Earnestly contending for the faith

You can find this sermon at ChurchAges.net

1 Good morning, friends. I'm so happy to be here this morning, seeing everybody looking fresh and nice on this fine Yule spring morning. Even the birds sing lovely today.
I was certainly amazed when I walked in to hear the brother. I have heard of him and he gave me some records---was sent to me this week. And now, to hear the Gospel preached in bird language. Well, maybe that's what the birds are doing when they're singing like that: preaching the Gospel to us.
It was once said that the little robin, that he was impersonating there, said... The little robin said, "I wonder why those human beings walk around so down-hearted, and so... Look like they're just so selfish." And said, "Wonder if they haven't ... they haven't got a Heavenly Father to watch over them like we robins do."
So, maybe that's about it. You never heard of one having high-blood pressure, did you? Did you ever see them on crutches going to the hospital to be operated on? No. They got a Heavenly Father. He watches over them and He takes care of them.
But, we know more than they do, you know, so we have to be cut on, butchered up, and all kinds of diseases, and fuss and fight with one another. That's the way we do.

2 Now, hearing this, our brother, on those birds like that, that is a spiritual gift. Try to impersonate it once, see how you get along. God has give that to the brethren.
I heard this young man singing that song: Yielded, Lord, To Thee. And how that Brother Caubles, sitting there, told me he was just converted out of the nightclubs---he and his wife. And how that... That singing: Try to impersonate that. It's a gift that comes from God.
Now, the gift was in him when he was born. The gift was in the other man when he was born, but what they're use it for is what goes. Every man will have to answer for his talent. God gives men talents; they have to use it. Some can preach like a house on fire, and the other different things. But God requires these talents. And I'm so thankful to know that these two brethren sitting back here have yielded their talents, which they could be out here in nightclubs and everything else, using those talents; but they surrendered them to the Lord Jesus Christ to win souls. And I'm happy for that this morning. My brethren, may the Lord ever continue.

3 The little brother here, the song leader, Brother Caubles, many of the others here, God has give you talent. Maybe you say, "Well, Brother Branham, He hasn't give me nothing."
You don't know, maybe, see. You may just go try something. Maybe you've never went out and testified to somebody. Try that. Everybody can't do that. Maybe you can't... Something else that you could do. There's something you can do that you can put it to God.
But, now, the thing you have to do is do what the brothers singing the song: Yield. The man who can whistle and impersonate all the birds that I ever heard, well then, that man yielded himself to it---give in to it. The man who could sing, he yielded himself: He give in to it.
Now, for these things here, the Gospel, and the manifestation of visions, I just yield myself and give in to it. That's what does it, see. It's not me; it's Him. And, it's something that you can't help. The man can't help because he was born to whistle like birds. Why, he just ... he was born that way. The man that sang was the same way. And to see visions, it's just as common to me as it is to them to do that. You see what I mean, now? Altogether, it's for one edification of the glory of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

4 Now, I want to thank you all again. First, I want to say to Brother Caubles, being this closing service here, this morning, Brother Caubles' service... I thought I wasn't going to get here on time. I got started over at the tabernacle preaching a while ago, and liked to ... well, I just liked to stayed too long. And then, to get over here quickly, then, to the service here.
And I got a full day today. And then I have to start right down in Shreveport, Louisiana, at the auditorium---the City Municipal Auditorium. I think it seats about seven thousand. And if any of you live around about there, this next week, why, come on in. We'd be glad to have you.
And then from there, to Denver---Denver, Colorado---where the Christian Businessmen is sponsoring it at the Municipal Auditorium there. I think a night's seating capacity of seven or eight thousand people.
And then we go from there to Edmonton, Alberta, Grande Prairie, Dawson Creek, all through British Columbia. Then back in the United States again, along June, or July, one, just for a few meetings here. One at the Cedar Lake Methodist Campground. Another over DeMoines, Iowa, the 18th, 19th, and 20th. That's the Open Bible Standard Convention---three days of healing campaign---you who live around close to there. And then to the Pacific Northwest over in around Seattle, Washington, for about ten days of healing campaign, immediately following Pacific Northwest Full Gospel Ministerial Camp Meeting, which covers all the Pacific Northwest. They gather in there.
And then I guess we have a farewell meeting, as usual, in New York City just before going overseas. Pray for us. And we sure are appreciative of the cooperation of each and every one of you.

5 Now, in these meetings we have to have finances to carry on. I've never mentioned to them. I never heard nothing about finance, but I suppose everything's taken care of. Lovely. If it isn't, why, tonight they give me a love offering. What's lacking, well, we can make it up. And we try to keep the thing free from finances. That's right. Everything... We try to make it just as free as we possibly can, from begging people. I've never did it, and trust to God that I'll never have to do it. And I just go out and we pass the collection plate. And every penny that's given goes to God's glory, the best of my knowledge; and God knows that.
And I came into the world without anything; I shall return the same way. It's only what I send ahead of me to glory is what will count at that day. And that's to each and every one of you. And now, may the Lord bless you.
Brother Caubles had mentioned about telling a life's story this morning. I was raised here. Most all of you know the life story, and so forth. It's a little late: twenty-five minutes, now, what time I have. And maybe I couldn't get it in in that much time. So, if you'll forgive me, and not think that we was trying to say something different, but in twenty-five minutes a full life story, you just hit the spots here and there.

6 And so, I hope and trust to God, that pretty soon...
Since last night, I've had it on my heart, I have in my possession, or where I can get it at any time, a tent that'll seat fifteen thousand people, with all the seats and everything. I'd like to set that up, either just outskirts of Louisville, between Jeff and New Albany, and stay there for about two months, sometime, just in a good old-fashioned meeting. Have healing services every Wednesday and Sunday, or something like that, through the week. Just preach the Gospel, marry, bury, and baptize; just have a glorious time in the Lord, and do everything that we can for the kingdom.
And after I come back from overseas, perhaps, a lot of my ministry will be given to that; as I feel that in here, in America, everyone (not everyone, but most all the full Gospel people, and the people who believe in these things) has heard of it and believe it.
Sometimes I think, taking time... The American people are taught different than what the overseas people are, over in there. We're taught you must lay hands on the sick for them to recover. As long as your mind is dealing that way, nothing else short of that will do it. That's right. It's always something that's your point of contact.
And I thought I'd have some meetings where I just laid hands on the sick and prayed for them, and ... not the power of discernment.

7 However, as Brother Caubles mentioned, this has been a easy week for me. It's been here, at home. And early of a morning, I get up before people come in, and so forth. And now, when I'm not... I stay there to help people, or do what I can, when the meetings are not going on, but I get away, because the Spirit is always near when these meetings are going on.
I get to talking to someone. And many times I find out things I don't even want to know, especially among friends. And now this is just... We're all just home folks here, I suppose. Brother Caubles church and a few from the tabernacle, is what's gathered in here this morning. Maybe an outsider once in awhile coming in from somewhere else.
But, in this, I have talked to many friends that I have regarded and loved with all my heart. And that anointing'd strike, and I be talking that friend. And they'd say they were your friend, and right there you'd see they wasn't your friend. And that gives me a funny feeling, although I just go on and try to forget about it. But, you remember that you know what is the truth. That's it. There it is.
And I just don't like to do that. I want to think the best of everybody, and love everybody, everybody love me; that when I come to that person, maybe, to pray for them or something, there's no hindrance nowhere. I just walk right in with the full assurance in my heart. I love God, and pray for the person, and get a result.
Because, if you know something's back there hindering, and you know a real solid truth which is revealed by God, then that hinders there when you start to pray for the person. That's right.
So, it's just... It's best that I don't do it.

8 So, during the time of the meetings, I just kind of keep myself away, and go out somewhere in the woods, and take my Bible, and so forth. And go out there and read, and pray, and do something until the services begin.
Then of a evening, my boy and Brother Caubles comes in. They give out prayer cards. And then, I come over, they ... Billy sticks around here where some people come in late, why, they can give them a prayer card.
And Mr. McSpadden... I don't guess he's here this morning; he usually sits along here. He and I come over together, at night, from the McSpadden Market at Jeffersonville. We usually come together at night. We're quite friends. And so, I'd go down in my old truck and pick him up, and we'd come over together. Then, after service, go out, and meet here, weak, and wore, and tired. Sometimes I go home and the family has to put up with me for a couple of hours over there.
And only those who know what those things are, you... I want you to love my family. If you don't love me, love them; because they sure are deserving to have to put up with me after those services.

9 You might not understand why those things are. You say, "Well, Brother Branham, what would that have an effect?"
I can't tell you. I just don't know. The only thing I know: It does. That's all. Just like if we'd say to... Take, for instance, most all men in the line of spiritual things, like poets, authors, and so forth, they're always considered just a little bit nervous, or psychic neurotics, or something like that.
I'm sorry I made that statement a few moments ago. Mr. McSpadden is sitting right back behind here. The young man ducked his head down, and I seen Mrs. McSpadden; and he's sitting there now.

10 And now, for instance, Stephen Foster... Many of you all remember him, wrote the old ... one of the... Give America its best folk song: Old Kentucky Home. That's the national emblem, isn't it? That's right. It's the greatest song. Oh, some Kentuckians ought to say "Amen" somewhere. Old Kentucky Home. I'm telling you, it's famous everywhere.
And I was out here not long ago to the old The Kentucky Home. A little nurse here in the city (It's out here.) at the hospital ---St. Joseph's---and she was a good friend of mine. My wife and all of us, we went out to see the Old Kentucky Home. I was leaning over that little desk where Stephen Foster received inspiration to write that song.
And after they passed through, I was looking at his picture. And there was the angel that was supposed to touch him, to give him inspiration. I thought, Mr. Foster, you've had it in the head, but not in the heart.
And he'd get inspiration. He'd go up and write (you know) Old Black Joe, and all those famous old songs. And then, as soon as the inspiration left him, he'd go out and get drunk, just stay drunk for weeks at a time. Then finally, he wrote a song, and when come out from under the inspiration, he didn't know where he was at. And he called a servant, and took a razor, and committed suicide. That was the end of Stephen Foster.

11 I stood not long ago in London, England, at the grave of William Cowper, where he was a great, famous poet, author, and a beloved Christian man. He wrote this famous song---the communion song; we use at our tabernacle:
There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel's veins.
When sinners plunged beneath the flood
Lose all their guilty stains.
And after writing that song, when he come down out of that inspiration, he didn't know where he was at. And he found himself in a cab, trying to find the river to commit suicide. William Cowper: considered in England a neurotic.
I stood by his grave while tears dropped off of my wrinkled cheeks, for I had a feeling for my brother, and know what he missed.

12 I'm thinking of Jonah, the prophet, when he come up and went down there, under inspiration that God give him---inspiration---a prophet, now, and told him, "Go down here to a certain city, Nineveh; it's wicked. Cry out (a city the size of St. Louis, Missouri), and cry out to them," that God would send punishment upon the city.
And the man didn't want to go, because he knowed he wouldn't be welcome. And he took a boat and went to Nineveh. But, when God speaks something, He's determined that it's going to be done. And so, you know the story of Jonah.
And after under that inspiration, and preached so up and down the streets, right up and down the streets, preaching, and giving his inspiration to the people, that they even put sackcloth on their animals and repented. And God saved the city. Then when the inspiration left him, he stood up on a hill and prayed God to take his life.

13 Look at Elijah when he come off the mountain. After calling fire down out of heaven, rained down out of heaven after it hadn't rained for three years and six months. And when the inspiration left him, we find him out there in the wilderness, wandering around for forty days, and he'd pulled back into a cave. Winds went by, storms went by, and a still small voice: God calling Elijah, "What are you doing back here in this cave?" After under that inspiration, walked subconsciously, forty days and nights.
Maybe you haven't heard the gospel preached like that. But, that's some of the things that they don't speak about, perhaps don't know about. That's it, see. It's in a world that they don't know.
Now, what is it? Now, standing here, and the inspiration strikes, and you go into another world. Then you feel like you could run through a troop and leap over a wall. But, then, let it leave you. I feel my boy or Brother Caubles, someone, patting me on the side. I know it took just as much... I don't know it, but I know that they have looked at me and know that's far enough. Then I must leave.
Then, the first thing you know, I just feel it every side, and I start off the platform. It seems like I'm stepping off the world. And I can just feel myself going ... just whirling somewhere out into space like that.

14 Here the other night, Billy lost me at the door somehow. He started to get my hat ... or, told me to stand there. I don't know what he done. But, I found myself way down the alley here, somewhere, among some cars trying to feel my way around. One of the people from my church picked me up down there and brought me to the car.
You'll never know, friend, what a sacrifice, see. You don't understand, see.
Then after awhile you become to get normal. I drove my car away, hardly knowing what street to turn to at the next place; just trusting God. He's always taken care of me.
But, I do this for one purpose: to help you; to help you to know Jesus Christ. That's right. I do it for God's glory, and that's why He permits me to do it.
God bless you, Christians, my lovely little people here, the Falls Cities, and around. I love you with unchangeable love. No matter what you think of me, I say that from my heart: I love you. And, in order to be your brother, I've got to keep away from the people.
I'm not an isolationist. There is God, who is my Judge here at this sacred desk this morning, not knowing what tonight holds. I may be in His presence. There's not a person in here that I wouldn't like to take hold of their hands and sit down, go home with you. I just love fellowship, but I can't have it. It's kept back from me until we cross the border. I can't be a servant of man and a servant of God at the same time. You've got to keep from man to serve God, and love man. And that brings them to the kingdom.
The Lord bless you. Pray for me.

15 And now, just for the next few moments, ten or fifteen minutes... I hope that if I say something here just at this time, or call somebody's name sitting here, that I don't mean to make anybody conspicuous. I don't mean this by any means. But, I believe, sitting in the audience, I have located a friend of mine that I haven't seen for years. And I'm not sure. Is that you, Mr. Ginther, from New Albany down there? Is that right? God bless you, Mr. Ginther. We've worked together a-many day. God bless you.
I was quite sure. I looked back there, and I thought, Could that be Cy Ginther? The days that... Have you been attending service, brother, over here? You have. [The brother speaks.] Sir? [The brother repeats.] Twice. That's fine.
I want to tell you a little story just now (It won't take me a moment.) about Mr. Ginther. Before my conversion, we worked together at the public service in New Albany, where I served for seventeen years.
One outstanding thing I remember. Before I got hurt at the public service company, I heard that Mr. Ginther had taken sick one night. And a bunch of fine men, only, rough men: talking any way. Someone come down there, which belonged to another phase of religion that Mr. Ginther didn't belong to. Said, "What do you know about Si?" Said, "Last night," said, "he was very sick. And you know what? They had the preacher out there to pray for him."
Something as a sinner boy struck in my heart. That was the Holy Spirit moving then. That's twenty years ago or more. Maybe more than that: twenty-three years.

