Communion # 1

Bro. Lee Vayle   -    March 2, 1986

	Let us just pray. Heavenly Father, again we’re grateful to be allowed
this privilege of coming into Thy house, Lord, in Thy Presence knowing,
Lord, that You're here, the Pillar of Fire ordained to take us into the
Millennium; these things proven, Lord. Where other men guess and think
they know and argue back and forth, we do know because we have believed
the simplicity of Your Word, that You come forth by means of a prophet.
That's what You've done, the time of Moses; You're doing It now, veiled
in human flesh, Lord. We realize that. Understand some of these
mysteries. Don't understand them all but we do understand some. For we
understand we're grateful for, Lord, and we just pray that You'll
illuminate our hearts and our minds that we might know all that we're
suppose to know, Father. We know we will because You promised that.

	Give grace and mercy this morning, Lord, that we might give glory unto
You. Help us in our studies. In Jesus' Name, we pray. Amen. You may be
seated.

1.	Singing that little chorus 'Within the Veil', you notice how that
people can be anointed by the Holy Spirit to come a great way into an
understanding of the things of God and then miss them entirely, because
they still want to go in the area of their anointing which would
supersede … if it could be possible, would supersede the anointing
that God gives the prophet. You know, most people just simply don't like
to acquiesce to the principles of God, that He demands that there be a
prophet.

	Now, I know that many people would say, "Well look, I wasn't back there
with Israel." 

	And that's before the time of the Lord Jesus Christ [that] Israel said,
"We don't want to see that Flame of Fire. Don't want to see that...and
hear from God, so we want a prophet."

	And say, "Well, that's binding on Israel, that's not binding on us."

	Well, that's very great. Why didn't you do something about the fact
that "as in Adam all die" … about that one? You didn't sin the way
Adam sinned, but you're stuck with Adam. See, people don't want to
realize they're stuck. Now, that’s not a nice word to use, because it
kind of signifies there's something ulterior there. It's not a matter of
being stuck, and yet you are stuck. 

2.	In other words, you and I don't tell God anything. We have to listen
to His principles, and His principle is that there'd be a prophet at the
end-time: "I'm going to send Elijah." And of course, they conveniently
want Elijah sent to the Jews. They don't realize when they sing that
little song 'Within the Veil', that is absolutely true, because the veil
of creeds and dogmas, carnality and flesh, have all been set aside in
this last hour. And man is now behind that veil and the very Presence of
Christ Himself. 

	And the Word has been truly exposed, as It says over here in 2
Corinthians that 3rd chapter. He says here,

		(15)	But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon 				
	their heart(s). 

		(16)	Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, (that's the heart
shall 						turn to the Lord,) the vail (should) be taken away.

	And of course, in Israel that's going to be a national spirit. With us,
it's a one-by-one spirit.

		(17)	Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is,
						there is liberty.

		(18)	But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of
the 						Lord,...

	That word, of course, is the assessment. What the true assessment of
God is … what He is, actually, when it's broken down to "an
understanding which comes by words". 

3.	What is this we are actually looking at? What is it anyway?  Comes to
the Logos. It comes to that Word revealed. Now it says, right there,
that you are to look at that. You are to see Christ exposed at this
end-time. See God fully revealed at this end-time through the Words that
God gives. And, of course, They'll come through a prophet. And It said,
"When you accept that, you'll be changed to the same glory."

	We've been going on from glory to glory since the time of Luther
through the Wesleyan's, through the Pentecostal's, and now to this hour.
Many people can't understand that but that is the truth. And we've been
going on and on. Now it's come to a maturity. It's face to face. And the
Scriptures says, "When we see Him as He is, we're going to be like unto
Him."

4.	Now, the song [Within the Veil] goes on to say, "They saw beauty
there." That's a lie. They thought they saw beauty. The beauty that they
saw was that anointing that gave them their own imaginative 
understanding and not a vindicated one. That's the reason that they
killed Christ the first time, and that's why they try to kill Him now,
though they can't do it because He's here in the form of the Holy
Spirit.

	"Henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known
Christ after the flesh, (and) now henceforth know we him no more." [2
Cor 5:16] Everybody wants to know Him after the flesh. Israel killed Him
after the flesh. And now that He's here in the Spirit, they want to
crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh. They're doing it.

5.	Now, I'm going to take just a little bit from last night again,
because I want to get into a question brought to me by a phone
conversation. Now, last night we talked about the Lord's Supper, and
we're going to discuss that this morning the best we can.

	And we read, of course, from 1 Corinthians the 11th chapter which, of
course, we're reading from this morning. And we took those verses in
there, 23-26, and it says …

		(23)	For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto 
					you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed 		
			took bread;

	Now, remember this little message that Paul has given, and the
correction that he brings to this understanding of what they are doing.
This ceremonial ordained rite within the church that [had] gone to seed,
and it had fallen into disrepute. And now he's saying, "Listen, the same
… this was given to me by divine revelation. I was not there, and
nobody told me. This is what the Lord delivered to me."

		(23)	... the same night in which he was betrayed (he) took bread;

		(24)	And when he had given thanks, he (broke) it, and said, Take,					
 eat, this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in						
remembrance of me.

		(25)	After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had							
supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: 						this do
(you,) as oft as (you) drink it, in remembrance of me.

		(26)	For as often as (you) eat this bread, and drink this cup, (you) 	
				do (declare, proclaim, or show forth -- that would not be by 					
precept, but by actual example -- the death of the Lord.)

	It signifies the death of the Lord. And it doesn't only signifies the
death of the Lord, it signifies everything that the death stood for, and
what it accomplished. So make no mistake about it, this ordinance is not
a tiny ordinance. This ordinance really has a magnitude that we seldom
go into and perhaps we dare not go into, but we ought to go into for our
own good.

6.	Now, this signifies the betrayal of the man who shed His Blood and
gave His life. So the broken bread signifies the broken body, the wine
signifies the shed Blood. And the shed Blood signifies the Life that was
poured forth, allowed now to be poured forth, because [of] the shedding
of the Blood.

	So therefore, the Blood works the perfection in the human being, and It
continues to work the perfection. It is once and for all. For the
Baptism with the Holy Ghost is once and for all. And you cannot receive
It unless you are thoroughly cleansed by the Blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and the Holy Ghost cannot leave you.

	We believe in eternal security here, make no mistake about it. But you
had better have the security to be secure with. Don't take some lock
that runs on a combination of one, two, three, and anybody can take it
away from you. Get the lock that seals you in. There is a sealing in,
and no man can pluck us out of His hand.

7.	All right.  We go to Hebrews which we did last night, in the 6th
chapter, and there we find that the people at the end-time in a repeat
ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ when He was here in the flesh, a
repeat ministry in the Holy Spirit -- and a greater ministry than ever
-- they had crucified to themselves the Son of God afresh. Now, let's
notice that.  It says in verse 4, [Hebrews 6:]

		(4)	For it is impossible for those who were once (for all)
enlightened,...

	 Once for all means 'once for all'. That's the end of it. Seven Church
Ages, seven church age messages. There's going to be a last Message.
Once and for all, God will declare Himself, and it's all over. Then you
face trial, you face judgment, you face punishment. See? It's the
end-time.

		(4)	...and have tasted of the heavenly gift, (literally) made
partakers 						of the Holy Ghost.

		(5)	...taste of the good word of God, and the powers of the world to
come.

	That means an 'absolute dynamic, tremendous Christian experience', in
the sense that it has to be all of God. But notice, something happened.
They evidently turned down the enlightenment and took everything else.

		(6)	If they shall fall away, (it's impossible,) to renew them again
unto 						repentance;...

	Now, they can have all of this and still not know repentance. You say,
"I don't believe that." Well, believe what you want to believe. I'm not
here to coerce anybody. I'm pretty rough sometimes when I preach, and I
get carried away thinking that verbosity and loud preaching has anything
to do with the truth. It has nothing to do with the truth. Now, I may be
loud and strong with the truth, but it doesn't do one bit more good than
being soft and gentle with the truth, because the truth is the truth.
See, whether you're drinking apple juice out of a wash tub or little
tiny thimble makes no different, it's apple juice. So if I should roar
up here it makes no difference. The truth is the truth. And that’s why
I say, it doesn't matter what you believe. It's exactly true, it doesn't
matter what I believe. And [the reason] I use that terminology 'it
doesn't matter' is this: that you and I don't have any input. So, why
don't we just keep quiet and sit down and listen.

8.	See, "Blessed are they that have ears to hear". And with your ears
you see. That's why it's good to have big ears and small mouths. Most
people are small-eared and big-mouthed … like yours truly, and it just
isn’t very good. See?

	"If having fallen away, they cannot be renewed to repentance." That
means your water baptism is shot. And what you think is the Holy Ghost
baptism is gone. And what do you do?

		(6)	...(You) crucify to (yourselves) the Son of God afresh, and put
him 						to an open shame.

	In other words, you say, "That is a lie." You say, "Well, that's what
Israel did." That's what the Gentiles are doing. Can't people ever
understand Matthew 4, and Matthew 12, that there's a repeat ministry of
the Lord Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, where He does in the form of the
Holy Spirit through a prophet exactly what He did under the flesh, in
His Own body of flesh?

