That’s what makes the
difference. Doesn’t it?

	I wish I were… I’m not going to lie to you this morning. I got to
take that back. I’m just going to say it kind of flat. I’m not here
as for meetings past; just this one meeting. So therefore, I won’t be
able to get around to some of the other brethren I’d like to visit. Of
course, Brother Coursan is away at this time, so I would have to wait
till he came back anyway. But I won’t be getting across to Hershel. I
would really like to be in more meetings, but actually I broke a
schedule in the South to come up here. So, you understand that. I made
some promises—commitments. I’m going to try to fulfill them as
quickly as I can. So, you just pardon me at this time for not being in
other services. But we’ll work something out later on, the Lord
willing.

	I’m not sure I’ll be back this summer, although I didn’t have an
invitation yet. But I have a feeling I’ll be in Europe. So, I want you
to pray for me, that the Lord will work that out. I kind of feel that it
will be good to go over there and just visit with the people. That’s
the main thing. Not to preach. You understand I’m not happy to be in
certain types of meetings there are in various parts of the world in
this message, because so many cross spirits come in. And I appreciate
that, but we’re going to try to keep out of them. And people have a
right to their thoughts; but, when the thoughts become too hard, then I
don’t like it. Remember, you may not know this, but your thinking and
what you indulge in can become a spirit.

	 Now I know people don’t believe that, but it is true. If you keep
looking at a thing and pursuing it… Now, you say, “What’s your
authority?” None other than prophet, William Marion Branham, because I
asked him privately: “Where do these spirits come from?” and “Is
it possible for a person to get a spirit under certain conditions?”
And he said, “Yes, it’s the same as smoking and drinking.” You
don’t get a spirit of nicotine or alcohol on you, because you take a
few drinks. It’s when you keep going and pursuing; that’s when the
thing literally drops into a spirit. And what many people don’t
realize is, you pursue a certain form of a thought pattern and approach
to a certain thing, that thing becomes a spirit. 

	I doubt very much if the deity spirit got that way by just suddenly
jumping on somebody. I think somebody began looking, and looking, and
looking, and looking, and pretty soon, they were looked over—you know,
taken over. And I checked, as I say, with Bro. Branham on that, because
I had reservations about these spirits just sort of jumping on you.
Actually I think it would be better to have a spirit jump on you, and
you can knock him off, a whole lot easier than one of these spirits that
you and I develop until it becomes a personality change. Now I don’t
know if you understand what I’m saying or not. You don’t have to; no
problem. Just start thinking about it; maybe it will begin to make
light—sense—later on.

1.	Now I’m going to sort of change my method of preaching this
morning. And, being it is Sunday morning, it’s usually the time when
you look to the pastor for devotional message. And I don’t know how
much devotion is going to be in it, but that is, if it’s called a
devotional message, you know, in other words your little Christian
thinking: what we’re supposed to be like. And that’s what the
subject is this morning is, “The Christian and His Attitudes”. And,
of course, this would actually be a series, and it has been a series
over centuries. You can pick up hundreds of books on Christian
meditation, and you’ll find so much time and effort is given to
‘christian attitudes and behavior’, of course, because behavior
comes out of attitudes; because, what you have in the Christian feeling,
an attitude will become, eventually, a behavior.

2.	Now we are going to look at a Scripture this morning to begin with,
the one over here in Mt 5:25-26. And I am using this subject matter,
particularly, because I think it is good for people like us who follow a
certain type of message to learn a little bit about this—what we are
going to deal with—to keep us more pliable/flexible and away from this
spirit I was talking about. Matthew 5:25-26:

(25)	Agree with thine adversary quickly while thou art in the way with
him lest at anytime the adversary deliver you to the judge, and the
judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison.

(26)	Verily I say to you, you shall by no means come out of there, till
you have paid the uttermost farthing.

	Now he says here, “Agree with your adversary, quickly, while you’re
in the way with him”, in other words, strike while the iron is hot,
and get a certain thing done with to set the tenor of a life pattern or
a judicious pattern in these affairs, because, if you don’t, you will
come out with direr consequences.

3.	Now…looking at “Agree with thine adversary quickly while thou art
in the way with him lest anytime the adversary deliver you to the judge,
the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison. And
you will not come out till you paid the uttermost farthing.” Now this
is a real puzzler, because it sounds something like American/Canada. It
sounds like a corrupt law court in a rotten society. That’s what it
sounds like, because here, the victim is jailed, instead of the
criminal. And that is what usually happens in America—both United
States and Canada. The victim is the one that always gets the dirt, and
the criminal gets away.  And that’s right. That’s what it sounds
like here. But, of course, the Scripture is not saying that; It
couldn’t be saying that. And It isn’t. So, we want to examine it
carefully, so we will know what the Scripture really is saying. 

4.	Now first of all, we look at the word ‘agree’. “Agree with
thine adversary.” That is a command. Now this comes from the Greek
word, which literally means ‘to be well-minded or well-disposed’; to
be well-minded or well-disposed. Now it comes from two root words, and
the first basic word is ‘mind’ and the other word is ‘well’. So,
that is ‘well-minded’ as opposed to being ‘sick-minded’; yeah,
sick-minded, or strange, not what you should be. See? In other words he
is giving you a thought here that says ‘quickly get a right
attitude’. Yeah, ‘get a right spirit’. The first thing about any
problem is to right away get a right attitude. That’s the first thing.


	You say, “Well I’m going to look, so and so.” 

	No, No, No, No. Get a right attitude! 

5.	The second is… Look at the word ‘adversary’. Now the adversary
is where someone’s against you, but no, it’s not true. The original
Greek again brings out the right meaning, which is ‘an opponent in a
law court’. ‘An opponent in a law court.’ Now, let’s look at a
little Scripture on that—just a couple. We go to Luke, first of all,
Lk 18:3 to understand about this opponent in a law court. And it is
going to take some doing to get this now. Let’s just understand that.
Now, Lk 18:3:

(3)	There was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, (That’s the
Judge.) and said, avenge me of mine adversary. (See?) 

	Notice where It puts it: ‘an opponent in a law court’. The widow
came to court, and a man came to court, and he was her opponent in the
court of law. So, we go also to 1 Peter 5. Just hold that thought there,
and we will get back to this fellow, and we will tell you what lies in
this in just a second. 1 Peter 5:8, and It says again, here:

(5)	Be sober, be vigilant: because your adversary the devil, (the devil
is trying to bring a case against you—going to harm you).

6.	Now, remember that the devil appeared before God…God holding court.
And the devil is our adversary, and he is there to accuse us. Now, what
I’m trying to bring out is this: that when we talk of an adversary in
this Scripture of Matthew, we are talking of a person who is in court.
Now what I want you to get is this…you cannot actually appear in court
against anybody unless you have something to base your claim on. You
just can’t go to court and say;

	“Well now this fellow gave me a mean look.”

	The Judge says, “What’s the matter with you? Are you sick or
crazy?”

	You can’t come to court because somebody gave you a dirty look. You
can only come to court if there is a legal reason for regress. What I am
trying to show you is that many cases never come to court because the
judges meets the lawyers in the back room.

 	And they say, “Judge…can you proceed with this?” And the judge
says, “No! You don’t have a case. I’m advising you: Don’t
proceed.”

	And one fellow said, “Well I’m going to proceed.”

	So, he said, “Go ahead and proceed.”

	And the judge throws it out of court. 

7.	So, what we’re trying to show you here is—that this Scripture is
really saying that someone has done something which is offensive, which
is legally wrong, which should not be done. And the person is wanting a
legal regress. See? There has been a violation. Now, when this woman
came to the unjust judge, (And, remember; he was an unjust judge.) she
never had legal regress. She didn’t own the property; it was out of
her hands. 

	But she went to the judge, and she said, “Judge, I want that
property.” And she said, “I’m going to come and plague you night
and day and rap on your door and cause havoc in your court, until you do
something.” 

	He said, “Man, I’ve got to take care of this woman. She doesn’t
have a leg to stand on, but,” he said, “I’ll take care of her.”

	And he gives her a regress without legal propriety. Now you don’t do
that before God, because God is not going to listen to some nonsense.
See? So, what we are trying to show you here is that this is not mumbo
jumbo Scripture. But something has been done which is wrong. Somebody
has done it. 

	Now the offended person comes toward the offender; the offender is
warned: You be very careful you have an exactly right spirit, because
you are in a bad place. And, of course, I’m going to depart from the
real technical part of this Scripture before it is over. And I want to
bring in many facets to show that there has got to be a proper spirit in
the church and in the people, or there is going to be real trouble. The
most important thing for you and me to have in our lives is an
absolutely right spirit. 

8.	So, we are going to look at it. Now there has been a violation,
according to what I read over here in Mt 5:22.

(22)	But I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without
a cause shall be in danger of the judgment and whosoever shall say to
his brother Raca shall be in danger of the council. But whosoever shall
say, You fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

	Now he is showing you a process here. That you had better be on solid
legal ground if you ever make a charge against anybody. Don’t be
foolish, because if you start making charges, you will end up a mess.
And the man who does something wrong must stand ready for correction in
the right spirit whenever it is brought to him. So, we are not dealing
here with something imaginary. Many people get imaginary ideas. See? We
are not dealing with something to be picky. Many Christians are picky.
See? One cannot surmise or draw conclusions apart from the hard facts of
the Word like the judgments of law. If it is not in the Word, leave it. 

	That’s why, when Bro. Branham brought up the statements that women
came and said, “Well Bro. Branham can I wear a little bit of a rat or
something that woman put in their hair?” 

	“I don’t know a thing against it,” he said. 

	But many people laughed at a prophet of God standing in that pulpit and
dealing with little things. That bothered women—and especially men
would get very picky. 

	Should a woman dye her hair? Well let’s find your answer on that. If
you say she can’t, you’re just plum picky. 

