"The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder." (1Peter 5:1-4).

Question#154: "What is the pastor's position in the church; please describe his duties?"

Answer:My brothers and sisters, the answer is, he is the head of the local body, the assembly. And we are going to pick him up shortly and deal with this pastor man and his misconduct and his do's and his don'ts, his misbehaviour and his control of the money and greediness for the people's money. He is a trouble man in the church of God. So that is going to run right in line there to show you the do's and the don'ts of the pastor in relation to the sheep of God.

1 Peter chapter 5:1-4 declares the duty of the pastor or any minister. That was brought out in a very lovely way after the resurrection of our Lord in twenty-first chapter of the Book of John, where the Lord asked Peter, who had the keys to the kingdom of God: "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?" He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs." He repeated it three times. And he said, "Feed my sheep." That's the duty of the minister. The sheep are the big ones and the lambs are the small ones. So not only feed the older people in the faith but also the little ones who comes into the faith. So the duty of the minister is to see that his congregation is well fed with the Word of God. In so doing he proves his love to God. If a minister is not doing that he is not proving his love to God.

Quote: E-6 "Really, "pastor" comes from the word, "a shepherd, a feeder of the flock." And they are pastors, shepherds."(Faithful Abraham 61-0312)

Quote: 31 " It's the duty of we as pastors to see that this flock is fed and fed right, because God Almighty will require your blood at our hands. At the day of the judgment we'll answer for you. So seeing this great tremendous responsibility that's placed upon us, and God has given us people who love us and come to hear us, then we should spend our time constantly watching for your souls. And when the first little thing we see raising up that's not right, it's our duty to come to that person, because we are shepherds watching that sheep. And if I see that sheep eating on a weed that will kill it, I better drive it away from that weed." (You Must Be Born Again 61-1231m).

The only way that a minister can prove his faithfulness towards God and the congregation is to feed them with the Bread of Life that came down from heaven. Not fellowshipping, eating, drinking, partying and visiting the homes of the brethren eating and drinking. There is also a commandant: "And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house." (Luke 10: 6-7).

A minister is bound under certain vows, a Nazarite vow, to keep himself holy unto the Lord, committed to Christ and to the sheep under his care. He cannot do as he pleases and what he wants. He is a prisoner of the Lord Jesus Christ and that was demonstrated in the ministry of Brother Paul when he wrote, "Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ." (Philemon 1:1) He was a prisoner, both naturally and spiritually.

Acts 20:28; this is the last charge that Brother Paul gave unto the Ephesians: "And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church. And when they were come to him, he said unto them…Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." (Acts 20:17, 18, 28).

In 2 Timothy the fourth chapter Paul charged Timothy to preach the Word. That's the best scripture that I can think of for the duty of a minister. He said, "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." (2 Timothy 4: 1-4).

So the duty of the minister is to stay in the quietness of the Spirit, in contact with the Lord, away from the general crowd, staying alone with God to find His will, to find His word and to find the truth that is needed for the congregation at that special season.

Quote: E-12 I just like to stay in the sweetness of His Presence, and then enter the room, then just do what He tells me to do. See? That's right…I think ministers should do that. It's not be out on parties and mixing up with peoples in a social affairs, I think we ought to stay in the quietness, in the Presence of the Lord. And that's tried to be a practice of mine, to enter in every afternoon at three o'clock, and then talk no more until I enter the pulpit that night. (Confirmation And Evidence 62-0621e).

Quote: 38 "How many, wonder, we're thinking of just now of great men, great servants, who God has used, and finally comes to a place till they feel that they know so much about the Word of God, till they don't even have that time off to pray no more. It's always social visits, visit somebody, go out to dinner. And the time that they should be spending with God alone, alone in preparing to come out in the sweetness of the Spirit before the congregation, they're out somewhere with some entertainment. You can't serve God and man at the same time. God's servant should be an isolated person to Him only. If we could only let the people see that.

And then they get to a place they make themselves under obligation, as they meet the people. They meet the people, and there's bound to be a want for this and a want for that. And then the man of God gets his mind all tore up, and he's so tore up when he goes to his room. He begins to study, "Now, if I don't do this, this man will feel bad about it. And this don't do this, this man will feel bad about it." And then when he walks out to the platform, he hardly knows where he's standing; his mind is all tore up, when he ought to have spent that time with God. See? They're not social leaders. A man of God should be dedicated wholly to the service of God." (Influence 63-1130B).

Our Lord also brought that out concerning a faithful shepherd: "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?" (Matthew 24:45). So that bears out the duties of the shepherd. That's his calling and his duty. This is laid out here by the prophet for the age who we can address by many titles; Prophet William Branham; Apostle William Branham; Overseer William Branham; Superintendent William Branham; Teacher William Branham; Evangelist William Branham; Pastor William Branham; and he was the general overseer of all Christianity in the age in which we are living, though he was not accepted by all. He stated here:

Quote: "The office of the pastor is to conduct and act upon any program of which he believes to be according to the plan of God, according to the Word of God, for the Branham Tabernacle. He shall assume supreme authority and meet promoting for the spiritual welfare of the church. He shall be head of the associate pastor, the deacon board, the trustee board, an the church body itself. Acting in wisdom to lead God's saints, manifesting love toward all the saints and their burdens. Conducting himself in perfect servitude, of which God has called and placed him to act upon." (Operations of Church Offices as Were Recommended By Rev. William Branham for the Branham Tabernacle)."

Let that also be for Bethel (The House of God).

The pastor's position is a very serious one and much authority is invested in the pastor. He is the head of the local body. And we want to pay close attention to that statement here "local body." He is not the supreme head of all churches. He is the supreme authority of the local body. That means the church that he pastors in his area, in his town or wherever that church is. So this is borne out in many quotations.

Quote: E-58 "Look, the highest order in the Bible for the church, the local church is the elder… Elders is what's the head of the church, every church." (Earnestly Contending For The Faith 53-0614a).

Quote: 291 "What does a elder mean?... "Elder" means "the head of a city or the head of a tribe." An elder, "the head of something." Brother Neville right now is an elder to this church. What is he? He's the head of this local body. See? And the mayor of the city would be the elder of this city... You remember back in the Bible times, the elders of the city? "Elder" means "the head of a city or the head of a tribe." (Rev.Chap.4.Pt.2.24.Elders 61-0101).

Similar quotations can be found on: "India Trip Report 57-0126b, Hebrews.Chapter.5.And.6 57-0908m, Hebrews Chapter 7.Pt.2 Church Order 57-0922, Church Order 58-1006, Just One More Time Lord 63-0120e, An Absolute 63-0127." Those quotations deal with the authority of the elder or pastor in a church. At times this pastor is also called a bishop, so those words are used interchangeably, and you have variations of elders, variations of bishops, and then the pastor, however, is the full and complete authority of the church. As stated by the prophet of God, he is the head of the deacon board, trustee board, he is the head of the music, and the entire body of Christ, even because that Shepherd will give an account to God for every thing that is done in that assembly.

There are lots of powers that are invested in a pastor or a Shepherd in his own assembly. He is over the tithes; he is over the offering and all the monies in the church. It does not matter what office they hold, they cannot spend one penny without the authorization of that pastor, even because he will be held accountable for the tithes and the offerings that comes into the church, and on that day of reckoning, he must give an account of how that money was spent. That was God's money and God put him as a steward over that money, and he must give an account on that Day of Judgment before the Throne of Christ, he must give an account of his stewardship.

So much powers are invested in this pastor, and he holds a position of a certain kind, that the other ministries don't hold. He has a lot of power over the sheep themselves. The Apostle comes and does what he does and he is a travelling man, he goes. The Prophet stands up and he prophesies of something that will benefit the church, and he sits down. In New Testament times they did some preaching and exhortation too. The Evangelist passes by and he preaches and goes his way; then the Teacher comes by, and he may be there for several months, he teaches, or he may be in that assembly, he teaches the church, sets the church in order and goes his way, but the Pastor remains with the flock. He is commissioned and commanded by God to take care of the flock. He is dealing with them on a daily basis, each service. The Lord is going to hold him accountable for the welfare of the sheep. If he does not function rightly, and he becomes out of order, then the Lord will remove him as Shepherd, and he will replace into the assembly, Shepherds after his own heart who will feed them: "Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD. And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD." (Jeremiah 23: 2-4, 3:15).

So now because of this pastor's authority over the money, over the people, over young beautiful ladies, over men's wives, over the deacons, over the trustees, over the other ministers, over the music and generally, everything in the house of God, if that fellow who calls himself a pastor, is not born again, anointed of the Holy Spirit and has the right motives and objectives, he becomes a tool in the hand of the devil. And this is where a lot of hirelings prove themselves to be hirelings, because the hireling makes his way amongst the sheep. He acts just like the Shepherd. He seems to be taking care of the sheep and all their welfare, but according to St John 10:12, but when he sees the wolf coming, he leaves the sheep and fleeth, but the good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (St. John 10:11). The hireling has one thing in mind, as we established earlier, and which we will pin down on these questions here. He is concerned about his hire, that is why he is called "Hire-ling!" He is concerned about his hire, not about the sheep but about the hire.

So now you have young girls who have confidence in this pastor. The congregation has confidence in the pastor, they entrust their tithes, their offerings, their daughters, their wives, their children, and their own souls into the hand of that Shepherd, and many times it's a hireling who appears to be a Shepherd. So now there is a way that the Lord gave us to distinguish between the Shepherd and the hireling. There are three main things in this whole study that we are trying to bring out, and that is Shepherds, Hirelings, Wolves, Goats and the Sheep. The Shepherd is for the sheep, and both the hirelings and the wolves are against the sheep. So around the world today, those who call themselves "pastors", the majority are hirelings. You can hear them on the radio begging for hire, on the magazine, over the television and over their pulpits begging for hire. Now this same spirit of organization where we have a bunch of hirelings over in organizations have now come under the message, and many are not true Shepherds, but they came in and joined themselves to the message, like Brother Jude said "certain men crept in unawares."(Jude 1:4). Under the message of Malachi 4, they crept in unawares, but they have that Judas spirit, that money spirit, that spirit that is working in the gospel for money.

A true Shepherd does not come into the gospel to find a job. No! A true Shepherd comes into the gospel because he is called of God, and he feels committed to Almighty God; that is his duty for life. Whether he gets a penny or not, whether he comes under persecution or not, it's something that is born in him, like a true mother bringing forth a baby, she is born for that purpose, she is not looking for a hire, pay nor nothing. No, she was born with that sacred trust of motherhood. She was called to that purpose, so she feels committed. Whether or not she gets a reward when that child becomes an adult, that's her duty, and that is her commitment in life. That's the same thing that the Lord puts down in the Shepherd, way beyond the sacredness of motherhood. That call goes beyond that sacredness of motherhood, and puts a certain affection and care for the sheep, in so much that the good Shepherd would lay down his life for the sheep.

If you find a Shepherd with the wrong spirit, he builds a kingdom of his own, because he has power invested in him, and he will use the same quotations that I have just given to you, in order to build a kingdom. He puts up his great walls of Babylon, and fences out anyone who will interrupt his progress and his hire. Now he puts up those walls and draws his fences, that a fellow like me cannot enter into that assembly, because I will point out the faults, I will point out his hypocrisy, I will point out the failures, and I will tell the congregation about the wrong that he is doing.

Like Brother Peter warned: "Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock." (1 Peter 5:3). So now, what we have today in the form of pastors, are lords over God's heritage. They built their kingdoms and they have become kings and lords over the flock of God. As lords over God's heritage, they draw their fences, build their walls and control the money. So they built up those walls that they might keep the money. They fence in the tithes, fence in the offering, and fence in their own opinions. The congregation is in subjection to their heresies, in subjection to their teachings, and opinion, which is contrary to the system that God set up for the church of Jesus Christ.

In fencing themselves in, they fence the sheep away from those other gifts of Apostles, Teachers, Evangelists and Prophets, that could come in and help the congregation. Now the ministry was not actually designed by Christ to be that way. It was designed that all five offices work together, "for the unity of the faith, for the perfection of the saints." That is what the Bible said in Ephesians 4:11-13. It was not designed for the pastor alone to stand over that congregation, and not let another brother preach, have an associate pastor, other brothers used of God, or not allow somebody with the Word of God who has better knowledge of the message to come in. They fence the thing in, build a kingdom, and then become idols to their congregations. We have seen where they have become billionaires, out of tithes, offerings and all kind of other funds that they solicit from the people. Now when you see that kind of operation, you must know that's a hireling, "by their fruits ye shall know them". (Matthew 7:15-20). Brother Peter is bringing out right here, how that pastor should operate and how that minister should operate. He said that he should operate from a willing heart, not for some kind of gain, not for money, not for the tithes of the people, nor for popularity. "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind." (1 Peter 5:2). This pastor having this authority invested in him, he abuses his authority. He abuses his authority over the money, because he has power over that money to spend it how he wants. That's a terrific thing. He has power over the deacons to put them down or to put them up. He has power over the trustees to do what he wants with them. If they come between him and his regime, he puts them down quickly. Then he has power over the music. If he has a worldly spirit he wants to bring in worldly music into the church. Nobody could say anything. He is a lord over God's heritage, and he will use these quotations that I just brought out there, that "The pastor is the head and the supreme authority of the church", in order to bind the people and hold them under his power, and then if another minister wants to come in there and straighten him out, he blocks the doors. You can see what is happening to the sheep. It goes to show friends that he would allow the wolves to come in. He is not a true Shepherd, he is a hireling!

He abuses his authority on the money; he abuses his authority and defiles the women. When he is caught he goes up to the pulpit, patches it up, and he continues. Now you can see how the congregation will suffer under a, so-called pastor like that, under a hireling like that. Now what causes this, even because we have Shepherds, we have hirelings, and we have wolves within the framework of the Christian church and within the framework of the message, and if the sheep don't have the discernment to discern between the Hireling and the Shepherd then he will hold them under fear, defile the women, take all their money and misspend God's money! We seen that manifested in Judas. Judas was a hireling. He stole that which was in the money bag. Peter was a true Shepherd. Jesus was a true Shepherd and He is still the Chief Shepherd of the flock.

