"I have a church and people who I pastor, but there is a group of persons who do as they please, come to church late and when they want to. They are not active in anything in the House of God: prayer, the Word, reading the message, and many more things. What is their spiritual state? Are there people like that in other churches?"

Answer: Yes pastor, I must admit that I have some like that too. We are not all together spiritual, and like the prophet of God preached, there are three kinds of believers. So the answer to your question is, "Yes, there are other people like that in all churches where the Word of God is preached, and where the Word of God is not preached you could have all of them like that." Let us deal with this little group for a few minutes.

Generally, in every church, there is a group like that. The question you're asking is, "What is their spiritual state and why do they do this?" This little group is sitting in almost every church. I will describe some of them: They come to church late and leave early; nobody could convince them to do otherwise. They are not active in anything in the House of God: They don't care to learn music, they don't care to sing, they open their mouths when they want, and they have no 'amen' to say. If you have something going on in the House of God, like work, a special prayer meeting or a special service, they choose the days that they want to come and they pray when they want to. They don't care about carrying out instructions that are given from the pulpit. They have their own styles of dressing and of running their homes. The man does what he wants, the wife does what she wants, the children do what they want, and if the deacons, the ministers or brethren speak to such people, they are offended, and also brethren are afraid of them. They will allow their children to dress how they want and come to church. Those children will be inside the service disturbing other people, and if you talk to them about those children they are annoyed. "What is the spiritual state of such people? Are they devils Brother Bruce?" That is not altogether how you know the devil, preacher. You don't judge people like that.

The spiritual state of such people are, number one: They are not yet fully convinced of the Word of God, and you can find the answer to this question in a whole message of Brother Branham, called: "Convinced and then concerned." If you are convinced about something then you will be concerned about it. Such people heard about salvation, heard about a hell and they don't want to go to hell, but they want to go to heaven for nothing. Do you know that there are some people who like freeness and they don't decide to pay for nothing? Such people are soul-sleeping. They have not heard the revelation but they heard the Word of God as mental believers and sit in the congregation hoping that they don't go to hell and hoping for the best. They are not convinced of the Word of God. If they were convinced they will be concerned: to listen to a tape, to ask an advice, to ask how to change their lives, to dress right, eat right and live right, because, they know their spiritual condition.

Brother Branham described them as people who toe the line. That is an American expression. He said, "You are toeing the line, or border line believers". They are not concerned about a prayer meeting, they are not concerned about the Word of God and their souls are sleeping. Now such people, you preach to for years: message after message… With every message that the minister preaches, he is hoping that at least some of these people that are soul sleeping will wake up. They walk out dry and the next time he sees them, they come back dry. It's a horrible thing. He preaches another message, preaches another month, preaches another year and he preaches for two years and those people never grew. I will call them spiritual midgets-they never grew. So they sit in the House of God and they never grew because they are not born again. If you are born again you will grow. If a seed shoots forth its bud, it will continue to grow. If a sheep is born, it has got to grow. It will eat food and drink water and it will grow and put on wool. So pastor, the thing is, they are spiritual dwarfs, spiritual midgets; and you as a pastor, are helpless before that group to do anything about it. That group will go on just like that until the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and it will show up at that time, when they cannot receive the token. They will come to you at that time. The rapture is going to leave them, and then, they will be called the foolish virgins or the sleeping virgins.

People will hear and hear and hear. You say, "What causes that?" It starts from the root - they are not fully convinced of the Word of God. "Preacher, what to do about these people?" Be careful how you handle such people. Those people have a certain mental conception of Christianity, eternal life and salvation. If you go as a pastor, and try to deal with them like another saint of God that is really after the Word of God; they will blow up in your face and they will spread rumors about you and your family. "How to handle them?" Let them go on. There isn't anything that you could do. There is unbelief in their hearts. They are skeptics of the Word of God. Those are the people who when they could get a little rumor on another brother, they will spread that. When they get something on the Pastor and his family, and the Deacons and their families, they will spread that. "Why do they do that preacher?" They are doing that in order to find somebody to be classified with. You see, a heart that doesn't have the right purpose, if they commit adultery and they are disciplined, they are happy when somebody falls in adultery. In other words, 'It's not me alone.' So the more people who commit adultery in the House of God, it's better for them. That's a nasty attitude. That soul is not after eternal life. Out of that group are going to come forth your foolish virgins, and sad to say,amongst that group is the seed of the serpent, that cannot hear the word of God.

Jesus said 'Why can't ye hear my words? Even because ye are not my sheep."

Out of that group of people who don't care anything about what goes on in the House of God, don't care to come and clean their seats, don't care to borrow a tape or read a message, don't care to correct their grumbling spirit and fussing attitude (For years upon years they will pass judgment upon their brothers and sisters and say who is a devil, which Minister is a devil, which Deacon is a nasty man and which young woman is a nasty young woman, and go on for years upon years, and call their brothers and sisters 'devils') and don't even care if you go to hell… Friend, it's a bad sign. Out of that could be the foolish virgins or the seed of the serpent.

"How do you distinguish the seed of the serpent from those that are really soul-sleeping?" Anytime you see somebody starts blurting out criticisms against the word and against the ministry, starts fighting the saints of God, and starts hating that preacher, it's a sign of a seed of the serpent. Unbelief is the seed of the serpent. I said, "Unbelief is the seed of the serpent." That's the first seed that the serpent planted in Eve's womb - Was unbelief in God's Word, and Cain was a product of that unbelief. So you bring forth, a certain fruit of unbelief.

Quote: E-36 "There's no other sin but unbelief. It's not a sin to do things like drinking and smoking and gambling and prostitution. That's not sin. That's the result of sin, the reason you do that is because you are a unbeliever. See? That's the attributes of sin." (Inner Man 53-1212).

So now, out of that group that don't care anything about what is preached, what is said, the advice, the labors, the love manifested, and those same people would look around and see all the other brethren are desperate, serving the Lord, trying their best, fasting, praying, that is not their concern. In other words, "They are good enough." With that attitude, they go to hell.

