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A Door In A Door (63-0223)
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A Door In A Door (63-0223)
E-1
God bless you, brother. I like to hear those reports of when souls get
saved. That's the--the main thing. And we're happy to be here and see
so many of our friends around from different parts of the country. And
this brother here is coming now to the city. I understand this morning
that his equipment's already unloaded here for a--for a great revival.
And I certainly pray, brother, that He'll give you a great revival, and
many souls here in this city.
E-2
And I got that one off up to Brother Williams' not long ago, up at
Phoenix. "You know," I said, "Tucson, I live here now, you know. So I
have to kind of hold up for this place (You see?), up on the mountain
here, and look down to Jericho and see our brethren. Why, we always..."
E-3
So glad to be here and enjoy this wonderful inside Sonshine. See, we
talk about this being the city of the sun. That's the outside. But, oh,
this inside Son, my, that's what I enjoy. E-4 Enjoyed that breakfast. The only thing, there wasn't enough molasses. I--I--I run out. And I borrowed from my son, he--run out with him and borrowed from the brother. He had an extra plate, and still I didn't have enough molasses. You know, I'm a Baptist. I don't believe in sprinkling. I like to really baptize them, and have plenty of--plenty molasses. I got this sugar bowl, and isn't too much left in it. I had to sugar them up a little, you know. E-5 Remember down in the south, down in, I believe it was Alabama, I was with the Missionary Baptist people. I was down there holding a revival. And I was in a little old screened-in porch on the outside. And there was an old colored sister. She said... You know, I'd preached hard that night, and I couldn't hardly get up the next morning. And she called me, and I remember getting awake long enough to hear her say, "Hey, parson." She said, "Honey, come on! I done cooked your flapjacks four times already." Four times she cooked them flapjacks. I--I like them.
E-6
Just a little story I know. We're just here in a fellowship, you know.
Old Brother Bosworth... How many ever knowed Dr. Bosworth? He was a
great old friend of mine. He said to me one time; he said, "Brother
Branham, you know what fellowship is?"
E-7
Remember one day... Thinking about flapjacks--we call them flapjacks in
the south, Brother Bethany. So we... I was on a little fishing trip up
in northern New Hampshire. It's the home of them cutthroat and
square-tailed trout. And I'd had a little tent on my back. I'd packed
back about a day-and-a-half journey, where all the soft-footed fellows
couldn't get. So I was back there catching trout. Oh, what a time I was
having. A little pup tent... And the day before, a little hole of
water, oh, there was just fine big trout laying in there, and I was
just catching just as fast. And I'd catch one... If I killed it, then
I--I'd take it and eat it. But ordinarily, I'd turn him loose, if it
didn't hurt him too bad.
E-8
And I heard a noise, and it was an old sow bear. The place was full of
them up there. It was a black bear. She had two cubs. And she'd got
into my tent, and they'd tore it down. There was nothing left. It was
just... It isn't what they eat; it's what they destroy. They just hear
anything rattle, they just jump on it, you know. And my old stove pipe
was beat up, and, well, nothing to do but go back.
E-9
So this little fellow was setting, and just a young tot of a bear,
looked to be--probably weighed twenty pounds, fifteen, twenty pounds.
Early--they'd just been out of hibernation a little while. And the
little guy had his back turned to me. He was just all humped up, like
that. "Well," I thought, "what's that little fellow so interested in?"
And the old mother bear and the other little cub was out there, and she
kept cooing to him, and he wouldn't pay a bit of attention to her.
E-10
That little guy had got my bucket of molasses, and--and a little half a
gallon bucket full of molasses. And he'd got the lid off of it. And
they love sweet anyhow, you know. And he didn't know how to drink it.
So he just took his little paw and dipped it down in and licked, like
that, you know, when he brought it up. And he--he couldn't... I
hollered at him. I said, "Get out of there!" And he turned. He couldn't
get his eyes open, molasses in his eyes, you know, looking at me, you
know. And he'd sopped that bucket out just as clean as it could be.