9.	Matthew 12 has nothing to do with the Jews. Let's go read and find
out. We'll take our time this morning. If I don't get through, you know
how I go around here … I don't care one way or the other, as long as
we begin to understand what we repeat all the time. Repeat it, repeat
it, till you get it. Now, it says here in Mt 12:15,

		(15)	...when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great
						multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;

		(16)	And charged them that they should not make him known:

		(17)	That it might be fulfilled which (was) spoken by Esaias the
prophet,					saying,

		(18)	Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom  					
my soul is well pleased; (and) I will put my Spirit upon him, and 					
he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.

	Now, that part right there is where everybody gets confused. All this
ministry up there tells you down here, He's going to show judgment to
the Gentiles. See? Now, judging between. A judgment can go either
negative or positive. It's always positive, but it'll be negative for
the person. In other words, it can be good or bad.

10.	Now notice, in verse 19,

		(19)	He shall not strive, nor cry;...

	Now, hold it! You mean to tell me Jesus in Jerusalem never strove and
cried? You have got to be insane, spiritually speaking. He cried at the
great day of the feast. Jn 7:37-39, says He cried. He was in the street
preaching. He strove. He beat them out of the temple with whips made out
of cords. He kicked their tables over, and kicked them over with the
tables. He argued. He fussed. He was sarcastic. He groaned in anger.
Yes, He did. His eyes flashed in indignation. And you tell me he didn't
strive? You got to be ridiculous. Then this refers someplace else. Do
you follow me? Oh come on, don't be children, get with what's been
taught you by the prophet. Not by Lee Vayle, I'm only re-teaching for
your benefit and per mine, don't worry.

		(20)	A Bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax he shall 				
	not quench,...

11.	What's the bruised reed? It's what the shepherds used. It's what
they lean upon. It's a large reed in the orient. But when it gets old it
begins to come to the place where it'll fracture. Just like your
furniture with not enough moisture, it'll begin to crack. And at that
time they break that reed because it's no good anymore to lean upon.
Now, [if] you tell me He left anything for Israel to lean upon but
Himself, you don't know your Bible. So, give me a break, stay home at
nights and start studying. Right. Don't bother looking at anything else
and wondering, but let's get with the understanding here. 

	The smoking flax He will not quench. What's a smoking flax? It's the
wick in the little lamp of oil that they put in the window that stands
there day and night for the family to be guided by -- "The light is on.
Come home" -- or some weary stranger. You tell me where God directs
anybody to Israel anymore? He quenched the flax. You can't put new
patches on old garments. He said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the
Life." And He said, "I told you, if you don't believe I Am (which is
Jehovah), you'll die in your sins."

12.	But to the Gentiles He doesn't do that. He restores. He brings us
back to the original staff to stand upon, the original wick which is fed
by the original oil, to bring us to perfect restoration to take us in.
So you can understand what I'm saying here, Hebrews 6 tells you there's
going to be a complete and fuller manifestation and revelation of
Jehovah God Who is Spirit. And you don't know Him after the flesh.
Everybody is looking for the body to come. The body is not going to
come; you are going to go to it. That's right. Everybody knows that.

	Then what is this? This is the Appearing. Everybody says Jesus Christ
was God. They call Him a third person. He wasn't a third person, He was
The Person. God is Spirit. How many spirits are there? One! See? That
One Elohim, Jehovah (call Him what you want) made Himself a body out of
His Own Substance, so that the Body was so much God, yet It was a part
of God. Now let that dazzle your mind.

13.	You say, "What does it mean, Bro. Vayle?" I'll talk about it
sometime when I get a fuller revelation. In the meantime, I just quote
the prophet. Well, I can understand exactly what He's saying, sure, but
I can't tell you all the truth of It. Nothing to it, actually, when it
comes right down to it. You're a life that's in a body. You've got a
channel that produces life -- a sperm and egg. That's how children come,
plus a multiplication of cells from the chemicals of the earth. It's all
God did. So the body was so much God it’s a part of God. Still is. But
the body's up there. 

	When Paul met Him on the road to Damascus He was in a Pillar of Fire,
and He said, "I Am Jesus."

	Paul said, "I don't know Him after the flesh." Never did, and he won't
for some time. 

14.	All right. Now at this end-time, in Hebrews the 6th chapter we see
this ministry, the Presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, having descended
from Heaven with a Shout in the form of the Holy Spirit, right at this
end manifested Himself.

	And as Peter said, "In the last days He'd poured His Spirit upon all
people." Everybody, any flesh at all -- saint, sinner, who done it, who
didn't. Protestant and Catholic, makes no different. Spiritist, makes no
difference. Anybody gets anointed, and they'll produce for great signs
and wonders that only the very Elect will not be deceived.

	Now, it says right at the end-time, "They will crucify to themselves
the Son of God afresh."            [Heb 6:6.] How? On the very grounds
they reject the Light. And Light is Word, revealed Truth.

15.	All right, we understand that, then. So let's go back to Luke the
23rd chapter, as we did last night, and begin to see what happened back
there, and that's what's going to happen here. 23-24.

		(23)	And they were instant with loud voice, requiring that he might 		
			be crucified. 

	Now, what are they doing in our age? With a loud voice they want to
crucify Him. And notice, the voices of them and of the chief priests
prevailed. The hierarchy and the people were in one accord. "Blind
leaders of the blind falling into the ditch." [Mt 15:14] 

	And remember, they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh. And
what was the cry back in Israel? "We will not have this man to rule over
us. Away with Him. We have no king but Caesar."  [Jn 19:15] The same
people say, "We have no leaders, but the church leadership." That's why
the Voice says, "Come out of her, my people." How can you be in
organization and go to Heaven? I'm going to tell you right now, so get
ready for it: you're going to go to the lake of fire. (See?) You might
as well be ready for it; that's the way you're heading. Evidently,
that's what you want. Because, if you didn't want it, all you got to do
is come to Christ.

16.	I think, pretty hard to turn down what was here in the end-time. The
people didn't find it hard at all. Do you know why it wasn't hard at
all? Because they could produce the same signs and wonders, except they
couldn't handle that Word. They never have been able to, and they never
can. From the Garden of Eden where Satan could not handle the Word,
except pervert It by lies, neither can any man, outside of a prophet,
handle the Word of God correctly. It is not given to him. 

	Now, when the Message comes forth -- the Message of the hour -- that
man will handle the Truth that he needs, whether he be a five-fold
minister or whatever he is, because the Elect will not be deceived. 
[Luke 23:]

		(23)	...And the voice of them and the chief priest prevailed. (Now,
it’s						prevailing right now. All right.)	

		(24)	And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. (And
						so that's exactly what happened.)

17.	We went then to [verse] 27,

		(27) 	And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, 
				which also bewailed and lamented him.

		(28)	(And) Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, (now 
					listen carefully,) weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and
for 					your children.

	Now remember, just before Pentecost Jesus told them, "But you wait for
the Holy Ghost and be witnesses unto Me."

	 And when the Holy Ghost came, Peter said, "For the promise is unto you
and to you Jews and children (Jews), and all that are afar off"
(Gentiles), and at the end-time as the children who get turned back to
the Fathers.

	So, he's telling you right here, "If you're going to cry, you’d
better cry at the end-time where they crucify to themselves the Son of
God afresh. 

		(29)	For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, 		
			Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the 					
paps that never gave suck.

	In that day the women and the people said, "Blessed is the womb that
bare you, and the paps that gave you suck." So, this statement is not
for back when Jesus was there. Right? Certainly right. So it's for the
day when He gets crucified afresh.

 	Now … and Bro. Branham explained that,

		(30)	Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, (In this hour of 	
				the second crucifixion and rejection, see?) fall on us; and the 				
	hills, cover us.

	Now, if that isn't true, brother/sister, then I'm a liar and the whole
Bible's a lie. So why fool with it?

18.	Let's go to the Sixth Seal, Revelation chapter 6 and read the Sixth
Seal. [Chapter 6:]12.

		(12)	And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, there was a 					
great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of 							hair,
and the moon became as blood;

		(13)	And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree 	
				casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

	In other words, every dream and every hope the church has is going to
die. And the millions that say we're going to make the Resurrection
we're going to be in the Rapture ,will not make it. They're going to
die. And the churches that say, "We represent God", are going to be
found to be liars. They're going to die. They do not come to fruition.
See? It's too late. The harvest is over. 

		(14)	...the heavens departed as a scroll when it is rolled together:
and 						every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

		(15)	And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men,	
				 and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, 				
	and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks 					
of the mountains; (And that covers the whole gamut, for the whole 					
world.)

		(16)	And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from
						the face of him that (sits) on the throne, and from the wrath of
the 						Lamb:

		(17)	For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to 
					stand?

	Why? Because they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, when He
gave them every evidence, every manifestation, every demonstration it
was He Himself Who is here, the same as He did before. There's every
evidence, every Scripture fulfilled. Nothing...

19.	Now watch: [Luke 23:] 

	    (31)	For if they do these things in the green tree, what shall be
done in 						the dry? 

