<TITLE>11. Par 44-48</TITLE>L-44 "Well, he was a good church member. He done good for the neighbors." That's fine. We believe that. That's good. I have nothing to say against that part.
But did you realize what kept the people out of the promised land? They were border line believers. They went so far, but wouldn't go any farther. That's the way men and women, people do today. They'll go so far in God. They'll say, "Yes, I'll--I'll believe. I'll--I'll be baptized. I'll do this, that, or the other, any rules the church has to lay down." But when it comes to surrender everything to Christ, your life, and all... That's where the line lays.
That's what makes people say, "Well, I look at the rest of them." And here to you older Christians, to the younger: the younger women look at the older women, the younger men look at the older men, and see the way you conduct yourself, to see what you do. And they presume that they're all right: is because you do the way you do.

L-45 Now, if the Pentecostal church would really live to its standard, if it would live what it claims to have, then the world would thirst after it. But when they see the Pentecostal church letdown with just as many things almost as the world's got, then they presume that they're just as good as you are. That's right. That's right. They got a right to. See? But we got to get away from that. We can't presume it. We got to line up with the Word.
You see... Now, it's almost a impossible thing to get people praying, fasting, calling on the Lord. Seems like the church has got so drowsy, lazy in these last days: so pitiful. And I hate to come and just keep stirring, and preaching, and saying these things. But, brother, sister, that's truth. I just can't hold it. It's the Gospel, and it must be preached. It's got to be preached as a witness. It's true. So I think that we just presuming too much.

L-46 We presume because we had an experience, "Five years ago, Brother Branham, I was walking down the street one day, and the Holy Ghost just blessed me. And I run down the street. And I thought, 'Lord, you have to take me somewhere, 'cause I'm going to misbehave on the street.'"
Maybe you were out in the church, and you got an experience. You spoke with tongues and things, "Well, that's all right. I can go ahead now... And okay, I see the rest of them doing this." You're just presuming that.

L-47 Israel had those experiences. Israel had come out of Egypt; Israel, that had seen signs, and miracles, and wonders all down along their road. They'd passed through the Red Sea as on dry land. They seen manna fall out of heaven every night. They were witnessing the blessings of God upon their life. But then they failed to--disobey one of God's commandments, and what happened? The blessing cut off from them. And they presumed that because God had been so good, He'd just go on, be good on. But God can't do that.

L-48 I think we've come to that spot. We've come to a Kadesh-barnea, where we--when God's given the issue for the church to call a halt, and back to prayer life, back to a consecration, back to a spot that we consecrate ourselves away from the things of the world, and away from our little petty differences among us; and--and--and get back to God, and brotherly love, and humility, and back to the power of God again.
See, we're just we--we're just presuming that we're running all right because God is blessing. That--that... He was blessing Israel probably the same day that they refused to go up there and to take the promised land. The same day that they disbelieved the spies, the manna fell just the same that night. But they were altogether out of the will of the Lord. They could not win another battle until they come back and made things right with God. Now, it's--I think it's time for the church to get back to God again. Get back and get started like it should be going, so we can continue on in our--our journey.


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