16 I remember when the war was over. I think Mr. Ginther, I believe, lost a boy, or something, during the time of the war. I was down there talking to another good friend, Mr. Willow. Mr. Ginther said, "Billy, when the war is over," said, "I might not be out here on the street shooting guns and carrying on, but I'll bow my head and be thankful that it's over." I think that's good.
Long may you live, Brother Ginther, and may God bless you beyond you and yours, and in peace someday meet that boy in a better world where there won't be any shooting or firing back at one another. When the kingdoms of this world becomes the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, then we'll know, and live, and reign together.

17 Now this morning, just for a few minutes, let's turn over to the shortest book in the Bible (one of the shortest), the little book of Jude. Let's teach for a few moments. If you'll excuse me for not telling the life story, 'cause it'd just be a few moments. I'll just teach a little bit, here. And then we're getting ready for the service tonight. And we hope that God will bless you.
And remember, Christian friends, I've often said this at the platform (used to; I can't do it now, because it's just too many)... I say, "The night never gets too dark, the rain never falls too hard, but what I would come to you in trouble." There's just so many that I couldn't truthfully say that. But I'll say this: Way over in Africa, India, and the places where it shall go, and I know it will be; I've got it wrote right here, what the Lord has said; it'll be that way.
When the wind's blowing hard, and the witch doctors would challenge, and rope walkers, fire walkers, and fire eaters, and everything else, challenge you right down to the spot... When they see anything on the phenomenal side, they come right down and challenge it right there. You'd better know what you're talking about.
I'll remember that there's a church over here---a group of people at the Church Of The Open Door and what's attended this meeting---will be praying for me. Won't you do that? And some glorious day, if we never meet again in the Church Of The Open Door, let's meet at the place for the open door in heaven where all families will sit around the big table there. All the redeemed, all the children, and everything that's been lost, will gather together at that day. I want to be there.
The Lord bless you, now, while we speak to the Author.

18 Father, in the name of Thy Son Jesus, speak to us through the Word. "Faith cometh by hearing, hearing of the Word of God." And knowing ... living here so close, and everyone knowing my life anyhow, know, God, it's nothing to talk about. What a... Long from a flowerbed of ease, and the marks of disgrace. I just hate to go back over them again.
And I pray, God, that You'll bless us this morning in teaching of Thy Word. And may Thy Word be established in every heart forever. We ask You to take these few words now in the next few moments, and place them right in the hearts of the believer, for we ask it in Christ's name. Amen.

19 Jude wrote in AD 66; that would be thirty-three years after Pentecost. Jude, the foster brother of our Lord Jesus Christ, which now... One time, Jesus' brothers---foster brothers---didn't believe in Him. But, we notice Jude here saying, "The servant of Jesus Christ." What a difference. And now, we see that in the writing of this book, there had been something happen to the church. And we want to read a few verses here, and just explain it as we go along.
Someone, tell me dismissing time. Will you ring your Sunday school bell, or whatever it is, so we can get through? And don't forget tonight.

20 Perhaps, before I can see you again, there'll be many, many, many thousands of miles between us. And I want to see you once more in a great healing service tonight. I shall be praying this afternoon, and doing everything that I know how, that God will give us an outpouring of His blessings tonight, like He's never did before.
I wanted... I'm praying for it. It'll be a revival that'll do something for the people of Louisville, Jeffersonville, and New Albany---my own beloved people. And how I see them off and out in these conditions: The churches waxing and growing cold. My own people sitting right in them.
And then I come, and I think I speak too harshly. I go home sometimes... I tell you this is truth: I went home and cried about what I said at the platform. But I couldn't help it. Something just got in me and made me say it. And I think, What do you want to be so rough about it for? But it isn't me. I must be obedient. I only speak by inspiration. Just as I see it, I get it, and speak it. I have no notes, no nothing to preach from, just God's Word just the way it lays there. That's all I know.
Now, I depend on the Holy Spirit, not knowing one thing (God knows that) what to say this morning. I never take thought for what to say. I go to the platform, let Him do the leading. That's all. But, He's promised this: If you open your mouth, I'll fill it. So He's done that now for twenty-three years. And I'm not weary in the road. I trust Him.
I might not be eloquent like speakers, and so forth, but God has anyhow given me lots of friends. And by God's grace, I've helped win almost a half a million converts to Him. So, I'm so thankful for that. Being illiterate, as I am, without education, and yet God has blessed the humble ministry that He's given me.

21 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, ... the brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:
I just love that address. I like the way he places that out there. Now, look. This letter is not written to unbelievers. Notice, he states specifically "to them that are sanctified," as I heard our brother speaking a while ago and his little boy being sanctified.
How many believes in sanctification? say, "Amen." That's right. "Without holiness, no man shall see God." Hebrews 13:12 and 13 said, "Jesus suffered without the gate that He might sanctify the people with His own blood." Let us go forth to Him bearing the reproach.
Now, sanctification is a cleansing---cleaning up---of the spirit; getting ready for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Justification is believing on the Lord. And you're justified by faith: Romans 8:1, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 8:1.
Hebrews 13:12 and 13 is sanctification, and Luke 24:49, he said, "Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until you're endued with power from on high."

22 The first thing, there's a glass laying out in the hog pen, chicken yard, whatever it is. You want to use it. The first thing, you pick it up: That's justification. You've got it in your hand. You can't use it yet; it needs to be cleansed.
Then you take it in; you wash it, sterilize it, boil it, and take all the germs out of it. That's what God does through sanctification: takes all the desire of sin out of your heart; cleans you up. And then you are a candidate for the filling of the Holy Spirit, see. Then the word sanctified means "to be cleansed and set aside for service." That's the Old Testament altar: sanctified the vessels; and cleansed and set aside for service. It's not in service; it's set aside for service.
And when it's in service... "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." The Holy Spirit comes in and fills up that vessel to running over, bubbling over, and then you're in the service of the Lord.

23 I seen a little woman so backward she couldn't hardly raise her hand. When the insurance man come to the door, kind of cowed down. And let her go down and get an old-fashioned case of salvation. I'm telling you, she could testify. There was just... Makes your heart quiver. That's right. Because, something has happened to her.
Jude's addressing that group of people: "To those that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called." Now, he's addressing this to the church, not to the outside world.
Just like in Ephesians, Paul, fixing to speak of grace through redemption, through election; he addresses his letter directly. Now, the acts of the apostles are showing what the acts the Holy Spirit did by the apostles, how He showed signs and wonders, and gave vision, and so forth.
That is kind of like the history of what the Holy Spirit did. But, these letters are directed to the saints in the church; this letter directed directly to them.

24 Mercy be unto you, and peace and love, be multiplied.
Beloved, [I just like that word.] ... Beloved, ... I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints.
Now, let's stop here a few moments. "...earnestly contending for the faith." Now, what is it to "contend"? Contend is "to debate, or stand there and hold fast" on your conviction. For what? "...earnestly contend for the faith (not a faith), the faith."
Now, if someone says, "Well, Brother Branham, that's not my faith. I don't believe in that."
There's only one faith: "One faith, one Lord, one baptism," and that's the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, see---only one faith. Now, we have lots of religions, lots of ceremonies, but there's only one faith. "...that you should earnestly contend for the faith, that was once delivered unto the saints."
Now, they wasn't called "saints" until they become sanctified (The word sanctified, I believe means "saintly," or saint means "sanctified."), until they were sanctified through the blood of the offering of Jesus Christ, once for all. They were the saints then.

25 Now, if we can find out what kind of... Now, remember, this is just thirty-three years after the inauguration of the church at Pentecost. Thirty-three years later, there's been such a falling away, until Jude here, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is sending the letter to the churches to "earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints."
Now, if we can only find out what kind of a faith the first saints had, then we can find out what kind of faith to contend for. Is that right? But, we must remember what kind of faith was it.
Now, let's just think about... Well, the first thing a person ought to do is think of the first subject. The first thing that we must do is to repent. The disciples taught repentance, water baptism, divine healing, resurrection of the dead, manifestation of the power of the Holy Ghost, signs and wonders; spoke with tongues, interpreted tongues, cast out devils, healed the sick, opened the blinded eyes, saw visions. Is that right?
Well, this is nineteen hundred years, and we're still contending for the faith that was once delivered to the saints. And God is confirming it.

26 I think today of how many religions there are in the world. Just being locally here in America, you don't realize, friends, the things that you run into across the sea.
For instance, I was just rehearsing to a fellow---to a man---where in Japan, (where we're to go pretty soon after visiting Australia, and New Zealand; then going up into the East, to Japan, Korea). And in Japan, they got a Buddha statue eighty feet tall, and it's made out of bones and hair of the people who was his followers---eighty feet tall. And in every place in the inside of this Buddha temple, they got a little bitty Buddha in there with some kind of stones in the eyes that is valued up to over two hundred thousand dollars apiece.
Then they got... That's a greater ... or, more popular religion than Christianity. And Mohammedism is far beyond that.
But, then they got another religion there, where they got a lot of gods, many gods. As I was saying awhile ago: talk about trinitarian, here, a "hundred-tarian." They have... They've got four hundred kitchen gods. And if the woman does something she don't want the god ... her little god to confess it, then she goes and puts some paste in his mouth so he can't talk about it. Superstition.
Oh, that's just... We have the very same thing! Just a minute, we'll get to it.

27 Now, remember, I'm against no one's religion. I only try to testify to what's truth. Now, for instance, like, in Catholicism today... Now, you Catholic friends, now just be patient; we're going to get right over on the Protestants in just a minute. But now, notice how all those forms of religion, how it all backs up to paganism.
Now, look here. The Catholic church today, in their homes, they have what they call the "house saints": Saint Mary, Saint Elisabeth, Saint Cecelia, Saint Thomas, Saint Josephus, or somebody, a saint, saint, saint. Where did it come from? Look back yonder at the beginning. Pagan to begin with. Sure it is.
And we Protestants, we take it right over to our church. "I'm a Methodist." "I'm a Baptist." "I'm a Presbyterian." Still idolatry. That's right. God wants men to worship Him in Spirit and in truth. I don't care what the church says, what this...
Every one of those people around the world... In India and Africa, I found people coming out, packing little idols, sprinkled with blood. They worship that idol. Every human being's got a soul. And he knows he was made off of some great Creator somewhere, and he tries to find his way behind that dark curtain.
And now, in Protestant religion today, we're just as ignorant of that as the Hottentots is. That's right.

28 You go around and talk about the Bible and say, "This is that." The Buddhists, they come around with their bible and say the same thing. The Mohammedans come around say the same thing. Down... If we could pass to the Ganges River today, they throw little black babies in there and sacrifice them to crocodiles.
You say, "Well, Brother Branham, I'm sincere."
So are they. More sincere than you are, or I am---on that heathen worship; but that don't mean they're saved. There's only one way to be saved, that's through Jesus Christ the Son of God; being born of the Holy Ghost, filled with His Spirit. Then you are saved, by the Holy Ghost.

29 Now, Jude's writing to the people: They'd began falling away, breaking up in creeds, denominations. And they said, "Well, we the group of these believe this"; "We the group of this, believes that." Jude said, "Now, I'm writing to you to exalt you ... to exhort you, rather, that you should earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints." He knowed the Holy Spirit had already spoke through Paul, saying, "In the last days, how they'd be heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof."
God has always... Amen. (Brother, you're on that thing. Don't let me deafen the people.) But look, I want to tell you something. Every time, in every age since the beginning of time, God has vindicated His believers with signs and wonders. I challenge any historian to tell me a time that there ever struck a revival of God Almighty on the face of the earth, 'less there were great phenomenal, and miracles and signs and wonders accompanying it. Every time, every time, you all historians, Josephus, and the whole group will write and tell you the same. Through the Methodist revival, and all other revivals, they had signs, wonders, and miracles.

30 Some of you Methodist people here that don't believe in divine healing; you ought to be ashamed of yourself to call yourself a Methodist. That's right.
I stood by that great shrine in London, England, there, where there's a memorial to John Wesley preaching divine healing, turned a fox loose in amongst them like that, and run the people and scattered them. He pointed his finger in his face and said, "The sun'll not set on your head three times, till you call for me to pray for you." And he died that evening with cramps in his stomach, calling for Wesley to come pray for him.
When he was over here with Asbury, and so forth, while he fell on his horse one day, and horse broke its leg. And he got his bottle of oil out of his pocket, and anointed the horse in oil, and got on him and rode him away. Yes, sir.
You say that in a Methodist church today, or testify of divine healing to a human being... Why, Wesley would turn over in his grave, if he knew how formal and ungodly you'd got. That's right.

31 And then, another thing: I forget the old Methodist father who got so old, he couldn't hardly preach. He'd preach a short sermon of two hours and a half. And he got up there and he said, "Do you know, oh, it's such a disgrace." He said, "Just think, the Methodist women are even wearing jewelry on their hands." What would he say today to see them in shorts, and carrying on the way they are now?
Do you see? Satan might have went out of fashion, but he's not out of business; he's still on the job. And, brother, thing of it is, you just let these little old things creep in, creep in, creep in till the devil has blinded the eyes of the American people and communism has swept every church, and every school, and everything else. Yes, sir. That's true.
Oh, I wish I could scream it out to the people! We are finished as a nation! We are finished. That's right. After the revivals and things has swept this land, and people still walk along the way they do, ignoring the Holy Spirit. How can you expect anything else, but ruination, and damnation, and judgment?

32 Here's what's the matter with you builders, you ministers, sitting out there. Here's what's the matter. When they built the temple of Solomon, they started putting the temple up, and they found a freak stone. They said, "We can't use that thing." They kicked it out, over in a weed pile. And they went on building the building, and come, they'd gotten to the end of the road. They couldn't go any farther. They had a hole in the wall that they couldn't make the rest of the building fit with. And come to find out, the very stone that they rejected was the chief cornerstone.
And today, we built Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, and everything else, and to find out, we've rejected the real chief cornerstone, which is God's power in demonstration of His love to His people. Segregating the people: "I'm Pentecost. I'm better than you." "I'm Methodist. I'm better than you." Oh, brother, when you got that attitude, you need an old-fashioned altar somewhere to pray through at. That's right. Amen.

33 Notice, what we need today is a contending for the faith. When they went up there in the upper room that day, they wasn't saying, "Now, look. I'm a Sadducee," and "I'm a Pharisee," and "I'm a Proselyte," and "I'm this, that, or the other." They were all in one place, and one accord. Then suddenly there came from heaven as the sound of a rushing, mighty wind filled all the house where they were sitting. Then the Methodists and Baptists, and all, consolidated together. Contend for that faith. That's what we're contending for today.

