Communion & Foot Washing

Beaumont, Texas 

 Bro. Lee Vayle   -  July 6, 1985

1.	You may be seated. You cannot have the Lord's Supper until we have
the sun going down and foot washing, I don't like having previous to the
communion table, because that's how Bro. Branham did it. I wouldn't say
that it's wrong for somebody else to do it, but we don't do it any other
way here.

	I appreciate that message very much, but you've got actually twenty
minutes left here, so I guess you're going to try to make me fill in.
And I don't know how I'm going to fill it in exactly, but you're going
to have to sit here for a while and just let your faith take over and
absorb what has been said, You've heard me say more than one time that
most of us preachers, you know, we can pretty well delineate upon a
subject, but Jack's the one that believes it eh? I don't know, I don't
know how he does it, but he believes it. And what he said tonight I know
he believes it with all his heart. He doesn't only believes it, but he
practices it. I trust the Lord's blessed you all tonight and helped you
mightily, and will continue to do so. 

2.	Now, I'll just go into Scripture here, take a little time on...well
we'll go to John 13 first of all, because this will take care of the
subject of foot washing. As Bro. Bell said, "There's three ordinances
that has been left to us which is true, the foot washing, communion, and
baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

	Now It says in John 13:

		(1) 	Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his 		
			hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the 					
Father, (and) having loved his own which were in the world, he 					
loved them unto the end. (Or to the utter most.)

	In other words, this would be the supreme sacrifice that He's
anticipating, participating for them, procuring for them by His Own
death.

		(2) 	And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart 	
				of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;

		(3) 	Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his
hands, 						and that he was come from God, and went to God;

		(4) 	He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a
towel, 					and girded himself.

	Now, you know of course, there where He said He came from God and go to
God, that was not the human body per se, because the human body was made
for Him through Mary who literally took the chemical processes of her
body, using the elements of the earth's to bring that body forth unto
Him.

	Now, of course it could not have come forth except for the presence of
life, and of course that was the Logos which was the attributes, the
fullness of the attributes of Almighty God coming into form bodily. So,
this is what would be going back to God, having come from God we have
the same thing right today, because we have Him here in the form of the
Holy Spirit in the Pillar of Fire.	

3.	All right, He rises from supper and laid aside His garments and took
a towel and girded Himself. Now, the laying aside of His garments, I
can't help but believe that that is over here in Philippians  2:5, where
It says,  

		(5) 	Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

		(6) 	Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal
						with God:

	And of course that word 'form' in there as Bro. Branham brought out as
Bro. Branham brought out from the Greek, typically from Fayer(?) "the
form of which a person or thing strikes the vision, the external
appearance." And that's the same of course is what you find over  (just
leave your finger in there if you want) he says here: [Hebrews 1:3]

		(3)	Who being (in) the brightness of His glory, and the express image 
					of His person... (Now, if you use the word 'image', you know,
that's 					not the real thing, that's an actual copy that holds.)
upholding things 					by the word of his power, (and) he by himself
purged our sins, sat 						down on the right hand of the Majesty on
high: 

4.	All right: [Philippians 2:] 

		(6)	...thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

		(7)	 ...made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a
						servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

		(8) 	And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and 				
	became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

	Now, that's typical to me here where It said, "He laid aside his
garments." And you know the old song, "Out of the ivory palaces into the
world of woe," (you know) speaking of the great Redeemer coming. I
believe this is typical of Jesus giving an example of exactly Who He was
and what He was doing, which was the Lord and Master humbling Himself to
become a servant. You know, it seems that the great desire of people is
to have service rendered to them. And they used to have it by slavery,
which was the finest form of service ever rendered, because a slave
could certainly do better than a machine. No matter how well a machine
was made to serve you, there's nothing better than a human intelligence
serving you. And that (you know) that's why people have a lot of
servants, and it makes them somebody (you know) to be great. It gives
them a position, because it shows an authority over. 

	But you notice that Jesus Who was literally the Creator took the place
of a servant, and that ought to tell us something. Explaining Scripture
that says: "He that is greatest of all, let him be servant of all." [Mk
10:44] Now, that doesn't mean to be a legalist and try to serve in that
respect. This is the true humility of a person who recognizes his
position in the Lord Jesus Christ.

5.	Now when you recognize your position in Christ and you're really
humble, then you don't say anything contrary to God. 

	If He says, "You're the righteousness of Christ."

	And you say, "I am the righteousness of Christ."

	When someone says, "I'm really humble, because I wouldn't say that."

	Well, you're just a bluff and a liar, because "let every Word of God be
true, but yours a lie." [Rom 3:4] And if you say something different,
you know then Bro. Branham said, "The chaff is going to separate from
the wheat, when the wheat says I and my Father are one." Now, I'm not
telling you what I'm saying, (you know) thinking, I'm telling you what
he's saying. 

	This is to me that foot-washing is the true symbol of humility and
understanding your position in Him, which is not an inferior position.
See? People say, "Well, (you know) I believe I'm part way in Christ. I'm
progressing into Christ. That's not what the Bible said. When you're in
Christ, you grow up into Head. You don't grow up into it, you grow up
unto it. See?