Now on account of blocking off the other offices from coming into that congregation to minister, gave rise to these questions that I am going to answer. I am stating here, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the church of God was not intended by Christ to run that way with a one fold. That pastor brought that down to a one fold where he made himself a lord over God's heritage.

It is true that the pastor is the supreme authority over a local body, yet, God has set other offices for the perfection of the saints, and if those other offices are not allowed in that congregation, the church cannot grow to perfection because the five-fold ministry works together for the perfection of the church. (Ephesians 4: 11-12). So anytime a minister starts behaving in that manner, what will happen is that his capacity could only achieve so much to the congregation and he would deprive the congregation of the other ministration of the Spirit through the Word of God, and he cannot perfect them, even because the five-fold ministry is set there for the perfection of the saints. Alright, the short and long of it is, anytime a man does that he has built an organization of his own; right under the message, a man has an organization. He has organized the people to a certain opinion, a certain thought, yes, and then holds them there under the message in an organization. He is used of the devil to control them.

Now hear these questions that will arise because of such Nicolaitanism. Now out of these assemblies from around the world they have found themselves in a certain spot and these questions that I am going to answer would reflect what is going on around the world in the Message. Now hear these questions and you would understand what happens when a minister becomes self-centred and don't want nobody to use the pulpit as an assistant pastor and don't want associate ministers, has an arrogant spirit, don't want to share the money that comes to the church, don't want to give nobody nothing and wants to become a millionaire. Now people would be suffering under that kind of system and some will take courage to ask questions.

Question#155: "If a difference of policies or doctrine arises between the pastor, elders and deacons, how should we handle this?"

: When you have a system like that and you have one pastor, where he controls everything, shuts out the other part of the ministry that is to come in and help him, these kinds of questions will arise; "if there is a difference between elders and deacons and lay members concerning policies and doctrinal matters how to handle that?" That is a reflection that other offices are missing in the House of God. It shows that these people were taught that the pastor is the supreme authority and nobody could correct him. But I want to state here; as much authority as the pastor has and all what God invested in him, he is not beyond correction. There is some office somewhere will correct him. Somebody is going to rise and correct him.

Now the question comes up, "Who should be dealing with this man?" "If he has a difference of policies and doctrine in the House of God how to handle this thing?" Because the whole thing is just in one man and nobody can interfere. Now do you know friends, that those sheep would be suffering? Over a period of time they would be beaten and threatened into subjection. He'll put them under fear and hold them there because they don't know what they're supposed to know in the Word. So usually a man like that would threaten their souls with "blasphemy." "If you come against me you blaspheme", and holds the people under fear. That is a sure reflection that something is missing amongst the followers of the Message. And I would tell you right here friend; they are lacking apostles. Look and see in your Bibles that when these problems came up in Corinth, Thessalonica and in other churches, letters where written to Brother Paul or Brother Peter and they gave the final word. Regardless of which pastor was standing there and how much authority he had, there was somebody to intervene. So this is a clear reflection that we are lacking the apostles and we are lacking the prophets to come and handle these things in the local assembly. That further proves what I stated before, that the five-fold ministry is not yet set in order.

Now according to the scriptures and the Message, the deacons are not permitted to handle that pastor, he is their head. The Trustee cannot handle him. So this fellow has a "hey-day," this fellow is abusing authority, and would stand up and take these quotations from Brother Branham's message and tell them flat out that, "If you don't like what I am preaching here, get out."

So, he uses that authority even because there is not an apostle set in order to come and say, "Hold it there, wait a minute, I have an input into this congregation." Just like Brother Paul had an input in the Corinth church, and when a man started to live in fornication with his stepmother, Brother Paul wrote a letter, he said, "I am way down here but I have already judged, and you pastors are not doing your job up there with the congregation to put this man out of the church." "I have already judged to put that man into the hands of Satan," even because Brother Paul was the man who formed that church up in Corinth. And the Apostle spoke with authority and then they obeyed him and the man repented in the Second Book of Corinthians, and the Apostle wrote and said, "So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow." (II Corinthians 2:7). That's the order of the church.

"How do we handle this bastard out here, he is a supreme authority?" Well Brothers, whoever asked this question abroad there; God's order is that ministers work in harmony with one another. And the way to handle matters is if there is a question on doctrines and policies is that you must contact a minister who this certain man respects. Take your complaint as deacons and as a congregation to that minister, whether he is foreign or whether he is in the local vicinity, and get other ministers to come and speak to him. Lay out the complaint, get enough quotations, get enough scriptures and bring it before this certain pastor with the help of those ministers, and then tell him what you are supposed to tell him through that minister and then the congregation has a God-given right that if they don't agree with his Jehovah Witness doctrine that he is bringing into the congregation, to vote him out. That is scriptural order. If the congregation so pleases that they want to sit down and hear Jehovah Witness doctrine then it's a matter between them and the pastor. "That is up to you and him," Brother Branham said on the Hebrew Book.

Alright, after the majority voted that they want to hear this unscriptural doctrines of "Blood is off the mercy-seat; Seven Trumpets revealed; Seven Thunders revealed in 1963; Rapture is already taking place gradually; the Millennium is already set up", and in your conscience as a believer or a minister or a deacon or trustee whoever you are, you know that is contrary to the Word of God, contrary to the Message of the Hour, then you as an individual must make your stand, and you must separate from that unbelief.

If those ninety percent with the pastor want that Jehovah Witness doctrine, fine. Don't make a contention in the Church, don't start a fight, don't start a quarrel, don't start a bickering, don't start a fussing, you separate yourselves. Those who want to come out from that ten percent and say, "I will stay with the Message, and I am going to stay with the Word", then let them follow right in line.

Quote: 34-4 "And church member, if your church isn't like that can measure up to God's qualification of His Word, get out of it, and get into Christ." (Choosing Of A Bride 65-0429e).

That's the stand of the Church. If they don't agree with that policy, you don't agree with that doctrine, you don't agree with that man's life, and ninety percent, eighty percent, fifty percent, fifty-five percent vote for that man to still be standing there, you have a choice as a believer, or a minister, or an officer of any kind to leave and go and find green pastures.

"If a pastor is found immoral who should correct him, Elders, the flock, how to tackle him?"

Answer:Now you can hear the cries from behind the fences. You can hear the cries from behind the walls of Babylon, and from that kingdom where the people are subjected to a certain spirit. On this question, "The pastor is found immoral, how to tackle him?" He's a great power to reckon with. You just cannot attack him foolishly. "We tried that before and he made us liars before the congregation. He turned the whole congregation against us, because we caught him with a sister and we brought up the matter, he made us all liars before the congregation, and they persecuted us beyond measure."

This is a hard fellow to tackle. He is a King in his own Kingdom; he's a "lord over God's heritage". How to deal with this fellow? He has power over the money, power over the deacons (the deacons can't talk to him), power over the trustees, power over the congregation, power over the musician, he's bringing in rock and roll music in the House of God because the Spirit of God flew away and he is trying to make up now with rock and roll music, and what he says goes. He goes up on the pulpit and say, "Who don't like the rock and roll music that I bring in here get out and go!" How to tackle this fellow?

There's a lacking, my friends, of the other offices in the House of God. Alright, to help you to understand what I am saying; if such a thing would have happened in the days of Brother Paul, how would they handle that back there? Just the way of 1 Corinthians 5. Some brother was wise enough, to write a little letter, or send a little message to Brother Paul. Oh yes! He said, "Brother Paul something is going on up here, and I don't think it is correct. I am not even a minister, but I observed this thing for the past few months and that is, I seen a certain man crying behind the church, and when I asked him what happen, he said that his son took away his wife, and Brother Paul I brought this to the attention of the elder, the pastor, I brought it to the deacons, and you know what happened? Nothing was done. The man kept on coming to church and the woman also, and after the service you can see them talking together and laughing together and my spirit don't bear witness."

When Brother Paul got that report he bawled. He said "What!" "It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife." (1 Corinthians 5:1). He said, "I'm way down here and I have already judged in my spirit". (1 Corinthians 5:3). Now do you see they had somewhere to go, they had somebody to talk to who they depended on for better judgement, that if the pastor fell or something in the congregation that he would allow, they had somewhere to go and much more for when the pastor become immoral.

Now when they build their kingdoms and put up their fences, the people must suffer under that, because they shut out a fellow like me who calls "black", black, and "white", white. He could not allow me to preach in that congregation. That is why they won't allow me to preach in these assemblies around the country. The first thing I would do is to blaze the clothing that they have on. All these "sack dresses" are reflections of the pastor's spirit.

Quote: E-29 "No wonder women are wearing sack dresses and shorts and things like that; they got preachers and deacons like that. It's a meal ticket, in the stead of a commission from God then." (Sign Of The Time 58-0520).

He doesn't see anything immoral about that. He has "eyes of adultery" the Bible calls it, so he doesn't see anything wrong with that. ("Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin." - II Peter 2:14). Now, but this was the system in the apostolic time; they had somewhere to go.

Here is a minister that is immoral, and they don't know who could correct this fellow. The deacon goes to him and he said, "I want you to know I am the head of this church". Now you are abusing authority. God gave you the authority but you cannot break the Word of God. You cannot do what you want. You must have somebody to correct you, and I tell you right here the Word will correct you, and somebody's got to have the Word. The Word will correct you. The Word is Supreme Authority. Who should correct this fellow? The elders and the assistant pastor have failed. And the other people there have to keep very quiet. How to tackle this man? He is a great giant standing behind the pulpit. A lot of people try to put him in place. One time, the congregation start dealing with this man. It is not the place for the congregation to deal with this man. Something is lacking and it's a lacking of Apostles in the church. I just drew the reference here to show you that if such a thing had happened to a minister or a lay-member that had not been treated in the right way, they would have somewhere to go. They would have somewhere to report. Beloved some of these things are reports, but I am too far away. I am down in the West and they are way off in the East.

Now, because the people missed the Holy Ghost system that God has set up in the church, these questions are arising from assemblies and the sheep of God that are suffering. "What to do with this fellow?" Beloved, the congregation in themselves has the power to put this man away from among them or to let him continue in his immorality to preach to them. Alright, how to handle this situation is try to get a minister, go through this problem with the man, bring all your proofs, prove that this man is a filthy man living in adultery, fornication or whatever and then let that minister know that we want to have a vote in the church, whether the church wants this man to continue as a pastor or not. If the majority votes that he should not continue as an immoral pastor over them then he is put down.

Some of these fellows are so smart, that they tie down the church in their names, the building in their names, the land, the organ, the piano, the chairs, the benches, and the registration of the church with the government. Now when you vote him out, you have to leave. So now that's the suffering of the sheep, but for truth sake, leave him there with everything, worship under a tree or worship under a tent. That's the only way that you would save your soul, but don't let that hireling hold you by any political power, money power, building power, bench power or tambourine power. Leave the church, walk out and worship under a tree, "…we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God". (Acts 14:22).

"If a pastor preaches heresies, does the church has a right to terminate his office or should believers leave the church?"

Answer:Again, arising out of the disorder of the Five-Fold ministry, these questions come from the East to the West. You could see the great disarray amongst the followers of the message. You could see the great confusion, that people who are sincere don't know what to do, ministers don't know what to do, deacons don't know what to do and people that love God don't know what to do. Now you as the congregation alone cannot terminate his office. You need the support of some other minister. Then together with that, you need the support of the deacons in the church. Then you need the support of the elders in the church whoever they are.

Anytime the congregation rises up and starts dealing with that minister in themselves alone, they do not have the capacity to do it. One will say this, the next one will say that, the next one will do this, the next one will pick up a piece of wood, and the next one will bring a gun and say, "Okay, out he goes"; they'll pick him up bodily and throw him on the road, and then he gets the police and throw you in jail. So you'll have disarray, confusion and violence in the House of God. There is an order to do it.

If he is preaching heresy, the first thing you have to find out is what degree of heresies. What you may be calling heresies may not be heresies and you start dealing with the minister. Only a minister that carries the truth could determine whether these are really heresies enough to get rid of the minister. Now if the man is preaching "Seven Thunders revealed by Brother Branham", that is heresy. If he is preaching "Blood off the Mercy Seat and Seven Trumpets revealed in Trinidad", then these are heresies. So then that's enough heresies to find a new pastor.

Now if the man comes up there and he is expressing his opinion and he says: "I think that the remaining time for the Jews is three and one half (3 ½) years and you read in Daniel 70th Week that it is seven (7) years, then that may not be a heresy so big in order to bring up a division in the House of God and Brother Branham said, "Don't split hairs over minor doctrines".

Quote: E-28 "And here come somebody along, said, "Jesus is coming on a white cloud."… All right, we'll just separate. I'll get me a group, and you get you a group." There you are. What difference does it make? He's coming anyhow. And it don't matter how He's coming, the thing of it is, are you ready to go with Him when He comes? That's the main thing… But they'll split hairs on little bitty things and form another organization." (Rejected King 60-0610).

So there might be certain little things that arise in the House of God and then some ambitious person in the congregation who is looking for that opportunity to get rid of the pastor in order for him to take over. So we have to look out for ambitious spirits in the congregation. Motives and objectives are very much to be considered here of what the congregation is trying to do. They could say that he is preaching heresies, but what are the degrees of those heresies. It just might be a difference of opinion on one or two little minor things, and if this man is actually preaching heresies and you try to get another minister to come and correct that, you as a handful of people may not have the authority or the support of the rest of the congregation because they understand in a certain light. They all understand in a certain way and they would make you a fool. So first you have to determine whether those are heresies or not, and the degree of those heresies, and if you know for sure that those are heresies, the best advice I could give you is to find all our ten books on Exposition of Damnable Heresies and measure what you are hearing in that church by the heretical expositions we sent out, because they are all based on the Word of God and the Message of the Hour, and if they are contrary to the things that are taught in those books, its' time to separate. If you cannot change that church, then get out of it.

Now if you belong to the Catholic Church, don't try to change the Pope. Don't try to change all those Catholic Churches. They are a great power to reckon with. If you belong to the Pentecostal Church, you are not able to move it. If you belong to the New York Thunders, it's not easy to move that heretic. So you have to know as a small fish, what kind of waters to swim in. Get away from waters where those big sharks are swimming and run for your life. Don't try to interfere with things that are too big for you. It swallows you up. If you think that they are preaching heresies, get away from that minister and get away from that church.