E-11
And so I thought, "That's like a good old Pentecostal meeting, when we
get our hands in the honey jar plumb up to the elbows, and then go out
and tell somebody else, and let them lick awhile off of us, you know.
Just a licking good meeting, you know. That's what I thought that
little bear was having.
E-12
In the Bible, you know, the shepherd carried a scrip bag on his side.
And many times in there he would carry little bits of honey. And when
he got a sheep that was sick, the shepherd would go over and squeeze
out a little of this honey on a limestone rock. And the sheep like
something sweet too, you know. So he'd go over, the sheep would, and go
to licking on that rock. He was licking the honey, but while licking
the honey he got the limestone, and the limestone helped to heal him.
E-13
I like this Full Gospel Business Men convention and meetings. And you
know, I was ordained a few years ago, about thirty-five years ago in
the Missionary Baptist church. There I tried to be a loyal minister to
the Gospel, and to all that I knowed that was right, for years. And
then after the great vision came...
E-14
When I come among the brethren I found that among them it was like we
Baptists; they were broke up in so many different organizations. My,
they were all different kinds. And some of them was riding a one-hump
camel, and some a two-hump, and some a three-hump, and some no humps at
all and... But you know, I thought, "I won't join any certain group,
because I'd be identified just with that certain group. So I'll just
stand between them and say, 'We're brethren.'" E-15 And now, I... Only thing that I've joined since I've been in the full Gospel move... I'm one of you, and I think it's the closest thing to heaven that there is. If there's anything closer I'd try to find it. But this is what I've found, and I like this, and I'll stay with this till something better comes. And I'm looking for something better to come. Like Peter said on the day of Pentecost, he said, "This is that..." And if this isn't "that," then I'll keep this till "that" comes. So I... Then I'll just hold on to this, 'cause this is very good. E-16 And then I found out that this Christian Business Men, Full Gospel Business Men, was standing kind of in the same way in the breach between the great, fine, organizations of the churches, trying to--to bridge a something that was--make fellowship, contending, not trying to break up any of their organizations, or make all come into one, but just to bring a fellowship. And that's the reason I joined. And it's the only organization I belong to is this, this Full Gospel Business Men, because it's trying to do what I think is a--would be a great service to God and His church, to bring a feeling among us that we're not separated. We are brothers, and we all received the same Holy Spirit.
E-17
Now, God give you the Holy Spirit; He give the next man the Holy
Spirit. Like the bunch of Branhams, I've got nine brothers, and there's
some fat and short, tall and slim, and I'm Mr. In-between. So
they--they different ones, some blond-headed, and some black-headed,
and some none at all. And so I'm still Mr. In-between. So... But in
there we--we are brothers. We used to get out in the--in the back yard
and fight one another. But when we got in the front yard and somebody
jumped on a Branham. Oh, oh. It was just too bad.
E-18
I was setting in Brother Bethany's service last Sunday night, preaching
on the mark of the beast, and the man struck a keynote there that sent
my soul thrilling. He said that just down the road there's something
greater waiting, something on that order there, something that God's
fixing to do. I believe it too, to wind this thing up and send the
church into glory. How marvelous. Now let's not just be so slothful
now, that we'll...
E-19
Now just a little drop here. You know one day the Bible had foretold of
a great coming prophet that was going to gather Israel together. And
when He come, you know He passed right through the people and they
didn't know it? And then one day Jesus was speaking to His disciples,
said, "The Son of man's going up to Jerusalem..." and so forth.
E-20
Jesus came. I guess one third of the Jews never heard of John. I guess
when Jesus was on earth, not too many of the Jews, and one hundredth of
the population of the earth ever knew He was here. He was come and gone.
E-21
You know what? Wouldn't that be horrible if... Jesus said, "As it was
in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man,"
wherein eight souls were saved by water. What if today the rapture
came, and He took two from Tucson, and one from Phoenix, and around the
world, as a universal rapture will be, and the ones that rises from the
dead will go to meet Him in the air and steal away, a mysterious thing?
And then one of these days judgment drops upon the earth.