	Now listen, He said, "If they crucify me and set me at naught when it's
just started, what will it be at the end-time?" What are the people
going to do then? What will it be?

	Well, brother/sister, what is the rain? What brings it forth at the
end-time? Latter rain. And in the time of the latter rain, the former
rain. So the demonstration of power vindicating the truth and the
virility. Not merely the veracity, but the virility of the Word of God.
Which means there are people standing today who are not going to die.

20.	Let's go back to Hebrews 6 again and begin to see it, exactly what
we read. See, there's no mystery here. You just let your mind go. Just
simple as ABC. Now it says, [Hebrews 6:]

	    (1)	"Let's go on to perfection;" 

	How are you going to go to perfection, which is conclusion? Paul
couldn't bring the thing to conclusion, no way. When is conclusion?
Right here, [Hebrews 6:] 

		(4)	For (it's) impossible for those who were once (for all)
enlightened, 						and have tasted of the heavenly gift, were made
partakers of the 						Holy Ghost.

		(5)	...have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world
to 					come.

		(6)	...(having fallen) away, (that's the real translation) to renew
them again 					(to) repentance... (never change their minds, they're
stuck, it's over.) 

	They cannot accept the reality that has been proven. They will accept
everything else, but they cannot take the enlightenment. The vindication
is merely a stanza, or a principle within itself, and does not indicate
anything to them. They cannot listen to what they are seeing, and they
cannot see what they are listening to. Blind leaders of the blind.
Laodicea -- wretched, miserable, naked, blind -- and don't know anymore
than to crow about it. 

 	Now… 

		(6)	(If they having fallen away they can never be renewed to
repentance. There's never a change of mind)....seeing, (what have they
done?) they (have crucified) to themselves the Son of God afresh, and
put Him to an open shame.

 	Now listen, he'll tell you all how this takes place.

		(7)	For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, 
					(where into a little simile here now, or parable or whatever you
call 					it,) and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is
dressed, 						(receive) blessing from God:  (Now watch,)

		(8)	But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and nigh
unto 						cursing; whose end is to be burned.

21.	Now, in spite of all this up here, the magnitude of the
manifestation of God moving in anybody and everybody under the
anointing, they are still called briers. They are still call that which
is for the burning. 

	Now it says, "… is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned." In
other words, "nigh unto cursing" means they're right up at the time of
the great tribulation. And they will enter it and be burned. Now, this
is what we see here.

	Now, we talked about this last night for the very reason that you
understand this: every time you take the Lord's Supper in this building
here, you people are already aware of what you are doing and why you are
doing it, and what you are commemorating, and what you are into. You
have acknowledge your escape through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And you acknowledge that you have not crucified Him to yourself at the
end-time. And you stand inviolate, and unblamable before Him, because
you, through the spirit of discernment, have discerned and understand
what is the truth and what is reality. Now, I hope you are catching
these things; I have drilled on them, ever since Columbus. [Ohio] I
haven't had a meeting for a long time.

22. All right. Now, the reason I speak thus as I'm doing on the Lord's
Supper this morning [is] because I had a telephone call. I've preached
twelve or fourteen sermons on the Lord's Supper.    I have not ...?...
explaining myself on every single facet I can possible explain myself.
And yet people, because they cannot help but get a-hold of one little
segment of one little thing, and they don't even know what's being said.


	The closest to what I'm going to quote you is this coming back (because
I didn't write it down) was, "Bro. Vayle, you said that you don't care
what a man does concerning the Communion." In other words, "You don't
care what he's doing; he can take it [Communion],     as far as you're
concerned". 

	Now, you can take that statement exactly as I said it (which I don't
know those are the exact words) and you can run with it, if you don't
know why those things were said, and in what context. 

23.	So, once and for all -- and the thing will be on video as well as an
ordinary cassette -- I want to clarify every single thing that I can,
concerning the statement I make concerning anybody: that if you are
smoking and you genuinely want to quit, and you feel that you follow
this Message and you are a child of God but you are not living in
victory, I or no one else will stop you from taking the Communion.

	Now, if you are living in gross sin, that's a different thing entirely.
But if you are drifting and not struggling, and you are vaunting
yourself that you can get away with things, then you have no place at
this table, and the Church can and will take action. But if you're
struggling … and many people don't know how to cease their struggling
and get victory from God. They don't understand the power of decision,
the power of prayer, and these things. And the church has not help them
too much.  

	And then, I stand with Bro. Branham who made the statement to me
personally, concerning a certain person, who now denies it. Who said
categorically, he said they thought they could fool... that I didn’t
know, speaking behind my back smoking. But when the party came
confessing it and wondering if he should take Communion with his wife,
Bro. Branham said (and these are the words to me. I don't know… did he
lie? Did I hear wrong?) … he said, "I told him in faith to take the
Communion, and one day it would go."

24. We have a man sitting here, his own testimony is that he was
alcoholic. But as far as he was concerned he was saved, baptized in
water, but he was still back in the old ditch. But he said, "I came
knowing that one day I wouldn't do that again," and he didn't. And to
prove the fact that he is not an alcoholic and cured by God, is [that]
he can drink a glass of wine right now, which I'd be glad to present to
him and let him testify before you (if you needed proof) that he will
not stagger nor fall and go for a bottle of booze … which no alcoholic
can do unless he's delivered by Almighty God.

	No, I'm not angry at anybody, but I think we ought to get things
cleared up, and not run with fallacious statements. Now listen, we do
not encourage people to sin, but we encourage them to live above sin.
And we try to help them in such a way as to give them faith to overcome
negativity, and in them give them a positive faith to overcome through
the Blood of the Lamb and the power of the Holy Spirit.

25.	People need encouragement to overcome. So, in nowise is this
encouragement and sympathy meant to comfort people in their sins. It is
our job to encourage the weak to overcome by looking to Jesus, and not
discourage them by getting them to look at themselves. You cannot of
yourselves lick anything. See? They already know their failure. 

	There's one person here … and I'm going to call several things this
morning and you automatically know, as well as I do, what you're doing.
And there isn't anybody needs to point at  you, you know … or you're
spiritually blind and Laodicean. Now, it's just that simple, because we
haven't fooled anybody here. If this Church is not open and transparent,
I don't know what is. Nobody has ever tried to hide anything, and I
don't think anybody will. And I don't think anybody can. Because, if the
Bride is Elect and She can't get fooled by muck-rake out there, She's
not going to get fooled by anything that's in the church. See? All She's
got to do is watch.

26.	Now, we're going back then, to 1Cor 11:17-22.

		(17)	Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that (you) 
					come together not for the better, buy for the worse.

		(18)	 For first of all, when (you) come together in the church, I hear
						that there be divisions among you: and I partly believe it.

	Now listen, this has to do with the Lord's Supper and coming together.
Not just a regular worship service, but a special one in this hour,
where we know, that where we stand, what is going on, absolutely know
the prophet, know the way of the Lord, understand these things, and
nobody can change us.

	When you take these elements … do you understand ,people, what I'm
saying? Look, I'm not thinking that I'm getting a feedback that is
negative. I’m just trying to impress you: do you really know what this
stands for? Or are you back there in Pentecost, or with your Mennonites.
Or your God-knows-what -- your Methodists, your Baptists, your...who
knows and who cares? Are you still back there where you could take It
[the Lord’s Supper] in the morning and say, "Well, this is fine. Oh, I
understand that he died. Oh yeah, I recognize Blood." 

27.	That's not it, my brother/ sister. What I'm talking about is It.
[Bro. Vayle knocks a few times] Do you understand, when you take [It]
you’re realizing what is taking place in your hour? Look, you might
not be able to express it. You might not have great feeling over it. You
might not be able to what? … to rhapsodize, and enthuse, and project.
But do you know in your heart this is true? Do you know it in your
sensibilities, your mind, "This is true! This is what has happened"? It
may not be quickened. It may not turn you into somebody that's (well,
how do you put it?) … you're in paroxysms of delight, visions of
rapture. But in your heart you know. And you say, "I know what this
Blood is about today. They’ve crucified my Lord again. But I haven't
done it; my hands are free of innocent Blood". See? Understand these
things, brother/sister.

28.	[1 Corinthians 11:]

		(19)	For there must also be heresies among you, that they which are 		
			approved may be made manifest among you.

	Say, how big was that Corinthian Church?

	"Oh, Bro. Vayle, I think they had six hundred."

	What if they had only ten?  

	You say, "I think you're going to make me count myself." 

	Well, that's what it's all about.  Now,

		(20)	When (you) come together therefore into one place, this is not 		
			to eat the Lord's supper.

	What is not? It doesn't say that you come together and you don't eat
the Lord's Supper. He's telling you what they do is not to eat the
Lord's Supper. Paul doesn't even recognize this as the Lord's Supper. He
said, "That's not the Lord's Supper. What are you talking about? What
are you trying to tell me, that's the Lord's Supper?" Well, let's get
this thing all ironed out today.

		(21)	For in eating every one (takes) before (the others) his own
supper: 						and one is hungry, and another is drunken.