	So, your confession is very, very important, and I think our
understanding of these things should be, (you know,) as much in line
with the Word as we can derive from what Bro. Branham said, or what we
ourselves received from the Lord, or some servant that God has used in
yester- year. Which since the reformation there's been some tremendous
scholars in the Scripture that it does well to listen to them.

6.	Bro. Branham never said Luther was wrong. Luther was not perfect,
which means 'finished, rounded out and completed'. Luther was fine for
where Luther went, but something was left off. Wesley was fine for where
he went, and compared to Luther he went nowhere in the Scripture. Now
you read Wesley, now he's going to leave you cold along side of Luther.
Wesley writings and his theologians like Fletcher do not contribute to
us the way Luther did. There's no way. And you can see where Lutheranism
went back to organization, but you can see the proliferation of the
Wesleyans organization far more than you'll see a Lutheran. They just
backslid. Lutheran's don't say what Luther said. I don't say Wesleyan's
say what Wesley said either. 

	But there's a tremendous proliferation in there where they just went
way out. You get a chart some day and see how that the churches came
from the old mother harlot, and then how they began spreading out from
Luther, and then they really began moving. See, that was the time of
missions, and they really began to move out, and most people don't want
to admit to (you know,) admit their roots. But you'd be surprised where
Jehovah Witnesses came from, Seventh Day Adventist and the rest of them.
If I ever find my chart I'll show it to you.

7.	Well, see they...it comes so far and they couldn't come any further.
They just couldn't. Now, Bro. Branham comes on the scene and that
weren't perfect. Now he brings us to a place where That which is Perfect
is come, so they we're one with the Word. Now, anybody then that says
opposite is something wrong with him. He didn't make Luther wrong and
Wesley wrong, and the Pentecostal's wrong. They didn't come to where
they're supposed to be. He said, "You potentially had the Holy Spirit." 

	Now, anybody says they weren't born of the Holy Spirit they've got to
be slightly less than normal as a Christian, or a whole lot less than
normal, because they were born again. But they only potentially had Him.
Now, we're at the place where That which is Perfect is come. And who
brought us to that place? He Himself brought us to that place. See, they
were using a prophet's voice. And the prophet said, "That which is
Perfect has come, we used to know in part." [1 Cor 13:10] But now we
don't know in part. There has been seven parts to bring the whole. God's
complete, He does...He Himself is in threes, and completion comes in
seven. Perfection is threes, and the completion in seven's.

	Seven Church Ages, and the last one was a prophet and God on the scene
the same as He came with Paul. So now there's a completion, and we're
back to Ephesus. And don't listen to this stuff where people say, "Well,
Ephesus was a fallen woman." Ephesus did not fall in the beginning, she
was perfect Bride in the beginning. Then she fell. 

	Now, we're going to get back to Ephesus again before the fall. And it
doesn't matter then what goes in between. As Bro. Branham said, "Don't
look at what's in between." See? Now, we're back. So now, we're back to
the place where that Spirit has to come into the Church which is going
to bring forth a Resurrection.

8.	Now, then we see here a picture of a true humility. All right? Then
at the end-time the last Church Age Bride would be the most humble,
circumspect, the plainest, but the belivingest of them all outside of
Age number one (that first part) and I think we have an edge on that,
because we got more to believe. See, we got more to believe, because now
the fullness is here become our Headship.

	So, foot washing could mean a whole lot more than you and I just
entering into a service of it, and say, "Well, that's an ordinance,
we're supposed to do it and we do it." I've always claimed that there
isn't anything that we're to share in, that isn't tremendously edifying
and tremendously Christ glorified, and just tremendously good for us and
bringing us up to a higher level.

	Foot washing could never simply mean, "Look, well a part of your body
gets dirty and we'll just get it cleansed out and that will take care of
it." Not in my books it doesn't. Because you can wash your own feet. You
have a relationship to God. This is a relationship to brother and
sister, brother to brother, sister to sister. And it brings in as far as
I can see a real understanding, a humility and with that humility, and
it's not humility unless it is saying just what God said. The other is
the devil's lie. He doesn't want anybody to say, "Well, I'm the
righteousness of God." He doesn't want to say with Paul, "Who dares
condemn me to death?" God says, "I am righteous." He doesn't want us to
say the things that the prophet told us to say, to confess that we're
one with the Father.

 	I'll tell you what, that'll hurry people off just the same as you'd
say I've got leprosy. Now, I'm going to tell you something, you could
rub a leper's stump over your nostrils, over your mouth, you ain't going
to catch it. But how'd you like a meet a...just try that with a leper's
arm and you sit there and say, "I believe that." Ha, listen, you just
high-tail it out of here like a hound dog, (you know) with a tail end
full of buck shot. See?     

	All right, you just tell a person, In faith, (alright) "I'm the
righteousness of God."

	He'd say, "You and who else."

	They're going to look at you like the black plague, or a shot of
leprosy coming up. See?

9.	So, here is where... now he says, [John 13:] 

		(7) 	...What I do, thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know
hereafter." 