Quote: 59 "But when a man is borned in the world for a believer, he becomes a Nazarite when he separates himself from anything that's contrary to the Word: a total separation. Jesus said, "I come to separate a man from his wife, tear up a family. And he that won't take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy to be called Mine." A separation from everything, anything: from church, from a community, from a belief, or from family, or anything that would stand between you and believing the entire Word of God. If your soul will not punctuate every promise for this hour with an "amen," there's something wrong somewhere. You need a separation." (Total Separation From Unbelief 64-0121).

It's total separation from all unbelief, the Prophet of God preached, but first determine whether it's heresy or not, and I highly recommend that you judge all heresies by the message and by the Bible and most of all, the Exposition of Damnable Heresies.

Now I just want to include something here. I said that all these questions are coming up, of how to handle all these pastors and ministers because the people lack Apostles and the five-fold Ministry set in order and they are ignorant of how the early apostolic system was set up. That is very simple; it's right through the Bible. Now, Brother Branham here on these quotations is going to make it very plain how the Holy Ghost system was set up in the New Testament, that when problem arose, how they handled those things:

Quote: 749-26 "Paul established churches in different parts of the country. Each one of these churches, he left someone who was in order, a man that was trustworthy, a man that was known as a pastor, shepherd, or a... Then after he--this church then, become... other little churches come out of it. Young men and old men raised up and become churches out of that. The man that was over the first church was called the bishop. And then his, that went out from him, his children, was called shepherds or pastors. And then this group of little churches all would come back to this bishop. Like in the time of Irenaeus, he carried on the same thing. Martin carried on the same thing. Polycarp carried on the same thing. Right on down through the age they had that. And then the apostle of the church, the apostle, that was Paul... And when Paul left, John took over the church. And when John left, Polycarp taken it over. When Polycarp left, Irenaeus taken it over, and on down, Martin and--and so forth. Just kept on going until the Roman Catholic church broke the whole thing to pieces and burned them and scattered them, and the palmerworm eat this, and the cankerworm eat that, and so forth eat that, and eat that, until it brought it plumb down to a stalk." (Taking Sides With Jesus 62-0601).

Is that what I have been teaching you? [Congregation says, "Amen!"] This is the Holy Ghost system throughout the New Testament? Brother Branham is confirming this. I guess that everybody should understand that the Holy Ghost system was a very simple one, that Brother Paul went out and formed churches. When he did, he found elders and pastors and shepherds and ordained them over these congregations, then Paul, who was an Apostle and who led those people to the message of the hour, was the Bishop of the whole thing. If they had a problem, they reported it to Brother Paul. That is the system of the New Testament. Corinthians, Thessalonians and all the other books in the New Testament were written because of problems arising in the churches.

Now if we would notice that way over in the third book of John where one fellow was usurping authority that he should not usurp, Brother John said, "I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church." (III John 1:9-10).

Now that was an Apostle speaking with authority that that minister is misbehaving himself down there and he "love the pre-eminence among the brethren". In other words, he built a kingdom of his own, he put up a fence of his own, walls of Babylon, and he was "lord over God's heritage", taking the preeminence. He said, "I sent certain ones down there to help take care of the church and he would not receive them". He said, "… and when a member of the church rose up and takes in my Ambassador he throws them out of the church; he is a Lord". He said, "I myself would come and when I come down there I would remember his deeds prating against me with malicious words.

The only way that Brother John could have done that was the congregation themselves recognize that authority that John had. So although that pastor was taking care of the church, the people had a certain confidence, a certain trust and they recognized the authority of the Apostle, that when he reach down there, pastor or no pastor, they recognize that authority and they awaited the decision of Brother John. Now, do you see how the Holy Ghost system was set up? [Congregation says, "Amen!"]

When Paul wrote that letter in 1Corinthians: 5 to the church there, do you see the elders bowed, the deacons bowed and all the ministers bowed.

"It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 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." (1 Corinthians 5:1-5).

They said, "Man, we tried to get away with this because we had known the fellow a long time. Oh, he is such a wonderful brother, he smiles so lovely, he supports the church with so much of his tithes and everything like that. He said, but brother, the Bishop has spoken. We have no other choice. The matter came to the ears of the Bishop; come here, stand up before the pulpit, repent for this thing, we don't want to get in trouble with Brother Paul"; and they straightened him out. They brought him there and said, "Now Lord, we cast this man into the hands of Satan for the destruction of the flesh that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord". Immediately, they removed him from under the Blood of Jesus Christ; demons took a hold of that man, and after he got enough he came back crawling and said, "I want to repent brothers and sisters. I am going to give back my father his wife". That's a nasty think to do. He gave back his father his wife and now he came with a veiled face, sat down in the House of God, hardly had any strength to smile and sat down on the back seat. Brother Paul had to intervene again and said: "I also heard the report down here that such a man, nobody fellowships with him". He said, "fellowship with him and encourage him in the Lord least he be swallowed up with much sorrow", and he restored the fellow and he started to function in the House of God.

"Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him." (II Corinthians 2: 6-8).

You see brethren, people could do wrong things, but the Lord is full of mercy, and through the wisdom of God, through the Apostles and through the minister, he restores you right back into the fold. That don't mean to say that your reproach would be wiped away.

Let me quote a little bit again of the system of the church and show you that because the Catholic Church destroyed this system at Nicea Council, the church never came back to that and the Lord is trying to restore that same system.

Quote: 354-9 "And we're building now, and we wish to place this church. And as the general overseer of the church, I must see that it's kept Scripturally, everything right on the Word." (Placing Of Deacons 58-0720e).

Brother Branham was the general overseer. You have overseers and general overseers. Brother Paul called all those pastors and elders in the Book of Acts 20, overseers, but Brother Paul was the general overseer. Overseers just means that you have the oversight. "And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church… Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." (Acts 20:17, 28).

Quote: 754-47 "Here come Agabus the prophet, walking down, looked across the street, and never seen Paul before, the general overseer of this whole group of churches throughout Asia…He was tired; he was finished, and he was going on and leaving his bishoprick with Timothy." (Taking Sides With Jesus 62-0601).

Quote: 27 "Now, there is a group of offices of our church, deacons, trustees, Sunday school superintendent, pastor, as our church is set in order. And you the people elected these officers and this pastor. I'm just general overseer to see it goes on right, and to give advice and so forth." (Total Deliverance 59-0712).

Quote: 9 "It could not be settled by the trustees. And then they asked me, as the general overseer, to come and ask the church." (Key To The Door 62-1007).

Quote: 876-20 " I had to come to Brother Neville about with a word from the Lord to correct him on something that he was doing...The Holy Ghost has made me an overseer of the flock, then it's my duty to tell you the truth. And I'm very grateful to Brother Neville; he heeded to the truth. I can only say It as He tells me." (Church Order 63-1226).

So now, do you see right there the system that Brother Branham was trying to restore in the House of God? But the people never did catch on. Brother Branham himself said that he was the overseer. He was the head bishop. Yes, he was the prophet, and he went on like that.

So the shepherds have their mistakes, deacons have their mistakes and everybody has their mistakes. Remember, that there are different degrees of mistakes. I don't call adultery, fornication and running around with the young girls, mistakes! That's premeditated murder! Yes, that's a hireling! Certain sins and certain mistakes that they call a mistake that a man makes, my brother, is a reflection of if he's born again or not.

Quote: 883-55 "And if they question it, bring them to this tape and say, "This is what the bishop or the overseer of the church..." Which is bishop (See?) any overseer. See? That's what it's called in the Bible, "bishoprick," (See?), so that's general overseer of the church. Let... "This is the orders and the way our church does it." (Church Order 63-1226)

Quote: 44-4 "I'm saying this to only my own followers… I'm only speaking here in Jeffersonville, the only place that I'd speak this at, is because it's my own flock. It's the flock that the Holy Ghost give me to understand, to be overseer over." (Marriage And Divorce 65-0221m).

If you miss these quotations, then go right back to the system of the New Testament to see how the churches were set up, and when problems arose in the House of God, what they done. They had somewhere to go. They had somebody to talk to; and Brother Branham was trying to set up the same system. He said, "When problems start here, I am the advisor". Yes. He said, "You come to me; listen to me". Do you see the running of this church?

Alright, now that's the Holy Ghost system which the church was set up with in apostolic time. That is what Brother Branham tried to restore and I'll have you to know friends, he was never successful in restoring that order, because the people were a carnal bunch of people. Yes, carnal to the core. And that was manifested after Brother Branham's death, where they formed assemblies and they set up their fences and built their kingdoms. So now that is the war that is going on from one kingdom to the next. Kingdoms shall rise against kingdoms. Yes, in the natural realm and spiritual realm.

These questions are a clear reflection that the five-fold ministry is in disarray, and the pastor who has the power over the money, power over the church, power over this, power over that, built a kingdom. Out of these kingdoms are now coming forth these questions, and they are asking a stranger way down in the West, "How to tackle him?" "We are in bitter bondage under pharaoh." The hour of your deliverance will come. For the Lord said, "I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt." (Acts 7:34). Your hour of deliverance will come. Yes my friends.

Quote: 24 "And she said, "Brother Branham, deliver us from this." Said, "This is a house of hell... and like a great big cellar, or big walls, down beneath a great big cave, and great iron bars, eight or ten inches thick. And people, out of their mind, twisted arms and legs, beating their head like that. And she was crying, saying, "Deliver the people, Brother Branham." Said, "Help us; we're in trouble."… And there stood the Lord Jesus with the lights of rainbow around Him. He said, "Deliver those people." And He went away… So I said, "House of hell, give away to the Name of Jesus Christ." And all the creaking and popping, and the rocks a-rolling, and bars a-falling; and people running, screaming, "Delivered!" and screaming at the top of their voice, and was all delivered." (Works is faith expressed 65-1126).

"If a pastor aborted his wife, is he fit to continue in his office? What should the church do in such a case?"

Answer:"Pastor allows his wife to have an abortion. Preacher, down in the west there, what to do with him?" Alright, under what conditions did the pastor abort his wife? In certain countries you are allowed to have one child or two children, and if your wife gets pregnant, by law they command you to abort it. If your wife becomes pregnant after having that one child or two children, you are commanded by law to abort that child. You think of a man having a third child with a woman, and here she's pregnant for three months and is hiding that, and the law comes to find out and says, "You've got to abort the child" Was this pastor caught under the law? Or did he allow his wife to abort this child under medical conditions? And did it come out to the congregation that the pastor's wife aborted a child, and you don't know the facts behind it, but there is a medical reason behind it? And that medical reason could be that this child that she is going to bring forth endangers the woman's life, and in the doctor's discretion, they advised that this wife should abort this child right away or she would die.

Another case could be that this woman is going to fall violently sick, and she could have a nervous breakdown if she would bring forth this child. Now right in our midst my brothers and sisters, you don't know that. But they come right to the shepherd and say 'Brother Bruce, the doctors advised me to abort this child or it will kill me. What do I do?' As a man of God, I cannot tell you to go and abort a child because I don't have any medical proof. No. I don't know about medical things. The best advice I could give you, is, 'get a second opinion', because some of these doctors are working with the Government, to control birth and population in many countries. As a result of that, after you have one or two children they recommend to "tie-off your tubes", and they lie to you. They say that you can't make a third one; you can't have a next one. Lies! Then they work with the Government to give you birth control. They say, "Lady, you need a rest for a few years. You should not have a next child". Under these conditions, if the law could force this pastor, he doesn't want to go to jail and he doesn't want to send his wife to prison, he may submit. Imagine the treatment they will give that woman in that prison if she goes there because of an unlawful pregnancy.

Beloved, instead of controlling pregnancy they need to control fornication and adultery. Yes! That is one of the biggest problems, and they don't say anything about that. They talk about finding married people who want to legally bring forth their children and put these kinds of law to bind them. You know how many bastards are born at this very moment that I am preaching? Children out of wedlock? And the Government doesn't have a law in the land to lock up the adulterers and fornicators? Then they condemn the Muslims, in the East there, when they want to enforce the Law of Moses for adultery and fornication? I stand with the Muslim under those grounds. The Bible says to stone an adulterer, stone a fornicator, stone a homosexual and a lesbian. And that is what the Muslims are fulfilling. Yes. But this western culture, brother, is filthy and nasty to the core. That is why the Eastern people hate the western people. And America is the leading one in all those things. Her day is coming.

So, a pastor could fall into such a category of the law. He could have allowed his wife to do that under medical conditions, and it slips out into the congregation. I figure that if something like that is being done by a believer or a minister it should be kept in the strictest confidence because that could go out into the congregation or even out of the congregation with a different meaning.

That is why when you get an advice from the ministry, you don't go broadcasting that through the congregation. People get the wrong understanding, and they think that if Tom could do it, Harry could do it also. What advice is given to you, is for you. The other person has got to come and get their advice. And I will draw this little illustration here; many questions came to Brother Branham: "Can we use birth control?" And brother Branham said, "I would not answer this question publicly. If I do that everybody will think that they have the rights. See me in my office." He said, "When you come to the office I could know if you are lying or not." Because you have liars that will come to the minister to get the permission to use birth control, and to go and abort a baby, and you've got to watch for these kinds of lying spirits.

Quote: 1111-Q-359 "How do you feel about birth control?

I had some of that on the interviews this morning. I'd rather talk personally with you on those things (See?)… Now, there's sometimes a child would kill a woman; if she had a baby it'd kill her. You want to watch that too. See? So just be real careful about that. See? See, that's bringing life, so what you're put here on the earth to do. If your wife is sickly, and another child would kill her, I wouldn't do it. I don't think the Lord wants you to do it. And you come to me personally on them things; have it on private interview. Let me talk to you personally (You see?) … I can tell whether they're lying to me or not. See? They tell me different things. I'd rather see you just... See? 'Cause you put it out like this, you don't know. It's 'cause there's an individual and things like that; I can tell it, whether they're telling the truth or not. See?" (Questions And Answers 64-0830m).

