Questions & Answers
Questions 131 (COD Page 589)
Is it ruling, r-u-l-i-n-...Is it ruling that a deacon or a trustee must abide in the doctrine of their church? Yes. That’s right. Is it lawful for them to add to or take away of the teachings because of their own personal opinion or revelation? No, sir. No.
486 A deacon or a trustee should be perfectly in harmony with the–with the doctrine of their church. They should stay perfectly with the interpretation of the Scriptures of their church, because, if they don’t, they’re fighting against the very thing. They’re–they’re hurting themselves. See? You’re battling...
487 It’s, other words, like if–if–if I say I love my family and try to feed them poison. See, same thing. See, you can’t do that, you...
488 A–a trustee or a deacon in taking their office, or any officer of a church that represents a certain church body, see, that represents a church.
489 That’s the reason I walked out of the Baptist church, see, for the very first time. I had just been in there a little bit and they–they asked me to ordain some woman preachers. Well, I couldn’t actually stay in it. I said, “I–I refuse to do it.”
490 And the pastor jerked me up. “What’s this? You’re an elder!”
491 I said, “Doctor Davis, in all due respects to the Baptist faith, and everything that I have been ordained to, I did not know that it was in the doctrine of the Baptist church to ordain women. That was one thing that was left out of it.” And he said, “That is the doctrine of this church.”
492 I said, “Sir, could I be excused for tonight, or would you answer some questions for me?” See?
493 He said, “I’ll answer your questions.” Said, “It’s your duty to be there.”
494 I said, “It is, sir. That’s right. I’m supposed to anticipate in anything that this church does. I’m in the line of duty, one of the local elders.” And he said...I said, “Could you explain to me why that in First Corinthians 14 or 15 there, where Paul said, ‘Let your women keep silent in the churches, it’s not permitted them to speak.’”
495 And he said, “Why, certainly!” He said, “If...I can answer that.” He said, “You see, what it was,” said, “Paul said...All–all the women was sitting back in the corners, popping off like they do a lot of the other time. He said, ‘Don’t let them do that.’ See?”
496 And I said, “Then explain Second Timothy to me, where Paul said, also, the same scribe, the same apostle, said, ‘I suffer not a woman to teach or to usurp any authority, see, but to–to be in obedience. For Adam was first formed and then Eve, and Adam was not deceived but the woman being deceived.’ She’s deceived. Now, I don’t say she wants to do anything wrong, but she’s actually deceived in it. She shouldn’t be a teacher.”
He said, “Is that your personal opinion?”
497 I said, “That’s the Scripture’s opinion to my way of seeing it. That’s what the Bible said.”
498 He said, “Young man, you could have your license taken from you for that.”
499 I said, “I’ll just save them the trouble. I’ll just give it, Doctor Davis.” I said, “Not to any disregard to you...” And he wouldn’t do it, though. He let it go, let it go by like that.
500 Then he told me he would hold an open debate with me with it. And I said, “All right, just anytime.” But he–he didn’t do that.
501 So then a–a little later on, then, when the Lord spoke to me, and about the–the Angel of the Lord came, then–then he just made fun of That, you see. And then I–I just told him, I said, “Well, Doctor Davis, it’s best that I get rid of this right now, see,” I said, “’cause it’s going to be a burden. I’ve just been ordained a little bit, anyhow, so it’s going to be a burden to me, so I just might as well get rid of it right now.”
502 So therefore if I could not stay in the Baptist church and teach Baptist doctrine and take up for Baptist belief. If I did it–if I did it just because it was a church, then I’m wrong, see, I’m hiding something back. And if I–if I–if I’m honest with myself, I’ll go to the Baptist people (my pastor or whoever can explain it to me) and ask them for a–a word of Life; if he can correctly show me where it’s right in the Scripture, and satisfies my feeling, then I’ll speak it just the way they speak it, see, and I’ll be a Baptist.
503 That’s the reason I am an independent. That’s the reason that I do not belong to the organizations, because I do not believe in organizations. And I believe it’s unscriptural, for, an organization.
504 Therefore, I could not belong to any organization and feel justified by doing it. See? Therefore, I do not take people in and make them members, and so forth like that, because I believe we are borned to be members, we are borned into the Church of the living God. See?
505 We don’t take people’s names off the book and excommunicate them, and everything like that, because I believe that’s not in our–our duties to do that. I believe it’s God does the excommunicating. See? But I believe that the church, if there would be a brother that was doing something wrong...
506 For instance, if–if they caught Brother Neville, or Brother Junior, or Brother...some brother here, one of the deacons or trustees, or something another, doing something wrong, I believe the thing to do is for the church to get together and pray for this brother. If he still don’t straighten up, then let a couple go with him, go to the brother to be reconciled. And if then if he don’t receive it, then tell it before the church. Then if they don’t receive it then, that’s the time for the whole church then, see, that’s for pastor, elders, and everything else to do it. I don’t believe that any deacon board has a right to throw anybody out of church or any trustee board or any pastor has a right to do it.