	I may startle you, but let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. There is
too much nonsense in this message, Too much that doesn’t deal with the
hard facts of the Word. See? Now, as the prophet said, “Sure she
can.” But, if she is a blonde, don’t become a brunette. But, if she
is a Brunette, don’t become a blonde. And that is the best a prophet
could do. Because he had to go back to nature to get his type, and the
Bible allows it.

9.	What we are trying to show you here is that, when we are dealing with
problems in the church—it cannot be something imaginary. It cannot be
something just picky. But it has to be contingent with the Word of
Almighty God. So, we see an individual here in Matthew 5 has made an
opponent. In other words he has got himself in trouble, because
something is defined in Scripture as to be wrong. Now it doesn’t mean
that the individual got involved on purpose. It doesn’t mean he did it
on purpose. Many of us don’t do things on purpose. It might not have
been a premeditated thing. Many of us don’t premeditate; we do things
without meditation. It might not be a spiteful thing. And it certainly
should not be a spiteful thing. It might not be an intended thing. It
might be carelessness. Like a guy hitting another person’s car. Of
course, I’m not talking about the church. I’m illustrating now. How
many people intended to bump somebody’s car? Unintentional. It could
be unintentional. 

10.	 But we find we have a problem. Now the problem is legitimate. Two
or more people are involved; one is accused by the other. So, we must be
very careful to know something about the case. And that is here. First
of all, the offender was not pushing the case. That’s great. A man
does something wrong; he doesn’t push it. But he should! He should be
going to the person offended and clearing up what he did, but he
doesn’t do it. He should be, but he is not. Something should be done
about it. He has not made amends. He has not made regress. Maybe he’s
even tried to wiggle out of it, or he’s hoping it will die and go
away. 

	A lot of churches do that with problems. They hope they die and go
away. Well, if the people die and go away, your problems are solved.
But, as long as you got people… I’m sorry, you’re doing the wrong
thing. You have got to face problems. This is one thing that many people
want to do. I’ve got to do it all the time, because I’m a hard mouth
and a hard liner, and I say…Well, I said it. I got to face it one of
these days, and I will, too. I’m not afraid to. I know what I say. A
lot of times I don’t do, maybe just, quite as nice as I aught to do.
But I know that I have got to stand with what I have said. And I’m
going to back it. Not if it kills me; that’s being an ass. No, don’t
be a fool. Don’t stick your neck out and have your head chopped off.
I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the fact there isn’t
a one of us can hope that the thing would just go away, because it
doesn’t. And God said it won’t go away. He said you’d pay a price
if you don’t learn to face the issues of life with a right spirit.
Now, that’s what He says we got to do. 

11.	Now you notice it’s the offended one who wants the thing taken
care of. That’s what the Scripture states here. But it’s not
necessarily for revenge or personal vindication. It’s not for that and
must not… Actually it must not be that. But it must be, because a
wrong must be righted. Now I’m going to even go further. I can see
here the possibility of somebody pursuing a problem within the church
and demanding the thing be settled lest it set a precedent. Now, for you
to allow a thing that’s wrong in a church, to set a precedent, then
anybody can do the thing. What are you going to do? What are you going
to do? You’re going to have to go back and say, “Look, we were wrong
in the first place.” So, the people that are aware of life as it is
amongst us, (And this would go for any church.) must be constantly on
the alert to see that the church abides by the Word of Almighty God.
And, when the church and the individual do not abide by the Word of God,
it is incumbent that those that see the error to do something about it.
See? Something must be done. 

12.	Now this person I’d say might even be an onlooker. And he says;
“Now I see certain things are out of line here.” 

	What must be done? The church must be set in order according to the
Word of Almighty God and according to the revealed truth. But you got to
go about it in a right way. Now we can go even further.

	 This claimant, you see, this claimant is wanting to keep the church
from confusion. Many people feel if you don’t set things right in the
church or sort of let them slide everybody just stays happy. And they
say, “Well, you see, when you deal with problems, you bring
confusion.” 

	I challenge that statement. If you don’t deal with problems you bring
confusion. And I’m not talking now about being picky—and not an
imaginary. But, when a thing is wrong, it is wrong, and it must be dealt
with. But it must be dealt with in a very certain way, or everything
will just get worse than ever. See? 

13.	 Now, this problem could arise because a sincere person has watched
a brother in the church in the business world that are wrong. How about
that? Or in this church here. I don’t know who it can be, and I care
less. But I got reasons for thinking, because, you see, I know, as I go
around the country, and I happen to run across certain problems, and I
find one man, I might find more than one man, who is not honest in his
business dealings. Now he’s not exactly crooked, but he’s not
exactly straight. Now…what are you going to do? What about a man who
does not attend to business, and therefore, his family suffers, when he
could do very well by his family? What do you do about the fact that
people don’t work as hard as they should, and they don’t pay their
rent? Now I’m talking about specific cases—not here. But, if they
are here, you better listen and straighten up, because you’re wrong. 

	Now, what are we going to do about it? That’s not very good. But you
can’t let it slide. Now I could be just the third person watching you
saying, “Now, look here. Now I love you as a brother, but you’re
wrong. You just don’t do that.” 

	I know men that are so sold on their independence, they wouldn’t take
a job punching a clock. But they are not able to run their own business.
And I’ve seen their families suffer. Now that’s wrong. That’s some
of the very thing the prophet of God warned against—and Paul. And I
will show you before this is over how that Paul even brought up the same
thing, as he pointed to the end time: There would be drifters in the
Laodicean Age who would not pay their bills, (No sir.) who would not
take care of their families, and who literally put the ends against the
middle that would make some sinners embarrassed. Now, that’s a
problem, and somebody’s got to handle it. 

	Now you say, “The church shouldn’t stick its nose in there.” 

	Okay. I’m going to tell you what’s going to happen. Someday
someone’s going to come by with a four-by-four and hit you over the
back of the neck for not sticking your nose in it. Then, you will have a
mess. Now this might not sit well. I know some young people are even
worse than old people, but I’ve found this: I’ve found that some
middle age people aren’t very good examples either. See? The Bible
tells us a few things about this. See? 

14.	 Now, what about some family life? You know what? I’ve seen that
some men don’t treat their wives right. How would you like to hear
about a person that you highly esteemed and found he slapped his wife?
Now, if you get so mad you want to burn a pair of her shoes, or her or a
dress, that’s bad enough. But, if you slap her, what kind of person
are you? Now, that’s got to be dealt with. I’m sorry. That’s got
to be dealt with. Somebody has got to do something. That’s a problem.
See? 

	In other words we have a lot of human differences. There are a lot of
human problems. They have got to be settled. They’ve got to be taken
care of. We have to learn how to conduct ourselves in our human
involvements, because we cannot be uninvolved. There is no such thing as
a church that is uninvolved with each other, because we are a part of
each other. 

	So, what are we going to do? Problems, problems, problems. As the
Scripture says, “Where there is no oxen, the crib is clean.” If
there are no animals, you don’t have to clean the barn. Ah, nobody
comes to church, no problems. But people come to church—problems. So,
what is to be done? Agree! That’s the first thing to do and to keep on
doing, until the problem is solved and a whole life is changed into
proper spirit and attitude. Now it has got to be that way. Not because
Lee Vayle says so. I’m not the author of this Book. So, what does
‘agree’ mean? It means, as we said, ‘to become well-disposed in
your mind toward the one who is dealing with you’.

15.	 The first thing to learn in any dealing is: Frictions are bound to
come. Have you ever seen a marriage that didn’t have any friction? I
remember the story told of a certain old bishop, Anglican, in years when
they where, you know, godly people. They still are, maybe. But I mean
really born again. And he went to visit one of the vicars and his wife.
And the vicar said to the bishop, “Would you believe, he said, my wife
and I have been married fifty years and had never had a fight.”

	And the man looked at him, and he said, “My God, how ghastly!” or
“What a liar you are.” 

	You know I’m not saying a person couldn’t have fifty years of
complete wedded bliss and not one harsh word. But I just kind of doubt
it myself. I kind of doubt… What do you do? You’re married: till
death do you part, for better or for worse. You accept it. If you are
right, begin a course of self-improvement. Oh, you always want the other
person to improve. So do I. Hah. Anybody can see I’m perfect! Yeah,
perfect nonsense—perfect mess. We always want the other person… See?
But marriage is a union of self-improvement and, therefore, a community
improvement—and so is the church. You’re involved with each other.
You cannot help but have problems. But, as a marriage is based upon a
spirit, so is the Church. 

16.	Old Doctor Philpot told us that many years ago... You know, Philpot
was a comedian, by the way, from eastern Canada. The man that was one of
the world’s greatest evangelists; he built Moody Bible Institute. He
pastored for many years “Church of the Open Door in Hollywood”. One
of the truly great men. I saw him in the fifties. What was he?
Seventy-one years of age, when I saw him the first time. My, he looked
about fifty. You talk about a tremendous powerhouse for God—old Doctor
Philpot. And he told the story of how that a young couple came to him
one day and said: 

 	“Doctor, we want to get married.” 

	He said, “I don’t even know you.” 

 	“We know that, but we heard of you, and we want you to marry us.”

	“How did you hear of me?”

	“Well,” he said, “Because a couple of your church members talked
to us. They came to you and got married, and you told them what made
there lives straighten out.”

	He said, “Oh, what was that?”

	“Well, the story about the two bears. I don’t know what it was all
about, but they told us to talk to you and ask about the two bears.”

	“Oh,” he said, “I remember that couple.”

	They had come to him, you know, and they hadn’t belonged to his
church yet. They weren’t right with God yet. So, he said:

	“Look,” he said, “I will marry you, but I’ve got to council
you. Now I’m going to tell you about the two bears.”

 	And he said, “What’s the two bears?”

 	“Well,” he said, “The two bears are ‘bear and forebear’. One
must bear while the other forebears.”