	 So therefore, there is a revelation in this foot washing, that even
they didn't have that has got to be extant [in existence] in this hour,
because we're right back to it. See?

		(8) 	(And) Peter (said,) Thou shalt never wash my feet.  (And) Jesus 	
				(said,) If I wash thee not, (you've got) no part with me. (Now, this
						is a personal service that He did that you and I are to follow on 
					through.

		(9) 	(And) Simon Peter (said), Lord, not my feet only, but also my
hands 					and my head.

	Now notice... you notice how this man is going from one extreme to the
other. He 's not satisfied that just take what Jesus said, and just go
right with it. Now that's the way a lot of people are. They are either
going to take from It, or add to It. Now you noticed that he couldn't
stand still, and just say, "That's marvelous, look what He's doing." He
couldn't do that. No, he couldn't do it. He couldn't stand still.

	So now when...He said, "If you don't let me do this, it shows that you
don't have a part." 

10.	Now, you know that's a pretty crass statement in the face of what we
believe and people believe concerning Jesus Christ. And I'll tell you
why it's a crass statement to the people. Because they don't wash feet.
Very few people wash feet. Because to them it's an oriental custom that
was hot and dusty, as Bro. Branham just...he might as well blurted it
flat out, a bunch of manure of the street, I think he did mention it,
and you can stumble into that any old time; inadvertently or otherwise.
And now you don't smell very nice, so you go into a house and they wash
your feet down. 

	And so they say, "Well, that was just a custom in the Orient where's
it's red hot and they wore sandals or not shoes at all. Well, we wear
nice shoes and our feet don't need washing, so why should we bother?"

	So, you've got a bunch of Peter's that are a little unregenerate at
this point. Because Jesus said, "When you get converted, you strengthen
your brethren." [Lk 22:32] So Peter standing here as a man, a religious
man, a good man, there's no two ways about it, he's a fine a man that
ever walked in shoe leather, or sandals, or anything else you want to
say, or bare feet. But you notice how he went to the extremes. See,
first of all, no way, then hey, do a better job still. 

	Now, we're talking serious things about foot washing. This should be
going through our minds as we wash each other's feet. See? Thinking of
the spiritual aspect, and the element there. This is what He said, what
we do. 

11.	Now, this is a process that is edifying.

		(10) 	Jesus (said), He that is washed needeth not save to wash his
feet, 						but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.

	Now, you notice here that Judas is going to get out of here pretty
soon. 

		(11) 	(Now) he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, (You)
are 					not all clean.

	Now, evidently there is something in here that's going to be satisfying
to the soul, and make you more astute Christian, a more able Christian,
and a better person by doing this. You say, "I just don't think that's
true, because you see, I've got the Holy Ghost."

	I don't care if you have got the Holy Ghost. It proves you don't have
got the Holy Ghost. You do this believing. Now how many people actually
wash feet? Why you couldn't of sold me on this for nothing, except Bro.
Branham taught it. I wouldn't wash anybody's feet, I'd say, "Come on,
don't be silly. We wear shoes over here, we wash out feet. I don't want
my feet washed. Get away from my toes." [laughter] I've been very
facetious [humorous] about it. 

	But now, listen, Jesus was deathly serious. And I use the term
properly, 'deathly serious', because you're going to die. He said, "You
don't now, but you'll know later."

	What did they know later? I'd like to know. I'm going to tell you one
thing, Paul mentioned widows and he said, "Look, she's got to be seventy
years of age, you got to wash the saint's feet."

12.	You say, "Well, would that put her in the status in the local
assembly where they take care of her, and show her to be honorable?" You
bet your life. "What if she didn't do it?" Well she just wouldn't have
part period. Now she has nephews they take care of her, but this is
talking about a lady that might need help in order to even sustain her
life. How many people need groceries? We don't deserve groceries, we
don't wash saint's feet. But this is not silly. This is not silly, it's
just where it goes. People just don't want to take these things serious.
Because you know why? Because they've got their own ideas. 

	Now, tonight we don't have any ideas. We've got unadulterated  Word by
the prophet who just stood up there and did it. He didn't go into a lot
of facets I'm going into. Maybe I'm grasping for straws to pin this
thing down more and more. And if I'm grasping for straws it's fine. I've
no trouble there, there's such a thing as gleaning and using the straw
afterward.

13.	All right, we just keep moving. Now He said:

		(11) 	... (You're) not all clean. (There's one that even is not.)

	So therefore, this is for clean people. Anybody that's in the Bride and
doesn't wash feet there's something wrong. No questions asked.
Absolutely a part. Just the same, Bro. Branham put this on par with
water baptism.

	You say, "I know he said there's three ordinances, but I don't think he
put it on par." Oh, you tell me he didn't. You find me where he didn't
put it on par. 

	Now, if you're baptized in water correctly and full of the Holy Ghost
you will do this. And if you won't do this, I don't care how correctly
you're baptized something went wrong somewhere.

	Now you say, "Well, communion is a great thing, we should do that?" 

	How come baptism and communion are such great things and this is not
such a great thing?

	"Oh," you say, "well I can tell you the answer, he slipped one over on
us."

	Oh no. No? He said, "You'll know here after."