So a minister must learn not to sanction such things without proper investigations. Yes! A woman just doesn't want to have that next child and comes to the minister and says, "You know, this doctor told me that I got to get rid of it". "Alright, bring a letter from him, maybe that will help me. Alright, let me see the letter. Get a second opinion; let the next doctor say so too." Yes! Then the minister don't implicate himself before the Lord, otherwise he can be a partaker of these evil deeds. If the pastor allowed his wife to abort the baby because he don't want any more, then he is a sinner before Almighty God. It's a terrible thing. Then he is unfit to stand behind the pulpit as a pastor. That will set the example for all the women in the congregation, if you leave that man behind the pulpit. Oh yes! So under those conditions you've got to go through the regular process: Get the help of a minister in the matter, prove the case and let the congregation judge whether they want this pastor over them.

Now I will mention this here on the Hebrew book, Brother Branham said if you catch your pastor drunk, drinking, this is the way to handle him. Bring the minister who is handling this matter and ask that pastor or elder to stay home that night. This is scriptural order. Then the matter is brought before the church. If the majority votes that they don't want him, he goes, and if the majority votes to forgive him for drinking, then he continues to be pastor.

Quote: 338-283 "And if something or another comes by like moving the pastor, and they want to take a vote on that, you couldn't ask a deacon to do that; you'd come ask me. I'd come down, and say, "If you want to move the pastor, tell me why. Has he done anything?" "Yes, we caught him drunk, or we caught him doing this, or doing something that wasn't right." "Have you got three witness of it?" "Yes, we have." Them witness must first be tried, "Don't receive an accusation against an elder 'less it be by two or three witness, and let them first be proved: against an elder." Then you have to swear to it, that you saw it, and prove it, that you saw it. And then, if you did, then that sin's rebuked openly, that it's wrong. Then I'd say, "Congregation, do you want to change your pastor?" And if the congregation votes, "Forgive him, and let him go on yet," that's the way it has to stand. See?" (Hebrews Chapter.7.Pt.2.Church.Order 57-0922).

Now that's a different category of sin. The man probably was frustrated, something happened; he went and took a couple drinks. The man really made a mistake; he did not mean to do that. He got angry and put a slap on his wife's face trying to bring her in subjection. There are different degrees of sin. He might get so angry, that he takes a piece of wood and hit his married son over his back. I don't know if I have enough patience for that. The Prophet said, "If the congregation votes for him to continue after they find him drunk, all well and good; that's what the congregation wants". Yes! But in my book, he sits down until I know that rum drinking spirit leaves the man. Yes! I would advise the congregation that way and then let them vote what Brother Branham said. But I would stand right before the congregation and say, "He has a rum drinking spirit, and not only that, but when he drank he was cussing, and dropped his pants too; he is a disgrace. If you want him to preach a message after this, all well and good. You want to vote for that or you want to vote for him to sit down on a probation period for about six months, all well and good". I think everyone will go for that. So you can't work to rule with certain things; you have to treat every case differently.

Question#159:: "Should the Pastor alone give a final decision in all church matters or do other officers have a place to advise; and also, how should sins be corrected and reconciliation be made?"

Again, this is arising out of a lack of knowledge of the Holy Ghost system, how the church should function. Alright, "Does the pastor alone have the right to make a final decision?" In certain cases, yes! As long as it is within his capacity, knowledge and understanding. As long as he could handle that in the Word of God and the message of the hour, fine let him go on. He is not under obligation to discuss that with the deacon, though he has the liberty to do that. He is not obligated to discuss that with other ministers in the congregation. That's his decision and it's final. If the arising matters are too hard for him to handle, he don't know what the Word and the message say about it, he never faced such a problem before, then he must have somewhere to go. Again, I'm saying that this is reflecting that the five-fold ministry is in disarray. Brother Branham said, "I'm only to advise here". He was the adviser in the days of the Branham tabernacle. Things that were too hard they consulted Brother Branham and he came there and said, thus and thus, and this is the way to handle it. Now, the idea behind all of this is the ministry working in harmony. No popes, cardinals, bishops and political power over one another. It's a matter of harmony of offices and the ministry working together for the kingdom of God. No big ones and little ones.

If you notice how Brother Branham used to speak. He would say that Brother Neville is the pastor, he is the head of this church, whatever he wants to do, whatever decisions, that's up to him and the congregation, I have nothing to do with it. But yet Brother Branham looking through the Word of God, he advised. You see, it works in harmony, not trying to take away the next fellow's position. Alright!

There are three major ways that a pastor should employ for correction of sins in the House of God: Open rebukes, private corrections and general correction of sins.

Correction of sins-open rebuke: There are certain cases in the house of God that merit open correction. If it is not openly corrected, it will destroy the church, it will destroy the character of the pastor! Others in the congregation will take it for granted that they can do those sins, and the ministry does nothing about it! You are sowing a seed! If you do not put a stop to that privately, secretly, or openly you are sowing a seed as a minister in allowing the congregation to understand that fornication and adultery, thieving and lying are condoned by the minister and he does not say anything! You open up the gate. Just like running your house and little family, if you do not correct that child, the other children are going to do the same thing, and you will hear them say "daddy seen me doing such thing and he never said nothing, he saw when I trimmed a lot of my hair and he said nothing," that sends a message to the other girls in the house and they are going to chop their hair too! So under what condition that certain things must come to the pulpit? First of all, is there a scripture for that? 1 Timothy 5:20, it says, "They that sin rebuke before all that others may see and fear." So that is one of the reasons sins must be rebuked, sin must be rebuked openly in order to correct the church and help the church to understand and think that "I don't want to do that, if I do that they will send me up behind the pulpit, I don't want to ever be involved in that", that is one of the reasons! Under what condition that sin must come behind the pulpit? When you commit sin of any kind, especially of the vices of Sodom and Gomorrah, fornication and adultery, and it is made know to the public number one , and two, it comes to the knowledge of the church.

A certain group of the people, half of the church, thirty percent of the church, one hundred percent of the church know that those two people committed fornication. Beloved, there is no other choice than for the minister to address that sin from the pulpit. it will hurt the feelings of parents, it will hurt the feelings of individuals, it will hurt the feelings of brethren, friends and relatives, but then the pastor is under obligation to come up to the pulpit and speak of that sin openly! That's the only way it can be corrected. Now when you correct that openly from the pulpit, the news go out to the public that, the church don't joke around with the members. There was a man that committed adultery and the pastor brought him right up. In front of the congregation and he had to confess his sin, then the image of the church gets greater in the eyes of the ungodly man, and they will start saying, "If I have to go to church I will go to a church like that." When sins spread through the church it must come to the pulpit. When it stumbles the unsaved, it must come to the pulpit. When it stumbles the believers in the church it must come to the pulpit. When it get out amongst our enemies, it must come to the pulpit; that they can hear the report that, such a person was corrected. Now another reason why it must come to the pulpit, simply, if the pastor don't bring that to the pulpit, he looks as a compromiser in the eyes of the whole church, who is hiding certain ones sins and is exposing the other sins, and that he has a double standard. Thus he ruin's his confidence.

Correction of sins privately: Alright the second thing is sins that the minister must cover. He is not compelled to cover it, but in his love and in his discretion he feels that he wants to cover it, because it fits certain conditions. That means that it was only known to a few people in the house of God and it involves an unsaved person or two unsaved persons, then under consideration of the minister, he loves that person, he don't want to make them a public example just like Joseph did not want to make Mary a public example! So under these conditions he makes investigations, he calls in the party and say "did you do so and so"? With tears of repentance, with regrets, "yes I done such and such, I committed fornication", that person is so broken, so beaten, so battered, so convicted, so remorseful that they cry from beginning to end. They regret what they done, they got almost a nervous breakdown, they cannot forgive themselves! Such parties even think of committing suicide! The person is sorry, they committed fornication, and you just don't hold them and bring them up to the pulpit. Let me tell you something friend, ninety percent of the things that happen in the churches, where I have the oversight, never made it to the pulpit! That is because of a love for people and the right understanding of correcting sin in the house of God. Sins fits open rebuke and private rebukes of sins of the people, because of love, since it is only known to a few people in the house of God under certain conditions of sicknesses, mental problems of certain parties. You let this thing be corrected personally. How do you correct that, as a minister? First of all, you got to find out the involvement of sin, it may be adultery, maybe fornication then the party, the offender is instructed to go and correct that with the woman, with the man! If he stole, he has to give back that article or pay for it! Reconciliation, you call that. If there are five people who know that in the house of God, they just repent to those five people! If there are two unsaved people who are involved in it they have to repent to those unsaved people, and above all you must show repentance. Here you have a young woman eighteen years of age, who ran out and live with a married man, disgraced herself, made herself a whore, then after it is done, they want to hang themselves. That is the way that the devil shows people how to solve your problems. I am talking about living cases by the dozens that I dealt with. A suicidal spirit comes around, "kill yourself," and by God's grace I have that discernment I say, "You are thinking of suicide!" Oh yes! Oh yes! "Brother Bruce, I don't want to live again!" "Why?" "I committed adultery with a man. I took some tablets already!" The devil only wants to catch you in a corner and cause you to sin, provoke you to sin, then show you how to take your life and your soul may not be ready for you to die! He is trying to take you to Hell in many instances.

Alright here is this next person, they worry about what they done until they start getting crazy. The doctor ordered them, to the mad house, give them tranquilizers, and such things. Now when you see a young woman commit such sins and she is still boldface, something is wrong! She has no shame, something is wrong! Then it makes me wonder if she had previous experiences! It is natural with a young woman that if she gets defiled to sink her head in shame, but anytime you see a young woman does that and she is boldface about it and is against mother, or against father and don't care what you think about that, she has a whoring spirit! That same whoring spirit is going to cause her to commit the same act again! That party must beg God to forgive her. Many women did that act before, and their consciences are no more active, they don't feel guilty of sin.

I had to deal with mental cases. They brought young girls to me in many places, who want to commit suicide, went and took tablets, parents don't know what to do with them. I say "leave the office and go out" to the person. I said, "Something is wrong; tell me what is wrong, you did something wrong?" "Yes, Brother Bruce. Don't tell my mother, don't tell my father. Brother Bruce I will tell you what, I lived with an unsaved man, a married man. I don't know if I am pregnant, I can't bear the shame!" Now do you see the troubles young people, that you could get into? When things happen in the house of God it is for your knowledge, for you learning, for you to make a vow that, that would never happen to you. You see how much trouble it caused that young lady, that young man and the shame it brought on other parents. You don't want that! That is why sins are rebuked openly, not because the minister hate you. It is in order to save the reputation of the church, in order to get you to repent, in order to save the unsaved man soul, in order to save the brethren from falling away.

A person must never become a slave to their own passions and desires. If you do not control your passions and allow your passions to control you, it will take you to Hell! That is the thing that caused the fall in the garden of Eden. God gave enough power to Adam and Eve to control their passions. But, they succumbed to it like dogs!

My friend, when you so shamelessly allow your desire to control you, you are a disgrace to Christianity. And let me warn you here, sin is very easy to commit but there are certain things you can do in this life that your reproach is never wiped away. It leaves a scar.

Sins in the home circle. Such sins are only known to the parents and maybe another, a neighbour, or a brother in the church such sins do not come to the pulpit openly, it can be resolved in a private manner. A brother might live with a sister, you say does that happen, brother you don't know this flesh. Incest, father live with a daughter, Christians! Yes So-called ones. Then a minister must try to resolve those matters in the family, you let them repent, let them take care of those things if those sins come out later, by they speaking those things, to others they must come to the pulpit. It depends upon how deep it goes into the church. If it comes to the public and it's causing a stink, it means that sins that you covered in that house, they never appreciated it if they just want to broadcast it through the church, they will have to end up behind the pulpit.

General correction of sins in a general sense, without open rebukes or privately, if somebody reports a matter. Like Brother Paul said" it is reported to me that there are such and such going on in the church and I partly believe it," and then sins are discerned! Then these sins don't come publicly, but then if the minister thinks that he wants to deal with such a sin in a general form without indicating the party, without calling the parties names that is his right! He maybe preaching about adultery, fornication, abortion, pregnancy, lying and stealing.

Now those are sins generally, and the minister may have suspicion that somebody is committing adultery, a repeated offender. He takes the word of God and brings it to the congregation, and brings that person under conviction that they may come and say, "I am guilty of that. Please help me brother? I fell in sin." You may preach fornication; a young girl may be committing fornication in school, allowing a boy to do whatever he wants with her. The minister preach as generally in order to bring guilty people under conviction, that they maybe honest enough to come out and say, "Yes I abort my child, I am a thief, I did wrong" or a man stole from the church. For a thief to do such a thing you are a consciousless hypocrite, and you will never go in the rapture until you confess that! You say, "I confessed that to God already." That is not good enough! You must confess those things to the church, your pastor! Who could be so evil? That is not a common crime! That is a terrible sin! That is inconsideration to the heights! That's the spirit that carried Judas to Hell, stealing the money from the money bag! That same thief would handle other things! Be afraid for the offering. Now if you have a thieving spirit friend, it is a terrible thing! Now do you know what a thief does in order to hide his spirit? He lies! So a thief is a ring down liar! Lie! Lie right down the line, You are talking about a straight face! When he says "I never done that, I don't know!" Lie! Lie! Now when you could have a thieving spirit and a lying spirit, you are going to Hell! No liars shall tarry in the sight of the Lord, and no liars shall enter the kingdom of God. Repent or perish!

Do you see what I mean brethren? Do you see the terrible spirits, that could get upon people? [Congregation says, "Amen!"] Now, we can come with a thieving spirit from the world and never let go of that spirit and do those things, to show how smart you are, what you could do and not be caught, thieving becomes a game sometimes! You don't actually need the thing, but it is an adventure but it is a spirit upon you! Now some of these things are going to surface when the Token outpouring falls, I am telling you! You commit adultery, you live in fornication, you thief, you think you are a smart person, like Judas. He surfaced just before the Token. When that Token falls you will be surprised to know how many things people must confess! They will be ready to speak the truth, they would say, "I am the one who stole, I am the one who committed an abortion." Too late! At that time you got to be ready for the Token otherwise you are going through the tribulation to purge out that spirit like the foolish virgins.

