<TITLE>08. Par 27-29</TITLE>L-27 And when we see today the way the church has done, what's been the results? This fellow said to me, "But, Brother Branham, you're wrong."
I said, "Prove it's wrong. Who was a greater man than John Wesley?"
"You say you're as great as John Wesley?"
I said, "I couldn't bear his shoes." But I said, "I want to ask you something. If the church would've stayed where John Wesley left it... But what did you do? You got a bunch of Rickys and Elvises in there, and what did you do? You perverted the very thing that he preached for and stood for. God's through with you."
He said, "I'm writing a thesis on this church."
I said, "I don't care how much thesis you write. God has rejected you." I said, "God rejected every organization and every denomination." He rejected your Pentecostals. Where are they at? Where's the Methodists at? Where's the Baptists at? Where's the Presbyterian? Where's the Catholic? Where's the Lutheran? Every time they do that God lays them on the shelf.
And I'll ask any historian--and I've put years in studying history--I want you to show me any time that any church ever drawed an organization, that God didn't let it die right there and never raise again. I want you to point the place to me. It died right there, because it rejected Him as Ruler.

L-28 That's exactly what Israel done when they wanted to look like the rest of the nations. They wanted a king. And old Samuel, the prophet, the one the Word of the Lord came to, he stood up there and said, "I want to ask you something," called them together. They wanted to look like the rest of the nations. He said, "I want to ask you something. Have I ever told you anything in the Name of the Lord but what was the truth?" There you are.
They said, "No. All you said come to pass." Oh. There you are.
He said, "Have I ever begged you for your money for my living?"
"No, Samuel. I don't guess you ever took up an offering for yourself." See?
"Well, then the Lord wants you to stay and let Him be King."
"Oh, we know all this is true. You're telling us the truth. But Samuel, we--we want to be like the--the Baptists." See?
Said, "Go ahead." And right there they lost their fellowship. Right there the church lost its fellowship.
If you'd draw up your creeds, your plans, your doctrines, your Bible doctrines, and then end it with a comma, "We believe this, plus as much as God will let us have, show us," that's all right. But you draw it up with a period, "We believe this, and nothing else." And then it shuts God right out when you make a period. That's right. The churches continually grow.

L-29 So there He was. See? So they couldn't go any farther. Israel couldn't go any farther. And so they said, "Well, we'll go up and repent, and we'll try again. We know that God's tender-hearted, so He will forgive us."
And he goes up, and Moses said, "You're transgression--trespassing the commandments of God. God has said He's through with you, and that settles it. Might as well make the best out of it. Stay right here, 'cause you're going to rot right here in your own--in your own situation. You've brought yourself into this; you've put yourself here; so there you'll stay."
Now, that's what... Here it is. I just read it. You put yourself here; you've died here; you're spiritually gone; so here you'll remain. That's where you're going to stay.
"Well, we will go try it anyhow." So went up and said, "Lord, forgive us. I'll tell you, Lord, we oughtn't to have done this." and cried out. And the next day they said, "All right, all you fellows, come on now, let's go."
But they couldn't take the Word with them, the ark. Neither did the prophet go with them. He stayed back where God told him to. They went advancing on for a million more, but they failed. Them Amalekites, and them, drove them plumb out of the country. They went forth presuming they--that God would be with them.


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