	I don't know if we know everything yet. I don't think we do know
everything yet. I'm just going along here.

		(12) 	...after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments,
and 						was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have
done 						to you? (Now He's going to explain to the people.)

		(13) 	(You) call me Master and Lord: and (you) say well; for so I am.

14.	All right, is He Lord, or is He not Lord?  Now, "this One that you
crucified, God has raised Him from the dead and made Him both Lord and
Christ." [Acts 2:36] The Pharisees were a little bit (you know,) they
were smart people. Don't think they weren't smart. They were smart, and
they were gullible in certain areas, in other words they weren't
gullible. They were very, very astute right down to the line and they
missed it. 

	And they said, "You know, there's certain problems we have, we'd like
some questions answered."

	Jesus said, "That's good, I'd like some questions answered too." Came
right back to them. Now, He said, "David in spirit," he said, "The Lord
said to my Lord, sit down at my right hand. If David in spirit called
Him Lord, then whose Son is he?" [Mt 22:44-45]

	They said, "We don't know, can't tell you."

	"Well," He said, "I won't tell you either."

	Now, I think we've got the same thing. Now I could be just grasping at
straws here, and I could be wrong, but I don't think I am.

	"The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a Shout, the Voice of
the archangel, the Trump of God, the dead in Christ rise first. And we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the
air." [1 Th 4:16-17]

	Now, because...everybody reads that the way that It is written, and I
don't believe they have the revelation that is correct, and see that He
came down here. They still think that He's up there, because Bro.
Branham said, "He does all three in descending, but descending is
descending." He said...and he stood there and he said the Pillar of Fire
Appeared when he was down at the river. So the Pillar of Fire came down.
Now, that's 'Appearing', the other is Second Coming.

	So if the Lord Himself descends from heaven, that's Appearing. "And the
Lord said to My Lord, sit thou at My right hand."[Mt 22:44] I want to
ask you: which Lord came down here, which Lord is there? I'm going to
ask you a question: Is He here, or isn't He here?

	"Well," He said, "you called Me Lord and Master and you do well." Now,
I believe this opens Scripture to us. "That I am."

15.	Now, He said:

		(14) 	If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet;...

	And this is the hour of revelation and understanding, (He's right back
in that period,) and this is the hour of betrayal where the devil comes
into a man; now this was the hour of God manifesting in a Pillar of Fire
and through a man, so that William Branham was not the Son of man, the
Pillar of Fire was not the Son of man, It was in the form of the Holy
Spirit. We saw the ministry. Now Who was that? That's the same One right
here. 

	Now then:

		(14)	...(you)  ought to wash (each other's) feet.

	Are we hitting something? Are we striking flowing water? I hope so,
because this is to build us up, and make us understand this is not just
some little ceremony, some little thing he gave us, but this is reality
in this hour. We call Him 'Lord and Master', and we recognize Him. He's
been fully unveiled.

	Bro. Branham put that so strong, on the road to Emmaus he said, "When
you came in the building He did something that only He could do, and
they knew Who He was." Down there in the Sea of Galilee when they were
fishing He did something only He could do, they knew Who He was. 

16.	Now, you've got the same thing right today identified by His
characteristics. And you know what I believe since Bro. Branham came on
the scene, there's been a revival of foot washing, because it's gone
plumb around the world. And it is, because in recognition of Him Who is
our Lord and Master, we wash each other's feet. Did you get what I said?
Because you recognize Him as your Lord and Master, you wash each other's
feet.

		(14) 	If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; (you)
also 						ought to wash one another's...(on the grounds of the
recognition.)

	If you recognize God you're answering back by the foot washing
illustration. By the foot washing service to God.

	You say, "I don't know if that's right."

	Well, that's fine. We don't know anything right then. Words lose their
meaning. I cannot believe for one minute that words lose their meaning,
because this is God in the printed form. This is the Word elucidation
[clarification] of the great One Who wrote It, and is His Own
Elucidator. Which in plain English as Bro. Branham said, "God reveals
and interprets His Own Word."  See? Then It becomes a conduit of the
Spirit.

	So therefore, as your mind absorbs It, and you believe the Holy Spirit
dynamizes It, then you become the Word of God in your flesh.  How? At
this hour. Not another hour. At this hour. 

17.	Then foot washing means an awful lot to us people. What if one day
they said you're not going to be allowed to do that. "Oh, I don't think
that's so bad, at least they're not going to stop me from being baptized
in water in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ."

	Are you kidding? "Well, at least we'll be able to take communion."

	Are you kidding? I thought they all went together. How many people
would stand up and suffer for foot washing? I don't know. They're good
questions, I think they'd soon find a little out... it is a little
oriental custom. He didn't say that.

		(15) 	For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have 			
		done to you.

	That's come on down, right down to humility, the great One is here and
we recognize It by performing a simple service to each other. And your
feet won't even need washing. I took a shower just before I came to
church. I do it, because I'm going to wash my hair anyway. So my feet
don't need washing. No way shape and form. In fact it might be annoying
to me. I may have put on a pair of shoes that are a little bit hard to
get off and on. I've done that to at foot washing and said, "Hey I wore
the wrong pair of shoes." But that's not the point at all. Not the point
at all. 