Correction of sins is for the purpose of repentance, confession and reconciliation to God. Sins are in different categories, and reconciliation is dealt with in various ways, because certain crimes against the Lord, the church and the individual varies from Adultery, fornication, sexual perversions, incest, rape, theft, violence, murders, and offences of different kinds to each other. Church standards and examples for old and young, must be taken into consideration. Though all manner of sins and blasphemies are forgiven men, except the blasphemy of the Holy Ghost, if members are allowed to commit certain sins and are allowed to re-enter the congregation by a simple confession, it opens the gate for others to do likewise and expect the same reception. Therefore each crime must be dealt with by the proper discernment of the motive and objective of the individual. Enough time must be given for such parties to bear fruits of repentance, even as John the Baptist demanded from the Pharisees (Matthew 3). Certain persons, having committed sins, and their motives and objectives are not right, should not be allowed to re-enter the congregation, because of heresies, divisions, strifes contentions, sexually corrupting people in the House of God and other crimes of like nature.

"If a pastor backslides and repents, can he continue in his former position?"

It depends on what you are referring too as "backslide." There are certain backslidings that proves that the man never did slide forward, never was born again, never had the Holy Spirit, he is a dead hypocrite, dead hireling, only waiting to catch a little sister in the church, defile some man's wife, collect all the money in the church and defile the little boys through homosexuality. You want to tell me what all these Catholic priests are doing outside there and the courts charging the Catholic church millions of dollars, that is backsliding? No! They are dead hypocrites and hirelings! They never did slide forward. Yes! It depends on what you are calling backsliding.

Now backsliding as far as a Christian is concerned is more like you are out of the Spirit, you're not praying as you should, not fasting as you should, you give yourself too much to work, getting your minds upon the material things, you get angry and say things you did not want to say, you abuse your wife with words, talk in a way to your children that you should not talk to them and miss service for weeks after weeks. That is being backslidden in heart. The Bible said, "The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways." (Proverbs 14:14), walking their own way. It doesn't matter what is going on here they have something more important to do. We are doing the most important thing here this morning; things that result in eternal benefits. Yes!

So there are some backslidings that reflect that the man was never a true shepherd but he was a hireling, he is an adulterer and a fornicator. As long as he committed those immoral sins, it shows that he was never born again and he is a disgrace to Christianity. Yes! He is a poor example to the flock, and he just can't come back to the church and say, "I want to come back on the pulpit". He must fit all those other categories that Brother Branham described, that he went out and made a mistake and drank rum, or he did some other things, and still, that is too much for me friends. For a minister, to say that he backslid and you saw him on a bar stool down the road, drinking puncheon rum, came outside staggering and when you seen him he cuss you off and expects to preach tomorrow? No! I'll drown myself first. I'll jump in a pool of water. I believe that when a man's heart is circumcised from the things of the world, he cannot return back to those things. Maybe I'm too strict, but I don't call those things backslidings. No! I feel that a man should love the Lord enough and have the welfare of the people at heart that even things that are legal for him to do, he just don't do that because he don't want to stumble people. Like Brother Paul said, "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not." (I Corinthians 10:23). Yes! And a minister lives within those lines. In other words, many things, I have the right to do, but because of the sheep's sake, I won't do it, I refrain myself from doing them. He said, "Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?" (I Corinthians 9:5). It was lawful for Paul to marry but in his mind it was not expedient for him to do that because he wanted his attention on the gospel and the gospel alone. Yes! He could have ridden in a chariot in his day, but he chose to walk. In that time being an evangelist, he could have had a lot of luxuries through collections of the church and different things because the people had so much confidence he said, "For I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me." (Galatians 4:15). But in order not to stumble anybody, he was a tent maker by trade ("And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers." Acts18:3), that he could have boasted later about not taking anything thing from any man. So there are lot of things that are lawful, but then as Christians we ought to make a sacrifice. Yes! It is not expedient; because we are trying to win a soul, we are trying to win one another, and ministers are trying to set an example that they would think ten times before they buy a motor car. They don't want to stumble anybody. Now that is what Brother Paul was talking about.

"A pastor from Andhra Pradesh, India, named Mr. Job, said he met you in Trinidad and corresponds with you. He stole my book and he boasted as follows: 'That he is a pastor and a teacher and has visited fourteen countries, he has rapturing faith now taking place'. He has an immoral spirit. What action should be taken against such a minister? I want the answers to these questions since he addresses himself as an international preacher when he is having such type of post of duty. I must know from the message and from the scripture whether he is fit for the post of duty. So it is my humble request to you, please answer the above questions since we are living in one of the most deceptive ages. We don't know who is who and we want to know who are God called servants and who are false, immoral ministers. If his nature and his call for the ministry is not according to the message or scripture we never will count him as a true minister of the Lord. Amen"

Answer:: Back to St. John the 10th chapter, there are three categories of ministers: "The true shepherd, the hireling, and the wolves". The bible through our Lord Jesus Christ, gave us a measuring rod to measure the shepherd, the hireling and the wolf, so there is no doubt about finding out who is who especially since the opening of the seals, that revealed the antichrist spirit. Here set before us is the conduct of a certain minister. Number one, he claims that he has been in Trinidad, he met me with different ministers and, came to church here. His name is Job. This brother is writing to me and asking if I ever seen him. My beloved brother, I have not seen his shadow much more for the man and this congregation could bear witness that Mr. Job, from India never visited here, he never preached here, and they never heard one letter from Mr. Job as an international evangelist, [Congregation says, "Amen!"], and if he can lie so dry about visiting Trinidad and meeting me, then he also lied about the fourteen countries that he visited. We cannot take one word from such a man.

It is stated here that he has an immoral spirit, and claims to be a pastor and a teacher. Not only that, but he stole this brother's book from his house, who accommodated him for a couple days. Now, having heard the Word of God as the congregation, do you believe this is a true shepherd or a hireling? How many says 'hireling'? [Congregation says, "Hireling!"] I say, 'hireling' because he has proven himself to be a liar, a thief and an immoral man, and claims to be an international minister, pastor and teacher and also a message believer and message preacher for four years, then he is none other than a hireling.

"How can you pass judgment upon a man like that?" Even because this is the scripture the Lord gave us here to judge.

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." (Matthew 7:15-20).

Alright, here is a Scripture that is telling me how to know a good tree from a bad tree. It is telling me how to know a hireling and a wolf. This is a wolf that came in sheep's clothing. Part of the sheep's clothing is that "he visited "Bethel", he knows the shepherd, very well and he corresponds with him. He is a pastor, a teacher and an international evangelist". Now that is what he is claiming. He put on sheep's clothing. The wolf is hiding in sheep's clothing and there is a hole for him to put out his hand. So this wolf put his hand through the sheep's clothing and stole the man's book and pulled it into the sheep's clothing. The man never missed the book until the fellow went away. A thief! And then he acted immorally, so he has an evil spirit upon him. "And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many." (Matthew 24:11). Jesus is telling us how to judge certain preachers.

You see a preacher that is immoral, he is a thief and a liar, you do not have to ask who he is. Beloved, a believer who wants eternal life will be more sincere than that, much more for a man to climb up to the sacred desk, go to a home, steal a book, and lies to man and God. I believe, according to this question, "How should the followers of the message deal with such a man?", that this man needs the highest exposition to all the people in the message, because he is a hireling going around from preacher to preacher, house to house, church to church, and if this man has these spirits upon him, he could go into a house and subvert that whole house, he could go in there and defile young ladies and men's wives; he could go in there and steal their money and if you catch him he might have a murderous spirit and put a bullet in your neck too. So here we have a good example of a hireling this morning and how he operates.

Some hirelings are a little more cunning; they beg you for money over the radios and televisions. And some not satisfied with tithes and offering ask you for a pastor's love offering, a pastor's wife love offering and all kinds of names they call them. A long list. I don't know how those poor people live who belong to those churches. Then they preach a blessing plan to them: "Give the preacher all that you have and the Lord is going to make you a millionaire. Now so-called Pentecost is built on that conception: "Give and it shall be given to you". So many people belong to church in order to get rich, and they want a blessing but they don't want the Word. They are not looking for salvation. When you tell them about baptism in Jesus Christ Name (Acts 2:38), they spit in your face. When you tell them about God sent a prophet (Malachi 4: 5-6), one God (St. John 4: 24), they spit in your face. You tell them that a woman shouldn't preach (1 Timothy 2:11-12), they throw you out of the church. Do you know why? Because most Pentecostals are after the "blessing plan". And if you meet a so-called Pentecostal, you will notice that from the time he starts talking to you, he will talk about the blessings he received since he went to church, how he has a motor car, how his children are in university, and to look at his big house, and how he never had nothing before in ten years, and he start preaching to you a "blessing plan". They forgot that Jesus rode on a borrowed donkey. They forget that Jesus said, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." (Matthew 8:20). Yes! He was poorer than the birds and the foxes. He had less than a bicycle to ride around; he borrowed a donkey. But these preachers have three, four, five and ten motor cars. Don't talk about suits and ties. They have ten wardrobes full. It shows that they are hirelings. A hireling goes after the hire.

So, let me get this fellow's name for proper exposition. HIS NAME IS PRASHANT JOB. HIS HOUSE NUMBER IS 19110 ANDHRA PRADESH. This is placed right on the book. It is going to pick up Mr. Job and expose him to the followers of the message. Through this question, it gave us a good example of a hireling, and how he operates. And there are millions of hirelings, coming straight down from the pope and his cardinals and through so-called Pentecost and have also crept under the message. The Bible said, "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness." (Jude 1:4).

"A pastor tried to have a young preacher take his daughter's hand in marriage; he left the church. Should the pastor do that?"

: No! Now a lot of things are going on there. The gift of God and the office that God gives to a preacher or anybody is not for commercial gains. Preachers should not preach for money, they should not preach in order to gain houses, lands, lots and bring a rich man under conviction, that he will give them half of his wealth. No! The gift of God that the Lord puts into a pastor's bosom or any minister's bosom, when he gains influence over the minds of people and his congregation, he must not use that influence for selfish gains for himself, his family or for a friend in the Church of God. And by that, I mean this: that not because I am the shepherd here, I must use my influence in order to achieve something, gain something or extract something from you in business dealings, that because I am pastor and I hear that you are going to open a business and you come to discuss that with me, I should not have a covetous eye and say, "Well brother, I want to be included in that business". I am using my spiritual influence to edge in your business. Or if I see something that I want from you, I go across and say, "Brother, I know you really love your pastor, can I have this?" And out of conviction from that brother's heart he says, "Here you are brother, you know I always love you; take it". But in the brother's heart, he don't feel good, but he's trying to honor my office and he is under my influence. And then certain ministers go even further to use their influence, and they will come up in the pulpit and say, "Somebody in here owes God some money". "There is a rich man in here who owes God some money. I figure that it is a hundred thousand dollars". They bring that poor soul under condemnation and they say it in such a way until that person starts feeling that if they don't give that money they will be lost. That's a hireling that is using his influence for his own selfish gains.

Now, that attitude is demonstrated: A pastor went over there in India to a brother who preaches and tried to get him to marry his daughter. Now there got to be some kind of real force, and some kind of an unscriptural move that the young man had to leave the church because he refused to marry the pastor's daughter.

Marriages are not made like that. Anytime you make a marriage like that it breaks up. Love must govern a marriage, the will of the Lord must be found; whether you are the pastor's daughter or pastor's son, the will of God must be done. "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good [thing], and obtaineth favour of the LORD." (Proverbs 18:22). And not because a pastor has the influence, and he knows that brother believes him, and he is looking for a good husband for his daughter, then he goes over to him and say, "Brother I feel led of the Lord, highly led of the Lord. I was just praying and brother, it just came to me that you will marry my daughter". Now, that's a traitor. That man is a hypocrite to his heart. That is using your influence as a minister for the natural things of life.

If I want a favour done from you I must not use my pastoral influence. I must meet you on the grounds of natural things. if I want my house built I cannot come and tell you that I had a dream that ten brethren helped me on my house, or the Lord spoke to me and I just felt led of the Lord to ask ten men to build my house. That is using my office and my influence in a selfish way for selfish gain. Yes! It's deception.

Now, no minister, no deacon or pastor should use their influence to promote their children, in a certain job, marriage, house or land. I must not go across there to a brother who has five acres of land and say, "Brother, I come to you and I am asking you for a lot of land for my son". No, I am using my pastoral influence. If my son is looking for a lot of land and he thinks, that brother could help him, let him go as a natural man to the brother, let them speak as men, let them meet together and him say, "I want a lot of land", to rent or buy etc. and if that is in the brother's heart let him give him that lot. But to use my influence to pick out a boy for my daughter or pick out a girl for my son, I am using my influence as a pastor for my own selfish gain and that is against the will God. Oh Yes.

In all marriages, the will of the Lord must be done. If that pastor had some spirituality about him, he would realize that if the Lord doesn't bind that marriage, a man cannot bind it. The pastor may use his influence and get the marriage going, but what happens to that marriage afterward. It was not on the basis of love and the will of God. It was just a certain influence. And when you influence somebody into something, it is going to backfire one day. Yes!

A little sister had her heart upon a certain brother in here, and disclosed that to me. She was hoping greatly that things could work out. I walked into the church one evening and as I was about to sit, the Holy Spirit whispered to me, "That brother is interested in that next sister." I sat down; never thought of that before in my life. I walked right over, a few days after met the little sister and said, "The Lord revealed to me that the brother is interested in that other sister", don't waste your time. You know what that little sister turned around and told me, "Do you know that I had that same feeling come over me, and if I had not known that and you had never told me that, I might have gone staring mad when that brother turned me down". I said, "Obey the Lord". It pays to obey the Lord and find the will of God.

I never had that on my mind. I just walked in and about to sit down when, the Holy Spirit brought to my mind, "That brother is going to go after that sister after a little while". I said, to the sister "Watch it carefully and you're going to see that happen". A little while after, they got together. I said, "You see what I told you. Be obedient".

Let me encourage the hearts of my little sisters here and overseas, I had sisters forty years of age who waited on the Lord and I see after forty years, that the Lord sent their husband and they got married and such sisters never defiled themselves. Forty years, and their husbands found them virgins right under my ministry.