34 Now watch, "That you should earn...
For there are certain men ... crept in unaware, who were before ... ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and ... Lord Jesus Christ.
Could you think of it? Now look what type of men these are. I'm not a fighter, friends, against people, against churches, I'm just only... I never spoke evil, as I know of, but against one minister. That was twenty-three years ago. And God give me such a whipping about that, I never done it before ... or, never done it after, pardon me.
But, here's one thing I never intend to do, is to speak against them things. But, it's the sin that I see that's eating the church up! It's the thing that's being permitted in the church. And the people are going right on with it, thinking they're right. It's because it's not preached at the platform.

35 What we need is an old-time, scrubbing, scouring-out revival. That's right. Not just people raise up and say, "I accept Jesus as my Saviour," and go on back home. I mean, come down at the altar and pray through till you strike home.
Like we used to in the old-fashioned Baptist church down here in Kentucky. We got one another down, and beat one another on the back till we come through. We had something when it was over. That's the kind of a Baptist you need today, instead of some of these you got around Louisville, here, coming in by letter from somewhere else. Hallelujah!
Brother, that may be flat. It may be soybeans and cornbread, but it'll stick to your ribs till you die. I think we've had too much dessert now. Don't you think so? You need something that'll put some muscle on you; get some faith in you. That's right. All right.

36 "Earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints. But men of old ordained to this condemnation, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness." You know what the grace of God is. You know what lasciviousness is. And if you want to see a picture of that, you could climb up about a mile high above Louisville, Kentucky, in Indiana, and around, look over and you'll see it this morning, everywhere: Taking the grace of God and turning it into lasciviousness. And in doing so, they deny the Lord God.
Now, you let those people, just as fundamental as they can be (Yes sir, brother, I mean they're fundamental.), teach. My, you just ought to hear them. Take that Word---written Word, there---and wrap it around, and around, and around like that, and challenge you to it. And they're right.
It just reminds me that in the revival of the coming day, how God is going to move in these things. God in His revival---in every age, in every time, in every place---has always did the same thing.

37 Look back there when Israel was coming out of Egypt. Now, Israel was a group of people that dwelt in tents. And when they come out of Egypt, on the road to the promised land, there was Moab up there that would not let them pass through the land. They didn't want that bunch of holy rollers over in their country. They just wouldn't have it.
You say, "Brother Branham, did you call Israel 'holy rollers'?"
Well, that's what they were. Exactly. Look when they crossed through the Red Sea, as we had... Somewhere, in one of the meetings; I have so many all the time, I don't know whether I was talking on it here or not. When they crossed through the Red Sea, Miriam picked up a tambourine and began to dance in the Spirit. And all the daughters of Israel followed her, dancing in the Spirit. Is that right? And Moses got so full of the Holy Ghost, he throwed up his hands and began to sing in the Spirit. If that ain't a bunch of holy rollers, I never seen them. It's exactly the truth.

38 Notice, and when they started to cross into ... their brother Moab, which come back from Lot... Lot's daughter, living with her father, brought forth these boys. And through there come Moab. And notice, they wasn't infidels. They weren't communists. They come out there and they said, "No, we'll not let you bunch of fanatics pass through." They wasn't even a denomination; they were interdenominational. They didn't have no land they could call their own. Moab had its own land, but Israel was a pilgrim. Hallelujah!
We're pilgrims and we're strangers here;
We're seeking a city to come.
The lifeboat soon is coming
To carry the jewels home.
Wanderers about, as Paul said, in sheepskins, goatskins; professing that they don't even know the world. Passed from death unto life, and become new creatures in Christ Jesus. And here they are: Israel, the wanderer, wandering around in tents; and all these other big denominations all settled down. All their dignitaries and everything around them, their council, their bishops, and everything around where they were. But Israel was a wanderer, a cast out, made fun of, talked about (That's right.), but he was still in the will of God. Amen.
Oh, I just... Excuse me. It's time for me to quit, but you just hold on just a minute. I want to get this out. It's just roaring around in my soul. I feel like I'd explode if I didn't, pretty soon.
Notice! I don't say [unclear words.], because I don't believe in using that in the church.

39 But, look. Here they are. Moab comes out. He said, "You'll not come through here, because I'll put a... I'll just stop you right here at the gate. You're not going to have one of them kind of revivals in our country. We just won't cooperate with you at all."
So they got them out there, and they said, "Now, how are we going to stop this bunch of fanatics coming through here?"
So they went and got an old backslidden prophet back there by the name of Balaam. That's right. And he loved money more than he loved God. Yet, he had a gift. We know that. But, he was money crazy. And the first thing you know, he said, "I'll give you so much money."
And here he went, and a dumb mule had to speak in other tongues to rebuke him. That's exactly what the Bible said. The mule had more spiritual insight than what the prophet did. And if God could use a mule for such things, to rebuke a prophet, what about a man that's born again? Amen. There you are. And this dumb mule turned around and spoke in human voice---in other tongues---and told him, "What's the matter with you, anyhow?" Rebuked him. But he still wanted that money. Here he goes right on down there.

40 Here stood Moab, the great man. And the first thing you know ... or, Amelek, rather, and he stood out there... Or, I beg your pardon; it's Balaam. Balak stood out there with Balaam, and he said, "Now, come here. I want you to curse this people."
Balaam got ready to go out and put a curse on them. And so he built his sacrifices over here. And I want you to notice: He used the same sacrifice... Here he is up on the hill. Israel had to come this way. Now, there's no need of trying to stop them. God's done promised them they're going over there. So, there's no need of trying to stop them. They're on their road and nothing's going to stop them.
You say, "There'll be a time when they'll make them bunch of holy rollers...?"
Oh, no. King Nebuchadnezzar tried to burn it out of them. They tried to boil it out of John. It's still moving just the same, going on just the same.

41 Now, I use the word "holy roller." I've sailed the seven seas, and I've never seen a holy roller yet. That's just a dirty name that the devil tacked on this holiness church. That's all. No such a thing as a holy roller. Nine hundred and sixty-nine different denominations in Washington, DC (recorded now), and none of them's called "holy roller." They just call it that. See, it's just a slang name.
Like they did to Paul: "In the way that's called 'heresy,'" said Paul, "that's the way I worship the Lord. The way that they call 'crazy,' out there (all that bunch of people, screaming, and hollering, and carrying on), that's the way I worship the Lord," he told the King Agrippa. That's right. "That's the way I worship God, in the way they call, 'crazy, heresy.'"
Now, well, I'd like to shake his hand this morning, say, "Amen, Paul, I'm standing with you. Nineteen hundred years has passed, but we've still got that heresy going." Amen.
So it's foolishness to the world. You have to become crazy to the world to find your right mind in God.

42 So notice, here they go. Here comes Moab out. Now, look what he did. Balak went down there. And Balaam the prophet, he said, "Build me seven altars." (Now, any of you teachers know... Listen close, now.) Seven altars. And he put seven rams ... seven bullocks and seven rams.
Seven rams ... or, seven bullocks is clean sacrifice. Seven rams spoke of the first coming of Jesus Christ. Fundamental? That's the very same offering they're offering down there in that camp of holy rollers. Same offering: seven altars, seven bullocks, seven rams. Now, fundamentally speaking, Moab is just as right as Israel is.
Now, you might be a good Baptist brother, preacher, sitting in here, and I know you. Let's get down, right down to the showdown now. Speaking... If fundamentalism is right, God should never refuse Balaam's offering. And if fundamentalism is right, God should never rejected Cain. Cain was just as religious as Abel was. He made a offering, he went to church, he paid his tithes, he built an altar, he was sincere, he was a believer.
You say, "Well, I'm a believer. I'm saved."
That don't mean you're saved. "Except a man be born of water and Spirit, he'll in no wise enter the kingdom." It is also written. That's right.

43 You've got to realize, friends, that Cain was a believer. And Jesus said, "In the last days, the spirits would be so close together, it would deceive the very elect if possible."
Cain was a believer. He wasn't a communist, nor an infidel. He was a church-going, ritualistic gentleman, and was lost! And there'll be so many of them at the judgment, they'll be innumerable. People who goes to church, sincere, and believers. Cain was a believer, so was Moab a believer, so was Balaam a believer. And they were fundamentally, Scripturally right! If God just respects fundamentalism, then Moab was just as right as Israel, because both...
Here stood the royals all around, the dignitaries of the country standing around these smoldering sacrifices. The bulls was dead, the rams was dead. The clean sacrifice, speaking of sanctification. The rams, speaking of the coming of Christ.
They said, "Yes, Lord, we believe You as Jehovah: a clean God that sanctifies us through the blood. Your seven days---seven thousand years for the world to exist---perfect number. And we offer ... representing each one of these days that You're God through each generation. You're a clean holy God through each generation. We believe that You will send the Messiah. We stand this ram, here, from Abel to speak the same things"; just as fundamental as they were down there. Certainly.
Well, then you say, "My church is fundamental."
That don't mean you're saved yet. That's right. If it was, Moab was saved. There he was, and sincere.

44 Now, I want you to watch the trickery of the devil. Moab said ... or, Balak said to Balaam, "Come back up here on this side, now, and I'll show you." Watch. He showed him the utmost parts of the people, the worst part, just the hinder parts, it said, of Israel. He didn't show him the overall picture. He just showed him the back part of it, the worst part. The little camp, the stragglings that was coming along, the poor sheep and the goats. He just showed him the utmost part. Amen.
Now, sit still. Just think real hard, and may the Holy Spirit take this now, and place it right in your heart---every one of you. I wonder if our pastors just hasn't showed us the worst part of them holy rollers. I just wonder if we haven't: "Well, look at their carrying on."
I know they get all off the track. That's right. The Methodist does too---the Free Methodists. They said, "Look at that bunch of holy rollers." Pilgrim Holiness does the same thing. You Nazarenes, the same thing. You're called "holy rollers." The Pentecostals, and all the rest of them, called "holy rollers."

45 They said, "Well, look at that bunch of fanatics. All screaming, and carrying on. Well, one time I knew of a Methodist preacher, or Baptist preacher, or some of these holiness preachers that did so-and-so."
But your pastors in the bigger churches did the same thing, but just a little "hush" stopped it. Right. But God knowed all about it. That's right.
And the time's come for that thing to be uncovered! Right. God's raising up with signs and wonders of vindication to prove it! You watch and see what I'm telling you, for I speak in the name of the Lord. That's right.
No wonder Russia accepted communism, is because the root and grounding of the churches there that couldn't produce nothing they were talking about.
No wonder America is accepting communism in a round-about way through the church, because the church is weak and doesn't produce what Jesus Christ said it would do. Because the weakness of the pulpit, and a man of God that's failing to yield himself to the working of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Christian: shallow. Cut loose the shorelines, and get out there yonder in deep water. Let down the net and get the draw. It's yours! If He's God, He's got to do it. If it isn't God, then quit fooling with it. That's right. The time for the showdown's at hand. Prove who's God. God's doing it in His own way.

46 Now, we see this prophet. And he goes back and looks at the utmost part. And when he come back... Now remember, if this man here, if fundamentalism ... both of them is offering the same sacrifice; both praying to the same God. One of them is a great organized nation, all set in colors with dignity people, dignitaries, and everything standing around, all their bishops, as it was, and so forth, standing around [unclear words] up like that. "Oh, great Jehovah, now help our preacher to put a curse on that stuff, and stop all that bunch of people coming through here."
And truly that bunch of Israelites had done every dirty thing there was on the calendar to do. That's right. But where that preacher failed to see... He thought, Surely a holy, moral God would curse that people that done all those bad things. But, he failed to see that brass serpent and that smitten rock going before them. He failed to see the signs. He only looked at the moral side.
Notice, and he went out there, and he took his parable and went to meet God, and when instead of cursing Israel, he blessed Israel. And he come back and he wondered, What I've done? Instead of cursing that people, I blessed that people.
Now, watch. The preacher was showing the dirty part, the back part, the backwash of it, the worst that could be. But, when God spoke through him, He said, "I've not beheld him from the utmost part; I've beheld him from the hilltop. And I've not conceived iniquity in Jacob."
Hallelujah! I'll be one of them in a few minutes. Yes, sir. "I have not seen any iniquity in Jacob." How, He couldn't see it. The blood was cleansing it. "I've not conceived iniquity in Jacob." Yes, sir.

47 Oh, brother. Please, as dying men and women here this morning, open your eyes! Don't wait to meet judgment yonder before you find these things out. It's too late then. Now is the time of salvation. Now is the day.
I know I'm awfully loud on that thing. I don't mean to yell at you. But, oh, how I feel when I see the Word of God sticking right out here on every post, everywhere, pointing to the ways of salvation, and know that people who love me, and would give their arms to help me out. And yet, I've got to answer before them at the day of judgment if I fail to warn and say what's the truth.
How I would like to come in here this morning with some little pious talking and speak to you; and then at the day of judgment, you'd say, "Brother Branham, what about that Sunday morning? If you'd have told us the truth, it might've shook us a little. But, maybe it'd been different today."
God forbid! I want to say like Paul, "The blood of no man's upon my hands. I speak the truth." God testifying that it is the truth. There's a great hour at hand.

48 Now, watch. He said, "I have not conceived iniquity."
Look here. If fundamentalism is right, and that's the only thing, both of them just base one another in the face, both believed in Jehovah, both went to church, both made a sacrifice, both believed in the coming of Christ. They were just as fundamental as they could be.
What was the difference in them? Here: Because down there in Israel, both of them was fundamental, both Bible teachers, but God was vindicating Israel. God proved at that point he was with... Though both of them fundamental, teaching the Bible, but God proved He was with Israel by signs and wonders and supernatural, see. Churches: They both had the same. Altars: They both had the same. Believers: They all was the same. But this group had signs and wonders for them.
They had a pillar of fire over them. They had divine healing among them. They had shout in the camp. A saint ... or, a King was in the camp: King Jesus. They screamed and acted like maniacs. They danced in the Spirit. They done signs and wonders. They healed the sick. They had the supernatural following them. And God was saying, "This is My election." Hallelujah!
Oh, I hope you see it, Christians. Don't... Please don't think I'm yelling at you. I'm only trying to get you to see what's truth. God vindicated ... "This is it." He's always did it.

49 Looky here at Paul. Look when Jesus come. There was those Pharisees, just as fundamental in belief as they could be. They believed the Messiah would come. Jesus preached the same Gospel they preached. But, what was the difference between Jesus' bunch, and the Pharisees' bunch, or the priests'---the religious that day?
Here they was at the temple with all their great beautiful ceremony. There was thousands of trumpets ringing. The great singers, and the angelic choirs it was, and all their beautiful robes. And down on the river somewhere stood Jesus with a bunch of fishermen. The Emmanuel of God!
What was the difference? Where they'd had tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands gathered in the temple, He had three or four thousand gathered somewhere. What was the difference? God had vindicated Him by signs and wonders and miracles, and they failed to see it.
That spirit of Cain from the Garden of Eden... Here's the spirit of Abel from the Garden of Eden, coming right on. Both of them is going up in the stalk now. Look at them; they're ready to bloom out now. The church and the world together, the formal church and the spiritual church. He said, "Let them grow together."
Notice, impersonations and so forth. "As Jambres and Jannes withstood Moses, so do these resist the truth. Men of reprobate minds concerning the truth." Just for popularity they won't go into it, because they're afraid to tackle it.