	 And so, they got married, and they came back and got converted. And
Dr. Philpot said, “The story about them was this: that they were
getting along beautifully, because, you know, love has a way of getting
on beautifully the first week or so.” It might not even last that
long. “And he got up one morning after, had breakfast, and the
argument came on.” And it got hotter and hotter, and I suppose it was
about relatives—in-laws. That’s usually the choice one. But anyway,
the fight got so bad that, they were ready to split. And suddenly, she
or he (I forget which.) looked at the other and said, “Just a minute.
Remember that preacher saying that marriage was to bear and to forebear?
Let’s get down and pray.” 

	And he said, “That saved their marriage and gave them a beautiful
marriage—bearing and forbearing.”

17.	So, you see, the spirit is what has got to be developed in a
marriage, in a private life, and in a church. And, when you get a right
spirit, you can meet anything. If you don’t have a right spirit, you
can’t meet anything. Now I know people will try to put that on faith
and say, “Well, with faith I can meet anything.” That isn’t true,
basically because you can be a strong person in faith and cause as much
havoc as a bull in a China shop. You’ve got to have a spirit, because
that’s what this is talking about. Now we must get a right mind to
become well-disposed in our minds toward people we’re dealing with. We
must get a right frame of mind and stay that way all our lives. We have
to learn to do it. We must learn to become dispassionate in our
attitudes to become objective and to keep our spirits down. We must
remember that though we are in opposition—because that’s what
problems are all about—that that person is our brother, the same as in
a marriage: that person is the husband or the wife. See?

18.	 We must start thinking and saying, as Bro. Branham said, all the
good things about that person. That’s the first thing: to have a good
mind—a good attitude. Look at him without the problem. If the problem
weren’t there, if your wife hadn’t said so and so, she was still
sweet and lovely. And, if you men hadn’t said something, you would be,
oh, gorgeous, too. You’ve got to go back and forget the problem. Now
this is hard, but it has got to be done. See? Remember, it’s the Will
of God. You’ve got to get away from the problem and look at the person
and just say all the good things you can. As Bro. Branham said,
“Saying good things cast out devils.” Well, if saying good things
cast out devils, saying good things should keep the devil away in the
first place. If you don’t want the devil to get a toehold, then do the
thing that you should do before you have to do it; that would get rid of
him. So, say good things. In other words, look at the person—all the
good points. Don’t look at the bad points. Look at those good points.
See? And keep working on them. START HERE 102213

19.	 Secondly, don’t ever say, “He had no reason. I did nothing
wrong. I am blameless.” That’s the second thing. Some have said,
“Well, you know, he’s really a sweet person, but I don’t know how
he could ever say that, you see, because I’ve been so right and so
nice.” 

	Have you been really? You know, that’s about the first thing that
comes up. “Well, you know, I really didn’t do anything wrong.” No,
but you were standing there. Get the picture?

	You’ve got to begin some give and some take. Was there something in
me, even inadvertently, that would cause a problem? See? But… See, I
run across people, and oh boy, I wish I didn’t. Even in this
message… My, they will take one part of the message, like “Bro.
Branham said ‘now the reason you put a prayer request up here is
because, if you don’t, it can go to seed.’”

	And first thing, everybody wants to put a prayer request in, and sister
so and so will tell about uncle so and so and cousin so and so. And
before it’s over, you’ve got a fourteen page family history, twenty
minutes on a prayer request on ‘He’s got a bad eye’. So, what do
you do? You put it on a piece of paper: “Uncle so and so has got a bad
eye.”

	Or, what if your church is so small and nobody even bothers to talk
except say, “Hey, pray for so and so?” And somebody says, “Well,
what you’ve got to do, you’ve got to put the prayer request up here,
or you aren’t in church order. I’m getting out of here. I’m going
to change you and everybody else.” 

	Now I don’t say you shouldn’t put up prayer request. So you should.
That’s the best way to keep anything from happening. Don’t let
Sister Edna get up and run and get Bro. Bill on the platform. Put all
the notes up here. Just go ahead and let the sister put the note up
here—the brother put the note up here. That takes care of it. But
I’ve seen churches ready to split wide open. Now I know it’s not a
nice thing. But right away the person then becomes very blameless. 

	You know something? You’re a troublemaker. You are a troublemaker. If
you’re not prepared to come in the right spirit with the corrective
Word of God, you’re a mess. 

20.	What about a forty-five minute sermon? That’s caused, literally,
splits in Canada and the States. Forty-five minutes, when the prophet
said, forty-five minutes, two hours, all-night, and qualified it. And
then, the person stand back and say, “Well, I’m wonderful. I’m
stopping at forty-five minutes!”?

	I’m going to tell you something. I could preach a forty-five minute
sermon. I can preach like a machine gun and pour out as much in
forty-five minutes as most guys will pour out in two hours. I’m not
going to bother doing it, though, because I’m not a forty-five minute
preacher, same as Bro. Branham wasn’t. I teach, and when I come, you
better be prepared to sit, because I’m going to take my time and try
to exhaust the subject every way, shape and form I can, so you will
understand, and I’ll understand with you.

	But I’ve seen them get that ‘holier than thou’ attitude, and
then, you’ll go around behind the preachers back. Oh, yeah. Maybe some
of you right here are doing same thing: knocking on doors and going
behind the pastor’s back and saying, “I have a great revelation.” 

	You want to take his fruit? I’ve seen men run to Europe and split
peoples’ congregations. If you call that the spirit of Jesus Christ,
count Lee Vayle out. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I have never met him, and
I don’t want to meet him, because he denies his own word, if that’s
the spirit of Jesus Christ. I don’t care what you believe or what you
and I are doing; we had better get a proper spirit in doing it. There
simply has got to be a proper spirit. And that spirit is: I am not
blameless; he is not blameless. We are human beings. We are brothers. We
must come together. We must solve the problem. We must work it. What do
they do? They run out of the church, and Bro. Branham said, “You
haven’t got nothing in the first place, if you are going to run
out.” You and I are obligated to see things through. 

21.	 I had to take a hard stand for the Word one time. I’m going to
tell you flat. I am the fellow that started to work in Ohio, where I am
today. I went to that town and said ‘God, if you don’t do something,
nothing is going to be done.’ But I’m not a pastor. But I’m the
one that started it. That’s right. If I would have wanted to astute
myself like Bro. Branham, I could have said, “I am acting as a pastor,
though not a pastor, and I am here for life, and nobody can do one
thing.” But I took my hands right off. But, before I did a man came by
at my invitation; of course, I was wrong in inviting him. I should have
investigated the whole thing and prayed about it. The man got in the
pulpit and preached the awfullest stuff you ever heard. So, I took a
hard stand with that Word, and boy, did people get mad. They got mad,
and I am the one that God used. 

	But I kept my stand with the Word of God. I don’t care where the
chips fall. I’ve got to preach the way the Scripture is—the way the
prophet taught. The day came when they walked out. I said, “But,”
now listen…I am the founder. Like Bro. Branham, when they said,
“Bro. Branham, you’re wrong; get out of the church.” He left the
church, till God said, “You go back and tell them to get out.” Did
you know that happened? Well, it did. So, I stood to one side, and I
said, “We will vote, and I will come here for the next year at least,
one solid year. I will back the people: tithes, offerings, everything.
Ooo…that would have killed me, because you know my nature. I was ready
to stand right there and die. They walked out. Now you better get your
spirits under control, brother/sister, because you ain’t at the end of
the road yet. I don’t care what you believe and how you believe it. It
will stink, if it doesn’t have the right spirit. We’ve got to get
down; don’t say I’ve done nothing wrong. 

22.	Thirdly, put yourself in the other fellow’s shoes. See? Remember,
we’re a democracy. Did you know we’re a democracy? Bro. Branham said
so. You vote pastors in or out, unless he ‘founds’ the work. If he
found it, you can’t vote him in or out. Of course, if you loose entire
confidence, because the guy is a mess, then you would walk out. You
would have to talk to the man and then walk out. But that would have to
be on a morals charge and denying the Word of God. You have to stay
close. Now, listen; we’re a democracy.

23.	 What would happen today if you had a little problem in our church?
like I’m thinking about a certain church. And one man is an apostle,
but somebody said he wasn’t an apostle. Yeah. Now I’m supposed to be
a teacher, true or false. I’m not going to talk about that. It’s not
nice—in public. I could be true or false. Right? No problem, I’m not
going to stand up here and lie and say, “Bro. Vayle, bless God, he’s
true teacher, yes siree.”

	“Oh, Bro. Vayle could be a wrong teacher.”

	“Oh yes, bless God, he sure could be.”

	Now, what have we got? An issue going.

	Somebody said, “Now I want to tell you flat: Bro. Vayle is a real
teacher, I tell you.” 

	“Well, he may be to you, but he ain’t to me.”

	Then, the fat’s in the fire? No, it’s a democracy. Until you can
sit down and say, “Bro. Vayle, to me, is a teacher, and they say,
“Bro. Vayle, to me, is not a teacher.” Hallelujah, shake hands;
let’s go on for Jesus. Now you’re getting somewhere; until then, you
got nowhere. You’re a prime target for a fuss and a fight, until you
realize this is a democracy. I have a right to talk; you have a right to
talk. Then, let’s just talk and not get mad. You saying I’m a true
teacher, doesn’t make me one; and you saying I’m a false teacher,
doesn’t make me one. I’m either one or I’m not, according to God.
How are you going to prove any different? Look, I’m not here
vindicated. I’m not at all vindicated to prove anything. And I’ve
seen the boys that call themselves vindicated fall flatter than a
fritter. They get shot down every time. I’m not lying to you. I’ve
been watching this for years, and I don’t intend to get shot down.
I’m already down, I hope. If I go up, may God shoot me down. And I
don’t have to even… That’s silly to pray that. He will shoot me
down. But we’re a democracy. Now, how many of you can, with a good
feeling and maintain it, get into that little set… Huh? Well, you’ve
got to. Oh you’ve got to. You don’t take sides and issues over
personalities. That’s hogwash. (First time I said it today; just keep
count somebody. Yeah.) See? 

