<TITLE>25. Par 163-169</TITLE>L-163 Now, I've talked to some of their best men, their best theologians, and they say, "Brother Branham, you're right, but what can we do now? If we'd raised up against that, we'd be kicked out. And what would our church think about us when we've taught them for years--we've taught them for years that the evidence of the Holy Ghost is speaking in tongues. What if we change it now?" That's the curse of denomination. Bless the Lord, we have no denomination. Just as the Spirit leads, we take it.

L-164 The Baptism of the Holy Ghost is a personal experience. I've seen people speak with tongues; I've seen witches and wizards... Any missionary knows the same, that's ever dealt in witchcraft and devils. I've seen them stand and speak in tongues, and throw dirt over the back of their heads, and cut themselves with a lance, and speak in tongues, and interpret it. And you say that's the Holy Ghost? Certainly it isn't. It's the devil. Jesus never said, "By their tongues you shall know them," but, "By their fruit you shall know them." And Ephesians 5:1 said that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, gentleness, patience, meekness, faith, temperance. Is that right? There you are.

L-165 Now, if you're a Methodist, those kind of fruits follow you, that you're not quick tempered to fight a buzz saw; if you got patience, and you got love, and you--consideration to everybody; if your first love is Christ, your second is your fellow man, let you be third down like that; if you're moving on, got long suffering, gentle, patience, faith...
My, you say, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. And there's--there's Divine healing. The Holy Ghost is the same today."
Now, you say, "Wait a minute I'm taught in the Church of Christ, days of miracles is past." You got a devil. That's right.
You say, "Well, we got to be baptized. In the Bible there's no such a thing as being baptized in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Ghost. I see it right now; it's in the Scripture. It's the Name of the Lord Jesus; everywhere it's the Name of the Lord Jesus."
"Wait a minute, we'll kick you out of the Assemblies." And you duck down to that, you got a false spirit in you; you're listening to a false teaching or a false prophet.
Now, you just find one place where they was ever baptized in the Name of the Father, Son, Holy Ghost, and I'll give up to you. I'll show you every place they were baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus. Now, who's right, the Assemblies or the Bible?

L-169 If you say, "Well, I've been sprinkled. Bless God, that's just as good for me, you just don't have enough education. I tell you, sprinkle. What difference does it make to pour water on or immerse it down?" I don't care what it--what it looks like, the Bible said to be baptized. And "baptize" means "to be immersed."
You say, "What difference does it make?"
Well, what if--if God told Moses, "Take off your shoes; you're on holy ground," Moses say; "That's too much trouble; I'll just take off my hat, got to unlace my shoes," would it been just as good? No, sir. God would've never spoke to him until he took off his shoes. And God will never speak to the church till it comes back to the oracles and principles that Christ laid down, and it's not dominated by some emotional or some denomination to pull it this and that way. It'll have to come back to believing in miracles, believing in signs, believing in the Holy Ghost, baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ. And all these things will have to come back to that, or God won't speak to them. That's exactly right.


<A HREF="P26">Next Page</A>