50 Here not long ago I heard Charles Fuller speaking, that they had accepted divine healing, and had the power of God in their meeting there. And here, sometime ago, he was the very one that stood on the platform and talked to me. He said, "Why, Brother Branham," he said, "all this here divine healers, there's no such a thing as that."
I said, "Just as far as you know, there isn't."
He said, "Nobody'll come here." Said, "This thing seats about four thousand people." He said, "Nobody'll come to hear that." Said, "They got the Pentecostals over here; they're all divine healers. They got the McPherson bunch; they're all divine healers." Said, "All up and down the coast, they've got the divine healers."
I said, "Brother Fuller, I have nothing to say against that. But God will vindicate His gifts and powers if it's in the belly of hell."
He said, "Come on down. [Unclear words]. It's your money you're losing."
I said, "Well, that's all right then."
He said, "I can't advertise you."
I said, "I didn't ask you to." I said, "I didn't ask you to. Didn't need any advertisement. I was up at the Church Of God campground, was about ten thousand people up there."
He said, "Well, you're going to be left flat, here."
That afternoon when there was about eighteen hundred left out---a few in this balcony, and a few over here, and a few there. In a hours' time, that place was packed plumb back out to the piers. And here went his intelligent-looking bunch of people, walking out. Preached that afternoon, a good sermon. Charles Fuller's one of the best preachers in the land---he is---one of the finest Christian men. But, the thing of it is, he's been blinded all this time till just recently of what's truth. He's preached the Word, fundamental---fundamental school---but now he begins to see that God's a healer, and He speaks.
He even said the other day on his radio broadcast here, that they had speaking in tongues, and interpreting of tongues right in the municipal auditorium; they accepted it. Hallelujah! Oh, my!

51 What we need today is an old-fashioned, Billy Sunday, belly-busting, rip-snorting revival! Hallelujah! That's right. We need the power of God back to shake the shackles of hell down in the devil's eyes, and say, "You're a liar! And God's Word's true, and we're standing on it." Hallelujah! Yes, sir.
There, all of their fundamentalism, standing, dressed in their robes and dignity, but they failed to see Jesus Christ being the Son of God. But God had vindicated that was Him by signs and wonders. Watch! He saw visions, He spoke prophecy, the sick was healed, signs and wonders followed Him.
The poor people heard Him gladly, and they rejoiced and screamed, and began shouting one day when He come riding in on a little old mule---come trotting in. He said, "Well, this is to fulfill which was spoken to the prophets---trotting in on this mule---and them people hollering, "Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna!"
Those big [unclear word] DD, PhD, all that, sitting out here with their collars turned around, why, say, "Make them hold their peace. They just shiver me to death, nearly."
He said, "If they hold their peace, the rocks will immediately cry out."
That spiritual rock that was in the wilderness was coming in, watering (spiritually) every believer when he come in. They couldn't hold their peace.
[Blank space on tape.]

52 ...why they said, "Did you ever you see such church manners? What? Oh, a crucifixion to dignity." Oh, my. You don't even know what the speaking of dignity is. This is worldly, self-styled dignity that people talk about.
About faith: They say, "Oh, I got faith." Humbleness and humility---hardly know, sometimes, people does know what it really means.
Notice, just quickly now. Oh, my. I didn't know it was that time. We've got to close. All right. One more little word.
Paul said ... look at him speaking when Jesus left. He said, "In the last days, perilous times shall come." The faith will be pretty slow then. He said, "They'd be heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God."
Oh, how I'd like to stop here about five minutes, and push just as hard as I can against the modern churches. That's right. "Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God." Ninety-nine percent of the churches in Jeffersonville (not in Louisville, maybe) permit their people to go to picture shows and all kinds of places like that, and worldly amusement, and come back and wonder why their churches and schools are so cooled off. Why, brother, look what you're putting before them. And their members smoke cigarettes, and take a little sociable drink now and then, and have card parties in the places.
I went to a place here in New Albany, Indiana, Cy, when I was reading the meters up there. And there was supposed to be a woman's missionary society. And a drunken bunch of sailors couldn't be telling the jokes that they were telling up there. Of a great fine church in New Albany. Why, it just boiled my (to you holiness people) my righteous indignation. To you Baptists, I just got angry.
And I go up to the top of the steps, and I said, "Did you say this was a woman's missionary...?"
And threatened to call the public service company on me. Said, "What's this to you?"
I said, "A whole lot. I'm a minister of the Gospel." Amen. "You're standing out here... You're the ruination of Christianity!" Right! God grant the day when men and women who profess to be Christians, live what they profess to be. There'll be a difference, a separation from the world.

53 That's what God wants today. You, when you choose your pastor, you want to get some of these little guys up here from the seminary that's got more intelligence than has got gumption to know how to control. They come there and say, "He's a good mixer. He goes to the games and things with us." But God wants an old separator, brother, who'll stand there and separate right from wrong. That's right.
When you go to get an operation, you don't go get one of these little doctors that never had an operation before. You go get an old man who's had a lot of experience.
Brother, when I want somebody to talk to me about Christ, I want somebody that's been through the deep waters! Hallelujah! Somebody who has an experience to know, who's talked face to face with Him, and know what they're talking about. That's what we need today. That's right.

54 There he was in all their dignity. Paul said they'd have a form of godliness. Just as ritualistic, just as fundamental: "Well, we believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, preacher."
"Yes, sir. That's right."
"We believe in the second coming."
"Yes, sir."
"We believe in being converted. We believe in accepting Jesus Christ as personal Saviour. We believe Him as the Son of God, virgin-born."
"Yes, sir. That's all right."
All those things'll have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof.
I said, "What do you think about divine healing, praising the Lord, shouting, and all the miracles and signs, and gifts back in the church?"
"Oh, that was for another age."
Just exactly what the Holy Ghost said would take place! The Holy Ghost said, "Now, they'll have a form of godliness, but will deny the power thereof." He said, "From such turn away! For this is just like Jambres and Jannes that withstood Moses."

55 Listen, this is a little foreclosing. A few years ago... About three weeks from now, I aim to be in the same place: British Columbia. I was coming out there. I'd been all day long, chasing... We'd been back ... just come from Africa. I was so tired. I went into the wilderness there for two weeks to rest myself. And we were hunting. And I was about twenty-one ... about twenty-one horses. And we'd backed about a thousand miles from a hard-top road and from a grade; about a hundred and fifty miles, way in the wilderness; four or five ministers and I alone.
And one day I got to chasing a grizzly bear on a horse. And I wanted to get up to the old fellow and see what he looked like. And I got turned around back in the mountains. So that evening, I had to wait till the moon come out so I could see. It got kind of cloudy, before a snowstorm was coming, and I found my direction---which way to go back---because there's no roads or nothing for hundreds of miles. And so... Not even paths to travel.

56 And I was on my road back, and I was riding down and it got way late in the night; getting about nine o'clock. And I was riding down through an old burnover. "How many knows what an old "burnover" is? Where the fires burnt all the wood down, and everything like that. Just great big old trees standing all split, and the sap all burnt off of them and everything---the bark. And they're standing there, big old stately-looking trees.
And I looked through there. And the first thing you know, it was the spookiest-looking place I ever come into. And I looked, and I thought, Look at that moon shining on them old white trees. It just looks like... My. What is that? Looks like a graveyard, and a lot of tombstones.
And it looked like something said to me, "Stop here a minute."
Well, I thought, I'm hurrying to get back. I'm about to starve, and I've probably got about five miles more to go, over another mountain. I thought, What do You want me to stop here for?
So, I stopped just a minute, and looked. Directly the wind started blowing. There came a wind down from heaven, and passed through it, and them trees went, "Woooooo."
And I thought, My. Talk about a lonesome, spooky place. I thought, What do You want me to stop here for, Lord? Now, if You want me to stay here, maybe I'd better pray.
So, I got down, prayed a little bit, got back up. And the wind come again, "Wooooooo."
And I thought then of what Joel said, "What the palmerworm left, the caterpillar eaten. What the caterpillar left, the cankerworm eaten."---all those things. And I thought, Yes. That's right. This was once a great forest here---great green trees---but there came a great fire one time and burned all the things off.
Just like a big bunch of churches: great big spires sticking up like that. Just looked like a big bunch of tombstones. Walk into the places, spiritual thermometer a thousand below zero. Walk in there, and somebody say, "Amen." They'd turn around. The pastor get a deacon and take them outside the door. "Why, you're interrupting me when you're hollering 'Amen.'"
Well, you interrupt me when you don't holler "Amen." That's right.

57 So then, looking around there and those spearheads, just as dead as a tombstone. And then I thought, Well, looky here. That is right. And I thought, Look. This is a big bunch of tombstones. There they was, all standing. I thought, Well, sure. They was trees one time.
That's the way with these great big formal churches. "Oh, we have great ... we're great churches. There's no doubt at all."
Sure, the Methodists, and Baptists, and all together. They were big churches one time. But I said, "What makes that wind make them so mournful."
Well, I happened to think that there come one day, suddenly from heaven, like a rushing mighty wind; filled all the house where they were sitting. And I thought, That's right. God can send down an old-time Pentecostal revival. And all the churches do is just moan when it hits them. They're stiff. They're dead. They can't move.
They go, "Mmmmm. There's no such a thing as divine healing. Ohhhh. Divine healing is gone. The days of miracles is past. There's no such a thing as the gifts of the Spirit."
The pouring of the Holy Ghost just moving right through their members. And they say, "Ohhhh, don't believe that. That's fanaticism. Mmmmm. We are churches. Looky here. We are. We got a ritual. We're recorded."
Oh, yes. But, brother, dead. The devil's fire's done burnt all the bark off of you and you ain't got no life left. Just a big bunch of ritualistic tombstones. That's right. The only thing you can do is moan, and cry, and go on, and God is sending a revival just the same.

58 And I thought, Lord, that's really what Joel said. "What the palmerworm left, the caterpillar eaten; what the caterpillar left, the locust eaten."
What the Lutherans left, the Methodists eaten; what the Methodists left, the Baptists eaten; what the Baptists left the Nazarenes eaten; what the Nazarenes left, the Pentecostals eaten. And the whole thing's beat down! The church is so shallow till it don't know what to believe! Don't know who to believe, or where to go! They don't know what to do.
What this one's taken away---the Lutheran---what it taken away, and left, well, the Methodist come and taken away what they had. The Baptist taken what they had. The Nazarenes taken what they had. The Pilgrim Holiness taken what they had. The Pentecostals taken what they had. Look at the poor tree. I thought, Oh God! What to do?

59 Then I thought over in the second chapter of Joel, where it said, "I will restore, saith the Lord." Amen.
Then I thought, What could You restore, God? There's not even any life in the thing. How could You ever put anything in that old dead thing standing there, an old stump with the moon shining on it, and it moaning and groaning. It can't give; it ain't got no life in it. It just stands there, and the wind comes and go, "oooooh, oooooh."
I thought, You can't make that thing move, Lord, because it ain't got any substance. It's got no life about it. It's all dried up and gone.
And I thought, How can You have a revival with these old cold formal churches. You can't do it. You can't do it. That'll put... First place, they won't let you in the pulpit to preach this kind of a Gospel. That's right.
"Oh, that guy, he's a holy roller. I don't want nothing to do with him. Mmmmm." That's right. "The members would bring you in all right, but I'll have to consult the board, and the deacons," and all of this.
When it goes through that, "No, no, no," right down the road.
Don't tell me; I've been along the road. That's right.
"Oh, well, they're good people, but oooohh, none of that in our church. It would just tear our church to pieces."
Brother, I'll be like that old colored man, said, "You show me the church that ever died under spiritual blessings, I'll climb up to its great spire, and lay my hands upon its big tower up there, and say, 'Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord.'" Amen. That's right. It's not there! You can't do it!

60 Now, I thought, Lord, You said, 'I will restore.' What are You going to restore? I tied my horse, and sat down on a log. I was getting interested then. I thought, 'I will restore.' And I thought, Now here, You will restore, You said in that scripture. How are You going to restore it?
Directly here come the wind again. I heard it coming down through there. If you ever was in one of them, listen at it. Just a mournful sound. "Mmmmm." Directly I heard someone go, "Frolic, frolic, frolic." I thought, What is it? And some undergrowth was coming up. Little bitty trees just like it. I said, "There You are, Lord! 'I will restore, saith the Lord.'" Right in the same forest come up an undergrowth, what they call "backwash" today. What they call "fanaticism" today.
And I said, "Look at the difference. When the wind hits these here, they say 'Mmmmm,' but when it hits them little green trees that's got life in it, they begin frolics and jumping up and down. An old-fashioned Holy Ghost revival!" "I will restore, saith the Lord. I will restore." Got a lot of life in them. When the wind blows, they just jolly with it.
I don't care what the people says. That don't make any difference. I just frolic with the Holy Ghost. Every way it blows, I just blow with it. Amen. Loving everybody, having a wonderful time.
I hate to be so starchy, "Oooooh, the days of miracles is past."
I thought, Praise be to God. Then I sat there, and I thought about this chapter here in Jude: "Earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints."

61 Brother, sister, today, God bless you. If I never see you again this side of heaven, that's the truth. There's a very...
My language is bad, my English is poor. I can't speak my words. I'm just a real typical hillbilly Kentuckian, with "his," "hain't," "fetch," and "carry." But brother, I know who I'm talking about! I know what I know! I don't know very much, but what I know, I know a whole lot of it. I only went to the seventh grade, but I read a whole lot of seventh grade books, see. I don't know the book too well, but I know the Author real well. That's the main thing.
And after all, God is restoring down here, now. From this undergrowth, is coming up a bunch of people that's frolicking, carrying on, like the Methodist church used to. You Methodists used to have divine healing, powers of God, shouting.
Well, right here when Asbury and them come to America... I'm speaking to some of you students, from here at Asbury, here this morning, see. What I'm speaking of, when Asbury, your founder, first come here, and some of you dignified people from these Methodists, and Baptists churches, and so forth; when they first come here, the Methodists was called "holy rollers." That's where you got your background.
And they'd go in there and preach the same old Gospel I'm preaching here, till they'd fall out on the floor; and lay there all night long under the power of the Holy Ghost. And they'd get pitchers of water and throw in their face, and fan them with fans. If they'd just let them alone, they'd have come through, sure as the world. Amen. Yes! Hallelujah!