24.	 So, it doesn’t really matter, then, who is the offended one and
who is the offender. There has got to come a time of getting the right
spirit. Now, this is one reason why a pastor has one of the most
valuable assets that people overlook, and that’s the ability to get
between two people and take both hands and not get involved in the
fight. Yeah. If a pastor gets involved personally, he is going to get a
scab on his nose like he couldn’t believe possible. Bro. Branham said
the pastor must be a kind who can sit between both, take both hands, and
bring them to the Word. Right? Well, you know, a lot of people want a
pastor to be a firebrand; my, he’s got to be a perfect teacher.
That’s nice, if he is a flaming evangelist. That’s nice, if he
is…great ministry. I got news for you: The greatest ministry any
pastor can have is to keep your spirits right. Yes sir. To take you by
the hand and just take you to the Word and keep your spirits just nice
and sweet, so the day will come when you both simmer right down, and the
little finger is not getting in the way of the big thumb, and so on, but
everything is just nice. See? Now that’s true whether you like it or
not. Now, see? 

25.	1 Corinthians 6:1-5:

(1)	Dare any of you having a matter against another, go to law before
the unjust, and not before the saints. (Now It tells you right here, if
anything comes up in the church, you’re suppose to deal with it right
in the church.)

(2)	Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the
world shall be judged by you are you unworthy to judge the smallest
matters? 

	Now this let’s the church know… Look, I have got to come to the
place where I can handle situations. Can this church handle situations?
I hope it can. I don’t know. I’m just throwing the thing out for
you. I don’t know what goes on here and care less. I don’t need it.

(3)	Know you not you’re going to judge angels? How much more things
that pertain to this life? 

 	He hurt my feelings; he said so and so; she did this. Oh boy,
preachers wives; they are dillies. I know couple of preachers wives do
their hair certain way and every woman in the congregation does it. And
the preachers wives get mad, because they pay a lot of money to get that
hairdo. Ho, ho, ho…good joke. Oh God. Then, you wonder why we’re not
in the Rapture. Hah? I’m not kidding you. I’m telling you the truth.
What kind of hokum and nonsense; get a big ten pound bag, cut eye holes,
and put it over your head. Shheee. Huh?

26.	(4)	If you then have judgments of things pertaining to this life,
set them to judge, who are least esteemed in the Church. 

(5)	I speak to your shame. Is it so that there is not a wise man among
you? No not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?

	Where is the pastor? You mean the fight got so bad, it got out of the
pastor’s hands? Whew! That’s a bad situation. First thing you look
for, your pastor, brethren… You’re here, I know, as a shepherd to
help the sheep. And Bro. Branham says, “It’s a sick sheep that pulls
the wool off of another sheep.” Right? So, pastors got their most
important job cut out. It is to keep the spirit right in the churches.
But so many people don’t like it, because they want to make the pastor
a firebrand. This is it…This is it…This is it…This is it…This is
the message…This is it…This is it…Rah, Rah, Rah.

	You’ll pay a price before it’s over. You will get a spirit on you,
brother/sister. And, before it’s over, you’ll change your doctrine
ten times.

	You say, “Lee Vayle, what are you talking about?”

	I’m talking about something you know, or you’re too stupid to be
even talked to. I take that back and the way it sounded. But I want a…
Spiritually there is something wrong somewhere. If you don’t know by
now, after the prophet’s been dead for twelve years, that there
hasn’t been change and change and change and change and change. If he
didn’t come back this Easter, he’ll come back next Easter; didn’t
come back then, another one. How do you know? Maybe Christmas morning
he’ll come out of the ground. You can’t build doctrine and a life on
those things. Get your spirits down. See?

	Now, if I hurt feelings, I’m sorry; but I got to get my spirit down.
I know where the trouble lies. Satan had his trouble there, too: pride
and arrogance. The end time has the same problem. Get those spirits
down. Get them down. Get them down. That’s what a good pastor will do.
Just keep things down, sweet with Jesus, within the congregation, and
just say…watch. Oh, he will be teaching doctrine. Don’t worry. He
knows where he stands. But he knows one thing: that no matter how right
he is…there’s rightness, and rightness, and a superior rightness.
And, if you want the real rightness, it is getting that good attitude,
that good mind, really humble before the Lord.

27.	 Now, never at any time during a confrontation for correction are we
to come back and say to anybody, “Who do you think you are correcting
me.” Oooohhh, that’s happened. I know. A friend of mine back home,
he went to a buddy, and he wasn’t treating his wife right. He said,
“Look, that girl can’t even open her mouth. She’s not the girl
that you married. She was laughing and happy. She doesn’t even laugh
anymore.”

	He said, “Well, you don’t need to talk. I don’t think you’re so
hot, and don’t think Lee Vayle is so hot either.”

	I wasn’t even in on it. Well, I’m not so hot. But I’m going to
tell you something: If you can’t suddenly just say, “Hey, am I off
somewhere?” If you can’t take correction, the Bible says ‘a
bastard child’.

28.	 How often have people said, “Well, look at that guy? You know.
This is a big temptation. Every now and then I’ll think, “Well, hah,
I’m not quite as bad as so and so. Then I say, “Hold it. Where do
you get comparing yourself? There is one plumb line, that is Christ, the
revealed Word.”

	But I want to tell you, this spirit I have seen too often. Just as soon
as something is said, they want to throw off on somebody else. That’s
not it, my brother/sister. It’s facing “I am wrong.” Getting a
right attitude toward the person who has to do that thing, to come and
see you. Don’t get all up tight and rebellious. If the man is there,
and he’s a mess, God will show him up. Don’t you worry about that.
But, if that man is there, you take it as from the Lord. You say, “Now
I’ve got to get my spirit right.” That’s right. See? We must never
get negative or condemning thoughts, but keep a good spirit. 

29.	 Let’s go take a couple of Scriptures here. Take Proverbs.
That’s a good Book. They’re all good Books, but that’s one we take
note of many times. Proverbs 16:32:

 (32)	He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty: and he that
ruleth his spirit than he that takes a city.

	You want to be a big shot, get down low. Many people think big shots,
great ministries, great fellows. No sir! The great fellow is the fellow
that keeps his spirit. Let’s go to Mt 5:5.

(5)	Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

	Do you realize that’s the Millennium? Not one person, but a meek
person, gets in the Millennium. If you and I are not meek… Remember,
this cuts across everything—conduct, doctrine, everything. Remember,
William Branham, the Sherman tank, acted like a butterfly. Moses, that
could call down fire—or anything else he wanted to call up…because
it came out of the ground—all he did was stand by and say, “God, You
handle it.” The meek shall inherit the earth. If I’m a part of the
Millennium, I’m going to have to demonstrate it by my spirit.

30.	 Galatians 5. And I don’t think I’m giving a lot of nonsense
here to just to try to prove a point. I don’t believe that, because
God showed me that a long time ago—at least I believe it was
God—hopefully. At least it won’t hurt me, I’ll tell you that much.
Galatians 5:22-23. See, I’m cautious, because I haven’t heard from
God. I don’t know the answers. A prophet heard from God, and he knew
the answers, and I’m doing the best to follow along with what he said,
when he said, “You watch your spirit.” Galatians 5:22-23:

(22)	The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith.

(23)	Meekness, temperance: against such there is not law.

	Do you want to keep out of trouble with the law? Have a little bit of
fruit this morning for breakfast. Get a fruity life. Nobody can cause
you any problem, and you’ll never cause anybody any problem that will
amount to a hill of beans. Oh, there is always someone going to run you
down. If there is nobody running you down, forget it. You aren’t even
saved.  You got to get somebody mad. Do them something nice; they’ll
get mad. People just can’t stand nice things; shows them up. 

31.	Now, remember; this is required of us. Oh, I don’t like that any
more than you do! This is required of us! He didn’t say, “Now I want
to tell you folks something. If you want to listen, you can. It would be
to your advantage. But, if you don’t want to listen, I’ll work it
out anyway. It’ll be all right.” 

	Is that what he said? He gave you a command: “Agree with thine
adversary!” It’s required of us. We need it to solve our problems.
It cannot be settled in any other way, or they will fester and recur.
How can I settle a thing? Deal with it in such a way that it is dealt
with. What way? God’s way. See? Hebrews 12:14-15:

(14)	Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall
see the Lord.

(15)	Looking diligently lest any fail of the grace of God; lest any root
of bitterness spinging up trouble you and thereby many be defiled.

	It says, ‘Get enough grace in your life to do it, or rest assured on
one thing, it’ll get bigger and bigger and bigger until many are
defiled. Huh. You want to kill a thing? The way Bro. Branham said…
…kicked the devil out of his wife: “Go downtown and buy the biggest
bouquet of roses and the biggest box of good chocolates. When she opens
the door, sweep her in your arms, kiss her, give the chocolate candy.
That will knock the devil out of her.” 

	That’s right. That’s right. It works. And all you got to do is say,
“Hold it. I’ve got to do this right. Right. To just hold it; I’ve
got to do this right.” See? The right thing in the wrong way doesn’t
work either. Now, that’s the truth.

32.	 You know that an old, great old man of God…Bailey…South Africa.
He was telling this person in a meeting… He was a great old
Presbyterian. He wrote a letter, and he just nailed things down—a
brilliant scholar, fine Christian, just rolled it right out. Three
o’clock in the morning, a hand tapped his shoulder; he woke up, and a
voice said, “Bailey, I’ve got somewhat against you.” 

 	He knew it was God. He said, “What is it, Lord?” 

 	He said, “It’s that letter you wrote your mission board.” 

	But he said, “Lord, it’s right.” 