	Some had a lot to eat and some had a lot to drink. That's not the
Lord's Supper, that's a guzzle. Or you can call it the love feast …
call it what you want!  (Phffft …yeah.) Let me tell you something.
(Oh, I won't bother.)

		(22)	What? have (you) not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise
(you ) 					the church of God, and shame them that have not? 

	Now, they did this in the church of God. The building designated was
evidently called the Church of God. And the people inside were the
Church of God, and they were sure doing despite.

		(22)	...What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise
you not.

29.	Now, in verse 17 (we've covered this before) it tells you
categorically, that you can come to the house of the Lord and partake of
the emblems and leave a worse person than when you came in. Because, if
what I'm telling you is the truth and you'll reject it, you have already
stepped down. You say, "I don't think so." That's your privilege. Think
what you want. I'm not here to coerce you. Not here for church members,
anything else. Some people get a lot of joy out of seeing how many they
can baptize. I simply don't baptize. Somebody else does it, and we
watch. That doesn't make me some kind of a fruit inspector. That's my
nature; that's how I do things.

	All right. You can be a worse person having come in and taken It.
Doesn't do one thing for you, uh- uh. If you're wrong, It does harm to
you. See? Now it all depends on which way you go. Now, if you take It
right, something will happen to your faith and you begin to raise up. If
you take It wrong, you just become more confirmed in your ways of
understanding.

30.	Now we're going to read from [1Cor 11:] 23-32.

		(23)	For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto 
					you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed 		
			took bread:

		(24)	And when he had given thanks, he (broke) it, and said, Take, eat:
						this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance 	
				of me.

		(25)	After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, 	
				saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do (you) 			
		as oft as (you) drink it, in remembrance of me.

		(26)	For as often as (you) eat this bread, and drink this cup, (you)
do 						shew (declare, manifest, or preach a sermon on) the Lord's
death 						till he come.

		(27)	Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of 	
				the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of 					
the Lord.

		(28)	But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, 
					and drink of that cup.

		(29)	For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh 	
				condemnation (or judgment) to himself, not discerning the Lord's 			
		body

		(30)	For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and 						
many sleep.

		(31)	For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

		(32)	But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we 			
		should not be condemned with the world.

 	All right. Now, you can see in the first section of 1Cor 11:17-22, and
I want to read verse 34 with it.

		(34)	And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; the (you) come 					
not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order 					
when I come.

	Now, there's a lot of things out of order in that church, and this was
entirely out of order. And this wasn't the Lord's Supper; this was their
own supper. See, nothing to do with It.

31.	Now, this section here that I read first of all, 17-22 is: the whole
church was in a ceremonial formula not ordained by God, and it was a
judged church. And the church was judged wrong and a failure. He said,
"You're wrong." 

	Now, how would you like to have a messenger come on scene and say
you're wrong? Now, this was the very man, Paul, that opened this church
up. He was the founder. He said, "You got many teachers, but only one
father when it comes to the gospel." He said, "I was the one that came
here." He went to Galatia, and he said, "You would’ve given your eyes
for me, if you could’ve done it. When I wasn't well (he said), you
would’ve given me the coat off your back, the shirt off your back.
You'd have plucked out your eye. Nothing was too good. But (he said),
you've turned on me." They were doing something wrong, too. They were a
mess. 

	That's what Bro. Branham said: "The Church does not come together
primarily…" I'm using the word ‘primarily’, stuck it there. He
said, "It does not come together for fellowship, period." But there is a
sense of a fellowship, because we're uniquely brothers and sisters in
Christ. And that is a blood relationship that is a type of fellowship.
But he said, "You come together for correction."

	And you notice the whole Bible is pretty well... the whole Bible is a
doctrinal precept what God ordained, and how men react, and then God
sent the man to correct it. In the case of the Lord Jesus Christ, He
could not correct man, so He died for man, and He let His Own Life then
be a substitute, looking down the road when He'll create again out of
the original dust and cosmos (all those things), and bring forth
immortal bodies.

32.	Okay. This, then, is to the group of people locally as a Church. Now
every Church body, therefore, that adopts any Christian rite in a
perverted form, or adds any ceremony to it, or takes from it, is a
condemned and judged church.

	Take water baptism: Mt 28:19 says, "Go therefore in all the world,
preach the gospel, and baptize in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy
Ghost," which is a Trinity. And yet, on the day of Pentecost Peter said,
"Repent and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins." [Acts 2:38] And there is no place in the entire Word of God or
the first four hundred years of church history where anybody baptized
outside of the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and used titles.

	The Roman Catholic church admits they brought it in, and admits that
the Protestants have adopted it. And therefore, the Protestants are
Roman Catholic. And you can say what you want. Do what you want, it's
your business. You can say, "Well, I'm not." Well, I've got news for
you: if you’re baptized in the Trinitarian way and you stick with it,
you are not Protestants. You're protesting nothing; you just say you
are. That's a lie, and you know it's a lie. 

33.	You say, "Can you prove it?" You bet I can prove it. Times Magazine
proved it. Times Magazine showed that every denomination comes from the
Catholicism. The world knows it. What's the matter with the sleeping,
stupid Christian? Wretched, miserable, blind, naked, and don't even know
it. But Times Magazine knows it. Politicians know it. You think they
don't? How come the Roman Catholic church has been recognized, then, as
the purveyor and the disseminator of American tax payers’ money in
foreign nations right now? And they also add a little thing in there,
and you know, it’s like the hierarchy, maybe some great Protestant,
"Well, you know (phffft) … he ain't worth much, but along side of a
lovely pope, you know, because... hallelujah, maybe he could just fit
in." 

	That's Reagan and the whole bunch on down. That's Christianity for
...?... Protestants already obey Catholicism. And the Catholics are
taken over by the Pentecostals. Oh, brother/sister, rise unto starlings
… they look brown at a certain season, but awful black a little later
on.

34.	Water baptism … let's look at water baptism. They used titles
instead of names. Then they fuss about whether it’s immersion or
sprinkling. Then they say, "Well, water baptism, you get saved by water
baptism." They confuse water baptism with spiritual baptism, the baptism
with the Holy Ghost. As It says in Ephesians 4 and 5, "There is one
baptism." See? They're confusing it. Then they give a meaning,
sometimes, to water baptism apart from 1Pet 3:18-22. And in verse 21 he
says, 

		(21)	(Water baptism is)...not the putting away of the filth of the
flesh, 						but the answer of a good conscience toward God,...

	Yet the Church of Christ baptizes people in water unto forgiveness, and
so do the Jesus Only Pentecostals.

	So therefore, all you've got to do, according to them, is be baptized
in water and you've got it made. Catholicism, right to the hilt.
Because, if you're sprinkled or baptized by the Roman Catholic, you've
got it made. Who said so? The Baptist and Methodist are no different.
The Methodists sprinkle, the Baptists baptize, and they baptize you into
the church. But they only baptize you literally into the local assembly.
And no local assembly is any church, neither is any organization. "It's
merely a lodge", as Bro. Branham said. See?

35.	And notice, it was the prophet Paul and the apostle Peter who put
this in order. Peter put in order water baptism, and Paul put in order
the Communion rites. So disobedience to revealed truth puts the church
away. Let's find out over here, in Rev 2:5,

		(5)	Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, 					
and do the first works; or (I'll) come unto thee quickly, and will 					
remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

	The first church was told that. When you get into sin, when you're off
the Word the candlestick goes. And what's a candlestick? Signifying
light. And you're no longer in the light, no longer a part of it. What
can be more true, brother/sister? And yet people sit like bumps on a
log. But you get in a meeting where Billy Graham is preaching, the
Pentecostals are having a good time, you know, with bringing on an
ecstasy and delightful things of preaching healing and seeing things. Oh
it's wonderful, wonderful! But you get the unbiased truth, something's
wrong somewhere.... [End of side one] to simple church ordinance.  A
very simple church ordinance is a water baptism. But history proves that
even it has been a doctrine of great contention, and religious
historians say that even in the first century the church fathers were
arguing over child and infant baptism. Did you know that? Read your
church history.

36.	Thus, in all church ordinances -- water baptism, communion and foot
washing -- the whole local Church of believers should be of one mind
with the revelation of the messenger of the age. Now, Paul said over
here, he said, "You come together. And one of the things you come
together for is Communion." And he said, "You come together," and he
said, "When you do come together, (he said) you're the worst for it,
because you're doing It wrong and you're being taught wrong. Because,
there's divisions or sects among you." (S-e-c-t-s.) There is also s-e-x
among them… illicit. The church was corrupt. It didn't matter what the
(?) way they were taught. They wanted what they wanted, and they got it.


	And they said, "It's okay."

	And Paul said, "That's all wrong." 

	Now listen, in 1Cor 14:32-38,

		(32)	And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.

		(33)	For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all 	
				churches of the saints. (Like as in Ephesus.)

		(34)	Let your women keep silence in the church; ...is not permitted 		
			unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under 						
obedience, as also saith the law.

		(35)	And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at 
					home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. 

