<TITLE>20. Par 84-87</TITLE>L-84 What if the disciples, now, at the day of Pentecost (closing), what if the disciples said, "We went up there..." And they--they was up here for nine days. On the ninth day, what if Peter come around and said, "Brethren, you know our Lord can't lie. No, He can't lie."
Matthew would say, "That's right, Simon. He--He can't lie. What do you think about it, Mark?"
"Oh, that's right. He can't lie."
"He told us if we'd come up here to the city of Jerusalem and tarry, He would send the promise of our Father upon us. We believe that, don't we, brethren?"
"Oh, sure."
"I'll tell you what. We done been here nine days. I presume we've already received it." Oh, that'd make good Baptists, and Methodists, and Presbyterians. See? "I presume we've got it, brothers. Let's go out and start a meeting."
They'd have never had it. But they didn't presume nothing. Why? They knowed that over in the Scriptures... I'll give you some Scriptures just a minute, as soon as I turn to it. In Isaiah 28:11, He said, "Precept must be upon precept; line upon line upon line; here a little, there a little; hold fast that what's good. For with stammering lips and other tongues will I speak to this people. This is the rest."

L-85 In Joel 2:28 said, "It shall come to pass in the last days I'll pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophesy." Hallelujah. They waited until the Scripture was made manifest to them. They didn't presume nothing. They waited till it was over. They waited till they got it.
The Pentecostal church, still their women cutting their hair, their men still smoking cigarettes, and the things that we do, and things like that, and--and letting our people carry on like that. We're presuming something. Let's come back, brother. Let's go back here just a minute. We're running ahead of ourself. We can't be Pentecostal and do like that. No, sir. Let's come back until there comes a consuming fire of God down, and receives the sacrifice, gets the church wholly filled with the Spirit of God, and old fashion Pentecostal powers begins to show itself in the church again. Sure. Sure, we're just presuming. See, we're just taking it...

L-86 "Well, yes, sir, I believe I spoke with tongues one day. I believe I received it, Brother Branham. I--I believe that's right."
And acting the way you act? Doing the things that you do? Associating with the world? Watching television on Wednesday night instead of going to prayer meeting? All of these things, love them... "We Love Suzy," and all them other things better than you love the Bible? Reading magazines before... Pentecostal people reading magazines before? 'Cause the rest of the women act like that, you have to do it too? Doing all these kind of things? And then you're just presuming. He that loves the world, or the things of the world, the love of God's not even in him. That's right. It's the truth.
Getting to a place where it's all show. It's all just a show, instead of old fashion holiness, instead of getting back to God. You see the pictures today of advertisement, evangelists going out, and real pretty, curly hair. I'd like to have some. That's true. But you notice them. They'll take their picture though... They hold--they hold their head down sideways to show that real pretty, curly hair, advertising it out yonder in stuff like that.

L-87 Let me tell you, brother; no wonder the Spirit of God's departed from the thing. No wonder we're back just as cold as the Methodists or Baptists. We got to come out of this, brother, sister, or God will consume us. Exactly right. We got to come back to the power of God, to old prayer meetings and shakings of the Holy Ghost, until men and women live holy and sanctified. Yes, sir. Get the world, and all the Hollywood, and dress, and stuff, out of the thing. My. That's right, brother. Yes. Oh, how sin is so deceitful. How easy it creeps in like that, and takes the things, and just grabs on to you, and holds you, and goes away with it. Yes, sir.


<A HREF="P21">Next Page</A>