62 Oh, God wants to restore the faith that was once delivered to the saints.
You say, "Brother Branham, is that the faith?"
Don't take the Methodist ritual, the Baptist ritual, or Pentecostal ritual. Take the Bible. Let's see what they did: "They were all in the upper room with one accord. And suddenly the same rushing wind come from heaven; filled all the house where they were sitting."
Well you say ... they said, "Oh, I don't know whether to do this or not. If I go outside, they'll make fun of me. If I say anything..." Well, they couldn't have...
No, sir. The Holy Ghost met them, that bunch of little cowards. They got life, and went through windows and doors out into the street, and acted like a bunch of maniacs; and staggered and screamed, and hollered at everything, like a bunch of drunk people.
So, the ritualistic church of that day said, "These men are full of new wine."
Listen, sister, you was so dignified at the sewing circle in your church, and so forth. You got such a social standing in Louisville, New Albany, and Jeffersonville.
The blessed virgin Mary was in there. And if God Almighty required the blessed virgin Mary, and wouldn't let her come to heaven till she got that experience, how are you going to get there anything short of it?

63 There's some of you ministers here, with all these degrees packed on to you. Little old Peter, the soapbox preacher, stood up on a soapbox and said, "You men of Judea, and you that dwell in Jerusalem: Let this be known unto you, and hearken unto my words. These are not drunk as you suppose. (Brother, he's taking up for that group.) But, this is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel, 'It will come to pass in the last days, saith God, I'll pour out My Spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy. Upon My handmaids, and maidservants, will I pour out of My Spirit. I'll show signs in the heaven above, and in the earth below, and pillars of fire and vapors of smoke. It shall come to pass before the great and terrible day of the Lord shall come. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.' When they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said, Men and brethren, what can we do to be saved?"
Now listen, my dignified brother. You say, "Come and have the right hand of fellowship. We'll take the salt and shake, and throw a little water on you. Try you six months on probation; take you in by letter."
What a disgrace! You Baptists come and dunk them down in the water, them still smoking cigarettes, and going to picture shows and things. He goes down a dry sinner, comes up a wet one! You make him a deacon in the church. No wonder! Living with three or four wives, and been married and divorced a half-a-dozen times, and put him on the deacon board! No wonder the churches are polluted, and you can't believe in divine healing, and moan and cry and carry on when the Holy Ghost revival hits Louisville!
Maybe I'd better stop now.

64 God bless you, brother. I'm just an old-fashioned sassafras preacher. If you can't take it, get saved. That's all. That's right! What we need is an old-time shaking of a revival in Louisville, and then we can have an old-time healing service.
Well, the Lord bless you. Let's bow our heads.
Heavenly Father, my soul is so carried away this morning. I feel like I could just, O God, could preach all day when Your Holy Spirit's pushing the words right down like this. Here's this dear, poor, little church here, God, standing here trying to contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints. God, bless its pastor. Bless the hallowed spot where it stands. And may signs and wonders accompany this church until Jesus comes.
Many other churches are represented here from different parts of the country. Let Your Holy Spirit this morning, Lord, bless them so abundantly that when they go back home, they'll go shouting, singing, rejoicing. May the members of these big, fine churches... Nothing against them, Lord; only, they are walking in the way of Cain. Heresy in the gainsaying of Korah.
When Korah raised up to say, "Who is Moses any more than anybody else?" But he had the message, Father. You vindicated him. He had a pillar of fire following his group. And You opened up the earth and swallowed them up! And You prophesied through Your prophets, and said it would be the same thing in the last days. And we're living here to see it.

65 Lord, may people in this audience, not talking to them, Lord, or speaking so that they would hear what I was saying to You. You know my heart, whether I be that much of a hypocrite or not. But, God, that they might be saved, and filled with the Spirit. May their hearts just be burning with the Holy Ghost.
Grant it, Lord. May they go to their churches and take the message that they've been born again. They will not be an indebtedment; they'll be a credit to any church or community. Grant it, Father. Bless us all. Bless the unsaved. Bless the cold and indifferent. May they come, warm up to the spiritual fire of God this morning.
Grant it, Lord, the One that gives eternal life. Bless the sick and the afflicted. Bless the little girl here that plays the piano, and the music. Bless the ones who sing, this young man, the young men who leads the songs, and Brother Caubles, and the deacons, and all these dear brothers.
In the day that when people think that this is a bunch of fanaticism, they'd throw the doors open, and love me, and say, "Come, Brother Branham. Open up your heart, and do whatever God tells you to do." God, long may they be Your children through all ages to come. Grant it, Father.

66 I pray now that You will bless the people.
Hear the prayer of Your servant. Pour out Your Spirit, tonight, on that audience. Pour Him over there, Lord, till literally hundreds will come to You and great signs and wonders will be done. May this be a night that when we leave Louisville, Lord, there won't be one feeble one in our midst when we leave that auditorium. Hear the prayer of Your servant, Lord. If I've found grace in Your sight, then answer my prayer. Let it be this one more time, Father, I pray. Grant it for Your glory. Forgive us of our sins.
And if I've said anything that was contrary to Your Word, O God, forgive me. And anoint me over again, that I would say that which was truth. But, to the best of my knowledge, I have spoke by the inspiration, and by Your Word, Lord, to confirm it and back it up, and say it's the truth. Now may the people receive it, and go and be blessed by it. I ask through Jesus' name.

67 With our heads bowed, and if the organist will, just for a moment ... [break in tape].
I wonder while you're standing here, sitting here... Friends, don't take the style of my preaching; take the message, not the messenger. If a man come in that door just now, he might be dressed in rags; he might be, oh, anything; but if he had a telegram for you, that you'd received a million dollars---fell heir to it---you wouldn't notice the messenger; you'd notice the message.
And my grammar is poor, different from your pastor. It's the way the Lord deals in these ... different from it is in your church. Don't notice that, but notice what I've said: Jesus Christ is raised from the dead. He's living among the churches today, bringing forth that same results restoring back the faith that was once delivered to the saints. The same signs and wonders are proving and accompanying the ministry of this type.
Won't you, today, say to God, while every head's bowed, and every eye closed... I feel led of the Holy Spirit, though late, I feel led of the Holy Spirit to do this.
I want to know... Maybe you'll never meet it again this side of eternity. I don't know. I may never see you again this side of eternity. I may never be in the Church Of The Open Door again. But from the depths of your heart, in the name of Jesus Christ I ask it: If you really feel your need of God---while with your heads bowed, and your eyes closed; let God and I look---raise up your hand. Say, "I really, Brother Branham, I'm convinced that I need more than what I've got."
God bless you. God bless you, you, you, you. All right. God bless you. If there's three hundred people in here this morning, there's two-hundred-and-fifty hands up, showing what it means.
There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel's veins.
When sinners plunged beneath the flood
Lose all their guilty stains.
The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day.
And there may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away.
Ever since by faith I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply.
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.
And in a nobler, sweeter song
I'll sing Thy power to save.
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue
Lies silent in the grave.

68 Some glorious day when you pass by my grave---some of you younger people---if Jesus tarries, I want you to remember, "See, there lays poor old Brother Branham, but he sweated his life out for his convictions. He loved the Lord Jesus. I believe the man done his best. I sat in his meeting one day. There's where I accepted Christ." May the Lord bless you.
While you have your heads bowed, my heart's getting heavy. (Brother Caubles, come here just a minute.) With your heads bowed, lead us in prayer while I stand here with you.

Earnestly contending for the faith

You can find this sermon at ChurchAges.net

1 ...in time, for many of us may never meet like this again. All of us, this very crowd that's here, may never meet in this way again this side of heaven. That's right.
There's a lot of old people here; and don't know just when I'll be getting back. Accidents and you know what takes place. I may never be able to come back, or you may never be able to come back.
But with my last testimony to you if there isn't ... if it so happens that way, Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God raised from the dead. And what I speak of about Him I believe with all my heart. And I love you with undying and the warmest of Christian love. God be with you.
Now, our little pastor over here, Brother Joseph... [Gap in the audio.] You give me your close attention now for the reading of the Word.

2 In the book of Jude we find these verses. At the third verse of the book of Jude.
Beloved, ... I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and to exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints.
May the Lord add His blessings to the reading of His Word.
Now, I believe that this book was written in AD sixty-six. And it was thirty-three years then after Pentecost. And Jude, speaking to the church then, was exhorting them that they should earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints.
Could you ever think that the great Holy Spirit church, that had been inaugurated, and immersed into Christ by the Holy Spirit could be so tangled up in such a short time that the prophet here was telling him to earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints.
Now, we won't take much time. I've got to watch here, because we've got a big service coming on. Pray for as many people tonight as I possibly can get through the line. And I ask to stand by in faith, prayer.
Now, the prophet here says to earnestly contend for the faith, not a faith, but the faith, that was once delivered unto the saints.
Now, many people say, "Well, I would go down to that meeting, but it's against my faith." There's only one faith. One faith, one hope, one Lord, one baptism. Do you believe it? One faith, and that faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And now, some people say, "Well, I'm a Methodist, that's against my faith."
"I'm a Catholic, and that's against my faith." There's only one faith. Might be different denominations of churches to represent that faith, but there's only one faith.
Now, Jude said that we (speaking here primarily of course to the church in that day), but we should earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints.

3 Now, it could not apply to the Old Testament. It had to be to the New Testament, because the Old Testament was the law, and this side is grace. And it said, "The law and prophets (Luke 16:16), law and prophets were until John: since then the kingdom of heaven has been preached." So it had to be this side. Had to be this side for sanctification, 'cause saints ... the church is referred to as saints after... The word saint, means "the sanctified one." In other words, we must contend for the faith that once delivered to the sanctified ones. Sanctification means "to be called out, set apart, cleansed," see. Cleansed and set apart for service.
Now, the faith that was once delivered unto those people, that is the faith that we're supposed to contend. You know what contend means? Is "to debate, or to hold to," contend for. Earnestly contend for that faith.
Now, if I said, "Methodist brethren, do you have it?"
"Yep, we got that faith."
"And Baptist brethren?"
"Yep."
And the Catholic says, "Yep." The Pentecostal says, "Yep."
Everyone would say, "Yes, my church is contending for that faith."
Well, I'm happy to hear that. I'd be very happy to know that that's true.
Now, the only way...
"Well," they say, "what makes you different one from another then?"
"Well, then, we believe it that it was this way."
Now, let's just go back in the early part of the Scripture, the early ministry, and in the days of the saints, and see what kind of a faith that they had, and then let's contend for what they had. That's the only way to be sure. Is that right?

4 Now, the first one to introduce the faith that the Bible wants us to contend for was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. John was the forerunner to speak of it coming, but Christ was it. Christ Himself, He was the One who brought the faith, because Christ on earth was God's representation to the people on the new deal.
Notice, God sent Christ, after the days of the law, made of woman, under the law, that He might redeem those who were under the law. Christ was made of human flesh, being God Himself, Emmanuel invested, God in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.
And when He was here on earth, He did not follow His own thoughts, His own will, but He sacrificed His own will, and His own thoughts to follow the mind and the will of His Father. "I come not to do My will, but the will of Him that sent Me." You see it?

5 Now, Christ come to do the will of the Father. Then if we can see what Christ did, and what kind of a faith that He gave to the people ... or, preached to the people, then that should be the faith that we contend for.
Now, when Christ was here on earth, we wonder, He was born just an ordinary boy baby, born in a manger. He didn't come to the world with a great lot of to-do. He just was of humble parents, born in a manger, raised up, and was brought up with his people.
And at the age of thirty-years old He went out into the wilderness, and there met John, and was baptized of John in the Jordan, obeying ... or, fulfilling. When John saw Him coming, he said, "I have need to be baptized of Thee, and why comest Thou unto me?"
He said, "Suffer it to be so: but thus it behooveth us to fulfill all righteousness." Then He was baptized of John, went straightway out of the water, and lo, the heavens was opened unto Him.
And John bear record seeing the Spirit of God like a dove descending from heaven, and lighting upon Him. John said farther, "I knew Him not, but He that said to me in the wilderness to go baptize, said, 'Upon whom thou shall see the Spirit descending and remaining on, He's the One that'll baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire.'"
John had a sign that that was the Messiah. When he seen Him coming, he knew that it was the Messiah. Now, He was not dressed any different from any other man. Jesus was just an ordinary man. The Bible said, "There was no beauty we should desire Him." He wasn't such a great seven-foot man. There's no beauty we should desire Him.

6 I suppose He had not much of this world's education, for we have no record of Him ever going to school. No record in the Scriptures, or history that He ever went to school. But He had an education, of course. But where He got it, we don't know. And now, we have Paul's record of where he went to school, and others, but we have no record where Jesus went to school.
He was just an ordinary man; talked ordinary language, the language like they use at the street where everybody, the common people would hear.
And so then, there was nothing outstanding about His looks and so forth that you could make Him what He was. What He was was not by outward appearance. For He was a man outward, but inward He was God, Emmanuel. Father God was in Him, reconciling the world to Himself. So there He brought the Christian faith.
Now, we'll notice Him. What made Him different? As a speaker, I guess He wasn't so forceful as get out in the street like we do, and scream, because the Bible said, "His voice was not heard in the street."
"And a bruised reed and a smoking flax," and so forth as the prophet said He would be.

7 So there was just something about His talk that caught the heart of people though. He didn't have to be so forceful about it in an outward demonstration, but there was something down in His talk that fascinated the hearts of people.
How I've often liked to hear great ministers to speak, and how I love to hear them. But I've often wondered how I would've felt standing there that day when Jesus stretched forth His arms and said, "Come unto me all ye that labor and heavy laden, I will give you rest". Oh, I'd loved to have heard that.

8 I'd liked to've heard Him when He was sitting on the rock, perhaps, on the mount there where He gave the sermon on the mount, and listen at Him. Said, "Blessed are the pure in heart; they shall see God. Blessed are you when men shall persecute you, and make all manner of fun of you, falsely for my name's sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."
Oh, I'd have loved to've heard Him preach that. But, as I've often said, I probably could never hear that, but I do have the hopes of hearing this: "Well done, my good and faithful servant." If I can only hear that that's all ... that'll satisfy me, right.
Notice, when He was here on earth, Peter said in Acts the 2nd chapter, after he had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, he said "You men of Israel, this Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you." By what? By His theology? No. By His great standing in the church? No. By His degree? No. By His excellency of speech? No. "Ye men of Israel, Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by signs and wonders that God did by Him in the midst of you all which you all are a witness."