	And yet they're in the pulpit. What if that doesn't mean that? Well,
would you call this a barn?  A hog pen? Is it a machine shop or garage?
No woman gets in this pulpit. This is a Church. She doesn't have a
voice. Doesn't run her down; that’s just the truth. Have you got a
voice in Rockefeller's  money? Have you got a voice in the [Andrew W.]
Mellon foundation? Can you put your two-bits in and get away with
anything in the Ford foundation? No, you're just excluded, and you don't
make any big deal about it. Then, why make a big deal about this? I'll
tell you why: pride. Pride is sin. Rebellion. A woman preaching the
gospel is a rebellious woman. And when she cuts her hair and does what
she does, shows what she is. 

 	You say, "What about a man?" We're talking about women. Don't change
the subject. You treat with male and female in two different categories
one hundred percent, though they must both come by the Blood and the
baptism with the Holy Ghost and the same Word. But in the Church, which
speaks of officials and the power of authority, it is not vested in any
woman whatsoever. And when she gets out of place, everything is out of
place. But when she's in her place, it's the most blessed thing in the
world. So, what do you want to be? Do you want to be a blessed thing or
a horrible thing? 

37.	Now let's keep reading, [1Corinthians 14:]

		(35)	And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at 
					home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. 						
(Now listen:)

		(36)	What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you 				
	only? (Now, Paul is pinning it down -- authority.)

		(37)	If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual,...

	Now, the prophet is the head man. That's the Word of the Lord comes to
him, and comes to us through him. Now, if you're spiritual, that means
you've got the baptism of the Holy Ghost. And that means you got a part
of what's in the prophet, and from the prophet. So therefore, you'll be
one with the prophet.

		(37)	...let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are 
					the commandments of the Lord.

	Now, he didn't say what Peter wrote, because Peter was not involved
with these people. But Peter said, "Paul says the same things that I
say, but he says them in such a way if you're not careful you'll be
fooled." He said, "You watch it, because you'll run with it and you'll
wrest to your own destruction." See.

38.	Now notice, this is important: this Church here (I'm talking about
our Church) has a scriptural obligation that all of us agree in the
doctrinal teachings of William Branham which he has taken from the
Bible. And also fully accept and agree with the democratic principle he
laid down for the Church from the same Word of God, which includes:
electing the officers; and installing a pastor; and the taking of tithes
and offerings, and the dispensing of them; and the care for the needy;
and all of those things that are written in Church Order. And there
isn't one person has anything to say about that at all, from the pastor
on down -- elder, deacon, whatever you call them. It's a Church order.

	Where there is a leeway, he let you know what the leeway was. In other
words, a multiple choice. Sometimes there's a multiple choice. I would
say in our particular condition there's a multiple choice here, because
we do have a benevolent fund when it comes to helping the needy. Bro.
Branham said, "If there's a need that you don't need to plague the
church for … say, if the man stand at the door, and if you have
something to give when you go out, the man can receive it from you." But
our church already has a setup where...say, any emergency, any exigency,
we have a fund that people have given to and we take care of the needs.
But those needs cannot be dispensed by anybody outside those in charge,
which are the deacons and the pastor in that particular authority. Now,
people may go to the trustees and do certain things like that, which is
all right, but it has to come down literally through the deacons. It
always has to come through that, because that's the way the Bible said
it. 

 	There were seven original men full of the Holy Ghost in faith that
took care of those things for the churches. What were they? They're
called the original deacons, real servers. So we watch those things, but
we'll get to that later on.

39.	All right now, that's dealing with the Church as a composite as a
body. See? Now, the Church can be horribly wrong all together in their
doctrine, because they have allowed someone to come in and say something
contrary to the prophet which was Paul, and the apostle which was Peter.
The Church can accept and therefore be condemned by going off that Word.
See? It mustn't do it.

	Now, let's go to the individual. The individual is in 1Corinthians 13
also, and you'll tell by the very language, for in verse 27, [Chapter
11:] beginning it says,

		(27)	Therefore whosever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of 		
			the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of 					
the Lord.

		(28)	But let a man examine himself, (it doesn't say let the church
examine					 themselves, now. He's already dealt with the church. Now
it's the 						individual,) and so let him eat of that bread and drink
of that cup.

		(29)	For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh 	
				(condemnation) to himself, ...(didn't say to the Church; said to 			
		himself.)

	Now, if you're sitting in a messed up church you're messed up by
listening and going their way. But you could be messed up sitting in a
pretty good Church, that might be right on that Word. Now if you're
messed up, you will not affect that Church. You sure affect yourself,
though. Now, there's an affect you can give to the Church: if you're a
real Christian and you're living lax, you can stop somebody getting
healed. You can stop faith in those things. But I'm talking, you’ll
understand, in the principles of the way out.  You can be wrong, but
there's no way you can really rock this Church unless the Church wants
to be rocked. See? Now, this is where the individuals come in, your
stand and my stand as individuals.

		(29)	For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh 	
				(condemnation) to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

		(30)	For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many 					
sleep.

		(31)	For if we would judge ourselves,...

	Now listen, he pins the thing down, then puts it how we all act.
Because, the whole church is not doing these things but individual
members are. Then he says, now you watch... rather I say, watch how
Paul's putting it. Hits the body, individuals, goes back to the body of
Believers. It says,

		(31)	...we shall not be judged.

		(32)	But when we are judged, we are (trained or) chastened of the
Lord, 					( we're chastised,) we should not be condemned with the
world.

		(33)	(Therefore,) brethren, when (you) come together...tarry one for
another.					 (And so on.)

40.	Now, today people get upset over various...well let me get back to
29 and 30 again.

		(29)	For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh 	
				(condemnation) to himself, (or judgment) not discerning the 					
Lord's body.

		(30)	For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many 					
(do) sleep.

		(31)	For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

		(32)	But when we are judged, that we are chastened of the Lord, 					
that should not be condemned with the world.

	So you can see here now, from what we read, that individual abuse was
widespread on the grounds that It said, "For this cause many are weak
and sickly among you." There was a widespread abuse in the individuals
as well as the Church body. 

	Now listen, brother/sister, you can go to a church where the Word
is...just nowhere the Word of God, and see those people live tremendous
beautiful lives; doesn't do any good. Oh, it doesn't hurt in the sense
they're going to be condemned for it. It isn't they're going to lose for
it, they're already lost. They'll get off with a better judgment, but
they're not born again. 

	Then you're going to see a Church that stands for that Word and a bunch
of godly folk, and you watch the sinners come in like a bunch of buzzing
flies. Does that make the Church a mess? No, not unless the Church wants
to be a mess. 

 	No. Look-it, every Church has believers, make believers, unbelievers.
Now don't go pointing fingers, because who knows, grace extends even to
the Lots that were just a penny. Abraham,       a silver dollar, but the
silver dollar wasn't always bright. He had his dull moments, too.

41.	All right, there is no Church that is perfect. No sir! No Church.
Never has been, never will be, when you want definition of perfection.
So what's the remedy? The remedy is verse 31       and 32. 

		(31)	...if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.		

		(32)	But when we are judged, we (are then talking to the Lord, and 			
		saying, "Lord I am guilty." And always Bro. Branham said, "If 					
there is a law, there has to be a penalty. Then God must deal 						with
that person." See?) ...so we should not be condemned with 						the
world.

	Now, the world is going to get a judgment and a punishment. And when
their punishment's over they'll be annihilated. The Saint does not
become annihilated, nor does he go to purgatory. This is your purgatory
here; this is your purging.

	When David made a sin (it was a great sin), God gave him three choices.
And he said, "I won't make a choice, I'll just put myself in Your
hands." Because David was scared, and God chasten him. See? God knew
what was right. So, you understand, there's a remedy there.

42.	Now, today people get alarmed, or upset over smoking (certainly, so
they should), over cut hair (it is entirely wrong), over dress. The way
women dress and the way men dress, too, is also very wrong at many
times. And it is a consensus of those who believe this Message that,
certainly we should not condone it. And we don't, as a principle. But if
anybody is doing it, then of course (this being so obvious), we must cut
him out of the Communion. We don't want it being done. Well, that's true
to a degree. But if you're going to act on those things, then let's go
to the Word of God and read Col 3:5-15. And you tell me if smoking is
any worse than this? Maybe it is and I'm not smart enough to know it.
Beginning at verse 5.

		(5)	Mortify therefore (put to death therefore) your members which are 
					upon the earth;... 

	In other words, "take a gun and shoot each other" … It doesn't say
that. Mortify your members means: what's in you that's naughty, what's
causing trouble.

		(5)	...fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, (see, you can
carry 					affection too far to where it's really wrong.) evil
concupiscence,						 covetousness, which is idolatry:

		(6)	For which things sake the wrath of God (comes) on the children of 
					disobedience:

43.	Now, Paul does not say the Colossians were disobedient children. We
are not disobedient , because the prophet through the Spirit of God has
turned our disobedient hearts to the wisdom of the just, like John the
Baptist did in the days of Jesus, and the hearts of the children are
turned back to the fathers. But can any one of you tell me, here, that
you don't have some of these in your life? As one person said,
"Everybody has a little bit of larceny".

		(7)	In the which (you) also walked some time,  when (you) lived in
them.

 	And they had it. Now he said, "You've got rid of all those rough tough
ones." 