Listen to me, you want God's will. You are not looking for a man; you are looking for God's will. The reason you get marry is for peace, love, harmony and happiness in this life. You wait upon the Lord and the Lord is going to send him to you, in the right time, if you seek the kingdom first, he will add all things to you. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33). Same thing for you young men here. You may feel that you may never get a wife brother. Hold on and put your heart on his kingdom first. You just start seeking the kingdom and forget the wife. You don't have to add anything to yourself; it will be added to you. It will just happen sister, it will just happen brother, it will just happen. The Lord will take care of that.

So this pastor is out of order. That doesn't mean to say that the pastor cannot go over, if he thinks that there is some kind of connection there between two people, that he cannot go over to them and find out something. That don't mean to say that he cannot ask a question or put forth a presentation. But, he must not use his influence to get that done. I hope you get the middle line. [Congregation says, "Amen!"] All marriage must be done by the will of God.

"If a pastor or other ministers' family are not in the faith, should they continue to preach the Gospel or step down? What about his children marrying to unsaved partners?"

Answer:You see, these are questions that are troubling people around the world. We are well established in these minor doctrines, but it means something to somebody somewhere. Alright, to begin with he should not be behind the pulpit, because 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 gave a clear description of the qualification of a minister, that his wife should be in the faith, his children should be in the faith and he should rule his house well, and also the deacons and the elders.

His family is not in the faith. "Should he step down or should he continue to preach?" It started wrong to begin with; maybe because of ignorance, and now the family start surfacing and giving some more trouble, then this question arises, "Should he continue to preach?"

I am saying that he shouldn't even begin to preach. So whoever ordained him, whoever put him up there and started him off in a church, they need to be corrected. You ought to follow the guidelines of the scripture concerning the qualifications of a minister before you ask him to use the pulpit or ordain him. There are certain preachers who never started in a church. They came out of jail they finished smoking marijuana cut out their Rasta hair and took up a Bible and started evangelizing. Well if you're referring to such a man, of course, he is not fit for the pulpit, and whether he should step down or not, there isn't any question about it. He don't belong on the pulpit. So, it's not stepping down; it's getting off the pulpit. He started wrong and he is going to end up wrong.

"What about a pastor's children marrying unsaved people?" I would imagine here that this is a pastor that is functioning; not necessarily this fellow that was not ordained or whatever; and his children married unsaved partners. Now you could go many ways with that. I could have a son as a pastor. He is of age, he walks outside, got married to an unsaved woman and then leaves the church and go out there and is living his life. Now if he belongs to this church, from the time he does that he no longer belongs to this church; he don't belong here again. I as the pastor have taken my stand. If my daughter goes out and gets married to an unsaved man, I take my stand. What is my stand? "Dismissed from the House of God." "Brother Bruce, your own daughter?" You see now, this is not my own gospel. If this was my own gospel I could have added the clauses to suit my family, but this is not my own gospel. This is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. So she goes out until she could correct her life. That's it. That's how the gospel is preached.

Now this pastor here, is he a compromiser with his children? Did he encourage them into these unsaved marriages? Did he perform these marriages and after it is done he has them in the congregation? Then he is a big hypocrite, he is a compromiser and he is looking over his own welfare and the welfare of his family more than the welfare of the church of God. It is stated, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." (II Corinthians 6:14). That's what the Bible said. No mixed marriages, both Old Testament and New Testament.

Quote: E-18 "Israel was supposed to marry Israelites. They wasn't supposed to mix marriage. You know that's right. And you're not supposed to do it today either, yoke unbelievers with believers. That's against the law of God, against the Bible." (Painted Face Jezebel 56-1005).

Quote: 5 "And then in his wedding, instead of marrying among his own people, he went over and married a sinner, an idolater, worship of idols. He married Jezebel. And she was not a believer. And no believer should ever marry an unbeliever, under no circumstances: should always marry believers." (Be Certain Of God 59-0125).

There should not be a Christian marrying an ungodly person. That is standard from the Old Testament to the New Testament. And any minister that compromises with that and allows his children to do that and sit in the House Of God, he's not fit to be behind the pulpit; and this is very predominant in the message. They allow them to go and marry outside, and when they marry outside, they come back and the minister himself performs a blessing upon them. You talk about hypocrisy. So you're double wrong. You encourage that and you bless something that you don't supposed to bless. You're deadly wrong. A minister like that is not fit to be behind the pulpit. Action should be taken against him and you find another pastor that is more sincere to both God and men. So he is wrong in doing that.

"If his wife is unsaved can he be a preacher?" Absolutely not! According to 1 Timothy, his wife must be in the faith and his children must be in the faith. If he is a compromiser with his children, he is not fit to stand behind the pulpit. If his wife is unsaved and refuses to come to church he cannot be a preacher unless he separates. If he separates for the gospel's sake then that is in a different category.

"Please explain the order of visiting a home by pastors and elders or any other males in general where a sister or sisters alone are at home? Certain incidents are taking place; young ministers are fearful of immorality."

Answer:This is perfectly established here for decades because we have seen the curse that the Pentecostal system has brought upon people by this kind of fellowship and lovey dovey stuff, where brothers and sisters, young people sit in the House of God together, touch one another, right in the church. While preaching is going on they are talking to one another. After the service, this lovey dovey stuff of hugging up a woman, a man's wife, and kissing her. I have never seen such rotten nasty thing in my life. All this kind of kissing business. Even the unsaved pick up that. You as a man meets a woman on the street, she runs right up in your bosom and gives you a greeting kiss. It's disgraceful, it's embarrassing.

I don't know, since when this world got into this tradition of men kissing women all about the place as a greeting. To me this is real Sodom and Gomorrah. And to bring that into the house of God is a crying shame and disgrace. So all this lovey dovey stuff that is brought about by the churches today, of men running up and holding your wife, jamming breast to breast and kissing your wife. Now common decency should tell a human being that it is incorrect. That it's lust.

Then they quote the scripture where the Bible says to greet one another with a holy kiss. You want to call hugging up a woman "a holy kiss"? Throwing your arms around a woman a holy kiss? Check the custom of the Jews and you're going to find out what is a holy kiss. Men hug men in a certain way and kiss them on the back of their necks. That was the holy kiss that Brother Paul was speaking about. It gets you militant to think of the nastiness that goes on in so-called Pentecost.

Quote: 671-134 "Someone told me sometime ago about they'd seen that two or three times at my church here,… And if you're setting here this morning, I'm going to dig this to you right good. See? Women, young women, coming up and these men kissing these women. Don't you do that... You keep away from there. You remember that. If she's young, single, or whatever she is; she'll be somebody's wife someday. And you haven't got no business doing that. Stay away from her. If you want to greet her, then be a son of God, shake her hand and say, "How do you do, sister." And let that settle it right there. See? Stay away from those things; it's filth. And it'll soon get you into trouble... Sin is so easy, and it's so appetizing, and so pleasant. It's so easy to fall right into it. The best thing to do is, the very even appearance of it, stay away from it. Get back. Be a real Christian." (Questions & answers COD 61-1015m).

Now this brother is asking to give the guidelines of visiting a sister in a home or visiting sisters. Young ministers have to go in there and they are afraid for their souls through immorality. Well, putting this in its right order, a Christian male should never enter a house where a single sister is present, without a companion. The man could be as pure as he wants and the woman could be pure as she wants, but the people who are looking on are evil, and they will put a meaning to that and bring up a shame on that minister and they would bring up a reproach on the young lady, therefore, it should not be done, not only by the minister but even a brother.

Do you know how much immorality, adultery and fornication those kinds of practices brought about? Plenty. Alright so I believe that the bible said, "Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity. Honour widows that are widows indeed." (1 Timothy 5:1-3). If there is a bunch of sisters in there and a minister or brother is going in there with the right motive, the right purpose and he has reasons to go in there, that paints a different picture because you have witnesses there. There might be two or three sisters there. I'm not talking about going in there to fellowship and sit down and put your arms around her and say, "How are you going sister?". That's Pentecostal hogwash! That is what it is. You need to do what you have to do and get out of there. If you like one of them, meet them on other grounds. Don't play tricks to get into the house.

It says here that much incidents are taking place. Well you could imagine the incidents. It's like these so-called Pentecostal incidents that they call mistakes ("fornication and adultery mistakes"). And after they make the "mistakes" they come back behind the pulpit.

Let me put in something here friends. When you take the fire of God as a minister, the devil is going to try to bring you down at all cost, especially if you are called of God. He'll try to bring you down by popularity, getting pride on what you know in the Bible and how long you preached the scriptures. Popularity, money and women. There are three things throughout the whole Bible that bring down any man of God or even a believer: money, women, and popularity. And let me tell you something preachers around the world, where this tape is going to go, if you do not know. The devil picks out certain women and anoints them with a lustful devil and send them to you as a minister, to bring you down; as certain as Delilah came to Samson; as certain as Jezebel was the downfall of Ahab; and as certain as the pretty Zidonian women were the downfall of the wisest man on earth called Solomon.

Friends, a minister ought to keep his eyes sharp as a young man and as an old minister too. Not only young but also old. Because the devil literally brings a demon upon a sister, and that would be her trial. She could be a child of God. She could be innocent. All that she finds is that one day that her eyes are on that certain preacher and she's burning with lust. Brother, it's a demon that got upon the young woman and if you don't watch that, that young woman would throw down a dozen preachers in the House of God, one after the next.

Friends don't underestimate what I am telling you. I had these attacks as a young man and by the grace of God I want to tell you that I was never even tempted in my mind to be even attracted. You are talking about young women could get demon possessed. Children of God, not born again, without the Holy Spirit. That devil gets upon that woman and she starts following that preacher all about in the yard, she wants to come home by him and she says, "I just like to be around him." Why? Ask yourself an honest question. You are attracted to that man! Before you know it friends, he starts feeling a certain connection. It's that demon that is starting to anoint that man, and if you get into a house with a woman that has that kind of spirit, if you don't have something to hold you, you are gone as a young minister. Next thing, the minister invites her to stay a night over with him and his wife. Adultery right in the minister's home.

Let me tell you something. This is personal but I've got to say this to lay some emphasis on this. I was in a Pentecostal prayer meeting and I encountered a beautiful young woman, about eighteen or nineteen years; and that woman was anointed by the devil to destroy me. You know what that filthy wretch done while the prayer meeting was going on at 12 to 1 o'clock in the night? That woman exposed herself in the prayer meeting to me; and then I lifted my head and I noticed her. (Now if a woman makes a mistake she would quickly cover herself and feel embarrassed). She watched me and gave me a big smile and that wretch went outside in the dark hoping for me to come. Oh yes! Brothers and sisters that never even tempted me. I was just twenty years of age starting to preach the gospel. I kneeled and continued to pray, and said, "No devil isn't going to put me down!" It was about six months after she turned into a prostitute with other men, taxi men and everything. You are talking about wicked spirits.

Young fellows, listen to me, you have to act like Joseph. You see how that devil got upon that woman there to bring down Joseph?

"And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. But he refused, and said unto his master's wife…how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within. And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out." (Genesis 39: 7-12).

This is the spirit that you have to fight against. You want a wife brother? Marry! You might have a little house somewhere, you might even have to rent. Go get married! It's a terrible age that we are living in! You talk about devils get upon women to bring down the sons of God like in the days of Noah!

"And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose." (Genesis 6:1-2).

Pick out a sister brother, and after praying, marry her. Yes! It's a horrible thing to live in this age of Sodom and Gomorrah unless the Lord really, really anoints you. Listen to me young people, for you to live above the Sodom and Gomorrah conditions you've got to live in the Spirit every day. "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." (Galatians 5:16). You've got to be in the Word everyday, you've got to be in prayer everyday, you've got to be fasting in the week, you've got to be calling upon God and you ought to "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." (Colossians 3:2). That's the only way that you will keep afloat. Oh yes. Thirty-six years ago, I had to keep afloat by keeping in the Spirit everyday. Yes. I prayed on the side of a bridge 12 o'clock at night and the rain would come down and wet me there and I won't move; "Lord give me power over myself, over my flesh, over my desires." I walked the streets and every time I felt an attraction coming for these half naked women, nobody had to tell me nothing, I realized that I needed to fast and pray. I never had a pastor to tell me go fast and pray. I knew that I needed some fasting and praying. And your hearts must tell you that you are getting in the flesh, you are lusting, and you are speaking things that you don't suppose to speak. When a man cannot fulfil that lust by the right and legal channel, he expresses it through his mouth by speaking loose and sinful things in order to appease his soul, young men, old men also speak in a slack way and get a certain sexual gratification from doing so. I was a young man too; friends, I never let those things fool me. I had a most important mission, and you are part of that mission. I am happy to know you; and happy to know that you have come in through the preaching of the gospel. Thank God, for his grace.

So young ministers overseas be encouraged. Any sister like that may not be responsible for that spirit, but God could give her a trial and use that trial to give the minister or a believer trial. There are many stories that I could go into friends to tell you about the kind of immorality that ministers are responsible for and the kind of things that go on. It'll make your ears tingle.

Alright, the order of visiting is very simple; don't go in there with the wrong motives and objectives; if there is one sister and you must go in there have a company; if there is a bunch of sisters and you are compelled to go there, you can go and make your way out. That's order! You will keep yourself very straight. I never tried to enter a house in all my Christian life with one woman in there even because of the reproach. I never tried to go into a rum shop to get one glass of water to drink even because of the reproach.

"How should ministers deal with young women? Should they go to their homes or deal with them at church? Is there any guidance for this? Young ministers want to avoid devil temptations and are fearful."

Answer:: Honest hearted people. They just came out of Hinduism and from worshiping idols, in India and Africa. They were never exposed to Christianity before. They were accustomed to walking around half naked; that is their culture; they live like that in Africa. They want to know, they were not under a pastor and pastors like you have. It may seem very minor and very small, but they want to know. "Should you deal with the young women inside of the house, in their bedroom, or should you deal with them around the church? Which is the best way? Can you give us some guidance? We want to avoid devil temptations." First of all ministers, you want to avoid as much as possible dealing with any young woman or even an older woman in her own house. You know how many a man went there to change a bulb and he changed more than a bulb? You are talking about lustful demons. Friends, the best thing for ministers to do is to establish a little place around the church or inside of the church, where they deal with the people. That is sound advice.