Sometimes the Lord in his mercy, if they are children of God who are soul-sleeping, chastens them. Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth. The Lord might bring a certain judgment on them; all kinds of judgment. He will bring death in the family, to strike that whole family. He takes one of them to wake them up. A next person there, he might cause a crash with a car in order to wake them up, and in all of that, many times those people don't wake up. But every judgment that the Lord gives to such people, is a further call to wake them up.

Pastor, you don't have to fight. Don't fight with those people. Sooner or later they will leave the House of God, or that outpouring will come and they will miss it. Sooner or later that Rapture will come and these shall be the crying foolish virgins. To be honest with you pastor, some of them are sent there to challenge you, to bind the service, to fight the Word of God, to destroy the influence of the word of God and hinder the children of God. They are ordained for that. They are supposed to be there until the end. What a terrible portion! God have mercy that I am not one of that kind. I know that I am not, because my heart is set on eternal life above all things, and I want to do anything in this life to gain that eternal life. It doesn't matter what it takes and what I have to sacrifice.

You say, So, Brother Bruce, if you were a millionaire and the Lord came here and told you to give away all that money to the poor, would you do it?" Don't ask me if I will do it. You know I will do it. [Congregation says, "Amen!"] My brothers and sisters, without thinking, I will say, "Yes Lord, I give it all to the poor", even because I love life. That is what the Lord tried that rich young ruler with one time. The money was not the problem. He wanted to test him to see how much he loved the Lord and eternal life, because the question was, "What shall I do Lord, to inherit eternal life?" And the Lord started telling him. And he knew that that money was holding on to his heart. He said, 'Go and sell all what you have, distribute it to the poor, and come and follow me.' He went away very sad because he was a rich man. Where is he today? Where is the money? Did he take it where he went? [Congregation say, "No!"] My brothers and sisters, give your heart to the Lord. If you give your heart to the Lord, the Lord doesn't have to request that from you. If he had given his heart to the Lord, the Lord would not call for his money. The Lord wants your heart. In the same way, the Lord don't want your tithes; he wants your faithfulness. He wants you to express your faithfulness and your thankfulness to him. That is tithes paying. So now this is a sick group friend, and a lot of things could be said about this but we go on.

"I love all in my church and I live the life, but some resent, despise, hate, shun, don't talk to me, and never say thanks for the word, the service or gifts I give them. Why is this?

Answer:You have three kinds of believers. Judas followed the Lord for one purpose, and that is to sell him, bad talk him, and never said, "Thanks" and never showed gratitude and appreciation, even because he was a goat from hell and went back to hell. So now, those are goat attitude

A goat has a certain way that it manifests, and sheep have certain ways that they manifest. Naturally speaking, a goat and a sheep cry the same way, they eat grass as usual and both have shepherds. But there are remarkable differences between a sheep and a goat. Notice the character of a goat: It always runs before the shepherd. It will pull you until the day he dies to walk in front of you - Self-led, self-willed. A sheep will follow the shepherd behind. Their feedings are different. You look at a goat; it eats here and there. It picks on certain things. Whatever he bites is blighted. It will eat one bit of grass here, spoil it, run over and eat some other grass and spoil that. Yes. But in the eating of that sheep, he takes all the word of God. A sheep eats from one side clean like if you cut it with a lawn mower. He would feed in the pasture that the shepherd puts him to feed in. He would not run across there and pick on this, pick on that and pick on the next. That's a goat attitude.

We could go a long way talking about the difference between a sheep and a goat. And one remarkable thing is that they make the same kinds of noise, and that goat will behave and cry just like the sheep. If you don't have discernment you will say that, that's a sincere sheep. It's a goat you are really shepherding. So it's not surprising.

Pastor, I believe that you're a young minister. You have got to become tough and forget who despise you, hate you, love you and shun you. You've got to take up the Sword of the King and cut your way through. In every church you at least have one person with that attitude. Jesus had twelve disciples one time, there was one who hated his guts, stole from the money bag, went and sold him to the Pharisees, and he was a traitor. That's the attitude of a goat. They don't talk to you and they shun you. Such people belong to that group that I just spoke about: that serpent seed group, that foolish virgins group, that soul-sleeping group. Even the elect is in that condition and joins that group. In God's mercy, He lifts him up with chastisement and beats him out of that condition.

Question#261:"If a brother or a sister in the church is always talking against the pastor with other brothers or sisters, what should we do to that brother or sister? Should we bring them before the pastor and call for a meeting or should the church excommunicate him or her?"

Answer: A brother or sister who is guilty of speaking against the pastor, is treading on very dangerous grounds and if that party doesn't know then they ought to be made aware of the scriptures concerning this. Numbers 12:1, there was Moses the Prophet of God and pastor of Israel at that time and his sister Miriam, hear what she said:

"And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman."

One servant of God who we have high respect for once said, Moses may have been wrong to have married the Ethiopian woman but it was none of Miriam and Aaron's business to try to correct their brother. If a man of God or a servant of God makes an error it is up to God to correct him, God is big enough to keep him. And sometimes the Lord may allow situations to bring out certain spirits upon people, and for a lesson for us today and the generation that follow to learn how we should conduct ourselves with regard to our pastors.

If the pastor is guilty of preaching heresies and other sins, that brother or sister should leave, rather than remain there and cause confusion

It is important that this scripture be brought to the attention of such person. Also the parties who gave ear to evil speaking against the pastor are just as guilty and need to be corrected if they condoned such and became a part of it. If they heard it, reported it right away and exposed the error then that is their duty. What happens many times is that people's ears liked to be tickled with these things. It is usually something that appears to be a little wrong, that people give their mouths liberty to speak about. So it is necessary to bring such persons before the pastor in a meeting, before witnesses, and let them declare their grievances.

People must understand the seriousness of this offence, and be brought to the pulpit to acknowledge their fault openly to the congregation, begging for repentance. They must be warned openly that others will see and fear and not go that way. And if that person repents then all is well, then you have won someone but if they fail to repent and if they fail to change their ways and their attitude then they must be given a period of time; usually 7 or 30 days to repent or bring forth fruits. And then failure to do so they are put out of the House of God and let that person become a heathen or a publican unto you, because they do not want to be corrected. But first they must be given a chance at correction. (Matthew 18: 15-18)

If in that meeting that person says that they have no confidence in that shepherd, in that pastor, then they should be advised to find another pastor, after their own likeness, because they should not be allowed to sit under this pastor and evil speak him, so they are called to make a decision. You see, people have different reasons for what they say, and if they say that they have no confidence in the pastor then the wise thing to do is find one in whom they have confidence, otherwise they are wasting time and will never grow spiritually.