E-22
So when we gather in these meetings, let's gather, we--for one purpose,
that's to serve God. Let's put our lives to business. What good does it
do us to impersonate something? Why will we accept a substitute when
the whole skies are full of genuine Pentecostal power and blessings?
Why should we accept a substitute?
E-23
I... Looking awhile ago, an honor to see that aged man, Carl Williams'
father and mother, the first time I've had the privilege of seeing
them, as I know of, stand up. And think about eighty years old,
something like that, and how God has kept that old couple. They could
look like Carl's brother, not his father. And Tony said his mother got
out of the car out there, and slammed the door, and walked like a
little soldier across there. My, my. See? How good God has been to us.
E-24
And one time I was preaching down in Arkansas and I'd... Been an old
man on crutches and he had been healed. He sold pencils out on the
street. And he was standing up that night and he was just taking the
whole meeting. It was about, oh, I guess five or six thousand people
gathered there at the Robinson Memorial Auditorium, and he--at Little
Rock. And he said, "Praise God for healing me." You couldn't hardly
preach. And directly he stood up and said, "Hey, Brother Branham, I
want to say something to you."
E-25
If you are a businessman or whatmore, let me say something to you. Come
in. Come fellowship. Don't only just fellowship with a bunch of men you
can shake their hands, but get what they got--the Holy Spirit. That
brings the real fellowship.
E-26
Well, I didn't aim to take your--so much of your time. I know you got
to go. I--I'm kind of one of these here long-winded fellows. It takes
me about an hour to get started, and then I preach about two hours.
Then it takes me about three hours to get stopped. And so, I--I'm not
going to be that radical this morning though. So we appreciate your
coming.
E-27
So I'm here to put my shoulders to the wheel, and help in every way
that I can, and everywhere that I can, and every door that's open, to
give the testimony of the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
the filling of His Spirit that's kept me all these years. Now, lots of
times... I seen Tony awhile ago said, "I have to write down, Brother
Branham, what I wanted to say." So do I. You know when you get kinda
old, you don't think of just like you used to.
E-28
Well, everybody love the Lord? Oh, wonderful. Now, let's lay aside
every little weight and every little care now. And I wonder, if it
wouldn't inconvenience too much now, being we've been setting a long
time, if we could just stand just a moment for prayer. And now, while
you're standing I'm going to read a chapter, or a verse, out of the
Bible, while you listen attentively, if you will. I'm going to read
from the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, beginning with the
14th verse of the 3rd chapter: E-29 With our heads bowed and our hearts, let us pray. Lord Jesus, we thank Thee this morning, our gracious and noble God that brought again the Lord Jesus from the dead, and has presented Him to us this morning in the form of the Holy Spirit, that's wooing our hearts as for a close walk with Him. That as we see the day drawing to a close... The day of time is soon fading out now into eternity. We're nearing the shores. We can hear the breakers. O God, this is a dangerous hour, as we read here, this last church age, the Laodicea, where that we're nearing the shore. And the riches and things of this world has blinded the eyes of the people. Oh, we pray, God, that our anchor will catch ahold of the Rock of ages, and wait for the dawn. Grant it, Lord.
E-30
Bless this move of God called the Full Gospel Business Men's chapter.
We pray that You'll bless this certain chapter here at Tucson. May it
grow until this Ramada will have to take down these walls and spread
its tent to hold the born again Christians that will come in. Grant it.
Bless the brother that's coming with the revival with a tent, to the
city. May it be an instrument to help bring in souls to these churches
and into the Kingdom of God. Bless Brother Bethany up at the First
Assembly as he carries on his great work up there for the Kingdom of
God, Lord. How we pray that You'll continue with him and with the
churches throughout the country.
E-31
Did you ever stop to think just a moment that this could be our last
time ever meeting together? Do you know there may be some of us here,
if we come back again the next meeting day, we--be some of us missing?
We don't know what will happen. And then this may be our last time to
set in a group like this and associate, and eat together on this earth.