18.	The point is: are we obeying God with an understanding of this hour
that He is Lord of all. That He is here at the Head of the Church to
raise the dead. Now, people can say what they want. Listen: I'm quoting
you words that the prophet said. And he was not an idiot. I knew William
Branham personally, very well. Better than all you here put together.
And that's not a far fetched statement, that's the truth. And he was not
some kind of a insipid person, [dull, uninteresting] that wanted to make
a little name for himself by some little thing.

	I want to tell you something: he could whirl and look a hole in you
that make you melt into that floor and read your heart, like you don't
even know your heart. Foot washing. Important. What God does for us
coming out of this, little foot washing service, I just keep looking for
good things, that's all.

19.	Now, He said:

		(17) 	If (you) know these things, happy are (you) if ye do them.
(Prosperous 					are you to do them. You say, "I'm going to leave here
in better shape 					than I came.")

	Now, Paul said, "You can come to church and partake in foot-washing and
communion and leave in worse shape than when you came."  That's right. I
don't care what it is spiritually, you'll leave in worse shape if it's
not in the revealed Word, it's not been revealed to you in the right
spirit. See? The gifts, the same way. All these things the same way.

	Now, He said: "Prosperous are you to know and to do." 

	Now, do you believe tonight then, when you leave this service... Foot
washing has made you a better person in this sense, that you have been
built up. You know what I mean? And you leave here with a joy and a
depth you didn't have before.

	You say, "Will that do something for me?"

	Well, It says right here. Now come on, what's it done for you
previously? You say, "I don't know." I can tell you, you've been built
up.

	You say, "Why, do you say that?"

	Because He can't lie.

	Say, "I didn't have my measuring rod out."

	That's very true, You didn't. How many times do you ever realize in
your life when your blood stream begins changing your body, that your
body was being changed? Not one time. In fact...you know, you just got
to give God credit. You don't look at the seeing things many times, you
look at the unseen things. See?

20.	 [John 13:]

		(16) 	(For) verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than
his lord; 					neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.

	Now, just a minute, He's talking about the Lord sending servants. Then
He's telling you here that the one sent is not greater than the One that
sent him. So therefore, foot washing means that every one of us though
as Bro. Branham said is a 'Messiah-ette', and Paul said is a 'legate',)
you know,) we're legates of God, delegates of God, ambassadors of God.
It doesn't cloud the One that sent Him.

	In other words, that person doesn't take over any authority, or take
away from Him Who sent. In other words, the Great Sender. And this Bride
is categorized in 1Thessalonians 4, that she takes no preeminence over
anybody, or anything, though she's standing here to go right to the Tree
of Life and be taken up without dying. Foot washing makes you recognize
that. See?

21.	How often I've talked to people who thought they're just a great as
Bro. Branham. I don't know, I can understand poor Jack getting really
torn up about things. But that used to tear me up just [makes a noise]
like a million barb-wires at times. I really just (you know) walk in
there, just wade in. ...?... Well, what is the use? What is the use? If
a man could stand the Presence of Jesus Christ and deny Him, sell Him
out for a bit of money. And Satan's got his own messengers, transformed
angels of lights. And in the anointed ones at the end-time can just out
perform anybody almost. 

	Then why would I get fussed up at people turn around and think they're
just as great as Bro. Branham, maybe greater?  Because the same people
inadvertently, and I say this with kindly, inadvertently will in all
probability believe that poor God, what would He do without them? 

	In other words, foot washing unknowingly puts us into perspective. Puts
us in the caste system of God which is by gradation, though the cell of
the eyeball is no more important than the cell of the big toe. It's all
one cell. 

22.	So, you see these things come in foot washing, and they're very,
very important, very unobtrusive, [indistinct] but the working of our
whole body is very unobtrusive. That's why people misunderstand the move
of God many times. It's not flashy enough, it's not big enough, it's not
gaudy enough, it's not pedantic [academic] enough. It's not this enough,
it's not that enough.

	"The kingdom of God comes in without observation" amongst children. [Lk
17:20] Not to the wise and prudent. Little weaned or unweaned ones who
can take the training and lesson. Foot washing is a part of that. It
yields itself to it, and speaks of it. See?  

		(17)	 If (you) know these things, happy are ye if (you) do them.

		(18) 	I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the 
					scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath
lifted 						up his heel against me.

		(19) 	Now I tell you before it come (to pass,) when it come to pass,
(you) 					may believe that I am he. (Or I am.)

		(20) 	Verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send
receive(s) 					me; and he that receive(s) me receive(s) him that sent
me. (Now, this 					is all in the foot washing service.) 