Evil-speaking a pastor is a horrible crime; you could lose your soul over that. If they're bringing an accusation against that pastor, then they must produce two or three faithful witnesses according to the Message and scriptures before anyone could receive such an accusation. The Bible said, "Against an elder receive not an accusation but before two or three witnesses." They must be faithful witnesses. And the Prophet of God to put weight to that, they must bare witness under oath, that what they are saying they actually heard it. When coming against a pastor, you have got to come with solid backings and if he's in the wrong then he's not beyond correction, he'll be corrected. There is a right way and a wrong way.

Whether that pastor is right or wrong there is a correct way to say anything and it is not right to speak against that minister. And if you find that something is wrong, the best way is to approach the shepherd and say, "I observed thus and thus about you and I believe that it may be wrong and it is troubling me." Now you're not trying to correct him, but you're bringing it to his attention, rather than go and speak to others about it, you go directly to him and tell his fault between him and thee. You may only know part of the story and when he tells you the rest of the story, then you realize that it was not the way that you thought. Now it is a terrible thing to evil speak a brother or a sister, let alone a pastor who is preaching the Truth.

Quote: 348-349 055 "And you people with these saw-blade tempers… that's always spouting off in the mouth at somebody, can't put up, and things like that. Be careful. You're guilty if you speak a word against your brother that's not right, not just. Go around and tear down... You don't have to stick a knife in a man's back to kill him; you can break his character and kill him, kill his influence. Speak against your pastor here, say something bad about him, you just might as well have shot him; told something that wasn't right about him, well, it'll kill his influence with the people and things like that, and you're guilty of it. What Jesus said." (Hebrews.chapter.7.pt.2.church.order 57-0922).

The man of God says if you speak against that shepherd it's like you have shot him, and those are very strong words and I don't think anyone of us want to be guilty of doing something like that.

Quote: E-21 021 "But today, we try to think that we're different. How far it is from His prayer when He prayed that this would all man know that we were His disciples when we have love one for another. And instead of that, we fuss at one another. We despise one another, because we don't agree upon certain things. And we go out and accuse each other... And yet claim to be Christians. I know people who claim to be filled with the Holy Spirit, is guilty of such things, going out and really saying evil things about other Christians when they ought not to do those things. Now brother, sister, when we have that kind of a spirit, we might as well get it in our mind that we're not Christians yet. No matter how much we confess; it's what we possess that counts. We can not be Christians and not love all peoples. We might different with peoples. But Jesus didn't put in and say, "When now, here all you Pharisees, you're all going to hell, and there's no chance for you, because of this, that, and the other, because you are a Pharisee." But He went to them, and He ministered to them, and He helped them. He done everything that He could to help them." (Images of Christ 59-0525).

"I believe all your work on the exposition books. People in my church are always fussing with each other and visitors on doctrine; women also. How should I handle them? Some don't come to church until I am preaching, and criticize other preachers. The same people do as they please."

Answer:Pastor, don't be discouraged, there are people all over the world like that. Some people around the message, fuss, fume and fight with one another on doctrines. I will tell you the biggest problem with the followers of Malachi four; is that they are exposed to, too much knowledge on the Word of God, through the tapes and books, and it has puffed them up, made them intellectuals, and make them think that they know something more than the pastor, more than the Deacons and more than the Prophet. Anytime you have fussing in the House of God, with members, on doctrine, you got to stamp that out as a minister. You got to take your sword and cut the thing down, especially when women will start voicing their opinions. You are having a bad spirit in the service. "How to handle them?" You put some strong measures, especially where visitors are concerned, and they will fuss with visitors, and criticize and condemn the teachings of visitors who come in. You let them shut up, warn them, and if they would not hearken, put them out the church. The devil sends some of them there to destroy souls, while you are trying to win souls for the Lord. There should not be any fussing on doctrines amongst believers. If they have a doctrinal question they need to direct that to the pulpit; to the minister.

"Some don't come to church until I am preaching, criticize other preachers. The same people do as they please." You have these kinds of people. They suffer from a superiority complex. If you have a man doing as he please after hearing the Word of God, and would not come to church to hear the other preachers, unless you, as a pastor, is preaching, it goes to show that he is unspiritual to begin with. If he is not doing what he is supposed to do in the Word of God, he is unspiritual to begin with. So then, the man is suffering from a superiority complex. There are people who come to a business place and just want a little something done, and because of a superiority complex, they will go up there and say, "I want to talk to the general manager." It's a case that don't fit the general manager; "You could see this clerk out here." "I want to see the general manager otherwise I will tear this place up." Now, it's a superiority complex and when people have superiority complexes they think of themselves so highly and say, "I only care to hear the pastor preach." You are manifesting your superiority complex, and in order to show who you are, you criticize the next preacher and the next brother who tries to preach. That's a bad spirit

Do you know that there are preachers who cater to that? There are pastors who cater to that and will tell such a man and such a woman when they are preaching. Don't you know that you are minding a spirit in the House of God, and you don't know that, that same spirit that tries to lift you up, wants you alone to preach and wants to hear you alone is that same spirit that is going to turn against you? I am telling you the truth.

Coming to church does not only involve hearing your pastor preach. It involves coming and sitting in the Presence of God, purging out your soul, coming there and praying for one another, your deeds, your sins, your purging, and when you come to the House of God, you've got to be thinking, "I am coming there to meet Almighty God, not the pastor, and if the Lord uses that little brother to say something or a next little brother to say something, thank God." If that next brother has a certain way of preaching and he has a gift of God that you love, then pray, "Lord, I want to hear my pastor a little more, put a message on his heart?"