	He said, “It wasn’t what you wrote, it’s how you wrote it. Get up
and rewrite it.” 

 	He got up and rewrote it and sent a new letter over. He went on an
extended itinerary, because he was the head of the missionaries for the
board over there—through Africa. He visited many compounds, or
whatever you call them, came back. That night the hand touched his
shoulder at three in the morning and said, “Bailey, I’ve got
somewhat against you.”

	He said, “What is it this time, Lord?”

	He said, “It’s how you talked to those missionaries under you.”

	But he said, “Lord, I only told them the truth.”

	He said, “It wasn’t what you said; it’s how you said it; go back
now and apologize to every one of them.”

	And he had to go all through the jungles again; six more weeks and take
each person and talk it all over again. He learned a lesson. What the
prophet said forty years later, Bailey learned way back there. Not that
the prophet didn’t know it before, but it just got home to him. See,
we listen to the prophet; not to Bailey. It’s not what you do many
times; it’s how you do it. That’s the spirit. 

33.	So, let us see something else about having the right spirit. It is
that under no conditions are we ever to split. 

	Ah, “but if you don’t believe like me, you’re going to miss the
Rapture.” 

	And I’m going to tell you something: If you believe like me, you got
a good chance of missing the Rapture. And I’m not just being humble. I
might be. I’m not even sarcastic, though that is my nature. I’m
trying to get a point across to you. We are fragmented, when the Holy
Spirit said, “Don’t fragment.” When Paul said it, when William
Branham said it… But we justify ourselves.

	“Well, I believe this way. I’m over here, therefore.” 

	Yes, you are over there. But not over Jordan—at least yet. What is
your spirit like in your doctrine? 

	Now we’re obligated not to split. The prophet said, if we do, it
shows what we are. How many people in this message… Ah hah, good
thought, isn’t it? I haven’t even thought… Yeah, I thought of
them.  I’m not squeamish about them, but I’m going to try to put…
[Blank Spot on tape…about four seconds.] A lot of problems…

34.	So with the pew. Remember, the deity cult never came out of the
pulpit. It came out of the pew. Hah. Never get high-minded,
brother/sister. When you look at Bro. Guenther and you look at Bro.
Vayle, some of us birds that aren’t too hot to look at in the first
place, if you think we’re causing trouble, you get right down to your
little old own pew, because it’s pewier than ours. You, in the pew, in
Canada, started deity cult. And that is horrible.

	But many people look at a preacher, you know, and they say he doesn’t
believe a certain way, so “I’m just going to go off.” They look at
problems, and they say, “I’m going to leave.”

	And I’m thinking of that where I know some particularly, perhaps one
more than another, or several more than others. Say…well… I’ve
seen those preachers. They’ve been lied to. Before it’s over I’ll
show you that lying is one of the end time signs of this age. So, keep
your spirits down; because, if you rile up over liars and start running
off, you are just a dupe. Sorry about that! You’re nice people, but
you’re pretty foggy up here yet. I’ll prove it by Scripture. I’m
not kidding you. Just keep coming back. I’ll show you it’s an
end-time sign: liars, who lie to people. I’ve had preachers lie to me
about their congregation, until you can’t believe it.
Liars…preachers.

	Then, somebody says, “Ain’t none of those birds… I’m going to
stay home and play a tape. I’ll have my own church.” 

	Hah, hah. Two wrongs make a right? In algebra, yes; but not the Word of
God. Now you’re really going to get a mess, because everybody’s
going to run to you who is an anarchist. And, remember; Nicolaitanism is
not the only spirit in this age. It is Laodiceanism, which is rebellion
against authority. Hah, hah. So, now we have a beautiful thing. But oh,
they’ll get together and love each other. Huh? Is that nice? It’s
wrong. Wrong spirit entirely. See, I’m bringing up many, many years of
pastoring, plus being on the road, when I talk this way. 

35.	Under no condition are we to split, because I’m obligated to be a
part of him, and he with me; so, we are obligated to work out our
problems as in marriage. 

	Now you say, “Well, Bro. Branham did say they couldn’t get
together; so, they might as well live apart.” 

	Now you really don’t believe that statement as a blank statement
without any embellishments do you? Because that means—and I can say,
“Well I couldn’t get along.” 

	It was: “I wouldn’t get along, and she wouldn’t get along; so
therefore, we split.” 

	That’s why you couldn’t; because you wouldn’t. 

	Now, we can… We are obligated to get along. You know, this morning,
I’m obligated to love each one of you and have communion with you and
to wash your feet and you with me? I am obligated. 

36.	Now, why do people split? Why is it here; why is it there; why is it
everywhere? Why do you think I go around screaming to people, “Don’t
split?” Only once, have I ever advised anybody to split, and that is
when I got them back together from a split, and saw they hadn’t
listened to one thing I had said. And I said, “You might as well go
back and split.” 

	And, do you know what they did? They didn’t. Could be they will be in
worse shape ever, though, because nothing has been resolved. The same
serpent is down in there, brother/sister. The serpent’s got to be
killed. I tried to get their eyes off of personality and show them
it’s a democracy. I couldn’t get to first base; couldn’t get the
preacher even working. Not my job, of course; but I tried. 

	But, listen; we are obligated. You know what happened to that work of
ours back home? Within a few months, they said, “Bro. Vayle, the kids
are getting so nervous. We’re doing nothing but fighting. The kids go
in the car and cry, and we are fighting.” 

	I said, “I’ll come and help you.” 

	And I did—and settled them down. I haven’t been back. I haven’t
been asked back. I would do it for anybody, because down inside there is
something that says, “I’m obligated.” See? I am obligated. It’s
not requested of me; it’s commanded of me to have a proper spirit. 

37.	Now you say, “What about Mt 18:15-17? Let’s go take a look at Mt
18:15-17, because that looks like a split. All right.

(15)	Moreover if your brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell
him his fault between you and him alone: if he shall hear you, you have
gained your brother.

(16)	But if he will not hear you, then take with you one or two more,
that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be
established. 

	 Now then, of course, this goes on and says, if he neglects to hear it,
tell it to the church. And then, of course, It tells you what to do
there. But here is what we’re looking at: We’re looking at the
fact… I’d better read 21 and 22.

(21)	Then came Peter to Him, and said, Lord, how often shall my brother
sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 

(22)	Jesus says to him, I say not to you Until seven times: but, Until
seventy times seven.

	Now, here we’re looking at a picture that there can be no separation
between the two people or the peoples, unless it comes to the church and
one hardens his heart, and he refuses. Then he must be put out. But you
and I must keep a spirit of forgiveness and love seventy times seven.

38.	Now, let us read Mt 5:25-26 again.

(25)	Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are in the way with
him; lest at any time the adversary deliver you to the judge, and the
judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison.

(26)	Verily I say to you, You shall by no means come out of there, till
you have paid the uttermost farthing.

	Now It says right here that, if the person… Now I know he’s dealing
only with the offender. But, let’s look at it this way, because it’s
true: I don’t care whether it’s the offended one or the offender,
the wrong spirit will eventually put the individual in a prison and
destroy him, and he will not come out till he pays the uttermost
farthing. 

	I’m going to tell you something: I went through this bitter
experience years ago as a young preacher. I am a kind of an anarchist in
my heart more than I am a Nicolaitan; I can tell you that flat. I
don’t believe in being an authority or having any authority over you.
I’m just plumb sorry. I’m a rebel in that respect. Independent, as
they say, as a hog on ice. That’s my nature. And so, therefore, when
this big shot, years ago decided to cut my throat, I got bitter. I’m
going to tell you something: He wasn’t hurt one bit, but I paid nine
years of debt. Now I’m going to tell you this morning, folk: You can
sit here, and this is just a little sermon, a kind of a…not even a
nice one… Because I’m not even preaching worth a plug nickel. But,
let me get this to you; I’m going to tell you flat: You are kidding
yourself, if you think you will not pay a price for a wrong spirit. You
will. And you will not come out of your purgatory, until you’ve paid
the uttermost farthing. 

	I was actually dying with TB of the pituitary gland, before I gave up.
I took a beating for nine years of hell on earth. And you can do the
same thing, whether you think so or not. Don’t kid yourself
brother/sister. The Word of God is true, and everybody else’s word is
a lie. So, it is either get the right spirit, or pay, pay, pay,
pay—and, maybe, even die for it. 

39.	Matthew 6:14-15:

(14)	For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will
also forgive you.

(15)	 But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your
Father forgive your trespasses.

	He said right here, if you’re not willing to come to reconciliation,
there will come a day when you can’t do it either. See? God demands a
reconciliation, or the penalty will be exacted. Let’s go to Mk
9:43-50.

(43)	And if your hand offend you, cut it off: it is better for you to
enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the
fire that never shall be quenched.

(44)	Where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched.

(45)	And if your foot offend you, cut it off: it is better for you to
enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into
the fire that never shall be quenched. (The same with the eye: if the
eye offend thee, etc. What’s he telling you right here? He’s telling
you here, verse 49.)

(49)	For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall
be salted with salt.

(50)	Salt is good: but if the salt have lost it’s saltness, wherewith
will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with
another. 

40.	 He tells you right here: Look, it is going to cost you something in
your pride and in your effort to live in this kingdom of Almighty God.
It’ll cost you a foot; it will cost you a hand; it will cost you an
eye; it will cost you something. Do it. There is a price to pay, but do
it. And Jesus says, do it quickly. And the reason he said quickly,
because the longer you think about it, the further you are going to get
from doing it. 

	It’s just like when you’re going to jump in the water the first
time. You know, boys go out there in the spring and see who can jump in
the cold water. What do they do? They just jump. If you put your toe in,
forget it. Jump! See? Be precipitous. Here is one place to be
precipitous. Do it. Just say to God, “I won’t think those thoughts.
I won’t listen to myself. I refuse.” Bro. Branham said, “You
cannot defeat your complexes; you walk away from them.” Here is where
enticing spirits get a hold of us. You read the sermon again,
“Enticing Spirits”, here, and you’re going to find out it lines
with this message. See? 