I went to certain churches and they had a little office where they had a door, and they wanted to send me in there to interview the people, including women. I said, "Are you going to lock me up inside of there with that lady?" I said, "What do you expect the people to think on the outside?" They said, "Well Brother Bruce we trust you so much." I said, "It's not a matter of your trust or mistrust." They said, "What do we do?" I said, "That door needs a big glass that everybody could see through, then I will go in there. Until you put that glass in there I will leave the door wide open." "Let all things be done decently and in order." (I Corinthians 14:40). To avoid reproaches, you are doing things decently and in order. Not that the sister is immoral, not that the minister is immoral, but the public is watching you.

The best thing is to deal with any female around the church. If you are dealing with them around the church, you don't stand up in the church yard and be talking, laughing and acting like you are courting, for fifteen minutes, half an hour, one hour and everybody passing and observing such conduct, Then she has a problem Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. She might have a bigger problem that she wants you to handle. Now you must handle things the right way. Young ministers should avoid handling certain personal matters of young women. As much as possible, send them to an older minister. Always speak to them on such matters in the presence of their husbands, unmarried women before parents, or the ministers' wives. The effort is to secure himself from temptations of Satan.

There is a certain way you've got to handle things. Ministers, we are established in these things, our sisters are decent sisters, our ministers are decent men here. There is a certain way to stand before a woman to talk to her. Don't you know that woman is a unit of affection? Did you ever sit down and thought, what is motherhood and what that woman really is? She is a unit of affection and lust. The man was made to be attracted to her. She's a ball of attraction. There is not a female animal in all the world, that is as beautiful as a woman.

Quote: 22-3 "Of all of the species in the world (birds, animals), we find that on the animal life, all besides humans, it's the male that's pretty and not the female." (Choosing Of A Bride 65-0429e).

She is a ball of attraction and a man was made, even in his own make up in his glands and everything, to be attracted. There is a certain way to stand up even if you are courting. Let me talk to some of you younger people. There is a way to behave around the church, and behave in public around one another. Any kind of lovey dovey stuff, where you start touching one another, and stand up so close; that is embarrassing to big people. Stop the nonsense! This is not Holly Wood; this is the House of God. Don't come right up six inches, one foot and abreast and be talking to a woman, like if you are going to kiss her. What kind of nonsense is that? Sisters, when a man approaches you like that and step too close step back, and if he comes forward ask him for an excuse and leave; he is an untrained Christian. Decency is decency. You have to respect the younger women and even the older women.

Alright, a house is not the right place, unless it is absolutely necessary. Somebody might be sick, or something happened and you have to go in. Make sure you have a company and do things in decency and in order. The Bible said, "Abstain from all appearance of evil." (I Thessalonians 5:22). Alright, and believers have to stop this kind of a lovey dovey stuff. A woman has to reserve her smile; don't you know that? A wife must not bring her teenage kind of behavior after marriage, smiling up with everybody. Don't you know that smile sends a message? We have to learn these things, as Christians. You are conveying the wrong meaning. Yes, know who you are smiling with it may be the serpent. Some wives who don't smile for their husbands, have the biggest smile for a brother and soft spoken. Same with the man, he speaks very nicely with pretty sisters, but when he gets home fixes his face as a wooden judge. Honor your wife that your prayer be not hindered.

Question#166: "We want to be hard-line ministers to lead the young people with their conduct and dressings. Should we call a meeting with children and parents for counselling? We heard your messages on that subject. We appreciate it, because it is absolutely the word and message."

Answer:

113-1 "No true believer is any stronger and spiritually healthy and alive than his knowledge of and adherence to the pure Word of God." (Church ages book).

Ministers and believers cannot be any stronger, spiritual, determined and steadfast in standing for the message, without a revelation (Matthew 16:13-18: "The gates of hell shall not prevail"). All must be founded upon the rock revelation of the son of man. Many started off with good intentions as firm ministers, but as they continued in the faith and faced oppositions from heretics, hirelings, goats and their own families, they surrendered in battle. Many ministers can appear to be heroes in chastening, correcting and establishing standards of holiness, but they prove to be cowards when it comes home to themselves and their families. Their wives, sons and daughters are not corrected in the same manner when they do wrong.

Several ministers tried hard to adopt message standards, Bethel standards and Holy Ghost standards in the dressing of the women, and met with little opposition, and cowed down like sick kittens when they failed to get the co-operation of their wives and daughters. They allowed the church to continue in their sack dresses, slits, tight clothing and various forms of immoral dressing. Such women are not entitled to the Communion cup, and much-less the pastor, as he is a compromising hypocrite. Such cowards, God cannot use them in this coming revival.

Quote: 6-5 "And before we can have this revival, God has to call out and train men (God trained men) to carry this Message. And they don't care what the opposition is. They are willing to go to the fiery furnace in defeat, or to the lion's den, or wherever it may be; they're ready to go, because they've been in the Presence of God and know that He is. Whether it's to victory or defeat, they still stand the same… I believe that right now God is training such men to meet the front line." (God called man 58-1005E).

The congregation of the saints, both young and old, would not be more spiritual than the pastor. If he is faithful to the Word of God, leads a holy life and has his household-wife and children, in subjection (1 Timothy 3), the people will come under that Holy Ghost inspiration.

Yes, you will do well to expose both parents and children to our teachings (Parents, children pastoral counsel 2002). Such teachings edified, blessed and encouraged many around the world, and I believe that it can do the same for you and the flock of God under your care.

Question#167: "Should a pastor make matches between couples for marriage?"

Answer:Yes, to a certain extent. That's his duty. He must give marriage counsel and he is at liberty, if a sister would come and express to him, that she has a certain feeling towards a brother, then he is at liberty to call that brother after a certain time and ask, "Do you have any interest in that sister?" "Well, no brother; I like another girl." Then the minister goes back to that sister and says, "Don't waste your time, he has somebody else," and save her many pains and many sorrows. And there are the kinds of people whom you may be able to make a recommendation to, and say, "I know you're looking for a sister, I think that sister is a wonderful sister and that other sister is a wonderful sister and that next sister is a wonderful sister. I' m not telling you whom to marry, I'm just making recommendations." That is why I count out three. I might make a recommendation like that. And after that, you go about your business.

So a pastor may make a recommendation, but my policy is not to choose a wife or choose a husband for you, because when they start giving you trouble you are coming back to me, to blame me for giving you the wrong husband and the wrong wife. Yes! I have enough problems to deal with.

"Please explain the conduct and character of a minister's or an elder's wife?"

Answer:First of all, the conduct and the character of a minister's wife must be the best in the whole congregation and she should not behave as the first lady of the land-the president's wife, and the husband must not behave as lord Hayles, whom everybody have to respect them, honour them, tell them good morning and good night in a social fashion. A pastor's wife is not any better than any other sister in the House of God. Whether you are a minister's wife, deacon's wife or an elder's wife, you are on the same basis like any other sister: a sinner saved by grace; and your husband holding an office should never cause you to be lifted up with pride and lead around the sisters, and all the sisters have to listen to you and your opinion. The Apostle Peter described what is required of a wife.

"Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement." (1 Peter 3:1-6).

That means, she should not be proud arrogant, and slanderers in the House of God, ("Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things." - {1 Timothy 3:11}. She should not be inquisitive in her husband's business and she should not be a gossiper in the House of God. Her attitude has got to be right; if she has a wrong spirit she would listen to church business from her husband and spread it through the church. Then she would tell it to her best friend, and the best friend would tell it to her best friend, and then the whole church knows everybody's business. The Pastor's wife, will be guilty of causing offences, strifes, confusions and every evil work {James 3}. It results in divisions.

A minister, a deacon or elder should not discuss church matters with his wife, especially where people's business are concerned, unless it concerns her directly. Some of these things are too hard upon a woman's mind. When a minister is able to hear that and go to sleep, she cannot sleep. Certain people cannot hear certain things that shock them and not talk. That's their comfort, to speak it out. Not that they want to be gossipers, but certain people cannot keep certain things. They were not born to keep secrets, and if something bothers them, in order to be relieved from that, they've got to speak out and let it out, while a next man would take that inside and hold that from now until doomsday. He'll walk right around you and say nothing. He would bear his grief and sorrow within. God made up that man like that. So now, ministers should not be discussing the church's business and private matters with their families. It causes confusion, it kills their influence and brings you lack of respect. Yes!

So that woman should be of a meek and a quiet spirit, and I would lay emphasis here, she should be dressing the right way. It is just normal for the women of the church to look out and see how the pastor's wife is dressing, and how the pastor's daughters are dressing and take it for granted that that is what the pastor will allow. It is just human.

Quote: 50"And then you see one woman, like a minister's wife, or a minister, start doing a certain thing, his whole church will say, "Well, our pastor does it. The pastor's wife does it. Why shouldn't we do this?" See, you are influencing someone, and be sure that you're influencing them right, towards the right road and the things to do that's right." (Influence 63-1114).

I believe that under these conditions, ministers' wives ought to exaggerate some of their dressing. Yes, do without certain things that are even lawful for her to have. Because it is just normal that sisters are going to watch and see how the pastor's wife is dressing. If she has a "wrap around", like I saw on some of the photographs from Africa; just a "wrap", and if you are a minister there in Africa, and your wife dresses like that way; that's the pattern that the women will take. If your wife wears a "see-through" dress, that is what the women will follow. They would take it for granted that is okay. Brother Branham said in many quotations, that you should not follow a pastor's wife like that, under no condition.

Quote: "But we begin to creep in and let down the bars. We took the wrong example. The women acted like the pastor's wife. He let her go haywire, cut off her hair, wear any kind of sexy clothes, never rebuked. And the other women say, "If Sister So-and-so can do it, I could too." Don't make that your example. God told you what to do; stay with that. Then when you do that, you fail God and you also fail His people… God set you there to be a watchman, and when you see sin creeping in, instead of cutting the thing off, they entice it." (Just one more time Lord 63-0120e).

Quote: E-55 "But Marilyn Monroe, or somebody, bobbed off their hair. And then some preacher's wife did the same thing, and you think you got a right to do it. That don't excuse you from the Word of God. (Investments 63-0126).

Quote: E-56 Don't pattern yourself after some pastor's wife, or some minister's wife, or evangelist's wife. Pattern yourself after the Bible. Right. (We Would Se Jesus 61-0208).

Quote: E-84 "A man that'll let his woman get out in the street with clothes on like that, I've got little respects for him being even a man. He's a puppet… And a pastor will let his church get by with such things as that without blasting the tar out of it from the pulpit, he's a sissy." (Marriage of the Lamb 62-0121e).

Quote: 84"If Sister So-and-so can do that, can't you do it too? She's the pastor's wife." I don't care who she is, or who he is. If it's contrary to the Word, don't you listen to it. Go straight on. (Jehovah.Jireh.Part.3 62-0707).

There are other quotations where Brother Branham said: "Pastors' wives dress like that... pastors wouldn't tell them about it." (Meanest Man I Know 62-0127). "A minister's wife setting up there with a dress on; it was horrible looking… I blasted it just as hard as I could." (Way Of A True Prophet 62-0513m 29-2). "You let your wife dress like that, and say nothing about it. Well, you puppet. How would you ever make a preacher?" (Door To The Heart 58-0302).

Quote: E-55 "And you preachers let your wife lead you around. What a shame…A servant of Christ can't control his own house, how's he going to control the house of God? "Well," you say, "Brother Branham, that's just some minor things." All right, let's get the minor things straightened out, then we'll go to something bigger. Then we'll talk about the Holy Ghost, and the things of how to receive Divine gifts."(Investments 63-0126).

Now if you have a preacher's wife or deacon's wife ruling around her husband, that is the kind of people you will produce in the church, because they are to be examples of the flock. "Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock." (1 Peter 5:3). And if you have that kind of carrying on where a woman is going to boss around the pastor, boss around the deacons and the elders, that's the kind of women you will produce in the church. Not only that; that's the kind of sissified men you would find in the church, because that's the kind of gospel the preacher is going to preach.

Quote: E-45 "How would you ever make a preacher? How would you make a deacon? If you can't control your own house, what are you going to do in the house of God? That's the reason the house of God's in the shape it's in today. (Door.To.The.Heart 58-0302).

No woman, whether she is deacon's wife or pastor's wife, is called to lead around the sisters in the church at no time, talk doctrine with them, tell them how to rule their husbands, tell them what to do in their homes; but yet, there are women in the House of God that would teach the younger women how to be good wives, keepers at home, the Bible said. So we recognize that. But when a preacher's wife wants to think that she is the first lady of the land because she is pastor's wife or deacon's wife, she is proud, arrogant and don't know her place. The Bible said to have a meek and a quiet spirit.

"I am a pastor, my wife is spiritual and she gives me Scriptures to preach; should I listen to her?"

Answer:: NO!!! That is the answer to that. No brother. If she was spiritual at all she won't do that. So she is really not spiritual. So that is the first thing we have to get to. You have the wrong conception. She is not spiritual. She gave you Scriptures at home to preach on the pulpit. Hear what the Bible says: "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. (1 Corinthians 14:34-35).

This Scripture is turned around: "Let her tell her husband at home." If you start listening to her, taking the Scriptures that she wants you to preach, then you are letting her tell you at home. The Bible says, "Let her ask you at home."

Don't you realize that the first time that a woman tried to handle the Word, that she caused the fall in the Garden of Eden and she brought home a scripture for her husband (How nice the fruit is tasting), and when she brought home that Scripture it destroyed him also? She mishandled the Word and then brought home the Scripture and told her husband and the fall of all humanity came because a man listened to the voice of his wife. "And unto Adam he said, because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife…" (Genesis 3:17). The curse and the fall came for that: "Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife." Yes!

That woman is not supposed to open her mouth and give you one Scripture to preach, whether good or bad. That's not her place, that's a preaching spirit. The next thing is that she will tell you who to preach on. It will grow, and she will have some contention with somebody in the church and she will bring a "news" to you and you will preach on that sister, instead telling her to take the scriptural way of going to her first, then with a witness and then bring it to the church. Yes, it will grow brother, and it will stretch out. "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." (1 Timothy 2:11-12).

