Ewald Frank

preached on 01. 02. 1992, 19:30, Krefeld, Germany

Br. Branham 1963 01 20 "JUST ONE MORE TIME" Part 1

broadcast on 7. 11. 2026

This evening I shall be translating a sermon by Brother Branham. As you know, he was God’s messenger. We are simply passing on what he received from the Lord. And you can never go wrong with the translation of a sermon. It will always be correct.

However, my main concern was that we should stay focused on the matter at hand, that we should not think the sermon was delivered there somewhere and concerned other people, but that it is addressed to us and that we too will be blessed. Now I would like to read two scriptures before the prayer. The first from Psalm 74, verses 9, 10 and 11, and then verses 22 and 23. Psalm 74, verses 9 to 11. Let us stand for this:

[9] We see not our signs. There is no more any prophet, neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.

[10] O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? Shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?

[11] Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand, pluck it out of thy bosom? Make an end.

[22] Arise, O God, plead thine own cause. Remember how the foolish man reproaches thee daily.

[23] Forget not the voice of thine enemies. The tumult of those that rise up against thee increases continually.

And with regard to the sermon, once more, for that is indeed the title, “Lord, Once More”, I would like to read from Romans 8, verses 31 and 32. Romans 8, 31 and 32:

[31] What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

[32] He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we come before your presence, O Lord, bow down before you and ask you to be gracious to us, forgive us, purify and sanctify us, wash us, so that we may come into your presence, O Lord. Beloved Savior, speak to our hearts today, that we may take a firm step forward in the Spirit, that you may reveal yourself anew and confirm your Word, indeed that you may take charge of your own cause and bless us anew. As we have read, how could you, O God, not give us everything in Christ? [Rom 8:32] You have done so. You equipped the church in the beginning and you have promised to restore all things, to set them right. We believe this, O Lord.

May this evening’s sermon also help to strengthen us in faith and keep us steadfast in the hope that you will make all things well and bring everything to a glorious conclusion. We pray, grant grace to translate, grace to listen, grace to believe and grace to act. Work amongst us, in our hearts, through the power of your blood, your Word and your spirit. Make all things new. We ask this of you and at the same time give you thanks. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Let us remain standing and sing “Only Believe”.

Only believe.

Everything is possible.

Only believe.

Jesus is here.

Jesus is here.

Everything is possible because Jesus is here.

Jesus is here.

Jesus is here.

Everything is possible because Jesus is here.

You may sit.

And Brother Moore slipped out on me, I was going to turn this service to him. But he slipped out, I just see his lovely wife sitting here. So let's bow our heads now for a word of prayer.

Lord Jesus, we are coming again tonight, first, to give thanks to You for all that You have given to us. And, above all that You have given us, that eternal life stands out, for we know that we shall meet again; no more on this earth, in the earth that is to come. Now bless thy Word tonight. And we thank You for how You have blessed the singing. Now I pray, Father, that You'll continue to bless the singing, the songs and the singers, the pastor of this church, its co-pastors, and also the deacons, trustees, and all that it stands for. Bless them, Father. We pray that You'll bless the message tonight, these few words that's been selected out. We pray that You'll add the context to it, and will give to us of thy blessings. Heal all the sick and the afflicted. May men and women tonight catch the vision, understand what God's program is for this last day. That's all we need to do, is just get into his program, and then other things will take care for themselves. He taught us that way, and we... He said, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, all other things shall be added." So let us come back tonight, Lord, to the kingdom blessings, to the kingdom program, and learn of Thee. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

Now, I'm just a teeny bit hoarse from much speaking. And I know it's warm in here and I feel sorry for all who are standing, especially those ladies that's standing around the walls, and out into the vestibule, and I'll hurry just as quick as possibly, just as quick as I can. And while I'm reading or speaking, just remember, the omnipresent God is always here present. And as a brother said about the epileptic of the last time we were here, God can heal cancer, paralysis-ism, whatever it is. He has already done it. If He can just get you to believe that! You're not saved tonight, you've been saved, you were saved nineteen hundred years ago. And now maybe tonight you'll accept that salvation, but it's already paid for, the debt has been cleared up. And the devil that put you in the pawn shop, Jesus came and redeemed you and opened up the doors, and the only thing you have to do is walk out and claim your liberty. That's all. You have a receipt from God that the debt is paid. Jesus said, in his last words, "It is finished!" Every redemptive blessing was completely finished. God's great wrath on sin, when He became sin for us, it was, the debt was settled.