507 I think if anybody was to be disfellowshipped, would be because of immoral living, or something like that, that he wasn’t a fit person, like a man coming in here defiling our girls or–or insulting our women, and things like that, and still professing to be one of us here. See? Now, if he’s out somewhere else coming in, why, we have to do something about it, but, when it comes to a person like that, an immoral person trying to make love to our wives or–or insult our daughters or, you know, something another like that, or do something immorally around her, or taking our little boys out and making perverts out of them, or something.
508 Those things should be taken up, and then that fellow should be excommunicated from the fellowship and not permitted to take communion with it, because we’re not supposed to do that. We’re not. “If any eats unworthily, is guilty of the Blood and body of the Lord,” on that person.
509 But I believe just like a fellow say, “Well, now, he–he’s this, that.” Pray for him. Right.
510 I never will forget, in Stockholm, Sweden, Brother Lewi Pethrus, a great man of God. We was sitting at the table, just a few hours before coming back to America. We had great meetings there. And he said, Gordon Lindsay said, “Who’s the overseer of this great body?” Boy, it’s got the Assemblies of God beat by hundreds of miles, you see. Said, “Who is the overseer?” And Lewi Pethrus is gentlemenlike, and he said, “Jesus.” He said, “Who’s your presbyters?”
He said, “Jesus.”
511 He said, “I know that’s right,” said, “we believe the same thing about our Assemblies of God.”
He said, “That’s right.”
“But,” said, “say, for instance, a–a brother gets out of line,” said, “who has the say-so of putting him out?”
Said, “We don’t put him out.”
“Well,” said, “what do you do?”
512 Said, “We pray for him.” I thought that was so sweet! That sounded Christianlike to me, “We pray for him.” Nobody puts him out, they pray for him.
513 Said, “Well, then, what if some of the brothers agree,” he said, “and some of them don’t want to fellowship with him anymore? Bring him in, like it’s a pastor, you see, that’s beginning to be a ladies’ man among the...You know what I mean, and things like that, and some of the pastors won’t have him in their churches. What do you all do, throw him out of your organization?”
514 “No.” Said, “We just let him alone and pray for him.” Said, “We never lost one yet. They always come back. somehow.”
515 He said, “Well,” said, “now, what if...” Said, “What if some of them say that they want him and others don’t want him? Now, what about that?”
516 Said, “Well, the ones that want him, take him; the ones that don’t want him, don’t have to.”
517 So–so I think that’s a good way to have it, don’t you, brethren? And that way we are “brethren.”
518 Now, brethren, I hope that these things have give some kind of a little show towards an answer or something, that our meeting here tonight has–has profited us something. I’m fixing to leave now for a while, going into the meetings out into the West. I humbly covet your prayers.
519 Some of my answers in here, maybe many of them, maybe none of them, was right. I don’t know. But it would be the best that I could accumulate in my own way of thinking, you see, to try to explain It. Maybe these last ones, especially, come in there at last, I didn’t have time to look them up. And I just didn’t, they was...What I mean, they were Scriptures that we go through here every time, day after day in the church.
I thought maybe it’d be some great strenous something that might cause us to get down to really have to go into something great, but it’s just more like questions of churches.
520 I’m glad to see you holding like that, there’s not any disorder, not any discontent, not any confusion. Not a question debated It and said “It’s wrong, This is wrong, we won’t have It.” It was just brethren that wanted to know something to strengthen their holds, that’s all. That...strengthen up, buckle–buckle up the armor a little tighter, pull another notch in it. I hope that we get to meet many more times like this, pull up the armor.
521 And you remember, brethren, my armor needs pulling up, too. So you pray to God for me that God will help me and pull up my armor a little tighter, that I’ll...don’t get so loose with things. And the life that I live and the things that I do, may I do it with more spirit of humility, more anxious to do it. And God give me a heart to do it more than I ever have had before. I pray the same thing for you all. God bless you.
522 I’ve held you here a long time, and it’s right now five minutes till eleven.
523 And now, Brother Neville, I–I may...Now, I found out, it’s only about nine hundred and something miles over there, I’m not going to leave until Monday morning. But I want to be here Sunday for Sunday school, I’m coming as your guest to listen at you preach, you see, Sunday. See? But...Well, brother, yes, brother. Brother Neville, here’s the reason, brother. I’m...I love you and you’ve always been so considerate in offering the pulpit just like as if...like I was a senior elder to you, or something. But I’ve never felt that way, Brother Neville. I’ve felt that we are brothers.
524 Brother Ruddell and Brother Junie, and, oh, all you brethren and all of you, we’re–we’re just brothers together, you see.
525 But what...The reason of it, I’m just a teeny bit hoarse now, you see, and I’ve got six weeks straight of just constant battle, you see. And I–I just want to maybe start if I can, thought, after this meeting tonight, that’ll give me Friday and Saturday and Sunday to rest, before I start on the meetings out there.
526 And Brother Junie, soon as I get back, one time coming in, I got to come down and see you again, want to come out. I passed your little church out there, yesterday, I believe. My wife said, “I think that...” Is it out there by the railroad track right by Glenellen Park? I’d like to come out there and talk to those Sellersburg folks. Fine.
527 Brother Ruddell, bless your heart. I’d like to come out, you got a fine bunch of people. You set there tonight listening just like you was an old elder taking it in.