E-32
Now, I want to take a text this morning to speak to you, just for a few
minutes now. I won't hold you no longer than I possibly can. I want to
talk... I've got a few Scriptures and notes wrote here that I'd like to
speak from for a few minutes on the subject of "A Door In a Door."
E-33
But you know sometimes it's unusual things that God appears in. God
appears in the unusual because God is unusual. He does unusual things.
He appears at unusual times. And He's seen at unusual times, when times
you wouldn't think that you would--He'd be there, yet He's there. Very
unusual. "He works in mysterious ways," the Bible said, "His wonders to
perform." Therefore that makes Him unusual.
E-34
God shows Himself, and then hides Himself in the same thing that He
shows Himself in. See? He'll show Himself in something, and withdraw
and hide Himself. Like the seed, He shows Hisself in a pretty flower,
then He lets it rot. But He's hiding Himself in order to come forth
again. And God does it that way. He's very unusual--unusual times,
unusual ways, and sometimes little things. E-35 Reminds me, being that this Canadian here was speaking a few moments ago about my fine friends from Canada. Some time ago the... King George, that I had the privilege of praying for, as you know, that had the multiple sclerosis... The Lord healed him. And he came to Canada when he was suffering yet with this sclerosis. And he was a gallant man. And all the schools turned out when he came down through Vancouver, so that--that they could go out and take their... Give them a little British flag, and--and--and wave to honor the King, the crown, as he passed by.
E-36
And a good friend of mine, Brother Ern Baxter, as we were listening to
it on the broadcast as it came through, him and his lovely queen
setting there... And we were setting in the room and I'll never forget
it. Ern got so overcome that he jumped up out of the chair and threw
his arms around me and started weeping. And I said, "What's the
excitement all about, Brother Baxter?"
E-37
And the teachers turned all the little fellows out to go and wave these
flags. And after the--the parade was over, why, the children was
supposed to return to school. And as they returned, in a certain school
all come back but one little girl. And the teacher got alarmed when she
called the roll and the little girl wasn't there. So she said, "I must
go find her," and--and took the children. And in the streets they went
hunting for this certain little child. And after while the teacher
herself found the little fellow, standing by the side of a telegraph
pole, just crying her little heart out. E-38 I believe it was Dwight Moody. Or am I mistaken? It might not have been. An old sister had a burden on her heart that she wanted to win a soul to Christ. And she was a washwoman. Been a hundred and fifty years ago, I guess. And she saved her money until she got three dollars saved up, and she rented an old livery stable for a dollar for the week. And she went down there and cleaned it out herself, and took her wash bench and made a altar, and put a pulpit up, and--and suds still on the old wash bench. And--and she got some tracts and begin to pass it out. That was the early days here in America. And everybody would look at it, throw it down.
E-39
She happened to be a Methodist. And so, they would throw--throw it
down. And the Methodists then were like Pentecostals has been: a bunch
of fanatics. They'd lay in the school houses, and fall out under the
power of God, and pour water on their face, and... Don't tell me; I've
been right in the meetings. See? And if they'd just let them alone,
instead of bringing them back, just let them go on, they'd have been
Pentecostals. You see? E-40 When the meeting took place that night you know who was there? Your loyal old pastor and the lady. That's all that was at the meeting. A gallant old soldier, whether there was one or a thousand, he took his text, stood there and preached to the lady, just as loyal as he would if he was preaching to ten thousand. Who staggered in the door long about the beginning of the sermon but this little old ragged-haired boy. That night he found himself at the altar. If I'm not mistaken, that was little Dwight Moody, that sent a half a million souls to Christ. See? Oh, my. How many big meetings and floweredly things that's going on. See, God's in the unusual things. God appears unusual. You want to remember that. E-41 Now, I can't think of the artist that painted this picture of Jesus knocking at the door. He's some Greek artist. I just can't think of the man's name at the time, but he'd spent practically a lifetime painting this picture. And, you see, before it can be hung in the hall of fame it has to go through the hall of critics first. Any great picture must do that. It must face the critics. E-42 Oh, I wish I had the--the something that it takes to throw that before this audience this morning. Do you realize, Pentecostal people, as we cool off, that God's taking us through the hall of critics today? The church has to go through the hall of critics before it can go in the hall of fame as a bride. Sure. Can you stand it? Are you ready to come up with the Scripture, and stand gallant to your testimony in the love of Christ? Or are you taking back and going out with the world, like the Bible said, "Demos forsaken me, loving this present world." There's where the church is standing today: weighed in the balance. And that's the reason it becomes Laodicea.