Satan has no more power, only as he can bluff with it. If he can bluff you into it, all right, you'll have to have it. But, legally, he has no power at all, every power he had was taken from him at Calvary. That's where the price was paid. He is nothing but a bluff! If you want to listen to his bluff, well, all right. But, you don't have to, you are free tonight. He has made you free. And now if something in the Word can make you realize that you are free by his grace, or if something, realize, in the Word makes you understand, or some act of God, that it included you, it includes us all, then you just accept it on those basis, and you're free, also. You don't have to feel any different, you don't have to feel anything at all. It's not based upon... Jesus never did say, "Did you feel it?" He said, "Did you believe it?" It's faith! That's our... Faith, is an arm, a mighty arm that holds the sharp two-edged Sword of God. And that sharp two-edged Sword will cut every promise free, if that arm of faith is able to yield that sword. Some people has very weak muscle trouble and they can just maybe cut off a little scratch, enough to join a church. Others can come into justification. Some can go all the way to the baptism of the Holy Spirit. A great strong arm, holding this Bible, can cut every promise free. That's right. So be strong in the Lord!

Now I wish to read tonight from a little context that I've wrote some notes down here, That's found over in the book of Judges of the 16th chapter of Judges, 27th and 28th verses, to draw for a context what I wish to say. Now the house was full of men and women; ... all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport. And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, ... strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O Lord God, that I may be ... once avenged of the Philistines of my two eyes.

May the Lord add his blessings to the Word. If I should call it a text, I'd like to take this for the next few moments, "Lord, just this once again, Just One More Time, Lord." There was about, as the Scripture says, about three thousand Philistines looking down from the high galleys of the stadium, as the pair entered the great stadium, or coliseum; highly honored warlords, their fine-jeweled ladies, as they set in this place. And the announcer said, that, "Samson enters the floor."

They must have raised up, moved up a little closer, stretched, as it were, their necks, to get a good look. And what could they see but a mass of human flesh, a man that was once a great warrior, being led, blindly, as he was, led by a little boy that led him out into the floor. All day long, the halls echoed from wall to wall with the revelry of drunken women and men. What a sight it must have been! What a hush must have come over the building, when this man, led by a little boy, an arch enemy to them, come walking out in the floor, with no eyes, had to be led by a little lad. A man that had been such a gallant man! A man that had been the warrior that Samson was, and then had to be led by a little boy, out in the floor. And a man that was a servant of God, brought into this condition, into this place of drunken revelry.

It was a great celebration for their god, Dagon, the fish-god that had gotten the victory over Jehovah. Let's stop a minute and let that penetrate, celebrating a victory over Jehovah's host. Dagon, the heathen idol, the fish-god of the Philistines, that God hated. And here they was in their drunken brawl, celebrating victory over God's servant being conquered. What a terrible thing that is to think of! I'd like, if it was possible, to stand still a few minutes and paint a picture of that. But just imagine it in your mind, if you would have had to stand and look on something like that. Then I'm going to bring the picture right back to you.

Just imagine, all day long, drinking, celebration, fine-dressed women, men, warlords, warriors, great men of the nation gathered in this new building where they'd put up a new idol to the fish-god, giving him honor and praise for the victory over Jehovah's servants. Now, to make it worse, here come the leading man, the messenger of the day, with his eyes punched out, led by the hand of some little boy, to bring him out into the stadium. The lad led the stumbling blind out into the place, and I can hear a whisper from the great massive man standing there like a great machine, but totally helpless. God had raised him up for a purpose. Sold his birthrights; and here he stood, a mass of machinery with no strength in it, led around by a little boy. But no doubt, in my mind, that Samson had thought of all these things. When he had lost his strength, he had thought about what had happened. His vow had been taken from him and he had surrendered to his enemy. And they, in returns, had took his sight from his eyes. And he said to the little lad, "Lead me to the post where the column that the building is set upon, just lead me over to this post."