		(8)	But now (you) also put off all these; anger, (I'm going to delete 
					that one because I can get pretty sore, at times. And don't worry 	
				about) wrath, (because I've been known to blow my stack and) 					
malice,	 (well, only on occasion when they really deserve it.) 					
blasphemy, (I've blasphemed the Word same like you have.) 						filthy
communication,...

	 That's just not cussing and filthy language, four letter words, that's
gossip and everything else that goes with it … defamation of
character. 

		(9)	(Now what about lying?) ...seeing that (you) have put off the old 
					man with his deeds;

		(10)	And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after 
				the image of him that created him:

44.	Now, that tells you: the secret of getting rid of all this stuff is
to take on what is in Christ and believe It. And It will … like I told
you, that walnut that falls on the ground and will not let anything else
grow, it'll just kill it right out. It's like acid on the ground. It's
like weed spray on the weeds. It'll kill it. You should let the Holy
Ghost turn loose in your life. You receive Him, you watch these things
are going to go. It'll start with the grosser things, like when they
take the gold and beat it on the anvil and all the rough junk gets out
of it. Then when it gets to the place where it can be worked, because
it's malleable and clean, then God takes the little hammers and puts a
"little needle work" in, as Dr. Carter one time said, (the great English
preacher from Pentecostal over in London -- tremendous preacher and
teacher) … that little work. 

Then you watch the fine needle work come in, where God begins to dress
you up and make you more and more in His Image. See? After His
image.[Colossians 3:]

(11)    There is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision,
	Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

		(12)	Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels
of 						mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

		(13)	Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man
have					a quarrel against any: (Now, what about that one? Forgiving.
Come to					the table without having forgiven people, see? … if any
man have 						a quarrel against another:) even as Christ forgave you...

	What did He ask you for when He forgave you? Nothing.

		(14)	...above all these things put on (love), which is the bond of				
		(perfection.)

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

	Now that's not just a peace that's in your heart, that's in the
assembly. Peace with every man.

45.	Now, I will take my stand here: that if we not necessarily allow, or
encouraged, but understand there's no perfection this side of the
Resurrection, who's going to stand up here and tell anybody in this
church, "Look, I know what you did, and you're not going to take This. I
know you're history. I’ve watched you."  Or have everybody confess,
and say,"Now, what did you do this week?" This is not an inquisition.
This is where you examine yourself. I don't, and nobody else does,
unless you're in gross immorality that is visible, and you flaunt it.
And people take sides and flaunt it. Then kick him out and everybody
with him that does the same thing. Take away the privilege of the Church
protecting him and the Blood of Jesus Christ. Put him out there. And if
he's a child of God, he'll come back. And when he does, then don't throw
it up in his face. 

	Now you see, people say, "Well now, look-it here, if that person is
smoking …". Now, I don't agree with smoking. Look, that's an acquired
sin. Many things we have are not acquired. Little kids bite as soon as
they find they've got teeth. They scratch as soon as they find they got
claws. Nobody teaches. 

46.	All nature's fallen, but the point is: God did not say, "Hey, I'm
making room for any sin." Nor did He say, "I'm kicking anybody out
because of a sin." 

	The prophet said himself, "We backslide a thousand times a day." 

	What did he mean? We make wrong judgments. Our faith doesn't rise to
every occasion. And I'm not a champion of sin, I'm merely trying to
explain, and I am explaining my stand. Now if a person says, "I can
smoke if I want" … 

	I say, "You certainly can." 

	Come ahead if you want. But I'm telling you, you're not going to hurt
me or anybody else, because I’m going to tell the whole Church, and
say, "Don't mind him." Oh, you already know. You'd know by then… the
word would be gone around, "Don't mind the person." 

	It's like a marriage ceremony, "Anybody knows any reason they shouldn't
get married, say it now or forever hold your peace." 

	And you'd simply tell the folk, "Look, people come up here and they
know they're doing these things … look, it’s their own risk." 

	But I'd sooner people judge themselves and say, "Lord, I'm sorry."

47.	How many times a day can you get sorry? If we're supposed to be
forgiving seventy times seven, how many times does God forgive? He
doesn't have to forgive any number of times. It's already taken care of.
How can He impute sin, when the Blood of Jesus Christ has scattered
where there be no evidence? How many perfect the Church through the
Blood, if the Blood doesn't perfect it? 

	See, let's understand. But there's a growth that's required of people.
And in there there's the insidious factor that we have a nature that
Bro. Branham categorically said should be annihilated. Well, how do you
annihilate? You annihilate by giving precedence to the Word of the
Living God. You first of all acknowledge the correctness of it, that
this is right, and you know it shouldn't be done. And you put yourself
in a position whereby, with the help of the Holy Spirit and the help of
others, you begin to gain the victory. And you will get ... we'll talk
about those things.

48.	Let's go to Ephesians the 4th chapter, and begin to see these
things. Okay, we're going to read in 20-32.

		(20)	But (you) have not so learned Christ;

		(21)	If so be that (you) have heard him, and have been taught by him,
as 					the truth is in Jesus: 

	How were you taught by Jesus Christ personally? Through a prophet.

		(22)	That (you) put off concerning the former (behavior) of the 						
old man,...

	Notice, every time It says, you put it off. It doesn't say God puts it
off, It says you put it off. Now people go around looking for God to do
everything. What if He gave you the tools to do it? You say, "Great,
I'll do it."  

	No, no, you hold back and you say, "Lord, now direct me in doing it."
Now we're getting consecration and all these things lined up. See? 

		(22) 	That (you) put off...the former (behavior) of the old man, which
						is corrupt according to the deceitful (pleasures or) lusts; (In
other					 	words, you like to do it.)

		(23)	And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;    

	Get a new spirit. In other words, let the spirit work through the
born-again soul.

		(24)	And that (you) put on the new man, which after God is created in 
					righteousness and true holiness.

		(25) 	Wherefore (put) away lying,...

	Well, it's okay to lie as long as you don't smoke. No trouble brethren,
just lie...oh yeah, no trouble there at all.  (Phfft!) 

49.	Well, you know, that's getting exactly like the joke the fellow told
me down in Vass, North Carolina. He said, "This certain young Baptist
preacher full of faith and fire came to this local Baptist, Southern
Baptist assembly down there in the south and he looked around, he saw
the people, you know, smoking cigarettes. He preached a strong sermon
against cigarettes. The deacons came and said, "Now son, you preached a
great sermon against cigarettes and we sure agree. But, you know, a
couple of us brethren smoke and some of the church members that pay good
money here. We don't want to hurt their feelings, do we?"

	He said, "Oh no, you preach on something and I'll preach on something
else."

	So he preached next Sunday on booze. And he preached a real good sermon
on booze … should’ve pleased every Methodist. And they came again
and said, "You know, son, look," he said, "That was a great sermon you
preached. We admit, you know, that that's wrong. But look, people are
people, and some of the finest people in town come to this church. And,
you know, they're not outright boozers, but they have their cocktails
and their little parties, you know. You know, we'd appreciate it if you
just lay low"' 

	Well he said, "I'll do that." So he laid low. 

 	And next week he preached on gambling. (And you know what happened in
Florida. You know, some of those old folk … people paying a nickel a
game or something, you know,) Well, they said, "You can't... well … oh
look, even some of the sisters, you know, play bingo and bridge for a
little bit of money. What is gin-rummy without a little …?... , you
know, a little bit of money to make it amusing?"

	Well he said, "Man, what can I preach on"? 

	Well they said, "Hey, there's a few Republicans down there in that
town, you preach on them."

	"What am I going to preach on?"

50.	It's the same old thing that a lot of preachers in this Message
started. All they could preach on was short skirts and short hair.
Forget it! Short hair is wrong. Short skirts are wrong. But I'm going to
tell you one thing: there's a lot of other things that people get
convicted of. That's one reason I couldn't see beards around this place.

	How come that people wearing beards came into a church, like in Joe
Coleman's, nobody said one word to those people. About six people got
saved. Next time they appeared there wasn't one whisker on the face.
What did it? Some hookey-poky?  Well I'll tell you, God knows how to
deal with people. But it says, "You put it off." You put off.  And
they’re supposed to put it off. Let me keep reading here.

51.	He said, "Don't lie. Tell the truth." Now It says, [Ephesians 4:]

		(26)	Be angry, and sin not:...

	…?...  me, be angry and sin not. Well, Jesus Christ was angry and He
sure didn't sin. It was a righteous indignation He rose up with. And He
said, "This can't be tolerated." 

	And we say, "Smoking cannot be tolerated." That's exactly true. Nor do
we tolerate it. If I tolerate a smoker and I'd be smoking and tell you
folk, you could do it, too. Neither smoked nor drink, never have; that
doesn't do one thing for me. Because, I sure told my pack of lies …
you bet. And got madder and hotter than a firecracker. I didn't kill,
because I didn't have the guts to kill. But I think I was just as lethal
with my words, and even worse than with a gun. It said, 

		(26)	...(Don't) let the sun go down upon your wrath:

	 In other words, clear the record. Don't give place to the devil. Now
watch this:

		(28)	Let him that stole steal no more:... 