Now pastor, the same Brother who only wants to hear you preach, and unless you are preaching he won't come to church, do you know that he exalts himself above you? "How is that preacher?" While the other Brothers were preaching, you were sitting there and hearing the other brothers preach, saying 'Amen', encouraging them and love to hear them preach, but this 'over spiritual' brother did not come to church that day because he only wants to hear the pastor preach. That's a contrary spirit. If the minister could humble himself to sit down and hear the other brothers preach, then there is no sheep more spiritual than the pastor in the House of God, and what that man needs to do is to humble his pride. For all you know, he read some of the message and he heard some of the tapes of Brother Branham and thinks that he has so much revelation, that he knows more than the little preachers over there, and sooner or later he will think that he knows more than you and try to lead his family and others in the House of God.

"I believe the truth you preach. My church had several divisions; some were led away by ambitious brethren who are spiritual, and who were cliquing together."

Answer:This is the moving of the Devil. If you believe the Word of God friend, the devil will always try to beat you down and he will always try to cause divisions just as certain as Judas was in that little group there trying to cause divisions. "Some were led away by ambitious brethren who are spiritual,." No, they are not spiritual; they are unspiritual, and they "were cliquing together". Now, that is how the devil moves. That went on from Genesis right up to our age, and will continue.

The very reason that the church ages were revealed, the seven seals were revealed and God sent a message by a prophet called William Branham, was to edify, strengthen and prepare his servant to detect these spirits moving in the congregation, and unless you have such a revelation and understanding, there would be divisions among you. You must master the enemy, and the best way to master that is to get these books that we are sending out and stay in them.

Question#264:   "Why don't I catch on to Satan's working in my church until divisions already take place?" All seem to be so sincere and spiritual with much fruits of the Spirit, kind, friendly, gentle, smiling always."

Answer:Pastor, you lack revelation on the opening of the Seals and instead of judging every spirit by the Word of God, you judge by how they smile, how friendly they are and how gentle they are. No! You should be judging every man by the fruit of the Word that they bring forth in their lives. If they would not do what you say to the letter, as long as you quote the word of God, that's a wrong spirit, I don't care how friendly how nice they are. Jesus said, "He that loveth me keep my commandments." (John 14:15). There wasn't a smoother fellow than Judas amongst the apostles. "How did you come up to that?" At the supper table, when the Lord said, "One of you will betray me", Judas was such a smooth fellow that none of the apostles suspected that it was him. I believe that Judas had a charming smile. Nothing isn't wrong with a charming smile; I am just telling you about Judas who imitates the true Christian. I believe that Judas was a gentle fellow; I believe he appeared spiritual in such a measure, that nobody could put a finger on his life; he was a slick thief that nobody knew that he was stealing money from the money bag. The proof of this is that when the Lord said that on the table, every apostle blamed his own self and said, "Is it I Lord?" Not a man asked, "Is it Judas?", because he fooled all of them. Hear how slick Judas was. When eleven of them passed by and he alone was singled out, he said, "Is it I Lord?" You talk about a trickster.

Now the simple answer to this simple question is that you lack divine revelation on the Seals, you lack divine revelation on the church ages, and you are going by how nice, how pretty and how much smiles that somebody could smile. That doesn't work. It isn't going to work in this age. You lack revelation on Seals one to four, and you lack reading Exposition Books one to ten, so you better educate yourself. Brother Paul and Brother John could give you a little advice there of the wolves that was amongst the sheep

"For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them." (Acts 20:29-30).

"Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would [no doubt] have continued with us: but [they went out], that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." (1 John 2:18-19).

"Some are always in fellowship with false teachers and backsliders and don't hang around believers saying they must show love; why?"

Answer:If a person is a true Christian they cannot find fellowship with a false prophet, false teachers and backsliders. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice and a stranger they would not follow." Brother Paul said, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14). Anytime you see people hang around false prophets and backsliders, they are not born again, and I will tell you something, they don't fully believe the Word of God, because they say they are showing love by fellowshipping with such false teachers, such goats, such backsliders, and call it love. That is not manifesting love, that is disobedience. There is a long way from disobeying the Word of God and true love. Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15). Did not Brother Paul command in the scripture, that if a man is put out from the House of God and if he is such and such and such, that you aught not to have fellowship with him? (1Corinthians 5: 9-13). Love is within the Word of God, not by disobedience. And some try to show more love than the pastor himself. They are looking for favors and friends. When the pastor and the true saints of God would not fellowship with a man that is put out from the House of God, there are certain people who go and fellowship with them. Do you know what that does? It puts the pastor in a bad light; it puts the brethren in a bad light. They are acting as hypocrites. Many are awaiting the answers to these questions.

Question#266:"If a false thunder pastor of minister meets us should we talk with them or not? If they invite us to their church should we go and attend their meetings seeing that they also believe the message."

Answer:Notice that this pastor or minister is already identified as propagating false thunders to the person asking this question. False thunders is Damnable Heresies. And for young believers all heresies and heretics should be shunned at all cost, and from whatever source they are coming, be it organization or message believers. Heresies and heretics are tools of the devil to bring your soul into bondage to false doctrine and demon power. There's a spirit working behind heresies and those that propagate heresies which is not the true Christ spirit. It is the Antichrist spirit and has one purpose and that is to deceive your soul and take it into bondage. I would say especially for a young believer, shun them at all cost. You may greet them as a brother or a sister and shake their hands, but have no discussion at all, whatsoever on doctrine because you are not strong enough to withstand that antichrist spirit that is upon them. They may be your brothers and sisters who are deceived under such false doctrine, but you are not able to deliver them. To try to deliver them you put your soul at risk. You leave it up to them that when they come in contact with truth and it exposes their heresy that they manifest whether they are genuine believer of this message or not.