	Now they'll take a whole theology and write a whole book of theology of
what I read and bypass foot washing. And we could be guilty of the same
thing. "So, Bro. Vayle preaches on cloud-nine." I'm preaching you on
cloud nine. What is easier? So I preach some great thing that's hard to
do? Should we start a missionary effort and everybody give five thousand
dollars? Maybe a couple could do it. But the rest of you fall flat. So
you're all excluded. We can all wash feet. "So I think that's too
common." Well, thank God for the common. If you're on my diet you'd be
reduced to the common.  Leave all your refined starches and all your
refined sugars and all that junk out in the garbage tin where it
belongs, I still I still have don't have that feeling tremendously good
over it. You know, a little rigorous at times, but it's a whole lot good
for me. So, it's time to shake off all this falderal [mere nonsense]
that Bro. Branham tried to shake off. All these things that have been
brought in by creed and dogmas, and all these... like come back to a
simplicity. 

23.	Foot washing is very important. And by the grace of God tonight
there'll be not one of us leave this building, but somehow, someway
having participated in the command of Almighty God we going to leave
here in a prosperous condition more than we came. You say, "Well, I
believe that." You believe it, you'll have it happen to you. You
believe, it'll happen. 

	Said right here: "He that receives whoever I send, receives Me." [Jn
13:20] It's got a lot to do with Him right here. Got a lot to do with
the prophet and the Logos. You see, it's strange isn't? I don't think
I've stretched any Scripture, because I...moved in context.

		(21) 	(Then) Jesus (became) troubled in spirit, and (he) said,
(there's going 					to be some) betray me.

	I'm going to tell you, foot washer is not going to do it. That is a
born again foot washer's not going to do it. And a man who says he's
born again and doesn't wash feet, he's got a little problem. Now you
see, right here I'm linking this thing very, very close to something
that I think by now you should have discovered, and that is women cannot
cut their hair, and people cannot deny foot washing. I wouldn't say that
this is authoritarian, because I'm not in authority. But could it just
be possible that a woman cutting her hair is no worse off than a person
who won't wash feet? They're both commandments. Where are the churches
going?

	"Well," you say, "our church is...they believe right." Well, praise
God. You're happy already, see? 

24.	The Lord bless you, the sun is just going down. Now, we're going to
1 Corinthians 11. Everything has a meaning or God wouldn't do it. Look,
the types and shadows back there in the Old Testament; you couldn't
hitch a mule and a horse together, or something like that. Or a cow and
a horse, or something? I forget all these. You couldn't hitch them
together. You see, I don't remember those things, they don't mean too
much to me. But it shows you, you couldn't take flax and wool and mix
them. Maybe you couldn't mix various cloths, their types of material. In
other words you couldn't mix leaven and things either at certain times. 

	So, we have to be careful now that the Word's been revealed to us. And
if we probe a bit ourselves to have a little understanding, there's no
harm done as long as you do what the Word of God says, and say, "Well is
there something in here deeper than this?" And of course if it's so
deep, you run off somewhere and you know you missed it. But it's just to
the place where you know that, hey, I'm glad I'm doing this, and I'll
just continue doing this. Then I believe that you're on safe ground.

25.	All right. Now, Paul says in [1Corinthians 11:] 23,

		(23) 	For I have received of the Lord...

	Now notice this is revelation. He did not get this from Peter, James
and John, because he did not converse with them till fourteen years
later. Now, he said, "I got this straight from the Lord." And what was
that? That was Jesus Christ, Hebrews 13:8 in a Pillar of Fire. All
right:  

		(23)	...That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed
took 					bread: (The foot washing night.)

		(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. (Now, you're
looking at two things here: 					the broken body and the shed Blood.)

		(26) 	For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, (you
show) the 					Lord's death till he come. (That word 'show' is declare,
or proclaim'.)

	In other words, every time we do this together, we are preaching a
sermon. This is a sermon by example. Now this is one time that everybody
is a preacher in this limited sense. A 'witness' is the actual word. And
the word by the way 'witness' is 'martyr'. The word for witness is
martyr in the Bible. You'll be a martyr if you're a true witness. If
you're not a martyr, you're not a true witness, that's perhaps our
trouble. Where, you know, back where this Laodicean Age, luke- warm, get
hot to where they clobber you. It's not that all easy either to be
clobbered. But do you good though. Knocks off those bad spots. Sands you
down.

26.	All right:

		(26) 	... (You show forth) the Lord's death till he come.  

	Notice, it's showing forth the Lord's death till He come. Now, I don't
believe for one minute that that's 'appearing'. That's 'coming'. Three
coming's in the flesh. Once, He already came, second time we meet Him
immortal in the air, the third time is down here on earth. Okay, God
perfect in three's. Like the Pillar of Fire: Moses, Paul, William
Branham. Yep! Exactly. He said it.

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

	All right, that's an unworthy manner, and Bro. Branham told us about
that when he talked on discernment. And the major force of his Message
on 'discernment' was what kind of people cannot discern the messenger of
God in the hour in which they live? What good if the people take these
emblems?

	"Well," you say, "I believe that's the thing to do." I believe it's the
thing to do. 

	Remember, Bro. Branham said, "Down in Egypt the prophet Moses said, 'We
should take the blood and put it on door post'." [end of side one]

	 ...they said, "Well, Rabbi I believe that's a good thing to do."

	He said, "Don't talk about it, do it."