	They like to change that to the new translation: "Let him that stole,
steal. No more laboring with his hands." But it doesn't say that.
[laughter] Oh, it's in the church all right, don't worry. 

52.	I knew a guy back in Canada (I didn't know him, but I knew of him),
he was in the Glad Tidings Tabernacle there in the city of Vancouver. He
was a deacon or trustee or something. And the offering, it was a big
offering; he stole enough to build a house. Then he got convicted.  I
think he would. [laughter] I can understand that, from past experience.

		(28) 	...but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing
which 					is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 

	Didn't say build up a big fortune and...you know, lord it over the
people, and bring something better to church  than somebody else has
got.

	Now, Bro. Branham liked coming to church looking nice and neat and
clean. Now if all he had was coveralls, he'd have wore nice pressed
clean coveralls. But when he had a real nice suit he wore it. I know
people around here think I might want you like fashion plates. Well I'm
not a fashion plate. I like to dress nice; it's all I've got going for
me these days … so why not? And maybe that's all you got, too, and
don't know it. You're getting there, too. Getting old -- hair falling
out, teeth gone.

		(29)	Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth,...

	Corrupt communication can be a defiled Word of God. Could be creeds and
dogmas that don't have a thing. Could be vilification, abhorrent
language, filthy language. Could be something non edifying. For it says,

		(29)	...but that which is good to the use of edifying, (building up,
not 						tearing down,) that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 

		(30)	And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby (you) are sealed 	
				unto the day of redemption.

		(31)	Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil 	
				speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

		(32)	And be ye kind one to another, (and) tenderhearted, forgiving 			
		one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

	Then what if you came up here and don't do that? You know something? I
want to tell you something: I would sooner smoke cigarettes than have
that. Because I’m going to tell you something: I could shake
cigarettes just like that. You think I couldn't? I've shaken different
things. And I'm still stuck with some things that I weep over literally
day and night, that I shouldn't even be up here. Now, who's going to
deny the Blood? Who's going to misunderstand me now? A bunch of
legalists? A bunch of Pentecostals? I have to talk this way because this
tape goes a long way. And they'll go a long way, too, because I'll see
this goes out. Send it to everybody. You can even give it away, as far
as I'm concern. I'll pay all the costs. See?

53.	Let's go to 1Tim 5:8. It says here,

		(8)	But if any (man) provide not for his own, especially those of his
own 					house, he (has) denied the faith, is worse than an infidel.

	It says right here, that if you do not help those in your body Church,
and especially those in your own house … Now, you don't help anybody
outside of your own home unless you’ve got it to give, knowing your
own home is well provided for. Because Bro. Branham categorically  said,
"No mission offering goes to any missionary until your home base is
taken care of."

	Now, you and your wife and family may have an agreement. I didn't ask
my wife, I told her what I was going to do. There's only hope I had of
getting anything in this life was the way of Almighty God, because I'm
not smart and I can't beg. I'm too proud, I guess. I tried a gimmick
once, I told you, thirty years ago. Never tried it again. I'm not
interested. Oh it was a legal gimmick. But there, you see, I'll talk
about that later, too. A lot of things are legal, but better watch them,
kid.

54.	So I said, "Look, I'm going to give twenty percent."

	The Bible says, "Take care of widows and orphans." I know a widow so,
for a while, I’d give her … out of every hundred I’d give her ten
dollars. And I'll give the ministry ten dollars. So I gave ten dollars,
and ten dollars. And right away, for some strange reason, my nephew
began tithing and I got, before he quit tithing, twenty twenty-dollar
bills. For the Bible says, "Give and it shall be given to you. And with
what measure you mete, it shall be meted to you." [Lk 6:38] So if you
give dollars, you get dollars. When you get [give] tens, you get tens. 

	Now look-it, I'm not trying to make you greedy. Anybody leaving this
building not understanding, anybody on tape, I will deal with you down
the road, or God will. So you better watch what you're thinking, and
what you're going to think. Because if you think I'm telling you to be
greedy, you are wrong. I was protecting myself with the Word of Almighty
God. When I gave twenties, I got twenties back. I already got that. When
I gave hundreds, I got hundreds back. When I gave thousands, it came to
thousands. And many of those thousands I've turned down flat, and
refused property which would be in excess of maybe half a million
dollars. Much better than that.

	And If you think I'm lying, I will take you to the people that I turned
their property down. Time after time … not one, not two, not three,
not four. I think there was a fifth (it wouldn't matter anyway). I've
had people made me offers. But you give in order to receive. Sometimes
you have to … as the Bible said, "They that go forth weeping bearing
precious seed, shall doubtless come again bearing sheaves." [Ps 126:6]

55.	And bishop …?[Palli]... the Hindu bishop (former Hindu) explained
it. He said, "In the Orient... in the East there's much starvation. And
in the springtime, (he said) we've got the seed left over from the
winter, and here the kids are starving. But if we give them the seed, we
cannot plant. So we cry putting the seed out knowing we might not get a
harvest and the kids die anyway, but we've got to take that chance. But
(he said) in the fall they come back rejoicing--because the kids did
have it pretty tough, maybe had to eat grasshoppers’ legs or locusts,
and little spears of this and spears of that, but they got through-- and
they came in bearing."

	Sometimes it takes a sacrifice, brother/sister. But It says right here,
"Take care of your family first. Make sure the family is taken care of.
And then, if they agree, you could sacrifice a little bit. That's why
you do what you want here in offerings. We tabulate them different from
tithes, (sure, we do). You do what you want in the building. If you've
got it, you give it. If you're a Christian you will. If you haven't got
it, forget it; you're not obligated. And nobody asked you to borrow it,
either. No sir. If you want to give a bit and struggle by it, that's
okay. Some of us don't have to struggle. And if we don't give the proper
amount, then we ought to be ashamed of ourselves. It's just that simple
because they that have, give; those that don't, can't. 

	That's exactly what the Bible teaches. I could go on here for hours and
take you to tithes, and take you to offerings, trace it down through in
the Book of Corinthians where Paul is setting the Church in order, like
Bro. Branham did.

56.	Let's go to 2Thessalonians the 3rd chapter. And we see the same
thing over here reiterated in the 10th verse.

		(10)	For even when we were with you, we commanded you, (commanded 				
you!) if any would not work, neither should he eat.

		(11)	For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, 
				working not at all, but are busybodies.

		(12)	Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus 		
		Christ,... 

	Notice he said …didn't say, "Boot them out." Why not?  "Just kick
out, get rid of the bum." Why not? Doesn't say that, does It? No. "We
command you exhort." Exhort means 'to get them in a place where they
want to go out and work'. The nobility of it.

57.	I preached a series on 'Priorities' [August 1978, Saskatchewan] …
maybe you don't remember that, years back there. Hit the income tax
thing. Everybody hates it; pay it anyway. If there's a legal loop-hole
(a legal, just thing) which I never took for years … My God, I spent a
lot of money that I shouldn't have spent. It's all right, though,
somebody gets a benefit. I paid my Social Security the same way. Years
back when they didn't have enough money coming in to pay Social
Security, I did a little lie about it, sure I did. I wouldn't put in my
(what do you call it?) legal deductions. I knew what my attitude was.
Before God, my attitude … and I told …?[Alison] … ,  I said,
"Look, honey, if I don't get anything back, somebody will get some help
down the road. So, that's great." I more than get it back today. If it
fell through, so what? See, God knows what's in your heart. And your
action, my brother/sister, are not so much what God judges, but what's
behind it. Because, that's what the prophet told me; he said, "You see,
Lee, you've got to know what's behind it, why the fellow is that way." 

	Some people are nervous, jittery, jumpy all the time. Why? They
might’ve been actually born that way, and they never learned the ways
to overcome. 

	"Well, kick him out. Don't give him Communion. Jump on him." 

58.	Now, listen, [2 Thessalonians 3:]

	 	(12)	...we command (you) and exhort (Paul's exhorting) by our Lord 		
			Jesus Christ, (Now he said, "You've got to do this, and I'm pleading 
				with you, I'm exciting you to do it.) that with quietness they work,
					and eat their own bread.

		(13)	But (you) brethren, be not weary in well doing. 

	Now, it tells you right there, you may have to carry those people [for]
some time. Don't let it bug you too much. Say, "Hey boy, look-it, I just
as soon have this marshmallow fudge myself to eat. You haven't got
enough brains to go work for a hotdog. Now, I got to give up my
marshmallow fudge so you can have a hotdog." No, you can't say it that
way. You got to put it there, but you can't say it that way. You got to
show mercy with cheerfulness. And you can be cheerful that you're not
going to get bad calories and a bad stomach eating that goo. [laughter]
If that's the best you can do to encourage yourself, then you encourage
yourself.

	But listen, God watches those attitudes. Don't say, "Well, I'll do it
this time." Uh-uh … I'm guilty. But I'm saying, that's not the way to
do it.

59.	Then look at discernment. What … Bro. Branham took this same
Scripture on discernment and he said, "Discernment. Not discerning the
Lord's Body." And the first thing he came to, they didn't discern the
prophet. That threw them all out.