Now older believers who are more grounded on the solid truth and recognizes these projections of thunders to be false and of Satan, your job is to withstand these propagators of false thunders. Don't be mini-mouthed, be militant against their errors. And as Jude said, Contend, do battle for the faith that was restored to us today by Malachi 4:5. Don't just body up with them because they are believers of the Message, they have an Antichrist spirit upon them that wants to jump on you. You must see these false thunders along with all other heretics and heresies as the Nicolaitan spirit spoken of in Revelation 2:6, which has one ambition and that is to conquer the church. Back in the Ephesian age, although they recognized the Nicolaitan spirit to be antichrist, they tried false apostles by the doctrines of the apostles and the Word of God and found them to be liars. They could not bear them and they recognized them to be evil. But as time went along they failed, because they became less militant and were not militant enough against that Nicolaitan spirit. Soon they began to tolerate and cater to them. "Should we attend their meetings seeing they also believe the message?" My answer to that question is No. Otherwise, you can find yourself making the same mistake as believers in that Ephesian age. And for your soul safety stay behind the defense of the pure Word of God, don't venture out like Eve.

Now many people refer to those false thunder ministers as believers of the message of Malachi 4. My question is, Just how much of the Message do they believe? You see Satan believes a whole lot of this Bible but he can't take all the Word, and none of us will call Satan a believer of the Word so we could go and have fellowship with him. Once a man proves himself to be projecting false doctrines and heresies you got to recognize the spirit upon that person. He might be a nice person, he might be a nice brother but that spirit upon him is an Antichrist spirit, and has one motive and ambition which is to conquer you and bring you under bondage. That person might be a child of God but you are not in a place to go and try to deliver them. You are not strong enough; it will take something more powerful than you have to be able to deliver that person. According to the Word of God they are perverters of the message and by their damnable heresies they have put many lovely believers behind ten-inch thick bars of interpretations around the world today. So we will wage war against all false thunder projectors, all false thunder ministries who are projecting these errors on the Word of God and these heresies. We're not against the brothers, we're against what they are preaching, and we're against what they are projecting. Whether they recognize it or not, they are doing exactly what the serpent did in the Garden of Eden; giving the original message just a little twist, adding something to the message that the messenger did not say. The serpent added one word NOT and it brought about the fall. Today they are adding a lot of these interpretations to the message and they are causing too many people to be put behind these bars of interpretation.

How did the apostles treat heretics in their day? Peter exposed them as heretics, false prophets and false teachers.

"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be as there shall be, prophesying of our day false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not." (2 Peter 2:1-).

Now these are not people that played with words. The Apostle Peter gave a clear stand concerning heresies.

"Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds." (2 John 1:4-11).

John was making a stand. Not because you say, 'Love one another' it means that you can buddy-up with people who are propagating false doctrines and heresies.

Quote: 83 "Those Ephesians knew that Word as Paul had taught it. They were full of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of Paul's hands. They looked those false apostles in the eye and said, "You are not saying what Paul said. You are, therefore, false." Oh, that sets my heart on fire. Get back to the Word!" (Church.Age.Book.Cpt.3).

Quote: 85-1 "It is the changing of even just ONE word by taking away or adding to it. It is the original trick of Satan in the Garden of Eden. He just added one little word to what God had said. That did it. It brought death and destruction. And in Ephesus, it was just the same. Just a word added, just a word taken away, and the anti-Word, antichrist spirit began to flourish… But fear not little flock. Stay with the Word. Keep that Word between you and the devil. Eve did not do that and she failed. And when the church lets down on the Word she goes into the depths of the darkness of Satan." (Ephesian Church Age).

That is a warning from the prophet of God, that we do not compromise with anybody that is twisting this Word of God because we recognize that is a move of the Devil to take you to the depths of Satan. And if you want to find out what is the depths of Satan, the Nicolatian church, the Ephesian age ended up as the Roman Catholic Church; that's the depths of Satan.

Quote: 93-1 See how it started out in the early church. It was called deeds. Then it became a doctrine. It became the standard. It became the unbending way…"(Ephesian.Church.Age).

Notice something about false thunders and heresies. Even though you have proved them wrong, even though enough Word has gone out, even though enough books on heresies has gone out declaring and showing these people where they have gone off the Word of God, they have become an unbending way…

Quote: "…It finally took over and God was pushed aside. Oh, it started so small, so quietly, so inoffensively. It looked so good. It seemed so sound. Then it caught a hold, and like a python, it squeezed out the very breath and killed all the spirituality there was in the church. Oh, that false vine is subtle. It is like an angel of light until it gets a hold on you." (Ephesian Church Age).

I believe that anybody hearing the words of the prophet will realize and understand why God servant and this ministry take the stand we take against heresies and heretics and propagation of false doctrine around this end-time Message. This is not a new trick of Satan, this is his original trick and the Seals have been opened today to open our eyes unto this trick of the Devil that we be not deceived.

Question#267:"If all the churches are running under the heresies in our area what must I do? Should I remain at home or should I continue to attend in the same church where there is heresy?"

Answer:You can see the predicament of some people. This person is saying that the church that they've been attending and all the other churches in that area have come under these heresies one way or the other. So should he or she continue to attend this heresy church? The answer is NO! because you can't have fellowship there. How can two walk together except they be agreed? You can't grow spiritually there because there's no food to feed your soul. Your soul is in danger of being deceived and coming under bondage. And if you are an eagle you need carcass, you need freshly killed meat, you can't stomach carrion, dead rotting flesh. Every heresy is carrion, and I make no apology. Every single heresy around the message of the hour, around the Bible, around in organization is carrion, is dead rotting flesh; and no eagle, no true child of God can stomach that.

Wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered. You will be like that eagle in the barnyard, you're uncomfortable, you can't stand it. Something in you don't belong there, something in you is yearning, it is crying for that meat with blood in it - The living Word of God, Holy Ghost anointed preaching, the flesh and the blood of the Son of Man revealed; that is what you want, that is what you were born for. And so to find that you may have to journey out of your area, you may have to attend services away from home, and travel maybe many hundreds of miles. Perhaps you may be able to only go to church once a week or once a month but you are better of that way. Once you find that pure Word of God, once you find that carcass the full body revealed Word of God that truth; you'll be far better than staying under heresy. I don't care how close they are to you, how near they are to you, how convenient that is to you; if you are an eagle you cannot stomach it. You see you'll have to 'get up and get' because as much as possible, you should not remain at home.

You want to fulfill Hebrews 10:25?

"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching".