41.	Now, Heb 12:3-12: purgatory.

(3)	For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against
himself, lest you be wearied and faint in your minds.

(4)	You have not yet resisted to blood, striving against sin. 

	There’s none of us sweat blood like Jesus did fighting himself. I
know some of you say, well that’s striving against blood, in other
words give your life. I don’t believe that for one minute it has to do
with that. It was in Gethsemane he fought himself, till the blood burst
in the temple veins. He fought himself. 

	“I’m going to fight the other guy.”

	Hogwash. People talk about fighting the devil. Forget it, you pussycat.
It’s fighting yourself that counts. You’re never fighting the devil
or anything else, until you and I fight ourselves. See? I keep telling
this guy that phones me, and it’s his tape that says, “Get out of my
way.” That’s his sermon. “I’m running a race. Get out of my
way.” 

	Paul said, “I’m running a race.” But he said, “Everybody so
run; everybody wins, and I’ll tell you how to win.” He said, “I
get under my body.” Not something: “Get out of my way, Bro.
Guenther; get out of the way, Bro. Vayle; get out of my way.” “Oh,
this big shot’s coming; stand aside.” 

	Like old Shepard said concerning him down in Jeff. He said, “You tell
that brother up there that I’m the man he met on the road going up,
and I’ll be standing here when he comes down.” Did you hear what I
said? You want to fight the devil? You’d better fight yourself. Lee
Vayle better fight himself. Some preacher in this message says: “Get
out of my way.”  Oh, come on. I said, if that’s the spirit of God,
brother/sister, I wouldn’t even want it. Man, I’ve had that all my
life. Good night! I’ve had that all my life. Sheee.  Ah, if they
don’t…me, I kick them out of the way, too, at times. Oh, yeah.
What’ve you got hard-nose boots for? Oh come on, be honest with me.
Are you a bunch of sweet angels? I hope you are, but I kind of doubt it.
Don’t fight your wife and fight your neighbor. Fight the deacon, fight
the preacher… Fight yourself. The ‘greatest battle ever fought’ is
in your mind, to bring it under. And that’s the battle of this age:
bringing the mind under—the constant repenting. See? 

42.	Now he said here: You fight yourself.

(4)	And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as unto
children, My son, despise not you the chastening of the Lord, nor faint
when you are rebuked of him. 

(5)	For whom the Lord loveth he chastens and scourges. 

	Now, listen. How is he going to do it? He is doing it as I mentioned
this morning. When things arise amongst us, we have got to take the
things in our hands and with the right spirit do it. That’s God in us
doing it and helping us. Then, if we don’t do it, He will lower the ax
on us. Now, don’t think he won’t, because I’ve told you He will. I
can prove it to you. Don’t go through that nonsense. You can read the
rest yourself. I’m not going to. But anyway, It says here:

(11)	Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous:
nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to
them which are exercised thereby.

(12)	Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees.

	It tells you this is one of the roughest things in the church to learn.
So, we are obligated as a people to help each other to understand this
and encourage each other to go through with it. 

43.	I’m going to tell you something: This age is the greatest age
ever, and yet, it is the lousiest. You could go back to Wesley’s age
and get more what I’m preaching this morning from Wesley’s sermons
and what he did than we’ve had all the time Bro. Branham was here.
Why? Because we shouldn’t need to cover this. It has been covered.
Wesley covered it. And they held the little special cells and little
meetings where they confessed their faults and talked to each other and
say, “What are your thoughts this morning, my brother. Are you walking
in the pure light? Have you had your spirit rise up on a certain
occasion?” 

	They weren’t digging each other; they were helping each other.
Somebody come to your house and mine and say, “Can I help you?” You
say, “Mind your own business.”

	We had a lady… I don’t know if she’s living in our town or not
anymore. But I was telling her. And her husband was a fine Presbyterian
man, and their son was a real fine Presbyterian boy. And he got
charismatic, sort of. So, I was at their house one night and talking,
and I said, “You know sister, I’m concerned about people.” I said,
“I used to pastor for years. I don’t any more, but I know homes that
never had family worship with the kids; didn’t have a thing.” I
said, “You know what I would do if I was pastoring? I would try to
raise me up elders and instruct the elders: ‘Look, knock on the
peoples doors and talk after church and say: Do you have family
worship?’”

 	“No.”

 	“Well, could I come by, maybe early in the morning, and help you
have family worship?

 	She said, “He wouldn’t get in my door.” 

 	I knew it, because Jesus wasn’t there anyway. Do you realize that
that is a part of our lives? Is to be conscientiously trying to help
people and keep a right spirit? That’s true. I’m not giving you a
bunch of nonsense up here that’s good for Doctor Peal’s church or
some positive thinking. I’m telling you the truth. That’s what
we’re supposed to do. Make straight paths. Don’t let the lame be
turned out. 

	What’s a straight path? Agree now. Do it! The first church I came
into when I was a kid eighteen years old, something like that, got
saved… Oh, what a mess! I was ready to walk out the way I walked in.
You can call it the church of the revolving door. You might as well,
because you walk in the same way you walk out, the same way you walk in.
You got people all messed up. See? Here is how to keep them from getting
all messed up.

44.	Now I want to add something here concerning our spirits. Let us say
an adversary illegally condemns us, in other words there is persecution,
not prosecution. We must do exactly the same. There is no difference;
not at all. Let’s look here, the same chapter:

(12)	Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall
see the Lord.

(13)	Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest any
root of bitterness springing up trouble you and thereby many be defiled.

	Okay. Look over here in 2 Cor 4:8-10:

(8)	We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed, we are perplexed,
but not in despair.

(9)	Persecuted, but not forsaken cast down, but not destroyed:

	Paul said, “I can take it. What if I’m illegally accused? What if
things really are sour? Take it anyway. See? Go on with God.

45.	So, here we must learn a lesson in every time of problem: be very
earnest. We must get a right spirit and understanding about it. As Jesus
said, “Agree with thine adversary,” we must also do as the same Lord
said in the same chapter, which is Mt 5:44-46.

(44)	But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you.
Do good to them that hate you. Pray for them that despitefully use you
and persecute you; 

(45)	That you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for
he makes the sun to rise on the good and the evil, and sends rain upon
the just and on the unjust.

(46)	For if you love them that love you, what reward do you have? Do not
the publicans (the same)?

(48)	Be you therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is
perfect (and so on).

	Now in here, what we are trying to show you is this, that we are to
pray, and we are to do the good things that we ought to do for the help
of our brethren. 

	Now in Lk 9:62:

(62)  	And Jesus said to him, No man having put his hands to the plow,
and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.

46.	So, first of all, get the right spirit, pray earnestly, and keep up
what you’re doing, which is ‘keep up the right spirit and keep on
praying’. Then, treat the person like a brother in an attitude of
forgiveness committing it to God. That’s exactly what we’re going to
do. And the reason for that… And I’m going to skip the Scripture,
because you’ve read them already. You’ve got the ones in Mt 18:50
and 18:21-22, but we’ll go on now 2 Cor 2:10-11.

(10)	To whom you forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any
thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person
of Christ;

(11)	Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant
of his devices.

	Now It says right here that the way Satan gets into a church is to get
an unforgiving spirit amongst the people. In other words get a wrong
spirit. Bro. Branham told you, didn’t he? He told us, “Look, you
people walk in love, and don’t you dare let anything come in amongst
you.” Why, he said, “That devil will send somebody in amongst you,
and he will be so sweet and nice, and then he will point a poison dart
in him.” And he said, “If you’re not careful and just sit there
and pray and be sweet and nice, he will poison the whole
congregation.” 

	Now this is the same thing that Paul said. We are not ignorant what
Satan does. He will do everything he can to get wrong spirits amongst
us. 

47.	Now you say, “How am I going to do it?” 

	Do what Bro. Branham said he did. Do what Paul said. What did he do? He
said, “Look, I cannot forgive, and you cannot forgive, but it is the
Christ within us that forgives. Paul did not say, “I forgive as though
I did it. Paul said, “In the person of Christ I forgive.” See? Paul
does not say you and I are to do it, although we do do it. But it is
Christ in us that is doing it. In other words recognize and realize that
you of yourself, being human, you must have, and do have, a supernatural
one within you, who can do the things that you cannot do. So therefore,
“I can do all things by Christ Who gives me inward strength.” And
the secret of forgiveness is through Jesus Christ and not ourselves. In
Eph 4:32 It says:

(32)	And be you kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.

	Remember, it was even God, Who for Christ’s sake, forgave us. And
we’re in the same position. The forgiveness is not ours of ourselves.
It is ‘because of someone else’.

48.	Now, just think for a minute or two, and I will try to close as
quickly as I can. What does it mean ‘to forgive’? Because we got to
have that there. It means ‘to bestow a favor unconditionally; to
completely cancel the debt; excludes all idea of judgment or punishment;
deals with the guilty as though innocent, even though the correction
must come’. The correction must be there, but it must have this
understanding: that this man, no matter what happened, these people are
already forgiven. It is just that correction must be there. 

	People want to hold something over somebody else’s head.
Brother/Sister, we have come too far for that nonsense. And, why is that
amongst us? See? Talk all the doctrine you want this morning and ten
years from now, that you got it all figured how it is going to be. I
challenge you: How is your spirit this morning? That’s what counts.
You can have everything going for you. What you think could be a million
miles off, because the prophet said, “Once you think you figured it,
that’s the time you missed it.” 

	You say, “Bro. Vayle, I’m going to crowd myself in, close in, until
I got no thought but this thought.”

	And you’re going to kill yourself, because I don’t care who you
are; every time you think something about this Message, some other
thought is going to rise up and say, “But, watch this!” 