27.	Okay, then what about taking communion? Once again there is a silent
unobtrusive, yet brilliantly illuminating part of worship whereby, we
are literally witnessing to the Pillar of Fire and the prophet of God.
Because to take unworthily is to lack discernment. Now, I covered
fifteen points a year ago last September on that in Columbus. The major
thrust  was always not recognizing God and where He is at this hour and
what He is doing. 

	So you're taking communion today to really be in the Spirit of God and
in understanding your discernment must be that which is anointed for the
hour. And in this hour when they saw Him identifying Himself, they did
the same as they did when He was here upon earth in human flesh, now in
the flesh, working through the flesh of another man.

	 They said, "Well, that's the devil." 

	And some said, "That's God." 

	Other's said, "We don't know."

	Well, who are they that do know? They that said, "It's God."

	Then who's taking the emblems correctly? Now, we've got some taking
wrong, some taking right. Now what happens when you do it wrong, or
you're the wrong person? Well you...it's out.

 	In other words, the Bride at this point are the only ones who are
truly one with this Word, where It is truly efficacious. The foolish
virgin will wait her turn at the White Throne, but they'll never be in
Bride.

28.	So, you see, the taking of the bread and the wine is much more
important than people realize, because now there's another witness.
You've got one witness, baptize in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Communion. Foot washing. Everyone is a sermon preached. Everyone is
witnessing to the reality of the hour. Luther looked for Life, but this
is the hour that Life came. And when He is our Life Appears, we appear
with Him in glory. In other words, we're manifested.

	This manifest, oh, you couldn't sell the world on it, the World Council
of Churches, or anybody else. You can't sell the Fundamental's on it.
Why they no more believe the Rapture tapes and...come on... there's no
way they can believe it.

	The prophet stood right there, and he said just like Moses. He said,
"Now, you're not going to believe this doctrine I'm bringing you.
Because it's a very strange doctrine, (he said,) I met a Pillar of Fire
out there; He said, 'I'm Jehovah'."

	"Well," they said, 'Just... " Moses knew it wouldn't work.

	"Well," he said, "If I go down there and tell them that they'll only
laugh at me."

	"Oh," He said, "I'm going to give you some signs they won't laugh at.
They laugh at those signs, they're in real trouble."

	And they came out by blood. All right, the Blood perfects the Bride.
The Holy Ghost gives reward robe. And the reward robe is the Word. It's
inner garment. That's why there's no conflicts. It's in there, hidden
from everybody else, but the Bride and the Lord.

29.	All right, we come to the place then where we discern, the
examination is been... say, "I'm in the Message."

	"Well," he said, "you're not feeding on the body word of a man, you're
feeding on the Body-Word of God. You're drinking of that cup of life,
the Life's here, Token only comes in the evening time, you're not doing
it unworthily, so therefore, there's no condemnation now to them."

	Now, you can be condemned at the Lord's table without discernment. Now,
this gets very sticky at this point. And I use that word maybe a little
inadvisably, but it becomes not tripe, but it comes down there.

30.	What happens if a person takes what the prophet said and changes it?
What if he interprets what William Branham said in the light of his own
understanding? I've heard a tape where a man himself said, he said,
"Look, I studied this Message for... I followed the prophet (he said,)
for (I think he said) ten years. And I've studied this Message for eight
hours a day." And he said, "Anybody that tries to tell you that the
Baptism with the Holy Ghost, and re-birth is one and the same thing
doesn't know what he's saying."

	And yet he knew that I sat with the prophet four and a half hours in
his very position arguing that they were different. To find out they
were one and the same thing. I want to ask you a question: where does it
put you?

	Now trying to hurt anybody. Because, look, I'm a fallible person,
you're fallible people here. We better be careful. And this tells us
here, if we are right we are not drinking condemnation, we are drinking
commendation. We are eating commendation. Now, God is not going to come
down and kill us. Let me tell you one thing though: Mt Zion is right at
hand. It's right at hand.

31.	So, we don't drink condemnation. Now he said:

		(30) 	...many are weak and sickly...  

	That's why Bro. Branham could say, "If you only knew who I was, you'd
all be healed." 

	Now, let's apply it to this: I'm getting on ground that I like, but I
hope that I can keep walking, because we could walk out of here healed.
Because I believe the prophet and I believe That God. [points to the
picture of the Pillar of Fire] Because if you don't believe the Word of
the hour, I don't care how good that Word was, It isn't. That's right.
Because he said, "It's wiggle-tail."

	Oh, I know a lot of people were very offended when Bro. Branham said
that. But they always want to quote, you know, "The Word of God shall
not pass away..." But quote the rest. "Shall It be fulfilled."[Lk
21:32-33] And if It's fulfilled, it's just a record. If It's got a
compound meaning for compound errors, then It'll be fulfilled in
compound errors.

32.	I like that one: "In that day you'll know I'm in the Father, you in
Me and I in you." [Jn 14:10] That was at Pentecost Bro. Branham said,
right now at the White Throne judgment. I think there's a fourth place
where he said it also. So there we are. I still look out the window
where the sun sets. We try not to do anything wrong here. I could have
said to myself, well it's not too bad if we do it, but it's not right
either. Now, I talk like this to you and me, point the finger at myself
over these things and this Word here, and we try to have it before
sunset. Actually, it was really dark at night. But there 's no word that
we have to come at midnight, or any certain dark hour. We know that
darkness means, the sun has gone down, the sun has set. It's evening
time, so we can partake very, very quickly now.