You've got to get up and start searching, your soul is at stake. If you remain under that heresy church you'll never be prepared for the Rapture and you'll never be prepared for the Outpouring. You've got to beg God, you got to pray, and you got to seek God to lead you to that place. You may have to remain home sometimes for long periods. But I want to tell you, if I were you I'll try to find such a church. Search on the net, search the web, and you will find that there are at this point in time, messages and doctrines of the truth that are being propagated. And I don't have to make a boast, but we know that we have the truth of God's word, we know that we have the carcass of the hour; and our messages are available if you want them.

Because you recognized that you have written to the man of God asking these questions. You recognized that there is somebody who knows about the Word of God more than you. So I would say let him feed your soul the pure Word of God and try to secure as many recorded messages from such a ministry as you possibly can. Try to get your family together and listen to tapes that you might grow and be guided thereby. Keep on praying that the Lord will make a way for you to be able to attend a similar church somewhere, that is preaching the truth on the Message of the hour, either by God sending such a minister your way or you migrating to another part of your country for the Word of God sake. Many people have done that? Amongst us have those who came from different places for the Word of God sake, from different parts of the country, they left churches closer to them because they wanted truth. When you find truth there is a price that you will have to pay for it. If you want something genuine then God requires you to pay a price. And whatever it costs you, I will say, pay that price and God will bless you for it. But at all cost, cut ties with all heresies for your soul sake and for your family's soul sake. You need to sit under the Word of God because you cannot be prepared for the Rapture under heresy.

Question#268:"I regularly go for fellowship in one of the churches in Bombay. But there is no church having a good pastor. They are heretics or corruptible and money lovers. What must I do?

Answer:You are correct; if you continue to go to such churches you'll become lukewarm if there is no spirit there. I suggest that you may have to search for a genuine church, even if it means going out of your area to find such a church. You may not be able to attend services as often as you wish but at least you will have a place where you can feel comfortable to serve the Lord and grow spiritually. Try to secure some recorded sermons of the prophet and other true servants of God whom you trust and listen to their preaching. Continue to pray to God that he make a way, and that he lead you to such a church or a pastor. You may choose to migrate to such a place after close examination of his teaching. Spend time reading your Bible, praying. Seek God and he will lead you, he will make a way for you, as he has done for many others around the world who at one time was in such a situation.

If you hunger and thirst after righteousness you shall be filled. Many people who are here tonight and follow this Message today, while in Organization were crying to God. 'God is there not a man somewhere with the truth'. 'Don't you have a servant of God somewhere who is preaching the truth?' And they prayed that prayer with sincerity of heart, and suddenly, God brought them to a servant of God that we have here who is preaching such truth. And one sure thing, when you come to that servant of God, there'll be a witnessing of the Holy Ghost of that truth.

"Some parents beat their children when they give over to the Word and pastor, blame them as being fanatics and keep them away from church. Is this right?"

Answer:This could never be right. Why would a parent do that, when they see their children yielding to the Word of God and worshiping and always talking about the word of God, always listening to the tapes of Brother Branham, always reading the Bible, and consider them to be fanatics? On top of that, hold them in a smart way and keep them away from the House of God, and keep them away from the pastor; why is that? That's a very simple question: even because that parent doesn't believe, they are not convinced of the truth, that person, that Mother, that Father, whoever they are, they are in the natural. And the natural mind cannot understand the spiritual mind. The Lord is giving to that young man or young woman a spiritual mind and it is so far advanced than the natural, carnal mind that is in this parent that they assess that to be fanaticism, cultish and to be going overboard. Do you catch what I mean? [Congregation says, "Amen!"] The carnal mind is a deadly enemy to the spiritual mind, (I am quoting Romans 8:5-8); and they cannot agree. They have two different visions here, two different beliefs here. So now, this parent beats these children when they give over to the Word. In other words, parent wants to guide these children according to their carnal mind. They don't want to get them too attached to the pastor, too attached to the church and too attached to religion. It goes to show that they don't believe. So this is an evident manifestation of unbelief.

Some parents cannot stand to know that their children or their wife have more confidence in another man than them, even because their minds are carnal and they cannot divide the natural from the spiritual. One is natural and one is spiritual. You have confidence in your husband as a natural man, as a natural husband, but then you have confidence in your Shepherd in breaking down the Word of God for your spiritual life. So the carnal mind cannot understand that.

This carnal mind is going to say, "Every day you have to go to the office, everyday you have to speak to the pastor, look how nice you talk to him when you meet him?" That carnal fellow isn't understanding that one is natural, and the other is spiritual, one is carnal and one is spiritual. "I give you your place as a husband, but I don't have confidence in you to lead me to eternal life, because both of us come from Sodom together. Not only that, but, I know some things about you, and I know that you haven't changed very much. You hide and do things in the house here."

So now, this man or this woman, whoever they are, are trying to win the confidence in their children as spiritual, and it can't work. What is the matter with these parents? Their problem is that they are carnal, not born again, out of the Spirit, and they are still checking out the Word of God. They don't believe yet. So because they are not sure about the message of Brother Branham that they are hearing, is why they don't want their children to get too involved, because 'it may turn out wrong.' Do you see that? How many caught that? [Congregation says, "Amen!"]

If you believe this Word of God, you want all your children to be deeply involved, "hook, line and sinker" in that Word of God. So it's an unbeliever, a skeptic of the Word who deals with their children in that way and don't want their children, their wife or their husband to loosen up to the Word of God, because they are not sure about what they are hearing, and they are testing out the thing still.

Question#270:"A woman who has plenty dollars, sends her son to work where no church believes the message; is this a money spirit? After years she is trying to prove the message."

Answer:Yes my brother, if she has plenty dollars and will take her son, and sacrifice the soul of her son and send him away from the Word of God to work for money, after she has enough money, then something is wrong with that soul, and the simple answer is that money has blinded her eyes, as it blinded Balaam's eyes, and as it blinded Judas' eyes. That money could be a block in your heart that you cannot receive revelation. Materialism could be a block in your heart that you cannot hear the Word of God and cannot give over your spirit to the Word of God. I am telling you the truth. A block of materialism, wealth, riches. Did you see what it did to the rich young ruler? Do you know what blocked his heart? Riches. Jesus tried to remove the block and He couldn't. God manifested in human flesh came down and tried to remove that block.