E-43
This picture, as the artist painted it, when it went to the hall of
critics they could find nothing wrong. And finally a great critic came
up, and he said, "There's one thing wrong with your picture." He said,
"It's true, Jesus with the lantern in His hand, coming by night in the
darkness of sin. That's a good picture. His expression with the
expectations of somebody to come to the door when He's knocking," said,
"that's wonderful. And the look upon His face as He is longing to hear
from the inside... But, sir, there is no latch on the door. If He did
come, how could Jesus get in, because there's no latch on the door?"
E-44
What does a man knock on a door for? What makes a man knock at a door?
He's trying to gain entrance. He's trying to come in. There... Maybe
there's something he wants to talk to you about, or maybe he wants to
speak to you about some business or something. Or--or maybe he wants to
give you something. There's some reason, or he wouldn't be knocking at
the door. See? We'd only... The human decency would be only to open the
door and see what the person wants. That's only just the human thing to
do: open the door, ask the man, "Who are you? What do you want?" E-45 Now, a whole lot of it depends, after you go to the door, who it is knocking. You got to know who that is doing the knocking. But you should at least go to the door. That's the only decent thing to do, is find out who's there at the door. Go there if somebody's knocking, say, "Who is it?" Open the door. "Who are you? What do you wish?" Oh, many--many... It--it might be some great person. What if it's a great person? It'd be a great honor to you if you opened the door for somebody that was a great person.
E-46
What do you think would've happened a few years ago when Adolf Hitler
was the Fuehrer of Germany? What do you think of a little fellow living
down in the alley, or down the street somewhere, if he heard a knock on
the door some morning, you know, and he went to the door, and this
little German footman standing there, and there stood Adolf Hitler
standing at the door? Why, he was the greatest man in Germany at one
time. See? Certainly. Why, he was a great man. E-47 What in the... If you'd been a--in Italy and in the days of Mussolini. And Mussolini was the dictator of--of--of Rome, of Italy. And what if some poor person down on the street would've heard a knock at the door some morning, and there stood Mussolini at the door? Oh, my. Their hearts would've quivered. Well, "Great dictator, great honored sir, enter into my home." Quivering and shaking, "What--what could I do? Is there anything here that--that you would desire? Is there something your servant could do for you?" Oh, it would've been a great honor to any Roman to have had Mussolini at his house.
E-48
Or what if the Queen of England today would come here into Tucson, and
land out here in an airport, and would come to one of our homes here,
one of our... We're just common people. And if the Queen of England
would come from England, all the way across the sea, land out here at
the airport--at the--at the airport and would be brought in by taxicab,
and come and knock at your door... And you, an honorable lady or
gentleman, would walk to the door and say, "How do you do?" And there
she stood there, just as an ordinary woman. And you'd say, "How do you
do? Who are you?"
E-49
Or even this morning, if our President Kennedy would come to your
door... Oh, you might disagree with him of politics, but still you
would let him in. Why? Not because he's maybe just a man, but it's
because who he is. He's the President of our United States. Yet we
would--might disagree with him (I would.) in politics. But yet,
you--you'd be honored to have President Kennedy to come to your door.
E-50
But who's any greater than Jesus? And He's turned away from more doors
than all the dictators and kings and potentates of the world. Yes. "I
stand at the door, and knock: and if any man will hear My voice and
open the door, I'll come in, and will sup with him." E-51 Now, the President might want to summons you to Army. He might summons you to--to do something that would be horrible to do. He might summons you, or take something from you, take your children or something to be his servants, or something. He might do something like that. But Jesus don't want that. He wants to give you something. That's the reason He knocks. He's got something for you. There's nothing that could be greater than what He's wanting to give you: the Holy Spirit. He's wanting to give you Eternal Life.