And think of it! They had him out there, making sport out of him, entertaining that drunken bunch. What a reproach that was! What a disgrace that was! What an example that is! To... It puts me in the mind of a defeated nation that's morally decayed, as Samson stood by the side of this column, making sport for the enemy. Humiliated and broken, what a condition he was in! A very gracious symbol of a fallen nation, a morally corrupted nation, a fallen church that sold its birthrights, fallen into moral decay, and surrendered itself to the enemy. A public example, though you was raised up to serve God, but a fall away into moral decay gets you in that condition. What an example that was!

I can just hear all the warriors around, all the ladies with their beads and bracelets and fine jewels, and so forth, said, "So this is Samson? This is that mighty one that you've talked about. This is that man that you said the spirit of the great gods lived in. This is the man that could take over our nation, you talked about, but look at him now!" What an example! What a lesson it ought to be to us! What a solemn thing it ought to be. We should not just approach this as just come together to have a good time in a celebration. We come together to see where we are standing, to see what's happening to us.

And I could hear, and Samson, no doubt, could hear from one side, the other one, of people who had heard about him. "Well, and so this is Samson!" I wonder, today, if the enemy can't also, at this time, say about the same thing about our Pentecostal move. [Blank spot.] Just to speak the name Samson, they would all get nervous, because he was anointed servant of God. He was born with a Nazarite gift, and they knowed that there was nothing could stop that Nazarite gift as long as he held it. He was God's chosen man of the day, God's chosen messenger of the day. Many of them thought what this must be. Many of them remembered him. Many remembered, as they looked at this helpless creature standing there with his arms around the post, blind. Making fun of him, hitting him with whips, saying, "Come on out, Samson, you great strong man! Do something about it! You who are so strong, where is your God?"

If that isn't just about the way that the enemy likes to do when he can get you down! But he's daresn't to try that as long as the power of God is operating through the church. He'd be afraid to do that when the Nazarite blessings is upon you. But if he can see you whipped, that's when he makes fun of you. That's when he can say there's no difference between them and us, they're just the same men like we are. But when there's something different, something outstanding with Jehovah's blessings on it, then they're scared to say anything. Long as they can see that power of God working, the devil's got sense enough to keep his mouth shut. But when he knows you're defeated, he turns every devil he can loose on you.

That's the condition that Samson was standing in. Let's just think, as I can see the warriors, some of them old veterans with scars on their faces, as they looked at Samson standing there, hopeless and helpless, they remembered of seeing him stand one time with a jawbone in his hand, and a thousand Philistines laying dead at his feet. And now a little boy's leading him around by the hand. They could remember how they questioned in their council, when the news was brought that a man, a mere man, took the ... an old sun-burnt, roasted jawbone of a mule.

And, now, many of you has taken the history of the Philistines. Those armors that those men wore, the helmet over their head was almost an inch thick with brass. And their coat that they wore, they were great mighty men, was great laps of half-inch brass up and down their body, to cover it from a long spear coming, or a hard strike with a two-edged sword that would have to knock them off their feet. Now, how could a man, just one man, with a thousand around him, armored, and dressed warriors with spears, those big helmets that only the eye showed through, how could a man take a jawbone of a mule and beat down a thousand of them at one time? Why, the first lick with that old brittle jawbone, would fly to pieces on one of those helmets. They knowed that some supernatural strength, when he struck that warrior on the head, the thing dented in and killed him instantly. Right hand and left hand, he struck, and every time he struck the power of God struck with it.