	No, I won’t watch that, because I’m going to watch all these
quotes, hallelujah. 

	You’d better get all the quotes. I’ve been called a ‘middle of
the roader’ a ‘sitting on the fence’ guy, a pessimist. 

	God knows what I’ve been called, but I thank God I’m going to stay
just what I am: right in the middle of road, watching, watching,
watching. Refusing nothing and taking nothing. Just watching, watching,
watching. Now, let my spirit come down where it belongs. It is. It’s
coming down; not as good as it should be; not as good as it should, but
it’s coming down. Oh, sometimes I seem a little more sarcastic than I
should be, but that’s… That’s Lee Vayle. 

	Remember, Jesus requires it; his own sermon demanded it. Colossians
3:12-17—and continues it.

49.	[Colossians 3:12-17]

(12)	Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of
mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering.

(13)	Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, (See, there
‘is’ the ‘bears’ in there.) if any man have a quarrel against
any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do you. 

	Now It says quarrels can come; differences will come. Now a quarrel
doesn’t mean a fight—a donnybrook—some kind of a silly thing.
Quarrel could mean ‘differences without getting too grave.’ See?

(14)	And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of
perfectness.

(15)	And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also you
are called in one body; and be you thankful.

 	You say, “How in the world could I do that, having these
differences?” 

	Well, we’ve got to have them having these differences. Look at that
fellow that came to Bro. Branham—that Church of Christ fellow. He
said, “If I ever saw a devil, you’re one.” Then, he left Bro.
Branham and said, “If any man has got the Holy Ghost, you sure
have.” 

	Bro. Branham could say, “If I had a girl that I loved with all my
heart, promised to marry me and she decided she wanted somebody
else…I’d give her up to that fellow, because I love her.” The
Sherman Tank was a butterfly; but all the butterflies are Sherman tanks.
I can’t understand it. Oh, yes I can! God doesn’t change,
bother/sister. Butterflies are butterflies. What we saw in Bro. Branham
was a real butterfly transformed through the power of Almighty God. I
never heard a butterfly clank his wings yet. 

50.	Now It says here:

(16)	Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; 

	‘The Word of Christ dwelling richly in wisdom.’ It doesn’t say
‘the Word of Christ dwelling.’ It says richly in wisdom. There is a
big difference the Word of God dwelling in you and me, whether it is in
wisdom or not, or whether it’s the richness of Christ in it.

(16)	Teaching and admonishing one another (In how?) in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs…

	Have you ever been to an opera? I never have either. I’d like to hear
one in the original Italian or French brought out. I would get the most
out of Italian, and can you hear a guy singing in a beautiful baritone,
“I’ll kill you, my bum, if you touch my wife again.” Huh? Why, you
would fall over laughing dead! They don’t sing. Mothers sing songs.
Why? Because there’s resonance. The song of the resonance goes to the
bones and makes you feel with emotions: kind and all these things. You
know, some babies might get talked to sleep by their mothers, but no,
they are usually sung to sleep—at least I wished mothers would still
do it. Mothers gave up a lot when they got this stupid modern
psychology. My God, what a pity; what a pity. No wonder the kids are a
mess. If they are not touched, they are not fondled, they are not loved,
they are not sung to… 

	But you say, “How could you get mad if someone is singing to them.”

	You could sing, “Bro. Guenther, I hate you; I’ll destroy you. You
would laugh your fool head off, and I would be in the ground here with
you, rolling. 

	You’d say, “Look, Guenther; I’m after you.” 

	Well, that’s what It says here. 

51.	Do you follow what I’m talking about here? I’m not making jokes
here. I’m telling you something here. 

	You admonish in songs and hymns and spiritual song. Like an orchestra
with a symphony dealing with people that love and kindness. Not,
“I’ll get you, if it’s the last thing I do.” 

	Sing, “Isn’t He sweet, hallelujah. Isn’t He wonderful; bless
God.” 

	I’m trying to get it across to you, to show you something here. This
is not a hogwash and foolishness. There is a reason why he says these
things. Every Word of God has a power to It. When he speaks of singing,
there is something coming in here which departs from ordinary language.
It is a spiritual of uplifting, emotion and beauty and quietness and
holiness. See? Maybe we ought to sing more than three times and preach
less (I don’t know.) with grace in your heart. Whatever you do in
deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Now, look; if you’re going
to do in word and deed, and it is His Word, do it in His Name, with His
Spirit. 

	Notice, “as it is fit in the Lord.” [Lk 9:62] What is ‘fit’?
AGREE! Get your spirit down, be sweet, be kind, be humble. We must learn
from getting involved with personalities, except Jesus, or human
traits—only the Word. See. We get involved with personalities except
Christ, and we start getting angry at people because of what they do,
(instead of just saying, this is the Word) then we get problems. But, if
we say, this is the Word… Look, it has nothing to do with you and me.
This is out of our hands. This is God’s Word. This is where your
pastor’s so valuable, and others are so valuable in the church, who
can come to this position and say, “Brother/Sister, listen! It has
nothing to do with you and me. Look, we didn’t write the Book. It’s
to do with Him and His Book.” 

	Now we are getting somewhere. See? Now, all the way down the line, then
we can see. Then, we can see the fruit of the spirit come into us, as
the Scripture tells us. 

52.	Now I don’t want to leave the subject, until we take a closer look
at a brother who’s laying the charge. And I just say this about that
brother who lays the charge or some one of us must come and talk to you.
Remember, his spirit has to be, above all, a tremendous spirit of grace
and beauty, because look, he is in a dangerous position. And I’ll just
take Gal 6:1, because I want to close off here now, because the times
run out anyway. Look:

(1)	Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, you which are spiritual
restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering yourself, lest
you also be tempted. 

	If anybody dares to go to somebody, else, (I don’t care who he is in
the church.) and says, “I want to tell you this: You’re wrong.”
I’m going to tell you: He is wrong. He is wrong, and he will pay a
price, because he will get caught, as sure as you’re alive. 

	I want to tell you, brother/sister: Let’s not kid ourselves. I’m up
here to tell you the truth. And, when I’m in a pulpit, I try to level.
I am not that professional and that carried away with hypocrisy that
I’ll try to lie, because I want to tell you something: Years ago a man
came to my house. Now I had been a positive preacher many years and
preached faith and seen faith. I prayed my patches on my patches, food
on the table, and I’ve done a lot of things that you people don’t
have any idea about, seeing them by the hand of God, as you stand there
and just wait for God to do it, because nobody else can do it; and
you’re learning your lessons, getting your bumps. And he came in my
house, and he began to talk. And, when he left I told my wife; I said,
“Honey, I want to tell you something. When the chips are down, that
man is going to fall flat on his face.” And he did. You know why?
Because he was trying to tell me something. 

	You don’t tell anybody anything, because if you’ve got the spirit
of tell on you, man, you are going to get kicked right in the teeth.
That told it. Because the Scripture says you are going to get tested on
those same grounds. And you watch what happens when you are tested. When
you go and talk to somebody because you have been through it, it’s a
different story entirely. Then, with tears you can talk, and with the
conviction of an experience of Christ, you can do something. But before
that, it is just a bunch of words, and you’ll pay a price. Keep
yourself down in a spirit of meekness, or, as sure as you’re alive,
you’re going to get caught. 

53	You know, years ago, a woman said to me… And I don’t think I told
you this. I think I did. It happened in Ohio. Her husband had cheated on
her, you know, which is a pretty common thing these days. She said,
“Well, Bro. Vayle, what would you do if your wife cheated on you?” 

	I said, “I don’t know what I would do,” because I know the kind
of guy I am. But I said, “By the grace of God, I hope I would do what
is right.” 

	It was the perfect answer, because I didn’t know. If I was you, I
would do so and so. I wouldn’t say my wife would commit adultery;
don’t go that far, because something pretty rough could have happened
to prove that Lee Vayle was just a big mouth. You have got to have that
right spirit. But, you see, it’s not saying, “Now, look folk; you
can have it, and you must be on the alert for it. If something comes
out… I’m telling you now and telling me: We have got to have it and
better see we start getting it. Now, that’s enough on that.

54	I’ll try to conclude. I think we can see how important it is to
believe what the prophet said, when he said, “I’d sooner have the
right spirit and wrong doctrine than vice versa.” So therefore, is it
possible that we can be right with the wrong spirit and be worse off in
the eyes of God than being wrong and have a right spirit?

	You say, “How can that be?”

	I’m going to tell you why: There are lots of people that you and I
know that have just as nice a spirit as there is, but, you know, they
seem to bumble a lot; they make boo boo’s. I’m thinking of one
fellow that… He has one of the nicest spirits of anybody I know,
unless he’s hiding something. He’s got a perfect spirit, and yet
that fellow, if he is not careful, is going to be a black eye to the
Word of God, because he is just too careless in business. But you know
something: I want to tell you flat: I’d sooner have him around me than
try to pick up the pieces—even paying some of his bills, which I’ve
done, than to have some people around me. Oh, they’re circumspect; but
yuk, they’ve got a spirit like barbed wire. Oh, they’ll do it. Yes
sir! They remind me over here in the Book of Romans, where It says a man
showing mercy with cheerfulness; one guy comes by, and he says,
“Won’t do it this time. No, won’t help you.” 

	Boy, you’d better look out. I’d sooner have a guy say, “Look,
fellow… Huh. And I know you’re in a bind, and I can’t help you,
but I’ll pray.” than that bird come by and try to do something with
a rolling pin. 

55.	The Word challenges our motives far more than our deeds. The Word
challenges our motives far more than our deeds. Let me show you: James
3:1-2.

(1)	My brethren, be not many teachers (Or, don’t have many teachers,
or have many teachers amongst you. Get one thing straight: All teach the
same thing, you know, especially in conduct.) That you receive not the
greater condemnation (have a great problem getting things worked out).