E-52
What if the President would say, "I'll make... I've come to take you,
and I have the authority to do so. And make you the President of the
United States." You're going to have to give it up sometime. What if
the Queen wanted to make you Queen of England, and you wear the crown.
It... You'd have to give it up. But Jesus gives us a crown of Life that
we never give up, incorruptible crown of His glory. We don't have to
give it up. He gives it to us. It's a blessing. It's the Holy Spirit
that He wants to crown our life with.
E-53
And we look and see the clouds of judgment forming, to hear science say
it's three minutes till midnight. And practically two of those minutes
are gone; that was several years ago. And we see the church scattered.
We--we see everything going on the way it is, and denomination begin to
come denomination, the cooling off. And revival days just almost seems
to be over. We might as well face the truth.
E-54
I took my children yesterday... They wanted to go down to see the rodeo
parade go by. My little kids... My father was a rider, and I've--I've
done a little riding, and it's just in them to like horses. And they
wanted to see the horses. And when I stopped on the street I got sick
at my innermost being and turned back, to see how people today...
They're trying to live in the past, trying to live something that was.
E-55
But then you try to bring them a Gospel that never changes, they don't
want that. They want something modern and up-to-date, somebody that'll
pat them on the back and let them get by just by joining church, and
living any way they want to. But when it comes to really go back to the
Gospel, they don't want it. And that very thing in them that hungers to
go back is the Gospel, and they try to satisfy it with taking the
natural things back, and refusing the spiritual things. See how the
devil vice versa's the--the Gospel to the people?
E-56
And then you try to go back and live something, then refuse the knock
of the old fashion Gospel of the Holy Ghost, and like it was on the day
of Pentecost with the same attributes that it had in it to cleanse us
and make us new creatures. We're living in the shadows, and the church
is in that Laodicean age, rich, have need of nothing.
E-57
And "Lo, I stand at the door and knock, and if any man..." Now,
remember, the Bible said He was outside the church in this age, trying
to get in. Now, you can't dispute God's Word. See? He was trying to get
in, begging to come in. "If any man will open the door, and let Me in
(Oh.), I will come in and sup with him." See? He's got something He
wants to talk over with you, some business, or a plan of salvation. He
wants to speak to you. But maybe you've become so creeded and so hard,
indifferent, till you don't want to hear Him talk. That's right. "Lo, I
stand at the door..."
E-58
What if I come to your house, and knocked at the door, and you said,
"Step in, Brother Branham." I step in. "But you stand right here. Don't
you go to investing around, rooting around in my house." See?
E-59
We must welcome Him. "Lord, come into my house. If there's anything...
If there's anything in here that You want, help Yourself. I'm Yours;
You're mine. You honor me. The great King, the Creator of heavens and
earth has knocked at my door and I want You to come in, Lord. Lord, be
my lord. Take me. Do me anything You want to. Any bad thing that's in
me, discover every secret that's in my heart. Go in every door. Search
me out, Lord. See what's wrong with me. And whatever's wrong, show me,
Lord. Throw it out the door. I want You in here. I welcome You in to be
my lord. I haven't got that blessing, Lord. Clean me now."
E-60
You know, let's just walk around the building of the heart. Will you
stand me another ten minutes? Look. Notice. Let's walk around the heart
just a minute. The first thing as you go into the human heart, on the
right side as you go in, there's a little door there, and it's called
"my private life." Now, you don't want nobody fooling in that.
E-61
Oh, sure, we want--we want Jesus. Certainly. We think we got Him, and
all like that. But I wonder if that rapture could pass, and we'd be
left alone one day, then wonder where it's all at--if it'd come by real
secretly, you know. And that's what it's coming, like a thief in the
night. You'll... Ninety-nine out of every half-a-million, every
million, will never know the rapture takes place. It'll be gone and
they won't even know nothing about it. Jesus said so. So that makes it
right. See? Certainly. It'll come like a thief in the night and be
stoled away.