Some people love money more than their own soul, more than their wife's soul, their children's souls, and they will go after that money until they die and leave all to the government. It's not that a man don't have enough to survive upon. It's greed. This woman has a greedy, money loving spirit, to sacrifice her teenage son's soul and send him away from the Word of God to work for money, and she isn't saved as yet. She's not born again and does not have the Holy Spirit. The Bible says, "With contentment is great gain", and let us be contented. The Bible said that if you have food, raiment, and you have these little necessities of life, let us be contented therewith.

Question#271:"Please help me to identify a spirit? A man let his son talk to me and he hid in a room to hear how I will answer a question about certain things that he disagreed with from the pulpit. I look at the son as a hypocrite, am I wrong?"

Answer:No I do not believe that you are wrong pastor. If a man is a man, a brother seeking after life and he thinks that something was said wrong from the pulpit, I believe that he must be man enough to come to you as a shepherd and say, "Pastor, the way that was said, I disagree with it", and ask for an explanation. But this is not the case here. This man setup his son, while he hid in the bedroom. I assume that he invited the pastor over and asked his son to ask the controversial question that they disagree on, and he would not come out and say, "My father sent me to ask you this question", but said , "Pastor, you said so and so, and I really want to find out how you said that? I am really seeking the Lord for an explanation. I didn't understand you properly." The father was locked up in the bedroom, I will say, like a woman, and was listing to the conversation. So these two people are like Ananias and Sapphira, and they agreed together to deceive the pastor, and that is not Christian-like. This minister, from that time, he looked at that son as a hypocrite; and indeed he is a hypocrite.

Anybody who sets traps for their shepherd, for a brother, a sister or a deacon who is standing, and who with all good intention tries to preach the Word of God to them, and will set traps and snares to stumble the man of God, is a hypocrite, and if you remember, that is a Pharisee spirit. So that Pharisee devised questions very smoothly and nicely as if they wanted to learn, and then they sent men unto Jesus and said, "Good master…", pastor, "…shall we pay taxes to that wicked man called Caesar?" Jesus said, "Ye hypocrites!" He knew those play actors. "You hypocrite! You're play acting, and you want to find out if you should pay taxes?" But Jesus discerned that they had a trap set for him, and He said, "Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." (Matthew 22: 19-21). Oh yes! So he shut their mouths. And many other times in the scriptures they set traps for the Lord, and they came one time to him and said, "There was a woman who married seven men, one after the next, and all died. Whose wife is she going to be in the new world?", and many other traps. And the Bible said that he answered all their questions and they came to Him no more.

So now, you have people like that still alive. The Pharisees are dead but the spirit of the Pharisees is in religious people. Remember one time they set a trap for Brother Branham, three hundred and fifty ministers, and the Holy Spirit revealed it to him, and he exposed all of them. So there are people in the congregation who set traps for the ministers and they appear to be genuinely seeking advice, and help and seeking a loan, and then they go out and tell everybody how mean the pastor is, "he did not help me to buy that motorcar or give me a loan", and all such things. I cannot disagree with this brother who thinks that this young man is a hypocrite. Here is the unbelief of the father, and the father anointed the young fellow with that unbelief to set a trap for the man of God. If his father knew where he was standing he would approach the man of God. Yes. That's a dead hypocrite.

One time I was speaking to a man. I knew he had a long tongue wife who always pries into his business and he is a figurehead man. Everything he done he had to ask his wife to sanction it. So I was talking to him on the phone and the Holy Spirit revealed unto me that the woman was on an extension phone listening. So I spared my words. I wanted to prove what the Holy Spirit revealed unto me so I kept on talking to him and sparing my words. I said, "Okay, I'll see you. Bye." He could not put down the phone; he wanted me to hang up first. So I said, "Okay." He was waiting for me to put down the phone. He said, "Okay, bye." But I was not hanging up at all. He said, "Bye." I said, "Bye." He got so tired until he put down the phone, but I am waiting to hear the extension phone put down. So I waited and I heard, "Clack, clat" He hung up and then a next phone hung up "Clack, clack." I said, "His wife was on that extension phone." So you have these kinds of tricksters.

Beloved, if unbelief is coming on your father, don't let the devil anoint you, if unbelief is coming upon your wife, don't let that unbelief anoint you as her husband, if unbelief is coming upon your parents, don't let that devil anoint you through them, and plan tricks for the servant of God. It is a terrible thing to try to deceive a servant of God. Read in the scriptures and you will see what happened to people who tried to deceive the servants of God. Do you remember the case of Gehazi? Gehazi ran after Naaman to collect money and he came back "And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither. And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants? The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever." (2 Kings 5: 25-27), and the curses of the lord came upon Gehazi immediately and he went out of Elijah's presence white as snow; Anytime they talk about leprous white as snow it means that it is in its full and worst stage. So you don't ever try to deceive anybody and much more a servant of God.

"This same man preaches to his family after each service, showing them the flaws in each message, but he believes the message. Why?"

Answer:Now, something is wrong with the discernment of this pastor. If a man believes the message he cannot act like an unbeliever to the Word of God. This is what is happening around the message worldwide, people bear fruits that identify them as unbelievers in the Word of God, and they pass it off as just a little mistake. This is where the great mistake is laying, that they cannot discern the devil. Anytime you see a man start spewing unbelief from his mouth, it's a terrible thing. Anytime he sets traps to catch you in your words, that is a Pharisee spirit. And anytime a man will speak evil of the message after it is preached, and starts showing the faults, flaws and all that goes with it, to discredit the minister and discredit the message, there is something wrong with his spirit. If he is man enough, he will come to the pastor and say, "You are wrong here; I have the Word of God and let me expose you." But he knows that he don't have the Word of God, therefore he has to work as a nicolaitan devil, as a white horse rider, as the serpent in the Garden of Eden in the absence of Adam and the absence of God. So he has got to bring his unbelief and anoint people with his unbelief in the absence of the pastor and without the pastor hearing. That is how you discern these demons.