(2)	For in many things we offend all, If any man offend not in word, the
same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

	 Now, people say, if you keep your tongue under control, that’s it.
That’s not what the Greek says. The actual word in the Greek here is
‘keep your thoughts under control; keep your mind under control; keep
your spirit under control’. See? That’s why… And I am going to
prove it to you. The angel of God said to Bro. Branham, “Your thoughts
in heaven speak louder than your words on earth.” So therefore, it is
the spirit behind what is going on that really counts.

56.	So, we are challenged this morning, as the prophet challenged us all
the time: Watch your motives! If your motive is wrong, your deed is
wrong. If your motive is right, and you do a wrong deed, there is ample
room for correction, because a man with the right motive will right away
want to do what’s right and get the thing out of the way. See?
Remember, we are in the hours of Heb 4:12-16.

(12)	For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any
two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and
spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts
and intents of the heart.

(13)	Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight:
but all things are naked and opened to the eyes of Him with whom we have
to do.

	Notice in here It says, “the Word of God is quick and
powerful”—what it does. But in verse 13 It says, “the eyes of
Him.” So therefore, the Word and God are the same.

	So, today we are under the scrutiny of the prophet—the Word of the
prophet, the revealed, vindicated Word that kept challenging us:
“Watch that spirit” See? Bro. Branham himself said, “Don’t ever
unchristianize anybody.” But it is the easiest thing in the world to
kick everybody out of this message but ourselves.

57.	 Where is our spirit? Where is our spirit? Look, we’ve got to take
a stand for what we believe. But, if my stand arbitrarily puts somebody
else out because of his stand, there is something wrong with my spirit
or his spirit or both of us. I don’t care how right we are, we are
wrong. That’s just the same as getting a spare part for your Cadillac,
and you stole it. Sure it’s the right part. Sure it will fit. Sure it
will make the car go. But, who wants a car with a stolen part in it? Who
wants the Word of God wrongly motivated? Hah? Who wants a marriage
that’s got a letter and hasn’t got a spirit? Who wants a church
without a right spirit? Bro. Branham himself told us flat, he said,
“Look, you can show all kinds of things out here that the devil can
make a counterfeit on.” That’s true, but we’re not in the
counterfeit business; we are in reality. We want… That reality of this
hour is the proper spirit. See?

58.	 Now, no matter what comes to you and me, if we don’t react in the
spirit of Christ, we will pay the uttermost farthing. We will not get by
with wrong attitudes. It is impossible, because God said so. Now, either
He lied, or He told the truth. How often I have said, “Our sour old
men are nothing but sour young men that got old. Dirty old men are
nothing but dirty young men that got old. Wicked old men are nothing but
wicked young men that got old.” See? 

	In other words people wonder why creeping paralysis sometimes sets in,
in the body, completely rigid; it’s because it was a creeping
paralysis. Now the thing to do is get rid of the spirits that are
amongst us. I mean it. Look, I don’t see any point in talking about
Rapture. 

	You say, “Bro. Vayle, what if we don’t do these things?” 

	I’ll tell you what I believe. I’ll tell you flat, as Bro. Branham
talked about Sarah: She never made her change until the rebuke came.
I’ll tell you one thing. We’ll flow together when the squeeze comes
down. You won’t worry whether it is this idea or that idea. I can only
say, “God, if it takes a four-by-four club, twenty feet long, we’ll
go down; let the squeeze come down. Let the spirits really manifest.
Let’s see if we can be that fine wheat ground into fine flour and
become one loaf.” 

	Remember, God is going to make a loaf out of us. There will be a
grinding and a burning before it is over. I believe it’s going to come
that way. I hope it doesn’t. I don’t believe it needs to come that
way. Shake ourselves out of our lethargy. See? Train ourselves in the
way of God, for then, alone, can we bear His yoke and find it easy and
the burden light, as a meek child of God inheriting the kingdom which is
bursting upon us now at this end time as reality is becoming more and
more real.

59.	Now, my final Scripture is in the Book of Revelation, and this is
final. Revelation 3:20:

(20)	Behold I stand at the door and knock and if any man hear my voice
and open the door, I’ll come to him and sup with him and he with me.

	Now, what is it? We have a great trend in the end time to put Christ
the Word out from amongst us, and His rejection, thereby, brings in a
wrong spirit, which it does—spirit of antichrist. Then,
brother/sister, if we want Christ that Word back amongst us, let’s
face it, it’s got to start with a spirit. Because Bro. Branham said
(in Ezekiel), “That spirit is not the Holy Spirit who’s ‘spirit
I’ll give you.’ He said that is a spirit God gives you in order to
bring in the Holy Spirit.” That’s what he said. I didn’t say it.
He did

60.	Now he said we are standing in the same place this morning. See? No
one is challenging any of you concerning the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
No one is challenging you concerning your faith in His Word. Nobody is
challenging you concerning your lives. What I am challenging is this. Is
that spirit amongst us? I mean that spirit that God wants of the
sweetness and the humanity he always spoke of. 

	Well, it better be. It had better be. And the check is always…
Someone has got to give it a check. Is it amongst us? How are we going
to have it? That’s what this message is all about this morning, and I
trust you caught a glimpse of it. If it is time to pray, that’s fine.
I don’t mind organizing prayer meetings to pray Bro. Branham back.
That’s fine. He is going to come back. But, what’s he going to come
back to? A bunch of people who want vindication, or fussing and
fighting?

	Let me tell you flat, when he does come back, it’s going to be too
late anyway. It’ll be finishing touches on a Bride. Because once that
Resurrection sets in… It cannot set in, brother/sister, until the last
elected one is brought in and child trained. Do you want to see the end
develop? Do you want to see Christ in His Glory? Then, brother/sister,
let me tell you… This is my understanding of Scripture. You have
whatever you want, but I been free to preach. Bro. Guenther said so. And
maybe, when I get through, you will wonder why he ever gave the freedom.


	But my freedom is this—this morning: It’s about time that we got
right down in our spirits right now. Just right down. Just open our
hearts and love toward each other. I don’t mean a pseudo love, but the
love I’m talking about this morning in the Word of God. This is a
democratic society. He has got every right, the same as I’ve got
rights. He can say his piece; I can say mine. We’re brothers and
sisters in Jesus Christ, and we are obligated, not requested, obligated
to stand in that breach together. And, if we don’t, one or both of us
or all of us is going to pay the utter most farthing, until we say,
“Oh God, what a fool I was.”

61.	Now brother/sister, it’s as simple as A-B-C. You can be like the
little boy when his mother said, “Son, don’t put your finger in that
electric light socket, or you’re going to get knocked off that
chair.” 

	He said, “Mama, I’m going to try it.”

	Boom, you’ll get knocked off your chair. Now I hate to believe the
Word of God down to that simple and that crass and that crude. But you
want to put your finger in the light socket, go ahead. You want to put
your hand in the meat grinder, go ahead. It’s your hand. Huh? You want
to inherit the Kingdom of God, make the Rapture? Then, get very meek,
get very meek, get very meek. Don’t rise up. Just sit down, because
when you get down, that’s when God can lift you up. And, remember; the
Rapture is a lifting up. 

	The Lord bless you. Shall we rise?

	Dear Lord Jesus, You know I’m not much one to stand here and talk
this way, because I got a rough atmosphere about and a rough way of
doing things. But I pray, Lord Jesus Christ, that… I know one thing
anyway, Lord: that I’ve done my best to say it the way it really is,
as far as I know. And I know this is Your husbandry; this is Your good
ground. So, if there is seed out there that is going to spring up where
peoples lives can be changed. Oh God, I’m looking for that. I’m
looking for my own life, Lord. I’ve not pointed my finger at anybody,
but I’ve been standing here knowing I feel like a fool and a hypocrite
to even talk about these things, when I know, if anybody has got to
apply it, I’m the one that’s got to apply it.

	And heavenly Father, I know in myself I cannot do it. It’s got to be,
as Paul himself said, ‘the person of Christ.’ I forgive and forget
in the person of Christ. I reach out and do this, and I do that. It is
Christ in me or perish. Lord, I know that.

	I know, Lord, we talked so much about the Word, and we do love It. It
gives us a great thrill to just know these things—these secrets and
things. And they are really beautiful, and, Father, I appreciate them.
But I know what also the prophet said: “I want that right spirit.”

	Lord, this morning, help me to be really right in my spirit, not just
talking about it. Because I can talk about it, Lord, the same way and,
then, point my finger at somebody else and get my digs in that way.
Lord, if I am doing that, I am nothing but a hypocrite. Save me, oh God,
from being a hypocrite, from being a wrong person. Let it be, Lord, that
the right spirit in my life is here, and I foster it in order that the
Holy Spirit, Christ the living, liquid Word can come forth in human
vessel. That’s what we ask for everybody here this morning.

	 God bless the pastor, Lord. He’s been doing a good job—faithful.
And I pray, Lord, You would continue to keep him spiritually meek and
mild, as he is, and a comfort to the people, keeping, Lord Jesus, always
away from personality, always with the Word. Keep the people always to
the understanding: ‘This is my pastor’; ‘this is the one’, Lord;
and the men You send amongst us, to do the same thing—not involved
with us as persons. No sir. It’s the person of Christ. It is the Word
of God and not the being. 

	So, standing here, Lord; Father, I’d love that. What it would do for
me, Lord! I would be the happiest person, I believe, in the earth, and I
believe the people here could say the same thing. And, Lord, we know
it’s not afar off. It’s ‘Will we do it?’ By the grace of God, by
the living Christ, through the shed Blood and power in the Holy Spirit
and the commandment of our God, Lord, we are determined to have that
right spirit amongst us.

	Now, until the Rapture… And now unto the King eternal, immortal,
invisible, the only wise God, be all power and glory through Jesus
Christ. Amen.

 	The Lord bless you.

 PAGE   

 PAGE   28 

 PAGE   

 PAGE   28 

________________________________________________________________________
__________________