E-62
Then all them that's resurrected, down through them ages, have been
down the ages, they'll all go to heaven in the bride. Then the
judgments'll come. The church'll say, "Well, wait a minute. I thought
there was supposed to be a bride, a coming of the Lord and a bride."
It's been gone for a long time. You knew nothing about it. It come
secretly.
E-63
Just say... You say, "I'm--I'm a Christian. I'm a..." Only by
profession maybe. See, our--our lives speak so loud that our
testimony's not even heard, our lives, our action, our morals among us.
E-64
Now, that little door of my own--of my own private life. "Now, that's
all right. I'll be a member of your church. I'll join the Full Gospel
Business Men. But now, don't go to telling me I have to receive this
Holy Ghost and carry on like that." See? That's that own private life.
See? You'll never get the Lordship of Jesus doing that. He'll just turn
right around and walk out the door. What would you do in a case like
that, if somebody--if you went to a home, and they said, "Stand here at
the door. State your business."
E-65
Don't let the Full Gospel Business Men ever get in that stage. When you
hear a message, and hear a knock, open up and say, "Lord, what is this
all about?" When you see a man... We have a lot of impersonators, but
when you see a genuine... What does an impersonator mean? What does a
bogus dollar mean, when you pick up a dollar that's bogus? It means it
was made off of a real one. There's got to be a real one to make that a
bogus. So there is a real Holy Spirit, real power of salvation, a real
God of love. Yes, don't take nothing less. No, sir. Don't do it.
E-66
There's a little door of pride too. Oh, my. That's a bad one. We'd
better not stay at that door too long. But you want to stand in that
old door, and say, "Now, don't you go to telling me nothing. (See?)
Why, I have my own pride." Certainly, but you shouldn't do it.
E-67
I said to our ladies one time about... Not as I got against the ladies,
they're our sisters. But I'm zealous of this church. When I see the
worldliness like Sodom coming into it, then I have to cry out against
it. There's something inside that my heart bleeds and I cry out, "Don't
fashion after Marilyn Monroe, or some of these women there. Do like
Sarah in the Bible. See?"
E-68
Some time ago, wife and I were going to the grocery in Indiana, and we
seen a strange thing: a lady had on a skirt. It was very odd. E-69 And so many of us gets confused and--and just use little isms and sensations and things and call that the Spirit of God. That's the reason we're so scrupled up as we are today, the whole church system. It's terrible. And in spite of all that, Jesus still stands at the door, put out, but yet...
E-70
One more door I'd like to open--the door of faith--then I'll close.
There's just about a dozen I got wrote down here, but I'm going to skip
them. The door of faith. You say, "Would you come down to the Full
Gospel Business Men?"
E-71
And you--your faith... It--it says that the days of miracles is past,
and there is no such a thing as speaking with tongues and prophesying,
and this nonsense that the church of the Pentecostals carry on today.
There's no such a thing as that. Maybe you let some creed hold back in
the door of your faith. If you'd open that door and let the Word of God
come in to be your Lord... "I don't care what the creed says. If the
Bible says so, You're my Lord."
E-72
A birth is a mess, I don't care where it's at. Excuse this expression,
but if a birth is in a pigpen, it's a mess. If it's in a cow barn, it's
a mess. If it's in a hospital room, it's a mess. And if it's at the
altar, it's a mess. It'll make you rot in your own thinking. It'll make
you throw away everything that's... Things that you once cherished with
all your heart, you'll give it up to let that little still knock. I
don't care if it's a mission on the corner.
E-73
A lot of racket and noise is what we want. A farmer took a wagon one
time and went out in the field. And when he did, it bumped and rattled
and made a lot of noise. When it come back it crossed the same bumps
and never even moved. It was loaded with good things.
E-74
We hear on the Billy Graham programs... Which nothing to say against
this great evangelist, certainly not. He's a man of God, and God's
using him. But where's he at? Down in Sodom. Do you remember the type?