Question#273:"Under what condition is a member dismissed and believers should not fellowship with them?"

Answer:: Very simple. If they commit sin and they refuse to repent, they are given a space of time (seven days, to thirty days) to repent, and if they don't repent they go out of the church until they could make that right. That is scriptural order.

"To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump… Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person." (1 Corinthians 5: 5-7, 13).

Some people might make a fuss and say that Jesus said to show love. Hear what Jesus said. You think he was some kind of sweetbread preacher? Jesus said, "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone…But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 18:15-18). He is loosed from under the blood, he is put out of the church. And hear what Jesus said, "let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican." From that time on that he don't listen to the church, he is a heathen and he is a publican.

How do you treat a publican and heathen? You don't have any fellowship with them. "Hello." "Right." "How are you doing? The Lord bless you." "Right. Amen." Yes! That is Jesus' doctrine, anybody that is dismissed from the House of God, refuse to hear the Word of God and refuse to be corrected, then they are dismissed and you have no right to fellowship with them.

"And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother." (1 Thessalonians 3:14-15).

If they tell you good morning, say, "Good morning." "Hello, how are you?" "I am fine and holding on with the Lord." You aren't going to fight in public if he says. "I have some things to talk over with you." say "The only business that I have to talk over with you is repentance; nothing more. If you want to repent, I could make the appointment and tell the pastor that you want to repent." Buddy up, fellowship, eat, and drink? We have nothing to do with that.

Anybody that does those things, after a man is dismissed from the House of God, is a dead hypocrite." Jesus said to consider them as a heathen or a publican. That settles it for me. Oh yes! However, there are different middle lines to it. So those are the conditions under which they are dismissed. (1 Corinthians 5:5-13 & Matthew 18:15-18).

Question#274:"If a brother is absent from church whose duty is it to go after him?

Answer:We assume that this question refers to a situation in which the brother has discontinued attending services and not merely an absence of one or two services because of sickness or of being away on a trip. We also must assume that the person has not left the assembly because he is an heretic according to (I John 2:19).

The children of God are likened unto sheep. Sheep must be led. They must be cared for when they are sick or injured; and they must have someone to go and bring them back if they go astray or become lost. A true shepherd is qualified to handle these responsibilities through training and experience and through the spirit that is in him. Brother Branham had much to say about sheep and the shepherds that are to care for them. He said:

Quote: "As long as God's got a sheep, God's got a Shepherd to lead that sheep. How happy we should be; God's sheep led by God's Shepherd." (The Good Shepherd of the Sheep, 57-0308, Par. E-15)

Quote: "If you ever seen anything helpless, is to get a sheep lost. When a sheep's lost, he just simply can't find his way, that's all. He will just stand right there and bleat till the coyotes get him or something; he's just lost. He's helpless. And that's the way a man is. When you're lost, Brother, I don't care how much reforming you try to do, you're absolutely helpless until the Shepherd come get you. You can't save yourself." (God's Provided Way, 53-1201, Par. E-20)

The prophet, Isaiah, said, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way." (Isaiah 53:6)

Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep." (John 10:11-12).

What are the duties of a shepherd? A good shepherd must have the welfare of his sheep before him at all times. He must be ever watchful for enemies that try to attack the sheep and defend the sheep from such attackers and must be willing to face great dangers confronting the enemy. The shepherd, David, it will be recalled, was diligent in caring for and protecting his sheep and was able to kill a lion and a bear using only a sling. He must bind up and treat the wounded and sick sheep; he must search for and bring back any lost or trapped sheep; and he must love them and earn their trust by sharing their lives. (Greek Lexicon of Strong's Concordance)

Quote: "The shepherd can't afford to lose the sheep. That's the reason, you backslider tonight, He's still hanging around your heart, trying to draw you back to the fold… you backslid and went out there and got all butchered up and wounded up in your spirit. But He still holds around you all the time, 'Come on back, wandering sheep. I just can't afford to let you be lost.' Maybe the little sheep that He had to go way out on the mountain to find, all through the place, maybe you're that sheep tonight, laying out there wounded somewhere. But the shepherd can't afford to lose one sheep." (Shepherd of the Sheepfold, 56-0403, Par. E-39)

Quote: "The lamb doesn't have any great minds of its own. A lamb is one thing, when it's lost, it's hopelessly lost. A sheep can't find its way back. That's the reason the goat leads it to its death. It can't find its way, a sheep that's lost. That's the reason God likened us unto sheep. When we're lost, we are lost. There's no way we could find ourself. And there's only one way to do it; that's submit ourselves to the Shepherd of the flock and He does the leading. (The Church and Its Condition, 56-0805, Par. 39)

Jesus said, "What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders rejoicing." (Luke 15:4-5).

Quote: "So minister brothers, I'm sure with you this morning. I'm trying to hunt out that last sheep. When the last one comes in, then the Shepherd will close the door." (Easter Seal, 65-0410, Par. 2-3) (I Peter 5:1-4)

I think it is clear that it is the duty of the pastor, the shepherd of the local assembly, to go and bring back to fellowship a brother that has gone astray. If the congregation be large and it is not possible for the pastor to personally go out and restore those who have become entrapped and separated, then there should be trained elder ministers who have the spiritual welfare of the people at heart who can go and bring back those who have erred or grown cold.

There could be a situation in which a Christian, for some reason, has decided not to serve the Lord. Brother Branham told of such a person in a sermon on "Hebrews Chapter 6" (57-0908E, Par 239-467 to 240-477).

Quote: "He started going down. He got sick. See? God couldn't speak to him. I warned him. I done everything I could. Brother S____ went to him and warned him. Everybody tried to do everything they could for him. Still he just shook his head. What happened? He took sick and died. That showed that he was a saved man. If God could not make him-bring him in obedience, He'll have to take him out of the earth and bring him home. That's exactly what the Bible said. That's what the Bible promises. If you won't stand correction, you've got to come on home. So God cannot lose you after He's saved you, but He can shorten your days here and make you pay for every sin you've done. So if you sin, you're going to have to pay for what you've done. Just remember that."( Hebrews chapter 6 57-0908E).

We won't go any further. Let us all stand.