It doesn't take, what we would think, a great thing, it only takes a hand that's completely anointed with the Holy Ghost, with God's power, to strike down any enemy under any circumstance. And how those warriors remembered! "Could it be possible that we got the wrong man?" some of them might have said. "No, that's him. I can just see his statue, that's Samson, the one who served what he said was the true God. But his God sure has forsaken him." But they were wrong! God had not forsaken him, he had forsaken God. And I think that's about the way with the people tonight. It isn't God has forsaken his church, it's the church has forsaken God and his Word. That's what's the matter.

Notice, many of them remembered. The group that stood over on one side, said, "I can remember when Delilah took and bound him with ropes that was even horses couldn't pull apart. And when we come upon him, how that they was like little threads, he just broke them to pieces. And here he stands, defeated." And another group could remember one night down at Gaza, how that they penned him in, but he still had the anointing on him. And they tried to pen him in, and shut the gates on him. They said, "Now we'll pounce upon him." But the Spirit of the Lord returned to him, and he picked up the whole gates and walked up on the hill with them. When a man is in the line of duty for God, there's no gate, no nothing can stand in his way. The devil tried to fence God's man and people in one day, with the Red Sea, but he went right on through it just the same. When as long as a man is in the service of God, as long as the anointing and blessing is upon him, he shouldn't fear nothing, because He's promised us He would be with us, and nothing would bother us by no means.

But this is an example what happens when God, his long-suffering, finally wears out with you. Now, He's long-suffering, but, remember, his patience has an end. Now, Samson was doing wrong the very night they had him down there, but finally God got enough of it! He couldn't correct him. My prayer is, that, "God, never let this Pentecostal church get to a place to where God's patience is wore out with you." He'll send messengers, as we've taught this week, rising up prophets down through the ages, foretelling his Word and bringing his Word back, and then you continually walk away from it. You'll find yourself blinded too, powerless, helpless, defeated, and I'm afraid that's where we're getting to. See, Samson fell for glamour. The very thing that the church today is falling for, glamour. What a pity it is to see these things happening.

Yes, when they tried to fence in the power of God, they found out that they could not do it. Samson picked those great big iron gates up, that would have weighed tons, walked up on the hill with them and laid them down. Certainly, nobody was going to take after him, they know better! And when a man comes in the anointing of the Holy Ghost, and with the Word of the Lord, with thus saith the Lord, you better have better sense than try to attack it, because you'll find there's a hand of the living God, and it's heavy.

But we find out that there was another group there that one day seen him on his road down, and a lion run out on him, and roared. And a lion is a dangerous animal that can kill a man within a split second, four or five of them, just one rake's all he needs. And this lion, being disturbed, and they noticed the action as they watched the lion. And the lion, probably disturbed, and was angry, and he flashed out after Samson. And there he stood, helpless. But, all of a sudden! Oh, He's a very present help in time of trouble! All of a sudden! Why can't you sick people think that tonight? Why can't you who are afraid that somebody will say something against you, something about you? They said it about Jesus. All of a sudden, he was a subject to the power of God! And each one of you, through confession and faith, is a subject to all the powers there is, both in heavens and earth, to come upon you.

Samson, while standing there, the power of God come upon him, and the lion made a jump for him, he just caught him by the mouth and ripped him open with his hands. And could that man that would do a thing like that... Here stands the same, man, defeated, helpless, and blind. And I can almost point you to a church like that, helpless, defeated, and blind, rejecting the promises, rejecting the Word, a church that Christ promised that would have power over sickness. "In my name they shall cast out devils," taking up a devil and casting him away, and the blessings that He promised his church. And because the church has turned from prayer meetings, and from sincerity, and made the religion of Christ a tradition, and has took all the strength out of it. Glamour come into our churches, and she stands just about defeated. Oh, my!

There he stood, all stripped of power, by a woman, just because his eyes went wanting, because some immoral Jezebel set up a system to conquer the servant of God. May I say this with reverence, there has been formed a system of Jezebel, that's conquering, bringing them all into a federation, all the denominations, Pentecostals and all, into the World Council of Churches, which is no more than a trap of the devil, to take away from you what you've got. Then she'll laugh at you. Stripped of power, by that woman!