9 My that was right straight from the shoulder, wasn't it? Said, "You, by wicked hands have crucified the Prince of Life, but God has raised Him up again." Amen. I like that. Said, "You crucified Him, but it's not possible that He should be a holder of death." So death had to turn Him loose, and He has raised from the dead. And we are His witnesses. Amen.
That's why these things are done. For instance, the impotent man at the gate healed. Said, "By faith in the name of Jesus Christ this man is made whole," see. "The Prince of life who you crucified." Said, "God vindicated Him."
He didn't have no ... He wasn't a great princely looking man. He wasn't none of these things that the world looks at, but God was with Him, because He proved that He was with Him before all of you, by signs and wonders which He did in the midst of you all.
That's what the apostles thought about the Christian faith. What did the great Ecclesiastical realms, the Pharisees and Sadducees, the great Sanhedrin courts, amounting to around two million people. They sent a representative over one night, Nicodemus. He came by night. Some of you laugh at him for coming by night. He finally arrived. Did you? Have you done as much as Nicodemus? He finally got there. He got to Jesus.
All right: And when he come (Look at him now), a scholar, a scholar coming to a man who had no diploma. It was an aristocrat coming to a pauper for knowledge. It was a man of great degrees coming to a man that had no degrees. It was an old sage and teacher coming to a young fellow to learn about everlasting life. You see the difference?

10 Now, he came along through the alleys at nighttime making his way up because of his church and so forth, but Nicodemus (Listen at him.), he voiced for the church, the Sanhedrin courts, for the temple, for the Pharisees, and the Sadducees, and Sanhedrins and so forth.
He said, "We know, Rabbi ... or, Master, we know that Thou art a teacher come from God." We, who's we? We Jews, we of the courts. We of the synagogues who has persecuted You, making fun of You, and laughing at You, but, "we know that You're a teacher come from God." Why?
"Because that You're an eloquent man, great speech, a melodious voice?"
"No."
"How do you know then?"
"We know that Thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can do the things that You do, the miracles that You do, except God be with Him." They knew that that was Him, but for prejudice, selfishness, not ready to have self-denial to renounce your own surroundings and accept Him. Yet they recognized that it was of God.

11 This city, reading newspapers, coming into the meeting is without excuse. They know that God's down here moving and performing miracles. The people who laugh at divine healing, laugh at the church of the living God and saying that they're narrow minded. They're without excuse. They know down in their hearts that that's the truth. They're just afraid to admit it, afraid they'll lose some of their social prestige. I'd rather lose all my social prestige and gain heaven. Wouldn't you? Frankly, I had no social prestige to lose.
But Christ taken me in, and now I'm a child. Look what He was for us. He, in His riches became poor, that in His poverty we might become rich. In His immortality He became flesh that He might take our sickness, that in His sickness we might have health. In all of my sins He became ... He was sinless, and taking my sins that I might be sinless. He became me that I might become Him in heaven.
He stands as mine and your representative. Then God don't look to us; He looks to our representative. Oh, isn't that marvelous? Christ standing in our stead, representing us before the Father.
You ever in a court trial? The representative, He stands as our attorney, standing to plead. Who knows to do any better than He does, when He's the very Son of the Father, standing in the presence of God to plead we sinners' case, if we'll confess? Being rich, yet, become poor, that through His poverty we might be made rich. Rich in what? Money? No. Rich in heavenly blessings, spiritual things. We who were once poor now become rich through His poverty.

12 Notice Him. Stripped Himself, humiliated Himself, come down the great divine One from above in humiliation. Come down and brought Himself down, humbled Himself in a body of flesh to walk among men, hear the cursing and swearing of men, feel the pains of sickness and of death upon Himself that through all that, not because He had to, but because love drove Him to it, that He had done all that and was sick and had troubles.
You say, "Was He sick?" Certainly. Didn't He make His own thing Himself, His own statement. And said, "Won't they say to Me, 'Physician, heal Yourself?'" Sure, He bore our sicknesses, our griefs, our sins, our sorrows. See what He was?
Now, that's who the apostles talked about, that's who Nicodemus talked about. Let's see what He was: what kind of a representative that He meant of the Christian faith.

13 When He was here upon the earth, He'd taken no name upon Himself. The Bible said that He didn't. "He made of Himself no reputation." Many times I've thought this: the man that made the false plate for teeth made a reputation in them. But the man who made the real teeth made of Himself no reputation. The man that made an artificial leg made a reputation for himself, but the man who made the real leg made of Himself no reputation, see.
He just stripped Himself, and come down to save you and me, to heal you and me. The great Physician, the God of heaven, the immortal One, clothed Himself in flesh in order to anchor sickness in His own body to take our sickness away. It'll just never be known. Words can't express what that really is, what God did for us in Christ Jesus.
When He was here on earth, He didn't brag about Himself. He came knowing nothing, but what the Father's will was to do. He was offered great things. Even Satan told him, "I'll give You every kingdom of the world, and make You make You master over them, if You'll fall down and worship me."
He said, "Get thee hence, Satan. It's written that 'Thou shall worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shall you serve.'" Certainly.
You could have had all the kingdoms of the world. He'll have them anyhow. He falls heir to them. He's heir of all things. And we are heir with Him, and joint heirs in the kingdom.
"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." That's His sermon. What He gave us, His promises. That was Him.

14 Now, notice Him. As He's here on earth, we see some of His works. Let's see what He meant in Christian faith, now. Here He is here, the stream of all Christianity, the head, the beginning, the origin, of the Christian faith was Jesus Christ, God's Son. The beginning of Christian faith, the starting place for all mankind, of all ages, to look to that starting place and begin from there. He was an example to us. Is that right?
On 13th chapter of Saint John when feet-washing was brought along, and He said... Watch, Peter, self-starched as Peter was; protective. There he stood there, stiff collared. And He walked up to wash Peter's feet. He said, "You're never washing my feet." Oh, my! We have so many of those today.
"You're never washing my feet."
Jesus looked at him and said, "Well, if I don't wash you, you got no part with Me."
Peter said, "Then Lord not my feet only, but my hands and head." Kind of unstarched him, didn't it?

15 Oh, I'd imagine those kind words looking around at Peter and saying, "Now, if I can't wash you, you got no part with Me. If you can't follow My commandments, if you can't do the will of the Father. Peter, I love you. But you've got to do these things." That's part of the Christian faith.
Then after He got through washing the disciples' feet, sat down, said, "Now, you call Me Lord and Master, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's."
Ah! Listen at it. "For I have given you an example, that you should do to each other, as I have done unto you." He was the example of Christianity. He was Christianity. He was our pattern.
Don't never try to pattern your life after some preacher, after some priest, after some great religious man here on earth, but pattern your life after Christ. He is your example. He set an example. He lives an example, and presented it to the church. Oh, I hope that soaks so deep.

16 Why is it that people don't want to hear the Gospel? Notice, soak down deep. He said He was the example.

17 Now, we see Him, watch what an example He set. He walked out saying, "I have nothing that I can do in Myself."
And then one came to Him, kind of a little indifferent, looked around over the audience, and Jesus standing there looked around at him, He said, "Thou art an Israelite in whom there is no guile."
When Philip went and found Nathanael, out under that tree praying, brought him back, said, "Come over here. I want to show you we found Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
And this self-starched man, he said, "Why, could there be any good thing come out of Nazareth?"
Said, "Come see." That's the best way to find out. Go find out. Said, "Come and see."
Well, he come over there you know--a nice man, good moral man, honest as the days is long--and he walked up there before Jesus, standing out there in the crowd, and Jesus looking around. I'd imagine when he heard Jesus, or saw Him pray for some of the sick or something, his heart began to kind of melt down a little.
You know I can hear him almost say over to Philip. Say, "Philip, that fellow is a little different from the ordinary preacher that we see." Oh my, is He different? He said, "He's just a little different. I kind of like the way He talks."
I hear Nathanael say, "Well, I--I thought you'd change your mind when you seen Him and got to hear Him once. You were just passing your opinion, back out there, said, 'There couldn't be anything good come from Nazareth.'"

18 About that time Jesus turning His lovely head, His great soft eyes looking over there, said, "Behold, an Israelite in whom there is no guile." That shook him.
Said, "Me?" Said, "How did you know me, Reverend, or Rabbi?"
He said, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the tree, I saw you." There's the example of Christianity. That's right.
He met a woman at the well. Sent the disciples away. Went into the city to buy some food, some victuals. And while they were away, Jesus knowing that the woman would come, because He said, "He did nothing except the Father showed Him."
From Jerusalem He goes straight down to Jericho, but He went up the way of Samaria. Wonder why. He had need to go by Samaria. I wonder why.
Got out there and sat on the well, and a woman come out to draw the water. And He said, "Bring Me a drink."
She said, "Why, it's not customary for the Jews to ask Samaritans such."
Said, "But if you knew who you were speaking to, you'd ask Me for a drink, and I'd give you waters that you didn't come here to draw."
"Why," she said, "the well is deep," and so forth.
He said, "Go get your husband." Right straight to the point. "Go get your husband. That's what your trouble is."
She said, "I haven't got any husband."
Said, "That's right. You got five."
"Why," she said, "I perceive that You're a prophet, Sir." She said, "I know when Messiah cometh, He can do these things, but who are You."
He said, "I am He that speaks with you." Amen.

19 There's a sign of Christianity. There's the faith that they had. There's the example.
Why, she run into the city. Jesus come in, never performed any miracles or done any of His signs. He just talked to the people. They said, "We believe You. We believe You. Not because the woman said that You knowed the secret of her life, but because we heard You talk, we believe You. That's the reason we..." Watch what happened a little later on to that city.
Jesus went on. Notice, that's the kind of a life He lived. He passed through the pool of Bethesda ... by the pool, rather, where great multitude of impotent folk laid--lame, halt, blind, withered.

20 Now, look. Do you believe Jesus had compassion? He was full of love. But it's just like the people sometimes, in love. They forget what kind of love they're talking about. The phileo love and the agape love. One... Both of them is love, but one's love above, and the other one's love here on earth.
As I was talking to a reporter today, I said, "The love down here, the human love would make you shoot a man on account of your wife, but the love that comes from above would make you pray for his lost soul." Quite different, see. One of them is a love down here on this level, human love, and the other one is the love that comes from above.
And in compassion, that looks right upon the crowd and say, "Oh, won't You heal this person, he's sick, he's in such a need. This is a good man. We know him. Heal this little baby." Look. That's human compassion. But real, here it is, real divine compassion is to do the will of Him that sent you to do it.

21 Jesus passed on by all the sick, and the afflicted, and the crippled. Went over there, found a man laying on a pallet. Said, "Will thou be made whole?"
"Well," he said, "I can walk. When I'm coming down to the pool while somebody's a little better off than I am steps in a head of me."
Jesus said... Now look, Jesus knew that he was laying there, had been sick thirty-eight years. Had this disease for thirty-eight years. Why would He heal someone like that? He was doing the will of the Father. And He found him. He said, "Take up thy bed and go into your house." He rolled his bed up and done what Jesus told him to do.
Went walking on. The Jews found Him, began to question Him. They brought Him into the trial. Jesus was brought to the trial.
And in the 19th... That's after the 5th chapter of Saint John and the 19th verse, Jesus when He was questioned. I wonder what they would question Jesus about. First thing, healing on the Sabbath. Next thing, "Why don't You heal them down there? Go down there and make all them well if You can do it?"

22 Listen Jesus remark back. He said, "Verily, verily I say unto you, the Son can do nothing in Himself, but what the Father shows Me. What I see the Father doing, the Father shows Me, and then I go do it."
In other words, Jesus done nothing in Himself until He saw a vision of what the Father said do, then He went and done it. That's Christianity: Doing the will of God. That was His life. That's what Jesus did.
Now, what did He say when He went away? We're contending for the faith that was once delivered. It had to come from somewhere if it was delivered to the saints. Is that right? The faith that was once delivered unto the saints. Who delivered it?

23 He said, "A little while and the world will see Me no more. Yet, you shall Me, for I will be with you, even in you, to the end of the world, and the things that I do shall you also. Even more than this, for I go to my Father." You get it? What was it?
The faith that He represented He delivered to the church to take it to the ends of the world. Amen. Oh, I hope you just really get down under your skin. Look to the fifth rib on the left side.
Notice, that was the faith that Jude was talking about. That kind of a faith, the things that Jesus did, the faith that He had in God. He delivered that same thing to the saints. For He said, "The same things that I do, you do, also." Hallelujah! I hope it's all right.
Notice, "The things that I do shall you also. I deliver this to you. But before you can have it, go up there to the city of Jerusalem and wait a little while. I'm going to send the promise of the Father upon you. I'll be back to see you pretty soon. I'm going up to Calvary. They're going to crucify Me, turn me into the hands of the Gentiles. Wicked men will crucify Me, but I'll raise on the third day, then I'm coming back again. So, tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem." Luke 24:49, "Tarry ye, or wait, up at the city of Jerusalem before you go to all the world with this Gospel. I want you to go up to the city of Jerusalem, and wait there until I come."

24 If He's the one that's going to be in you, it was Him that come in Spirit form. "Go up and wait, for I'm going to send the promise the Father promised you. I'm going to send it upon you. Then I'll be with you, even in you, all the way to the end of the world. And I will be in you, doing the same things that I did while I was here in this body. I'll be back in My mystical body doing the same things. See it? Now the only thing His death was at Calvary was to save the sinner and produce to the church the power or the authority, and the faith to do the same things that He did, or to open up a heart, make a channel that Himself could dwell in. Hope you see it.
Watch. We'll see if it did. All right.
When He went away and the Holy Ghost come on the day of Pentecost. Watch. Immediately a little fellow named Philip, all filled with Christ, went down to Samaria where Jesus had not done any miracles, but told the woman in a divine revelation what was wrong with her and so forth. Went down there and preached and performed miracles, and cast out devils, and they had great joy in the city. That was the faith that was once delivered to the saints.

25 Peter, after being filled with the Holy Spirit, was out on a journey one day, and went up to the top of the house to wait for dinner (He probably didn't have any breakfast.), ' cause he was hungry. And while they were making ready down here by the seaside, and Simon's house--a tanner. Simon Peter went up on the house top, which is customary in the Orient, to sleep up on the house top, to eat up on the house top, and everything. Peter went up and sat down, and was resting a little while. And while he was resting, he was a representative of the faith.
We have to hurry, now. It's already nine. In closing, listen.

26 He had to represent the faith. For Jesus had told him that he would represent it. So then when he fell into a trance... Wonder what kind of a condition he got into. The Bible said, "He was in a trance."
Today they'd say "There's a spiritualist."
He fell into a trance, and in the trance he saw a vision. What was the vision telling him? Exactly the will of God. The same thing that happened to Jesus of Nazareth.
You say, "Now look Peter, I want you to go up; there's some men coming, waiting for you now, and I've showed you this vision of this sheet full of unclean things."
And Peter raised up, said, "Oh, no. Uh-uh. I will never eat anything wrong." Said, "Never anything unclean has went into my body." Said, "I'll not eat."
He said, "Don't you call common and unclean what I've made clean." Said, "Now, Peter, you don't understand the vision, but there's two men waiting for you. Get up, and go on with them doubting nothing." Oh, my! There is the faith that was once delivered to the saints. That's the way they acted with it.