528 Brother Beeler over there, is one of our evangelist brothers. I hope sometime I can meet one of your meetings somewhere, brother, can do some influence, have something to say some where to boost you along. I’ve always got a good word for you for anybody, you and to Brother Stricker here, and evangelists.
529 Brother Collins here, which I believe someday will be a full-time minister in the work.
530 Man who are gallant man, gallant man, real man of faith, God be with you all, and you deacons, you trustees, you brethren.
531 I believe you are...The brother here, I can’t think of his name. You are...[Brother Caldwell says, “Brother Caldwell.”–Ed.] Caldwell. You’re just a...You’re one of the elders or something, aren’t you, or just a...[“Minister.”] Minister. [“I’m a minister. I belonged to the Church of God, I couldn’t preach the full Gospel and stay with them. I couldn’t preach the baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus and stay with them. I had the highest ranking ministry license that they put out, but I just turned them in. Since I heard you preach those great Messages, I turned them in, come out of organization. Now I want to be one of yours.”]
532 Thank you, brother. We welcome you to our fellowship. And our–our credentials is of above. Our life makes our credentials, you see. That’s our credentials. “If I do not the works of My Father, then believe Me not.” See? That’s right. That’s our credentials. And as an old...As Howard Cadle used to say, “We have no law but Love, no book but the Bible, and–and no–no creed but Christ.” That’s right. “No law but Love, creed but Christ, book but the Bible.”
533 And we’re–we’re, Brother Caldwell, we’re happy to have you. You come out of a great organization. The Anderson Church of God, I suppose. [Brother Caldwell says, “The Cleveland.”–Ed.] Or Cleveland church, Pentecostal Church of God. [“And I used to pastor out here at...?...”–Ed.] Oh, yes. Oh, yes, I’ve been out there. I believe I was out there with Brother Neville...or Brother Wood, one time, we got a dog or hound dog from somebody that went to your church out there. And I got to standing on the steps out there and talking, and they was talking about you. Well, I’m sure...[“At my church.”] Oh? [“Burns.”] That’s right, Brother Burns. That’s right [Brother Caldwell relates an incident–Ed.] Oh? Yes. Oh, Bertha, that’s right. Oh, that’s wonderful.
534 Brother Rook over there, he’s become a pastor now, or evangelist, I believe. Is that right? Or are you pastoring?
[Brother Rook says, “Just evangelist.”–Ed.] Evangelist. I to comment you, Brother Rook. I’ve heard of some great work you’re doing for the Lord. You...I heard you went to Indianapolis or was going to Indianapolis, and had services and won souls to Christ. God be with you, Brother Rook. I’m sure glad to see you. I seen you out here on this old tractor out here, running around out here, just fertilizing your yard out there. Well, see you out trying to do something for the Lord. Glad He called you to the ministry, ever hold Him before you, brother. God bless you. Don’t compromise on nothing; but do it with the sweetest spirit you can do it with. Let your–let your message always be seasoned with the sweetness of the Holy Spirit.
535 And Brother Stricker...[A brother says, “We desire the prayers of all of you. We are–we are trying to get a church started down at North Vernon.”–Ed.] Oh, I hope you get it. We’ll pray for you. [“Doing very well, so far.”] That’s right. Billy, when you going to start pastoring?
536 Doctor Goad and Doctor Mercier here, I–I–I hope...as we call one another that. And Brother Goad has got to a place till I...he really deserves a title, he can load shells now. Yeah. And, Brother Leo, I believe we can just let him go at that like that, and call him...let him continue his title of–of “Doctor.”
537 Well, “Doctor” Branham, back there, you just keep her doctored up real good, and the lights burning real good. And–and I’ll tell you what, whenever we have a special meeting I’ll talk to the board and see if they can’t give you a little extra on that [Brother Branham laughs–Ed.], for special work when you have to do so much sweeping and carrying in and out, and that’ll make you happy.
538 Doctor Wood. I called him “Doctor,” I guess you wonder why. I don’t misname him, he just butchers wood all to pieces, you know. The Lord will grow a pretty tree, and he’ll cut it down and make a house out of it. I’ve never seen such yet, so I have to call him “Doctor.”
539 Brother Taylor, you’re still faithful at the door, to give a fellow a seat. I think of you like this, “I would rather be a doormat at the house of the Lord than to dwell in the tents with the wicked.” That’s right, sir.
540 Brother Hickerson, you just started in the Way, and up, coming along. I desired your...I...You started in the Way, and coming along, I just certainly admire your sincerity and all that you are doing for the Lord Jesus. God ever bless you and make you a true deacon, brother, which I believe you are, your house in subjection and all things as you have been.
541 Brother Fred, you ain’t been with us very long, coming down from Canada. We don’t feel you’re a Canadian anymore, we feel you’re a pilgrim and a stranger with us, our brother, as a trustee. You and Brother Wood, and you that serve your office good with Brother Roberson, and the rest of it; Brother Egan, he’s not here tonight.
542 And Brother Roberson, you’ve been a–a real help to me, Brother Roberson along with others, in this tax case that went under this investigation.