Pentecost, a few years ago, no more than fifty years ago, stood out. The people stood different. They come out of different groups of worldliness, because of their worldliness, and stood out as an example. And God has took that church, and today it's one of the most powerful churches in the world. But the thing that she's doing, she's turned right straight back around and went back into the same conglomeration that she was called out of. And when she begins to do that, her power is taken from her. Where do we get the all-night prayer meetings? Let the preacher preach till about one or two o'clock in the morning like they used to do, he'd be preaching to empty seats, they got to go home and see We Love Suzy or somebody on certain television cast. Now, that's the truth! Why? "Where your treasures is, there your heart is also." Our treasures ought to be in the Word! The Arizona people are prospectors, you ought to go digging awhile, see, see what's for you. But there stood Samson, defeated, stripped by a woman. All of his powers was taken from him because he surrendered himself and gave away his secret to a woman.

Now, as soon as we got big enough that we could get off the corner and get off a little mission somewhere, we're trying to build churches that's bigger than the next fellow. We want to outshine the Methodists, and Presbyterian, Baptists. That's not your purpose! That's not why you are what you are. God already had that. He didn't raise you up for that. He raised you as an example that He might place his power in you, to show forth his glory. But just let a few Rickys get into it, and they'll twist it around and go out after the flowerly things of the earth. Most all congregations wants some little boy for their pastor, that's got cute curly hair, and you think that he knows more about it than anybody else. But let your body get sick once, and you don't want one of these little doctors that just got out of school, if you're going to have an operation and have your heart operated on, you want an old man that's gray-headed, that's had some experience. What the church needs tonight is the old-fashioned Gospel that's been proved to be the power of God, not some of these little Rickys that our seminaries are hatching out. You know that. That's where we're at tonight, that's the conditions we're in. You had no business going into such a mess, anyhow. You started falling right there, and you've never come back, and you won't as long as you keep on going.

Did you ever think, while those Philistines was wondering about Samson, did you ever think what was going through Samson's mind? What do you think was going through that man's mind? I believe he was thinking, while he was there, yet total blind, never to have his sight again, he was thinking about all the great victories that God had give him. There he was, thinking of the days that was, what they used to do. And that's just about the way man is, as I said here some time ago. Man is always thinking back what God did, and looking forward to what God will do, but ignoring what God is doing. Look what He's doing now! We know what He has done. And He's sending to us and trying to stir us up again, trying to bring us back to the path to his Word, and proving it by his vindicated Word. And we just sit, and sleep, go home, say, "What did he say? I hate to go hear them carry on so long."

That was coming in his mind, what we'd call his "heyday," back when he was in the Spirit of the Lord, when the Lord answered his prayer. Even before he prayed, as long as he lived for God, God was right on the time. He didn't have time to think about "Well, now, I got to pray through now and see if these thousand Philistines..." He knowed that God was with him, there was no condemnation, so he just grabbed the first thing he had in his hand, went to beating. That's right. He didn't wait till he got a Bachelor of Art, or learn how to duel, he just took what was in his hand and started slugging with it.

But today we've learned how to duel all the creeds, and everything like that, and fuss and fight, we don't get nowhere. We're a bluff, like it was in the days of Goliath. Maybe God will send us a David who don't know the creeds, but only knows the power of God that's been tested and tried. There the whole church was standing, defeated, because some big fellow was crying out, "The days of miracles is past." But it didn't work when a man of God come up there, little bitty, stoop-shouldered, ruddy-looking fellow. But God was with him, he'd had an experience. And they said, "Take this here creed of our church, go out there and meet him." He said, "I've never proved that thing, I don't know nothing about it." Come to find out, that Saul's ecclesiastical vest didn't fit a man of God, so he throwed the thing off and took what he knowed was right. And, today, we don't need a Bachelor of Art, or some doctor's degree, to get into some church or something. The only thing we need is the power and the resurrection of Christ in our lives, to take God's Word, with the love of God in our hearts, that we're sure that God will answer what we ask for. "He'll withhold no good thing from them that walk up before Him rightly."