27 So Peter got up, perhaps never even eat his dinner, and away he went up. And Cornelius had seen a vision. And he called all of his people, the elect, brought them in, sat them, probably took the wash bench, and everything, pulled out the chairs, and sat all the people around. And Peter came in and began to testify and tell them how the Holy Spirit fell on them on the day of Pentecost.
And while Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on the Gentiles. That's the faith that was once delivered to the saints. And they all began to speak with tongues and magnify God and glorify God. Having the same kind of a meeting like they did on the day of Pentecost. Peter said, "Can we forbid water seeing that these receive the Holy Ghost like we did at the beginning?" So he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. And he tarried with them several days.
Along this time was a very indifferent man, Paul, with a Bachelor's degree and a DD and a PhD that knowed all about all the theology. He said, "I'll take that bunch of people and crazy people." That's what he said. "Heresy!" What is a person that's a heretic? Goofy, crazy. Said, "I'll arrest every one of them. They don't even know what they're talking about."

28 Paul was down here in the natural realm with his PhD, see. He didn't know... He had an intellectual faith, but he didn't have a divine faith. There's quite a difference in having an intellectual faith than a divine faith. There's where you, my Baptist friends, fail to go on. You get the intellectual faith by that, but it must be a divine revelation of Jesus Christ to you, that takes sin out of the heart. The intellectual faith is not enough. That's all right, but it only brings you to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a personal experience of the birth, the new birth, regeneration, making a new creature in Christ.
Notice, Paul jumped on his feet, and down to Damascus with some letters from the high priest, said, "I'll arrest every one of them heretics. I'll bring them back."
Look how the Gospel got spread. It didn't sit still like it is today. Brother, when they seen the works of God being performed by those apostles, away they went. They were really on fire. They were doing something. Probably Philip's revival produced a great thing.
And way over there, Paul on his road to Damascus from Samaria over to Damascus, God had done called a man, and filled him with the Holy Ghost, and gave him the gift of discernment. And his name was Ananias.
So Paul on his road down... That's the faith that was once delivered to the saints. Paul on his road down, trotting along down on his big old steed. Just a bluff! Pulling out great big things. "I wish I'd get down to the big tricks. I'll take care of them. I'll stop all that loud noise and them visions and all that prophesying. I'll put an end to it."

29 And about that time the pillar of fire that led the children of Israel, never appeared before, but smacked him right in the face and knocked him off his horse. Amen. Begin to wallow around. He looked up, and it was so bright around him. The same pillar of fire; a light that shined down stronger than the sun in the middle of its heat. Paul shook his head.
He said, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?"
Said, "Lord, who is it I'm persecuting?" What a difference!
God said, "Now you see what I'm going to do to him? I'm going to make him a ... I'm going to make him a vessel, I'll make him serve Me." God's got a way of doing things you know.
So He said, "Now, rise, stand up on your feet, and go down to the street called Straight." That's a good place to take a new convert. And said, "Go down to Damascus, a street called Straight."
And I can imagine Paul going into somewhere there, and said, "Lady, oh, my head's a hurting. My eyes, I can hardly see a little flash. And I'm in such an awful fix." Got a little room, and rented over there in the hotel, and got in there. And all the day, he prayed, saying, "Lord, Jesus, I'll just tear up these old letters that Ananias give me. I--I don't want to know no more about them. I want to know more about You, Lord."

30 And there was an old preacher down there, who saw visions, by the name of Ananias, see. "The faith that was once delivered to the saints." How did he get it? See, the Gospel had been preached.
And Ananias saw a vision, and he saw a man named Saul laying in a house, rolling, and tossing, and crying, and going on. The Lord said, "Ananias, go down there in the street called Straight, and lay your hands upon him, that he get his sight back again, and be healed and receive the Holy Ghost."
What is it? God appeared in a vision to Ananias. The faith that Jesus brought, the results that come with it, was produced on the church. Said, "Go on down now, lay your hands on him, he'll receive the Holy Ghost and receive his sight."
God still reveals to people, "Go lay your hands on this one, tell this one, speak to this one, go over here to that one." You see it every night. Amen.
Said, "Go down and lay your hands on him."
He said, "Lord, I've heard about this fellow." Said, "He draws out, threatens, and we hear he's got letters from the high priest."
God said, "Behold, he prayeth!"
When he come out of the vision, I can see him wiping his eyes and getting himself back normal again. Reached and got his Bible, as it was, his Script, and put it under his arm, and here he goes down the street.

31 Looking down the street called Straight, said, "Now, let's see. I seen in that vision a house that looked a certain way. Where is he?" He goes on past the city park, down past the court house, on down past the synagogue, walking along. And over there, he said, "Oh, that's it! That's the place I saw in a vision." Goes up there and knocks at the door, opens up and goes in, here laid old Saul in there, rolling, and tumbling, and praying.
He walked up to him and said, "Brother Saul." Amen. "Brother Saul, you saw a vision coming down, didn't you? The Lord Jesus appeared to you, up there."
I can hear Saul say, "How do you know it?"
"Why, He appeared to me down here, and told me all about it."
That's the faith that was once delivered to the saints. He said, "He met me down there and told me, 'Come up here and lay hands on you that you could be healed.' And also, that you might receive the Holy Ghost, for He has chose you." Oh, my. There you are!

32 And he laid his hands upon him, and prayed as God asked him to. And Paul's eyes was healed. And he took him right down to the river and baptized him, calling on the name of the Lord, washing away his sins. And Paul was called to the Gospel. That's the faith that was once delivered to the saints.
Paul standing up there one night, being a prisoner, going to the galleys of old Rome. I stood at the place where they chopped his head off, and pitched him out a window into the ditch. Burn your heart up. There Paul, in prison, going out, was put on an old ship, going over, laden down with wheat. And on his road out there, he told the people, said, "I feel that we shouldn't loose from here, from Crete, and go out there." He said, "I'm afraid you're going to cause some trouble."
"Who is this prisoner anyhow? Kick him on the board!" And fourteen days and nights in the great hurricane, all hopes of ever being saved was gone. They was tossed back and forth, and the compass needle broke. Everything, the mast fell, and what a condition. The old sails was ripped into threads, and every man was screaming and crying, and all hopes that they'd ever be saved was gone. Here was Paul with his chains on his hands and on his feet.

33 One night, he went down into the galley, perhaps, up in the bulkhead, crawled back in a little place and closed the door, a secret closet, and begin to pray. Perhaps, all night long. The next morning, hear some chains rattling, coming up the steps, here comes Paul standing out there shaking his hands, the calluses from chains because of preaching the Gospel, contending for the faith that was once delivered to the saints, with them chains on his hands.
Look! If he preached it and contends for it, God will reward him with it. There he is, with his hands like that. Said, "Just a minute. Just a minute. Be of a good courage, everyone of you." And the old ship tossing back and forth. "Be of a good courage. For the Angel of God, whose servant I am, stood by me last night." Might have been a pillar of fire; I don't know what it was. Might have been the same one come to Peter and took him out of prison; I don't know.
But said, "The Angel of God, whose servant I am, stood by me last night, saying, 'Don't fear, Paul.'" Said, otherwise, "Gentlemen, I saw a vision last night. The Angel of the Lord came to me, and told me not to fear. For I must be brought before Caesar. Howbeit, this little old ship is going to be wrecked on a certain island. And look, I've got to stand before Caesar, and God has give every one of you that sail with me has give you to me. Wherefore, brethren," he said, "be of a good cheer, for I believe God. It'll be just as it was shown unto me." The faith that was once delivered to the saints. What was it? The Spirit of Christ in the apostles. Is that right?

34 Quickly, got to close. The Spirit of Christ in the apostles. We've often called the book, "The Acts of the Apostles." That was wrong. It's: The Acts of Christ in the Apostles, 'cause they were men, but they had the same faith.
Now, the Spirit of Christ in the apostles was what was doing that. Thirty-three years later, Jude said, continually, "Contend for that faith. I give all diligence to write unto you, to exhort you, (to stir you up in other words), that you would earnestly, (earnestly), contend, (keep holding out), for the same faith that was delivered to the saints."
Does your church believe that? If it does, it's contending for the faith that was once delivered to the saints. Earnestly contend for the faith.
Now, does your church believe that Jesus Christ in the form of the Holy Spirit, is here today? If we believe the Holy Spirit is here, then the Bible said, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."
Then the same Holy Spirit was upon the apostles has got to be the same Holy Spirit that's here today. Is that right?
What if I told you tonight that the spirit of John Dillinger was in me? Why, it'd be dangerous to be here. You'd look for me to have two big guns on my side, because the spirit of John Dillinger, an outlaw, was in me.
What if I told you the spirit of some great famous artist was in me? You'd expect me to dip the brush into the paint and paint a picture here of the sunset, or the tides rolling yonder, that would fascinate you and hold you spellbound.

35 What if I told you the spirit of George Beverly Shea? What if I told you the spirit of Einer Ekberg was in me? You'd expect me to sing with the melody that those man sing with, because their spirit is in me.
And if I'd say that the Spirit of Christ is in me, it's got to produce the life of Jesus Christ. Exactly. And if Christ is here, the hope of Glory in us now, He will produce just exactly the same life that He did then.
Chicago, my beloved friends, the purchase of the blood of our Lord Jesus, you are; to you who love me, and come to listen to me, I love you with undying love. And remember, continually, contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints, brought to us by Jesus Christ, handed down from the apostles down to Saint Frances, and so forth, on down, on down. He's the same Lord Jesus, yesterday, today, and forever.
And I am here tonight, to contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints. And God help me to always, until my dying day, to contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints. May you receive it is my prayer, in Christ's name.

36 Father, these few broken words that have been spoken now, some forty-five minutes long, tarried long, longer than I intended to, because of the press and feeling of the message, the Word, to get to the people. If they can only receive the Word, then they'll have You in their hearts. And when I'm miles away, they'll still have the faith that was once delivered to the saints.
Father, the best of my knowledge, I have told the truth, and all that I know how to say, that that is the truth. It's the faith. And now, Lord Jesus, You who so wonderfully said these words, "I will be with you, even in you, to the end of the world," won't You come tonight and manifest Your resurrection in the power of deity, the power of vision, the power of healing, the power of forgiveness of sins? Manifest Yourself to this, we waiting children, hungry-hearted. We want to see the manifestation of the faith that was once delivered to the saints. No matter how many times You come, Lord, I still love it. I want to see it again and again; for I love You. I want to be with You forever.
And, Father, I pray tonight that You'll take this service into Thy hands, now, and come and do something like You did back there. Like You did to those at Emmaus, that day, breaking the bread, You done it different from anybody else. And their eyes were opened and they realized You, that You was there. They recognized who You was. Won't You come tonight, and do the same thing? Maybe not the same thing, but do something in a manner, that we'll know that it's the same Jesus, that introduced to the world, the faith that the saints had; and still carrying on today.
May the unbelievers, the skeptics, be saved tonight. May the sick be healed, and the saints rejoice. For we ask it in Jesus' name, Thy Son, who promised us these things. Amen.

37 [Gap in the audio] Spirit. I have given the people in the pit here with the ... switching their recordings, bless their hearts, they get those, 'cause a lot of the loved ones, they want to find out sometimes what was said to them. Watch it.
Now, before I go into pray for the sick, now, I will say this my dear brother, sister: It may be this night that not one thing will be told. I can't say. I have no control of it. God controls that, see. Now, I want you to do this. Now, as believers... If you're skeptic, don't sit near if it starts, because you'll only find yourself in trouble. But, remember, you might have a disease, sure enough, so remember, demon powers will be at large, if the Holy Spirit comes to make them go. You believe He ordained us to do so?
He said, "These..." The worst... The last thing that He said, before He left the earth, the last address to the church, "Go into all the world, and preach this Gospel to every creature." Is that right? It could not just be for the disciples, for He said, "All the world, and to every creature. And these signs shall follow in all the world, to every creature that believeth. In My name they'll cast out devils, speak with new tongues, take up serpents. If they drink a deadly thing, it wouldn't harm them. If they lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover."
And He was received up into glory, and it's the last time His voice has been heard audible on the earth, since that time, till He bursts the heavens again to return.
He said, "When I return, will I find faith? These signs shall follow them that believe." Faith.
Come with the letters, brother. Let us pray now for the letters.

38 All right. Come here, lady. Now, I want to ask you... Here stands a woman, standing here again tonight, I believe it was a few nights ago, the same thing. The lady is a colored woman. And she, from her beginning, her state, she's an Ethiopian and I'm an Anglo-Saxon, of the white race. The same thing taken place at Samaria, when Jesus met the Samaritan woman. And she said, "It's not customary for You to have any dealings with us." 'Cause they had a racial affair in that day. But Jesus plainly let her know that there was no difference in people. That's right.
"For men neither worship in this mountain, or at Jerusalem," He said, "but men worship God in Spirit, and truth, and the Father seeketh such to do so," see. Spirit and truth.
Now this is an example: Here's the woman, I suppose we're strangers to each other, don't know one another. But God knows both of us. And He knows her as Ethiopian, He knows me as Anglo-Saxon. And we're both of the same blood. God made of one nation, one man, blood... Every human being has the same kind of blood. Can give trans... The Chinese, the Japanese, the yellow, the brown, the black, or white, they're all the same blood, just the color of their skin. So Jesus Christ died for both of us.
We stand here tonight, her a Christian; I know she's a Christian, 'cause... How do I know that? Just the same way that Jesus knowed that Philip was a believer, see. He said, "Behold, an Israelite in whom there is no guile." Honest and truthful. I never seen her before, so how did I know she was a Christian? Because moving in is a welcome spirit, see. She's a Christian. She believes.
Now she's here for some purpose. God knows that, I don't. But if He reveals it, then Christianity of AD 33, is in operation in 1955. Is that right? Then Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever, isn't He? As with the apostles.

39 God bless you now, while we pray and I talk to the lady, just a few moments. Now, when I'm speaking to you, in the prayer line... Now, if you're standing there without sufficient faith, if you're there, just a little skeptical, I don't know. But, I tell you, if you are; in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, if you firmly don't believe this to be of God, step out of the line, because you'll probably get in more trouble than you are, where you're standing there, see. Just remember that.
Because your prayer card brings you here, see, that gives you a right to come here. But, out yonder, that's His selection. If the people out there without prayer cards, that's what He selects. This is the people that was just called by number. So, I won't know who you are, and what you're coming here for. But when He shows visions out there, it'll be someone that He wants to know something about, you see, or say something. The Lord bless you.
Now, lady, as a believer, with you, in the Lord Jesus, and His great love and omnipotence, and I'm just... You say, "Brother Branham, what are you... I'm just talking to you, to... See, it's just like tuning an instrument, you see. I know that you're a believer. I know that, because your spirit feels welcome. But, now, there's something that you've got on your mind, something that you want done, or a favor, you want to ask God, or something. And now, to do that, I don't know.
So, it's just like tuning an instrument. If you don't understand, you tune it, and tighten it and loosen it, until it tunes right in. Then you've got the melo... you know, to make the melody, see. The same way. And that's the reason I talk to the people just first, and these here... There's so many out there, that's pulling through the balcony, and everywhere, just a weakening process, constantly, all the time. It's people, their faith, see.