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

	Now listen, we go back again to this verse of Scripture, and we take It
here where discernment the major thrust of Bro. Branham was, the servant
of God. If you cannot discern the servant of God, the Message of God
with understanding, then you cannot know the Word, it shows you where
you are. The Token has not been applied. The evidence is knowing the
Word of the hour.

	Then he said, "If you then in that position, eating and drinking...,"
he said... Look it, if the negative is there and you're sick because
you're wrong, then conversely if you're sick and you come you've got to
be healed. Because now you're right, for the soul must prosper before
the body prospers. And the soul can only receive light from that gene
that was there as the Holy Ghost is upon it indwelling you, to give you
revelation that comes from the soul to the spirit that goes to the mind.

	Now, first of all it's mind, to spirit, to the soul. Then it becomes
soul, to spirit, to mind. Now, you're working from the outside, to the
inside, then you're working from center to circumference, and
circumference is the body. John said, "You may prosper and be in health,
even your soul prospers." [3 Jn 1:2] Who cares two-bits about the money
part. I know we've seen a certain amount of money, but that's not
relevant. The relevancy tonight falls on where Paul put it. The
discernment which is of God; the interior which is the soul coming forth
into a body. And Bro. Branham said, "A servant of God should have a
healthy body to serve God in." 

33.	Now:

		(30) 	For this cause many are (sick...)

	The discernment is off. Then if the discernment is on, then "if you
knew who I was, then you'd all be healed." 

	Now, It says:

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

	Now, you're right back to foot washing again. You're right back to the
simplistic attitude. Right back in the proper relationship.  

		(32) 	...(we're) judged, (we're) chastened of the Lord, (we're
trained) we 						should not be condemned with the world. (There again
you see, no 						condemnation.)

		(33) 	Wherefore, my brethren, when (you) come together to eat, tarry
one 					for another. (I like that thought, because it borders on foot
washing 					again.)

		(34)	...if any man hunger, let him eat at home; (and so on.) 

	The Lord bless you. I think it's about time we could have our service
continue with the communion and foot washing. 

	Let's bow our heads:

	Heavenly Father, at this time we come to You, Lord, at this...like a
late hour, the prophet said late hour, symbolized by the sun going down.
The rays of light departing from the earth, but thank God there's an
after-glow so many times. And that glow is in our hearts, Lord, though
it was dark, it's not dark within our hearts because it's been
illuminated.

	So Lord, as we partake tonight, we partake on the grounds of what we
have talked about is in Your Word. And, Lord, we believe we have said
maybe not everything perfectly right, but we know we've said something's
that are right and they lend toward a faith in Thee, O God, and
therefore in this faith we are rising because faith builds us up, until
there's a Rapturing faith to take us away. We've got, Lord, a
Shout-faith at this time, we're grateful for it. And right on the same
plain, there is this Resurrection-faith that we know comes out of the
Shout-faith, and out of the Resurrection a Shout-faith, there comes a
Rapturing-faith. All really one, but it's a progression. And, Father,
tonight we believe that we're progressing now to the point where in joy,
in love, and just reveling in Your goodness, in Your marvelous kindness
to us, Lord. Your amazing grace, You're seeking favor with us, Lord. 
All of these things You've done until we just wonder, O God, how could
it be. 

	We believe, Lord, tonight that something is happening in us and to us,
Lord, where in now as  we go into this service of taking communion and
foot washing, happy are we, prosperous are we, and the revelation
becoming greater. And we because of revelation doing this as never
before. Evening Light has come, the way's illuminated, Lord, walking in
the Light as Thou art in the Light, having fellowship one with another.
The Blood of Jesus Christ cleansing us, not only now, living in the
Spirit, but walking in the Spirit enjoying in Thee, Lord.

	Take away all of our sins tonight, Lord, all unbelief. Help us, O God,
there be not one vestige left but total separation. A total revelation,
Lord, because it is here. Not because of us, Lord, we know that, but You
brought it here, and You brought it for somebody, because that's what
it's all about. And we claim the portion tonight, Heavenly Father.

	Let not one person, Lord, in this service depart this service, but has
been built up in the most holy faith, and leaves here prosperous and
happy in Thee. And not just in the sense we want to be better
Christians, but we are more mature, and more understanding, more what
You want us to be.

	And unto Thee we shall ascribe Thee honor and the glory in Jesus' Name.
The Lord bless therefore the elements of the bread as we partake. We
just don't know how You do these things, Lord, but we know that You do
them. We in faith taking that broken body, drinking the wine symbolic of
shed blood. It's also doing It's great work.

	These things, Lord, we now stand here and see the people partake, stand
guard, O God, look to Thee for the help that lies, Lord, in the Spirit
of God moving in the Word, moving in us, and we becoming that Living
Word.

	We give you the praise in Jesus' Name. Amen. 

		 

 

 

 

 

  

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