Now, he thought of his great days, when there was great days. The church tonight is thinking back about fifteen years ago, to a revival of divine healing, of the victories. Now, and he's also ... of God, and his people who had failed. That ought to be serious enough, that Samson would stop and think that he had failed God. He, it wasn't God's fault he was defeated, it was his own fault. And of the people, God's people he was raised up to preach the Gospel to, in his strength, and by flirting with this flappered woman, immoral woman, he had lost all the strength that God had give him. So has it been with the church! God raised the church up to be a lighthouse, to let out his powers, to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils, live holy, preach the full Gospel, manifest it, but we begin to creep in and let down the bars.

We took the wrong examples. The women acted like the pastor's wife, and 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. See? God told you what to do, stay with that. Now, then when you do that, you fail God and you also fail his people, failing his people. When you fail them, you fail God. God set you there to be a watchman and when you see sin creeping in, instead of cutting the thing off, they entice it. "When all the presbyters gets together, we're going to have a certain thing, we're going to vote this certain doctrine out of the church, of divine healing. We don't like it." Then you go to voting against it. Oh, it's, that's the way it happened.

The Methodist, you Methodist used to have divine healing in the churches. Presbyterian, Lutheran, you had it long ago, you used to have shouting and joy. What happened to it? You got a bunch of little eighteen-hundred-and-something Rickys that took the thing to glamour, and away it went. And you Pentecostals has done the same thing! That's right! And now you stand just as defeated as them, all organized up, "And us group, we believe this. And if you don't belong to us, you're going to go to hell." And what are you doing, arguing? You ain't getting nowhere. God's not showing himself any favor to you, because you stand just as defeated as the rest of them, because you took the same route they did. Exactly!

Now he was a prisoner of the nation that he was raised up to destroy. Here stood that mighty man standing there, a prisoner of the very nation that he was raised up by God to destroy. I don't want to hurt you, but I hope it helps you. And here comes the Pentecostal church that God raised up, pulling out of organization, where it got them to, and now you're a prisoner of the same clan. Now, you know that's the truth! And then let somebody say something against it, you're ready to throw them out. It's almost "blind leading the blind."

Anyone knows that the Pentecostal church, fifty years ago, was rebuking everything that would organize itself. You were brothers and sisters, and you lived the time. And you talked about the modern church and its fashions, and the women the way they acted, and the fashions that they did, and the men, and the letting down of God's Word. And God called you out of it. And you turned right back around and went right back into the same thing that God called you out of. And the very reason God raised you up to be that, you stand tied to the post of some denomination; just as defeated as Samson was, with your eyes punched out, to the Word, and everything else. That's right. It's too bad. God raised you up to defeat that thing, and you've joined up with it.

And Samson come right around and married a woman, married right into the thing that God pulled him out of. And the church, Pentecostal church, turned right back around and married into the thing that God pulled him out for. Can't deal with a group, God deals with an individual. It's always been his policy. Two men has two different ideas. God gets one man that's all He has to have, one man! That's what He's trying to get today, He's trying to get you in his hand, He'll take one here and one there. It'll never be a group, so just get that out of your mind.

When you organize, right then you lose your---you lose your birthright. I want to ask any person, when did you ever see a man raise up with a message of God, and as soon as he left the earth they organized it and as soon as they organized, it died and never did come back again. There's not one text of Scripture nowhere, not one bit of history, not one verse in history, that shows that any organization, or any group of people that ever organized, they lost their spiritual power and never come back again, [blank spot] and not a house of the living God, spiritual thermometer forty below zero all the time. That's the way it is, "Form of godliness, denying the power thereof, from such turn away."

God, in those days, always raised up someone who would blast that thing right off its foundation, and take the little group, of church that was left, and take it on to victory. He'll do it again. He doesn't change, He's God. God ever says anything, He can never get a better idea. Remember, that's our confidence. God made a way for men to worship Him under the shed blood in Eden, He's never changed it. He can't change it. If He did, He's got a better idea than He had the first time, so he can't have it. He's always the same way. God always raised up a nation that's got off, took a man and stood him out there and brought the word of God to him, and condemned the whole thing. Took from there and went on. He'll never take an organization and do it. He'll take you if you'll just listen to Him, surrender yourself.