40 Well, then, if I'd look out there, first, I wouldn't know where it was. I know It's all out through the audience, but I don't know who it is. But if I get two or three here, till I can get in harmony with the divine will of God, and a leading of the Holy Spirit, then it'll move to the audience. See what I mean, Christians? Now that's it.
But, of course, you have eye trouble. You got glasses on, and not only for your glasses, but you got bad eye trouble that's bothering you, recently more than ever. That's right. It's your eyes that you're here wanting prayer for, your eyes, for they're seemingly like that they're going out. But, you've come to ask me to pray for you, that God would spare that. For I know that to be the truth.
And then, you ... let me have your hand just a moment. Yes, you've got a disease, not exactly a disease, but it's a growth. And it's a tumor, and that tumor is on the breast. And it's on your left breast. That's right. Now, do you believe that this is the faith that was once delivered to the saints? Do you believe that's the same Spirit, that said to the woman at the well, "You have five husbands." He knowed you had your disease and what your trouble was? Doesn't He? Now, do you believe? Come here just a minute.
Dear God in heaven, praying that Your Spirit rest upon our sister, and may she go and be made well for Your blessings being here, Your Spirit. And Your anointing upon Your servant, I lay hands on her, at Your command, and say to the demon that's tormenting her, leave her in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
God bless you, lady.

41 Now, would you come, lady. I suppose that we be strangers ourselves, to each other? Do you believe on the Lord Jesus with all your heart? There was a great pull that come from the lady that just passed. The reason of it, she had tumor, and you have, too. That's what it is. You have a tumor, and that demon that just went out of her, was screaming to this one, you see. That's true. It's tumor what you want to be prayed for.
Now, if I should talk to you a minute, God would reveal other things. But, do you believe now, if I'd pray, that it would take place, that you'd be healed? You do? I tell you, you've got somebody else you want prayed for. Oh, it keeps rolling over in your mind. You was wondering--I'm not reading your mind--but you were wondering if I was going to pass that request. Isn't that right? I'm not reading your mind. That's true. It's your daughter. Isn't that right? And she's suffering with a mental condition. She isn't here in the building with you tonight. But you want her to be healed, don't you?
Now you feel something all over you, don't you? If that's right, just wave your hand. That's the Angel of the Lord. Do you believe it now, sister? May your faith reach up now and it be over.
Father, I lay my hands upon her, in the name of Your Son, the Lord Jesus, and ask that this be the cure, in Jesus' name, for His glory. Amen.
God bless you, sister.

42 Now, that ought to convince anybody in here. Jesus Christ raised from the dead. Is that true? Sure it is.
All right. Bring him here.
Oh, how lovely it is to trust the Lord Jesus. Now, you see, really, now what the Holy Spirit would want me to do, right now, see, right now, if I'd follow the perfect divine leading of the Holy Spirit, it would be a committal right now, see. But may God share grace just a little longer, be this is the last night, and we got so many lined up. May God grant it.
But right now, I just feel like something is going [Brother Branham makes a whirring sound]. Just a calling over the audience, calling, calling. Oh, I pray God open your eyes tonight, like the servant yonder. I am not a hypocrite. I am your brother.
Pray and believe. Have faith in God, you people out there.
How do you do, sir. Do you believe with all your heart that the Gospel that I am trying to preach of the Lord Jesus is the truth, sir? You do? You know it is. That's the way to say it, see. "For by your word you're condemned, or by your word you're saved." When you believe on the Lord Jesus, testify of Him before men, He will confess you before the Father, and the holy angels.
We are strangers to each other. I don't know you. You don't know me. We've never met in life. But God knows you since you were born, knows me since I was born. And our eternal destination lays within His hands. If He, then, will come and let me know what you're here for, or something, just anything that He desires to say, something that you know I know nothing about, will it make you believe with all your heart?

43 Your trouble is in your chest. That's right. And here's the reason it's in there: You're a smoker, you smoke cigarettes, and that's exactly what's the cause your chest being that way. Not only that, but I see you trying to give them up. You're trying to get rid of it. And seems like the thing has got such a hold on you till you can't. But your hopes is built, that now, it'll leave. You won't be deceived. You'll get what you ask for. Now go on your road. You're finished with cigarettes. In the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, this devil move from the man. Go rejoicing.
How do you do, lady. Suppose we're strangers to each other also, aren't we? We don't know each other. Jesus knows us both, doesn't He? It was the music of the organ... Jesus comes. That's all right. The tempters power is broken, sure enough, that's right. His power is broken.
Lady, look this way. You are here for a condition, it's a growth. And it's on your arm, I believe. Is that right? A swelling, it's on your right arm. Right beneath the arm, in the pit of the arm, it's a growth, a swelling condition, isn't that right? That is true. You believe Jesus makes you well, now? God bless you. Go. In the name of Jesus, the Son of God, we cast out the evil from our sister. Amen.
That sounds very simple, and it is. But the power of God does it.
Come, would you, lady? Suppose that we are strangers one to the other; we don't know each other. Jesus knows us both, doesn't He? He knows both of us. Of course, you even look a Christian, lady, to look at you. And your spirit is welcome to know that you're a Christian. That's right.
You have a flowery bed of ease, either, in life. I see a dark streak, a trail, just as it moves in the spirit. You're here for me to pray for you, for you got a growth, too. [The sister says, "That's right."] And that growth is on the foot. ["That's right."] It's on the left foot. Isn't that right? ["Right."] It's the truth?
You got a loved one, or a friend that you want me to pray for too. ["That's right."] You didn't think I was going to say that, did you, but that's who you're thinking about. And that person has had a stroke, it's had two strokes, ["That's right."] two strokes. And another thing about the person, it's not a Christian. ["That's right."] Isn't that true? ["That's right."] Now you're healed and go lay that handkerchief on your person, your friend, in the name of the Lord Jesus.

44 Do you believe with all your heart? Be reverent.
Just a moment, lady. That's all right, go ahead. Just go ahead. There's a vision moving in the corner. I see some like hills and waving timbers, and it's a... I believe I recognize the place. It's, I believe, Pineville, Kentucky. And there's a lady ... you're for your sister, at Pineville, Kentucky, whose... You don't have... You have a prayer card, lady? You don't have a prayer card? You don't have a prayer card. Okay, that's all right. Your sister suffers with TB at Pineville, Kentucky. Isn't that the truth? All right, God grant you your request. God bless you. Your faith has did it.
See, friends, you don't have to have prayer cards. You have to have faith, that's what operates the gift of God, not a prayer card, your faith. That's what operates God's great, tremendous gifts. Have faith in Him, don't doubt Him, believe Him with all your heart.
Praise be to God. You're standing for somebody, too, and they're away from here. And I see it, turn around, it's way down in the South, it's Atlanta, Georgia. Is that right? And it's a love one. And it's a young fellow, young folks, and it's a polio case. [The sister says, "Amen."] And I see them either calling or sending me a message to come pray for the person. Isn't that right? Take that handkerchief to them, and it'll do the same thing. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, be it so. Amen. God bless you.
Have faith.

45 You believe God'll make you well? What'd you say if I told you He healed you sitting there in the chair? You believe it just the same? You believe? You wonder how I knowed your name, didn't you? You live at 428 South Utica Street, over in Illinois here, Waukegan, Illinois. Go home, you got your request. Amen.
Blessed be the name of the Lord Jesus Christ the great Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, He that was, which is, and shall come, the root and offspring of David, the morning star, the avenue, the gate, the God's provided Lamb, the Jehovah-jireh, Manasseh, Jehovah... Oh, all the redemption and all the blessings and all the power, all the might lays within Him, and in reach of every believer here tonight. Amen.
How do you do, lady? Do you believe me to be His servant, with all your heart? You suffer with a condition of the arteries, hardening of the arteries. You believe that Jesus will heal you? And you're packing a handkerchief in your hand, to give to me, to go on your husband which has arthritis, and he's in Michigan. Isn't that right? Take it to him in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Let's say, "Praise the Lord." If you can believe...
Do you believe God heals you of that female. Well, just go on off the platform, say, "Thank the Lord."
Let's say, "Blessed be the name of the Lord." Have faith in God.

46 That lady sitting right there with the little hat on, colored lady looking towards me, suffering with chest trouble. Do you believe Jesus heals you, sitting right over there, lady? If you believe it, well, you can have it. Say, yes, you that turned your head and looked the other way there, just then. There it is. You was holding your chest, something was wrong. If you believe Jesus Christ healed you, you may have what you ask for. God bless you. All right. Go and receive it.
I seen another colored lady up here, just at the same time, (just a minute), but it was something different. May the Lord Jesus, ever who you are, out there, without a prayer card now, start looking this way, believing. I seen a colored lady doing something, but it was a different kind of an examination than what was given to... Here she is. It's a fallen colon. A colon condition, sitting right there. Isn't that right? Wave your hand if that's right. God bless you. Go and be well now in the name of the Lord Jesus. What more should you have to have to believe?
Lady, you're nervous, aren't you, upset, because you have a female trouble, a lady's trouble. It's a little ulcer on the female, the womb. Now just go on your road, you're healed. Jesus Christ makes you well. Amen.
Have faith in God. Are you believing? With all your heart? Oh, wonderful!

47 Don't think I'm beside myself. I am not. Now, be reverent. I see someone, I believe it's this man sitting right here. He's praying about... He's got a boy he's praying for, that had a cataract operation on the eye. God bless you, brother, go on your road. You're healed also, so may the Lord Jesus be with you. Amen.
Have faith. Don't doubt. Believe what God said is truth, and that's all you have to do.
You believe God will heal of that rupture, sitting right there? Huh? You believe He does? All right, go on your road rejoice there, that gentlemen there. Believe with all your heart. Go on rejoice.
Here's one sitting right here has got a double rupture, sitting right down here. You believe God is going to heal you of that double rupture? Huh? If you believe it, and can take faith, and believe with all your heart, you can have it.
How do you do, sister. You have many things wrong with you. One of your great things you want me to pray for, is for that stiffness, that arthritis that's bothering you. Isn't that right? Do you believe you have it now? You think your faith is sufficient? You want me to lay my hands on you, of course. I'm going to do that, as you pass by. But, come on.
Father, let Thy Spirit come upon my sister. May this stiffing spirit that would cause her bones to run together, I rebuke it in the name of Jesus Christ. May she go and be made well. Amen. God bless you, lady. Have faith. Believe with all your heart.

48 Weakness and nervous heart, bothering you. You believe Jesus Christ is going to make you well? He has made you well. Turns right around you, go on your road and be happy, for you are healed in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Come, lady. Do you believe with all your heart? You want to go eat your supper? enjoy your food again? that old stomach trouble be gone from you? Well, go on, eat your supper, just rejoice in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Have faith.
Young lady, you're very young to have female trouble, that you have. But, do you believe that Jesus Christ is going to heal you of it? I'd like to talk to you away from the microphones, a minute, can I? Sure. [Brother Branham speaks to the woman privately.] Got something you couldn't say before the public. The young lady knows. Only God alone seen this happen. The young lady that was just up here and healed, just then. Is that right? Raise your hand. Only God alone... Yes. What I told you there, is that right? Just God alone could have knew it, see.
Oh, He's here if you believe it. If you have faith.
Come, lady. My, it would be good to get over that old diabetes and be well again, wouldn't it? You believe you are going to be well? In the name of Jesus, God's Son, I ask for your healing. Go now, in Jesus Christ's name and be made well.
My brother, would you obey me as God's prophet? [The brother says, "I would."] If you will, it's your only hope of ever getting over arthritis. Just walk off the platform, like you was a young man, say, "I refuse to have it from this on. I've been standing in the presence of His Majesty, Jesus Christ." God bless you, go on your plat... Go off there now, walking. There. God bless you. Just go right on along believing Jesus Christ makes you whole.

49 Praise the Lord. All right.
Come. You believe? Now, just a moment. There's something dark hanging at the lady. Real dark, circling her. O God, be merciful. Oh, it's a cancer. All right. You believe God can heal you of it now? He is the healer, isn't He? You believe it with all your heart? When the Angel of the Lord met me, He designated cancer would be healed.
Come here. Almighty God, this poor woman, knowing this condition exists in her body, I now ask, Lord, that my faith join with hers. And great Angel of God, who met me that night, and designated, and said, "Not even cancer will stand, if you'll be sincere, get the people to believe." And Father, with all my heart, I believe that You'll heal her. And I say to the devil, leave her in Jesus' name, come out from her. God bless you. Go believing with all your heart now.
You want to get over the high blood pressure, lady, sitting there? You've been healed for about ten minutes now, sitting there. Amen. I want you to do me a favor. Will you do it now? Your daughter is in the hospital. Sitting there next to her, that's right. Lay your hand over on him, will you? Father, grant the deliverance of her through Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Don't worry, brother. Don't be scared of heart trouble. Go on your road rejoicing in Jesus Christ, see.
Have faith in God. Believe with all your heart. Don't move now. If you go to moving around, we're going have the close the service here, see. 'Cause it upsets me, see.
You got trouble in your side, sitting right there, that second person sitting in from the end, there. Don't you, lady? You was healed just then of it. Stand up and just say, "Praise the Lord," for your healing. God bless you. Spleen trouble.

50 Come. Have faith. Don't doubt. Believe. If you believe, you can have what you ask for.
How do you do, sir. I suppose we're strangers to each other, brother. Are you a Christian, believer? I see you are. You've got a request to ask me, sir, that's for a loved one, which is your father. He's got a stroke. He's had two strokes. And you, yourself have diabetes. And you're want... You're a doctor. That's right. In your practice you pray for the sick. [The brother says, "Absolutely. Hallelujah!"]
O God, in Jesus' name, grant our brother his request. Amen. God bless you, brother.
Have faith. Do you believe?
You believe for your eyes, honey? You believe Jesus will make you well? Sure He is.

51 I don't believe I can go much farther, friends, I'm just about... It just looks like it was just wilting away now. Believe, will you, just now? Everyone of you. Have faith just now. Put your hands over on one another. Let me make a committal prayer. Come here, Brother Woods, or somebody quickly, see. Put your hands on each other. Get me some water.
Put your hands on each other everywhere. Merciful God, as my strength is fleeting, O God, be merciful, Father. With the prayer of faith with all my heart, I condemn every sick, diseased person's body in here. And ask that You, the Holy Ghost, will represent to them the power of the resurrected Jesus Christ and heal them. Satan, you're defeated. You're no longer holding the people. You're exposed. In the name of Jesus Christ, come out of every person in here.