Amongst the followers of the message, it is fully established that a woman is forbidden from teaching the scriptures. Upon the scriptural grounds, they hold their scriptural places and are afraid to enter the pulpit to: lead songs, introduce preachers, make announcements, read the scriptures and preach the Gospel.

In recent years, however, some have formulated ways and means by the help of sissified preachers, not born again nor sealed of God, but are mere womanizers, to allow women to exercise this forbidden authority from behind the curtains, by way of voicing their opinions on the message, scriptures, church order, songs and music, by way of literature, books, magazines, Newsletters and their photographs. This is totally unscriptural and cannot be found in the Gospel message. Peter, Paul nor John never engaged a female in such fashions, neither as their scribes. There are no Epistles in the New Testament written by a woman (acting as a scribe for Brother Paul), introducing him in his Epistles, on the pulpit, or voicing their opinion about his message in any fashion. It is contrary to the message.

Brother Branham never tolerated such things, nor had any of his written work completed or done by any female, nor ever authorized any female to introduce him nor his message at his Tabernacle, on the radio or on television, because she is to remain silent with all subjection and not be permitted to speak (teach or preach) as commanded by the Lord in l Corinthians 14:34-37. All such women who exercise this authority from behind the curtains of 1 Timothy 2: 12 are strictly out of their scriptural place and need to repent, along with the pastors and big names in the message, for they are all blind guides leading the blind.

We ask for one quotation to prove where Brother Branham indicated, suggested or authorized any female to exercise any such authority behind the pulpit, in literature or from behind the curtains. This is a woman preaching spirit, just as bad as any woman behind the pulpit in so-called full gospel churches, boasting about how many got saved and are blessed by their preaching, writings, tapes, television and radio programs. God only recognizes His Word.

A man from South Africa, who claims to be a preacher of this message, came to Trinidad, and to our surprise and without any shame whatsoever, stated that he at times holds meetings with the men, and his wife takes the women aside and holds meetings with them, "for the scripture said that the elder women should teach the younger women to love their husbands and so forth." (Reference: Titus2:3-5).

This teaching of the younger women by the older women is limited to an exemplary life and sound personal advice, and has nothing to do with congregational gatherings of women taught by pastors' or deacons' wives or any super spiritual women, for they cannot do so without breaking down the message and scriptures, throwing their hands forward, kicking their heels, rebuking someone and preaching the Gospel.

Preachers who are not called of God, but sent of Satan, or who have sold their God given ministries for money, popularity or women, make excuses for women to break down the Word from behind the curtains. Preachers' wives are afraid to enter the pulpit because genuine servants of God who preach this message and uphold the Word without compromise will make war with such hypocritical pastors and their sissified spirit. Thus the wife preaches her message to her husband from behind the curtain, in the secret chamber and he does her preaching from behind the pulpit, kicking his heels, pretending to discern and be in contact with the heavenly throne, inspired by the Holy Ghost, while his wife punctuates her own message with a masculine "Amen! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!" The result of such messages is confusion, because they are generated by an evil spirit, gossip, women confusion, backbiting, offences, enmity and hatred between pastors' families and church members.

Women with such preaching spirits cannot abide under true servants of God in the message, and go from church to church, evil-speaking their former pastors who refuse their visions, dreams, revelations and counsel. When they find a preacher that's not called of God, not born again and without the Spirit of Christ, they make him a woman's puppet. They pastor the church from behind the scene and direct their hatred and bitterness through him to other church members.

Such a woman is hailed to be super-spiritual and hearing from God, as of a certain case, well known, which started in South America, of a Pentecostal woman (once an atheist), educated, high tempered, gossiper, brawler, super spiritual and demon possessed with a preaching spirit, who embraced this message, sat under the ministry of a sissified preacher, not called of God and a bread and fish disciple. Such a woman, dictated for the church until deliverance came.

She caused women to wear ankle length dresses and obey other revelations which she said came from God, was handed down to the pastor, and the pastor established it in the congregation. Eventually she got a revelation (she claimed) that the pastor should marry her, she being a woman who had a child by a previous union, defiled and unfit to marry a minister. He abandoned the congregation to satisfy his lust and lived off the income of her profession for years without working. Such fanaticism brought the church into ill repute amongst unsaved relatives, employers and the neighbourhood. Some attacked the church in the early eighties on two occasions and violently injured many of the brethren who fled to safety in other countries.

This woman's spirit could not subject itself under good solid teachings of the Word and Message of Brother Branham, and now has her heart's desire met where she now sits under a pastor who has no discernment of her spirit, who has her on a pinnacle, as super-spiritual, a deliverer and revelator, gathering spirits of the same nature and background like herself, but they shall proceed no further. Such folly shall be made manifest. May the Lord grant this poor pastor grace and discernment to comprehend the depth of Satan bottled up in that dominating female. Likewise, may he grant grace to all of God's servants, stamina, courage and boldness to stand against such women preaching spirits, dominating females like Jezebel, trying to control, and have already overtaken the Ahabs behind the pulpit, causing them to bow to Baal. But be it known, that God has reserved a chosen number under the message of Elijah, who will not bow their knees to Jezebel prophets, but will prevail over all the works of Satan and the false anointed ones at the mount Zion showdown even as God prevailed at the Mount Carmel showdown.

Some men have too high assessments of their wives as spiritual and it causes a lot of problems. Let her listen to you. One pastor's wife, right in the vicinity, has pants on! Pentecostal! What a disgrace!

"How should this woman behave; what kind of character she should have as an elder's, deacon's or minister's wife?" Brothers and sisters, she cannot bawl him out and the neighborhood hears that thing. She can't bawl him out in front of the brethren. And if she is guilty of that, she should not come to the cup and take communion, because the Bible speaks out against a brawler. "But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat." (1 Corinthians 5:11). The Bible said not to keep company with a brawler. A brawler is a person who doesn't know how to settle their affairs in a quiet, peaceful and Christian-like manner. If something happens they just brawl-off. The whole neighborhood got to hear. The whole household's got to know that a man and a wife has a quarrel. You are a brawler. If you are a brawler and you respond to your husband like that, don't come to the cup.

Quote: 76 "Do you know It's wrong for you not to be the husband of your house, your wife get a little temper spell and kick you out the door, and you say, "Yes, bless your heart, honey, I'll come right back"?... How can you be a tender at the house of God when you can't even control your own house? That's exactly right. Do you know, sister, that your husband is not only your husband, but he is your ruler? God said so. Because that the husband was not deceived, the woman was deceived." (Position In Christ 60-0522m).

No woman who would not obey their husband like the Bible say, is going in the rapture. You've got to surrender that spirit to your husband. I am not saying that you will be perfect. You will make a mistake and that grumpy husband is going to aggravate you. You will make a mistake, but then you are always conscious that, "I am wrong, I want to do better and I don't want to go that way." But anytime your husband talks to you and you want to talk back and fuss, and that's your standard and your way for many years, you should not be taking communion. We should not be eating and drinking with a person like that. More so if you are a minister's wife, deacon's wife or an elder's wife in the House of God, and behave like that. Absolutely not! You are a disgrace to Christianity. That is bad enough for a believer to act like that against her husband, much more a minister's wife.

Quote: 80 "I was preaching the other night, somewhere, about women to obey their husband. Obey? Yeah. That went out of the marriage ritual a long time ago. But... They ain't going to do that. No, sir. They live in America, and they'll let you know so. They're not going to obey. But as long as you don't do it, don't never try to call yourself a Christian, 'cause you're not. I don't care how much you dance and speak with tongues, if you don't obey your husband, you're out of the will of God." (Is Your Life Worthy 63-0630e).

"When ministers are gathered in a pastor's home for discussions on church matters, can his wife be part of it?"

Answer:"WHAT?!!!!!" Brother Paul said, "What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord." (I Corinthians 14:36-37). "Let your women keep silence in the churches (All church matters): for it is not permitted unto them to speak." (1 Corinthians 14: 34). She ought not to speak in church and she ought not to speak behind the curtains.

Ministers gathered there and you come and sit in the midst? You have a man's spirit. You have a preaching spirit! You want to come there and give your opinion on church matters? That is out!

I went to certain places discussing with certain ministers about certain things about the building, and I saw a woman walk right up in the midst, in front of all the ministers and giving her opinion, "Yes we should do it this way." I stopped talking and start watching this woman. It was surprising; I walked right out, turned right around and said, "Tell your wife to "shut up" from all church matters." She learnt her lesson.

The Bible says to stay in the background like Sarah. If you are a daughter of Sarah and you ought to have the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, you have to act better than Sarah. "Now I heard about being like Sarah, I don't know about acting better than Sarah." If you don't act better than Sarah, you are not going in the Rapture. Sarah was laughing in the back of the tent. She should have moved out where she could not have heard anything; and she manifested unbelief in the promise of God. She lied in the face of the God. Sarah lied in the face of that Angel, and she said, "I never laughed." Hearing church matters and laughing. So you have to go way, way beyond Sarah. It is true she had a meek and quiet spirit, but she should have moved out from that tent and stop eavesdropping when her husband was talking to the next minister, then laughed about it, then lied about it; and then manifested unbelief. So you have to get plenty better than Sarah, and I think that I have sisters here that are better than Sarah. They believe the promise of God and they stagger not at the promise of God through unbelief. They know their place. My beloved, they never one time tried to interfere in church business. It's a blessing.

Question#171: : "If a pastor leaves his wife for disobedience, can he continue to preach?"

Answer:Yes! Instead of reproaching him, Jesus complimented him. "And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life." (Mark 10: 29-30). The Lord complimented Peter and the other Brethren who had forsaken their wives to preach the Gospel. So, that's the thing that you ought to do. If a wife, children or anybody comes in your way between you and Christ and the Gospel, you ought to take the way of the Lord. And if your wife becomes your problem and you are a preacher, you've got to forsake that wife for the Kingdom of God sake. "…No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62). You've got to put your hand to the plough and go forward.

So, you may have to divorce your wife for the Kingdom of God's sake. You may have to divorce her for her dishonor unto you. A big brawling woman, over and over embarrassing you, making you shame for months and for years. Friend, for you to sit down under that, you are a sissy man. You ought to make a decision. It's either that woman stops that or you put her away.

Question#172: "What should the church do if they do not find a man worthy to be pastor? Should they wait on God or let anybody preach?"

Answer:Anybody can't preach. You'll be better off playing a tape. You'll be better off having a prayer meeting or inviting another minister from somewhere-an evangelist to come and feed you the Word of God. It will be better for you that you get some of our tapes and play and listen to them. It will benefit you greatly.

"Should a pastor's wife discipline, correct or rebuke members, deacons or elders in a church? This is around the message."

Answer:In 1 Peter 3:4, the Bible commanded every woman to have an ornament of a meek and a quiet spirit, which in the sight of God is of great price. This is prevalent around the message where the ministers' wives think that they have some kind of special authority to rebuke, chastise, correct and discipline members of the congregation. She is strictly out of place, and this does not fit the description of what a woman should be, of a meek and quiet spirit.

She cannot act like Jezebel in the House of God: ruling the people, telling them what to do, take over in the absence of her husband and even when he is present. It goes to show that she is manifesting a masculine spirit, and in truth and in fact, she is taking the office of a deacon and a preacher. Somehow, without the right spirit; they get into their heads that the church is a family concern.

In many parts of the world the woman thinks that she has an equal right of authority and power like her husband, over the members, the elders, the preachers and she would let you know that. I have received complaints about pastors' wives bawling out even the deacons; discipline the deacons; tell the deacons exactly what they want done in the church. We don't want to get such a heresy started here.

Now this is very strange to us. We have never heard of it around the church in all the decades that you have been coming here, even because we have wonderful deacons and elders here who have their wives in subjection and they know their place

A woman must know her place. Not only a pastor's wife but any woman who will want to come and discipline a man, bawl him out, argue or fuss with him, is strictly out of place. If she has a matter there is a way to handle it.

Mathew 18:15-18, gives us the order of handling any matter in the House of God. "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 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 neglects to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglects to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican."

The pastor's wife is on the same basis as any lay member in the House of God, and she must not use the authority of her husband and thinks that she has some kind of special authority to bawl out any sister or bawl out any brother, deacon, elder or minister in the House of God. Anytime she does that she has a Jezebel spirit! Jezebel took the steering wheel from Ahab and she ruled Israel; and if a minister would allow his wife to behave like that in the House of God and not correct her, it shows that he is a hireling. That's the actions of the hireling's wife, not a true shepherd's wife. A hireling gives his wife that liberty because he is there for hire. He is giving her that liberty to protect his hire.

This is prevalent over in organizations where you have the pastor's wife being the assistant pastor. That is because that hireling wants to protect the interest of the finance in the church, that if he dies then the church money would go to the family. So they make the church a family concern that if the wife doesn't rebuke the people, the son will do it, the daughter will do it and the whole thing becomes a family affair. Anytime a church becomes a family affair it is time to separate! The Holy Spirit is not there.

This is the system of organization and you can see the masculine spirit in those women. The assistant pastor is the man's wife and she puts on pants, a man's shoes, a man's watch and bobs her hair to the scalp. It goes to show the masculine devil that is upon that woman. She has a perverted spirit, she has a Jezebel spirit, and that should never be practised in the message, and anywhere that is going on and a woman is ruling over her husband and she is controlling the church from behind the scenes then she is out of order.

Brother Branham spoke about this kind of problem in the church where preachers do not have their wives in subjection. He condemned that in no uncertain terms.

Quote: E-55 "And you preachers let your wife lead you around. What a shame…A servant of Christ can't control his own house, how's he going to control the house of God?"(Investments 63-0126).

Quote: 76 "Do you know It's wrong for you not to be the husband of your house, your wife get a little temper spell and kick you out the door, and you say, "Yes, bless your heart, honey, I'll come right back"? How can you be a tender at the house of God when you can't even control your own house?"(Position in Christ 60-0522m). Similar Quotations: "Door to the heart 58-0302, Seal of God 61-0216, Mark of the beast 56-0715 & Church and its condition 56-0805."

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