Yes, the very thing that he was born in the world and empowered to do, he stood a prisoner of that same thing. They had him doing tricks for entertainment, to entertain them, tricks. Oh, my! Let a woman lure him from the Word of God. The Word of God was a secret, to him. It was a Nazarite gift, and he should never tell nobody that. But he got to let allure of a woman. And that's what's happened to us today. We've took in things in our church that wasn't Christian. There is no church that's sitting out saying there's no hypocrites in that church. The whole make up is full of hypocrites and all kinds. That's right. But I'll give you this assurance... Now, that's in a lodge. You might belong to the Methodist lodge, or the Presbyterian lodge, but you can't belong to the...

You cannot join the church. You can join a lodge, but you can't join a church. You are born into it. And when you are born into that church, there's not a hypocrite in it. Everything in there is saintly and holy, for you are dead, and your life is hid in God through Christ, is sealed by the Holy Ghost. The devil couldn't get you if he had to. He has to come the same route you did, and then he'd be your brother. See? So you can't do it. But you can join the church with anything, just to get members, decisions. As I said last night, all we hear today, it seems to be the great rally today, is "More members, more members!" Charts, "We beat them!" Give them a gift because they brought somebody else in for Sunday school, proselyting. What is he when he got in there? What did he hear? Some little painted-up Jezebel talking about her dates the night before, some little literature hanging on the wall. And you know that's right. And the Pentecostal's sliding right into it! Let somewhere else make up your literature, what you teach us. The highest thing in the church is an elder, not a bishop, not some presbyter or something, God deals with the elder of that church. Now, he gives his church his message, and what they have need of.

Yes, let a woman lure him away from the Word of od. So have they done it today! How did they do it? "Well, now look, I'll tell you Brother So-and-so. Now, you know, them people over there, they do that, they watch this." That's not your example! Christ is your example. He said, "I've given you an example." Let Him be your example. Same thing to the churches. That's just exactly what they done, let Jezebel, the mother of harlots, Revelation 17, do the same thing, bring her right back into that same old swing, now blinded of spiritual things that's going on. Oh, you don't think so, but you are! Don't tell me. I've been crossing back and forth across this nation for the past fifteen years. Blinded! Spiritual things, see God come and do just exactly what He said He would do in the last days, say, "Well, I tell you, I believe that might be all right, but the ministry behind it is not of God." How can God bring bitter and sweet water out of the same fountain? It's not there!

Yes, blinded to spiritual things and the Word of God, went back to the very same hole they was pulled from. Pentecostals was born out of organization, and men took them back in organization. Pentecost is an experience that organization can't stand, because it's a personal experience with each individual. That's right. Now look at them standing, defeated, whole group. Ministers, can't have them in the church 'less they got a seminary experience. One of our great Pentecostal moves, the other day, they have to take their missionaries before a psychiatrist to find out if his IQ is high enough to be a missionary, one of our great organizations, see if their IQs high enough. God never had nothing like that. He said, "Wait up there until you're endued with power from on high." Then you got your IQ, what it takes to do that. They don't examine them by what Jesus said to test them by. They test them by their own intellectual conceptions, IQ for a missionary. God didn't say "give them some intellectual power," but He said, "Ye shall receive power from on high!" But we're getting away from it.

Remember, the Roman Catholic church was first the Pentecostal church. That's exactly right, AD 33. But because that Rickys got into it, weeded its way through there, the celebrity, the first thing you know, at the Nicaea Council, it adopted this plan and they organized. The thing died. The real prophet lived on to his time out. Nearly a thousand years, it went through a dark age. That's what God showed the condemnation on the whole system at the beginning. That's right. Ministers go through seminaries, "I got a Ph.D., or an LL.D.," before they can even pastor a church; show a fellowship card. Nonsense!

The prophet of the Lord walked out of the wilderness, and nobody knowed where he come from or where he went to, but he had thus saith the Lord! God proved it. He wasn't in none of their organizations.