	Now, what if you came here all dressed up like a good sanctified
Nazarene, Methodist, Presbyterian, and a Pentecostal, stand here, "Oh
listen, I can tell you my life is A-one; it is holy" … and you turn
down the prophet? Now where are you? Uh? Who's going to give Communion? 

	Brother/sister, as long as we're all striving for the grace of God,
there's no big problem . Once we stop striving, stop believing, it's too
bad.

60.	Now, there must come a time when smoking, short hair, wrong dress
must go. Nobody said we keep believing, and keep believing, and keep
believing and don't doing, don't doing. Let me tell you flat: anybody…
woman that wears her dresses wrong, cuts her hair, she knows what she's
doing. And anybody that smokes knows what he and she is doing. And
anybody can quit. You say, "I don't believe that." I do. If you were a
prisoner in a war, today, and thrown into a prison and you couldn't get
cigarettes, you'd quit. Then quit! It's so-called 'creature comforts'
that gets people all messed up --the lust of the flesh, the pleasures.
That's exactly what's wrong.

 	I remember old Ralf Brewer smoked  cigarettes; he said he quit. So the
wife said, "Did the Lord take it away?"

	He said, "No." He said, "I didn't ask Him should I start, (he said) so
I didn't figure I should ask Him to help me quit." [laughter]

	I like that. He had one eye. He could see more with one eye than you
and I can see with two. Nice old boy. He's a good old boy. Gone to the
Lord now, see? All must go, but is there any excuse for these other sins
which we overlook, and then not make them go?

61.	Let's go to 1Peter, then I'm going to try to finish up. Because, I
see you're getting my point here, but who knows whether they're getting
my point on the tape? There'll be questions thrown at me at this one
too, but I won't answer them. I'm not interested, in this point on.

	All right listen, 1Pet 1:18-19.

		(18)	Forasmuch as (you) know that (You) were not redeemed with 					
corruptible things, (such) as silver and gold, from your vain 					
(behavior) received by tradition from your fathers;

	Now it said, "Everything you've got by tradition is wrong, I don't care
what it is."

		(19)	But with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish 
					and spot.	

		(20)	Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, 	
				but was manifest in these last times for you,		

	Now then, He was made perfectly manifest in these last times. God has
raised Him up. We see all these things.

62.	Now, we come by the fact of the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and
the power of Almighty God. Now, God has called us to holiness. Now, what
must we do? We must partake of the Communion, yet refrain from sin, all
the while knowing that there is no perfection this side of the
Resurrection. So therefore, Communion is a disciplinary ordinance. It's
an ordinance whereby we judge ourselves and say, "Lord, look, I know
that I'm not worthy of this. But I realize this is where the worthiness
is: that You don't see me, You only look at me through the Blood. And
all You can do is hear my voice and see Jesus." 

	That's what the prophet said: "He doesn't see you, He doesn't see me.
He sees Jesus." And that's what we're supposed to see. It is to bring us
to the place of death to the flesh, for the emblems we take signify
death for sin and of sin. What do we take these for? It signifies death:
the death for sin and the death of sin, the complete putting away. Once
and for all, it's put away.

63.	Now, if we really understood that, how thankful we would be! But
somewhere we're not enlighten. Why? Because of creeds and dogmas saying
the wrong thing. Do you know what those creeds and dogmas are? ‘Work
out your own salvation’ … [which] means you can get lost. 

	"Well you can get yourself out of the hand of God. God did this, but
you've got to do that." 

	No! You're going to make it, brother/sister. You'll make it. And if you
live in sin, God will clean you up and get you out of here. Let's
understand that. Let's understand where grace …[is a]?... true eternal
security, but let's understand that man's got a part, too! And he can
imbibe of the grace of God's cup and live in a victory. He certainly
can, see? 

64.	Now, what attitude is the right attitude? The right attitude we've
read over here already, in 1Cor 11:33.

		(33)	 Wherefore, my brethren, when (you) come together to eat, tarry  
                                  			one for another.

	[You say] "I know something's wrong in my brother's life. We're going
to take Communion. Father, I want to pray for him."

	Well, you're acting like Job, now.You're acting just like Job. You're
one of the real Patriarchs. You've entered into the foundation of the
church, because you're praying. And you've overcome in some things. Now
someone's praying for you, because they know that you've got problems,
too.

65.	Now, in dealing with this question, at this point let's emphasize
1Cor 11:28 and 31.

	

		(28)	...let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread
and 						drink of that cup.

		(31)	For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be (condemned.) 

	That means, right there, take a look at yourself and say, "Have I been
wrong since the last time I was here? What am I doing wrong? Where am I
failing?"

	Now listen, that must do us some good somewhere to help us on the road
to victory, or why would we do it? Now Bro. Branham said, "If you bring
somebody else's sin from under the Blood, then (he said) God will hold
you accountable for it." So then, if you bring your own sins out, not
from under the Blood, but though … would you know your own nature in
your life, what is it good for? It's good because God will deal with you
in love and in mercy, and somebody's praying for you. And the whole
Church now is acting like a membership in Jesus Christ the Lord, and
that's going to help you. 

	You can see why I stand on the strict statement of not denying anyone
the Lord's Supper, unless there has been a charge laid and proven of
gross immorality. But this does not make room for wrong living. Now,
that's what Bro. Branham did. But he stood there with love and a life,
brother. He said, "That man (he said,) he didn't try to assassinate my
character." He said, "He knew better."  What kind of life did William
Branham live that he could say a thing like that, just stand right there
and say, "He knew better?" Not say, "He knew better. In other words, "I
challenge you. Now, come on … you find it."

66.	Now, William Branham didn't smoke cigarettes because, God wouldn't
let him. He didn't drink, because God wouldn't let him. He didn't mess
with women, he was in a tube. But William Branham had a lot of other
things that had to come under the Blood and had to be taken out of his
nature and life, too.

	Now, let's look at... Now, here's a man we know. We know him very well.
He’s a real sweet guy, real swell guy. If he'd just come to this
church and sit here and wouldn’t open his mouth, and you watch him and
…say, you know, "I'm going to tell you, Brother and Sister Vayle, that
man is the best Christian in this church."

	 He's no more born again than nothing. No more born again than nothing.
But kind, sweet, generous, hardworking, loving -- he's got it. But he
ain't got nothing.

	"What about the Second Resurrection?" 

	I haven't got a thing to do with that. I don't know. I don’t know a
thing about that.

67.	Let's go to Galatians the 6th chapter. Let's understand these things
brother/sister. I'm not excusing anybody. I'm not excusing, I am just
not accusing. And I’m hoping we have grace to be overcomers.  All
right, Galatians 6,

		(1)	 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, (you) which are
spiritual, 					restore such a one in the spirit of meekness;
considering thyself, lest 					(you) be tempted. (How much have you
tried to help people overcome 						cigarettes?) 

		(2)	 Bear  (you) one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of
Christ.						 (What about that?)

		(3)	 ...if a man think himself  to be some(body) when he's nothing, he
					(deceives) himself.

	"Oh, I quit smoking cigarettes, I'm a great guy. I dress right, I'm a
great guy." Are you?

		(4)	But let every man prove his own work(s), and then shall he have 		
			rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.

		(5)	For every man shall bear his own burden. (What do you think of    
                             			that?

68.	Let's go to Jas 5:16.

		(16)	Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another,
that 						(you) may be healed.

	Paul spoke of that, too. He said, "Many people are sick right now." He
said, "Confess your faults." That doesn't mean confess your sins. Tell
where your weakness lies! If it's anger, admit it. If it's jealousy,
admit it. Suspicion, admit it. Now, don't go around … don't go around
like you're boasting on it and dwelling on it, so you fill everybody's
ears every time for months. Forget it! The more you act like that, the
more you'll do it. This means once. Tell somebody. Ask them to pray with
you. He said,

		(16)	 ...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much.

 	How much does it avail?  Well, if Elijah could pray that it wouldn't
rain for three years, then pray and it did rain, then what hope have you
got to pray for a man and get help? All kinds of hope. No problem.    

69.	[…?...] Wednesday night, if I'm here, whatever … I'll continue
Wednesday night. But you're getting the picture, aren't you? Never mind
or worry about the tape at all. You're getting the understanding. Look,
nobody here is out to get anybody. Nobody is here to make anybody. We
want to get our eyes on Christ and we know how to live. We know how to
live, brother/sister. Now, if you need help, and there's something
bothering you, you've got access to the elders, the deacon. You've got
access to ministry. You've got access to your own home. 

	I want to tell you, years ago [my] wife never prayed for me. I got so
sick I was mighty glad to have her pray. Get her up at night to pray for
me. Let me tell you, your wife can pray for you, your husband can pray,
your kids can pray, you can pray. Are you doing it? Now, that's the
question: are you doing it? Or are you still back there in the clouds,
"Well, I see that guy smoked a cigarette." So what, if he did smoke a
cigarette! What is smoking you up? Now, my tone of voice doesn't mean to
say, "Look, I don't care if the guy smokes, it's okay by me." It is not
okay by me! I've got a daughter that smokes. I could ring her neck
joyfully, if I thought it would cure her. [some chuckling] Wrong cure,
eh Pete?                    

	[Tape ends]

	

	

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