<TITLE>35. Par -</TITLE>L-565-346 Now, just don't do it to puff yourself up, 'cause you're just edifying yourself then. You see? Don't do that. But speak in tongues that you might edify God, might edify the church. You see? It's all for one big cause, brother. These gifts are to edify God, to edify the church, to bring people in to God, to let them know that God is with us. He's not a dead God; He's a living God working among us. See?
And we just have to watch that real close, 'cause, boy, the devil hates that like everything (You see?) to see real true gifts. 'Cause gifts are weak, and he can really go to work on those gifts. Man, oh, man, he can really impersonate every one of them. So that's the reason...

L-565-348 Now, look, the difference between a gift of prophecy and a prophet, there's just a million miles difference. Before a prophecy... A man with a gift of prophecy can even be told before the church, two or three has to discern that and say that it's true. That's right. But not a prophet (See?), a prophet is an office. Gift of prophecy is a gift. A prophet's born, has THUS SAITH THE LORD, brother, right on and on. There's nothing in that. You see? That's a prophet. But a gift of prophecy, that's a gift. You see? One's an office of God; the other one's a gift of God. See? And that's the difference.

L-565-349 Now, the messages, say, now, for instance, here's the way it would be. Now, we'll say, like Brother Junie, tonight, he interprets. We know that he's an interpreter. Brother Neville's an interpreter (See?), interprets tongues. Well, we know that. Now, what if here we're setting tonight, oh, the Spirit of God just a-busting out to speak. My, goodness. And we're--we're got this--we got... Wait, church is going to start in a few minutes. See, we're--we're meeting just before the church. I'm putting it in order like we'd have here.
Well then, the first thing you know, up gets Brother Ruddell and speaks in tongues. Wait just a minute. See? Junie jumps up, "THUS SAITH THE LORD, A certain-certain thing," or somebody over here. The scribes taking it down over here (See?), whatever's said. Let's just take it quickly, 'cause it... Get it fresh, right what he said. All right, they... If--if it's refused, then you--you just better let it go (See?), tear it up. But if it's not refused, it's accepted by two people, then it's wrote out here, they sign their name on it. See? That--that--that's for your church. That's... I'm telling you all for your benefit. See? I don't know whether they did that in the beginning or not.

L-566-351 And the first thing you know, up jumps Hollin, speaks in tongues. Now, the interpreter might claim the same message. See? It might be the same thing, certain thing to take place, a prophecy (See?), something that's fixing to happen, or something you must do. Up jumps Brother Roberson behind, speaks in tongues. All right. It could still be the same message, give the same interpretation (See?), or it could be three messages.
Now, God ain't going to put fifty messages out in one night. We know that, 'cause you--you couldn't get them. You see? But whatever is oppressing the church, like--or something it's doing, it's for the edification of the church. See? Then I--I--I wouldn't permit any more than that (See?), 'cause It said, "Let it be by courses of three." See?

L-566-353 Just the course of three, then--then I'd say, "Go ahead and write them down, and put them up there on the pulpit." You see? Then tomorrow night we meet again. See? And if there's anything fixing to happen between now and tomorrow night, God will speak it in one of those messages. See what I mean? Let it be by courses of three. And I think now, Webster says, prophecy can...
 Can a ques--a message be called prophecy that does not foretell the future?
No. If it's prophecy, it's prophesying, foretelling something that is coming to pass. That's true too.


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