There was two Angels went down in Sodom, a type that Jesus said would
be the same thing at His coming. But one stayed with Abraham, the
elected church, called-out. Watch what both Angels done, then you got
the message.
E-75
Now, the church spiritual was not in there in the beginning,
Pentecostal type. Watch that messenger come to that church. He set and
talked to Abraham. He said, "Where is your wife, Sarah?" and called him
Abraham, which his name was Abram. Said, "Where is your wife Sarah?"
Her name was S-a-r-r-a, now it's S-a-r-a-h. He called S-a-r-a-h.
E-76
Notice. He said, "Knowest thou not that thou art naked, miserable,
poor, wretched, and blind, and don't know it?" There's the miserable
part. Now, we're going to close. I want you to get this, "Don't know
it."
E-77
Now that's exactly what Jesus Christ said that the Pentecostal church
would be in the last days: lukewarm, and would be rich. We're about as
rich as any of them. Used to be, when we was down in the mission, we
had salvation. Now, we've got up with the big ranks, like this, and
more numbers and great fine things. And where are we at? Just like the
rest of them. And Jesus said so.
E-78
You know, we was raised awful poor down in Kentucky. My grandfather was
a hunter, and a real well-known hunter. And he used to coon hunt. I
don't know whether you people out here... Not enough water in Arizona
to have coons, I guess, but they--they have a... Down there they had
coons. They hunted coons. How many knows what a coon hunter is? Well,
look at the Kentuckians in here. My. All right. Well, I feel like I
could take off my coat now and preach a little while. I was kind of
bound up a little, but I feel pretty good now. My.
E-79
And grandpa used to catch coons, and he would render the fat off of
them. And what they had a little can. We used to keep that little
baking powder can. Mom had one she cut biscuits with, the--with a
baking powder can. And she'd make them great big biscuits. You could
pick up the top and the bottom would drop off, and put sorghum molasses
in there, and a hunk of homemade butter, it was really good. It'd go
good right now. And I kinda got skimped up on my 'lasses this morning,
so you know something like that would really go good.
E-80
Once in a while one of us would get out from under that canvas when the
cold wind was blowing, and we'd get a cold. And we'd get it in our
eyes, and you know that sticky stuff gets in your eyes. Mama called it
"matter." Said, "Get matter in your eyes." Well, I'd wake up at
morning, and mom would say, "Billy, come on down. Time to go to school." E-81 I tell you; there's come a cold spell across the church, and coon grease will never work. But Jesus said, "I counsel you to buy eye-salve," the Holy Spirit. You're come--becoming so blind, the church is, until it can't see God. It only sees its organization. It only sees that what it can see in front of it. It never looks out yonder to the soon coming of the Lord. Coon grease will never do that any good, but the salve of the Holy Spirit will open your eyes, and you can realize that the presence of Jesus Christ... And He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is God, and He can salve your eyes with His Holy Spirit.
E-82
You'll forget whether you're a Methodist, or a Baptist, or a Oneness,
or a Twoness, or a Threeness, or Church of God, or a Nazarene, or a
Pilgrim Holiness. You'll be a Christian, borned again of the Kingdom of
God.
E-83
I used to pass... When I was game warden for several years, I'd pass by
a big old spring. And it would be bubbling up like that. I--I set down
by that spring one day, and I said, "What are you so happy about?" Oh,
the water was delicious. And I--I'd--I'd take a drink of water, and I
said, "What are you so happy about? Are you happy because that rabbits
drink from you?"
E-84
In closing... I don't mean to hold you all here till you get so tired.
Be my first time, or second time with you. Forgive me if I've went too
long. Let me close then, saying this.
E-85
But his wife was a real devout saint. And she'd go to the church, and
she'd pray, and have the pastor and all to pray for Gabe, because
really down in his heart he was a good man. And he run a little
business down there, a little--on the corner, a little shoe-shine
business. He'd shine shoes and get enough money to play pool, why he
would play pool. So he just didn't want to line up with the Gospel.
E-86
It was on Saturday and the sun was going down. And the pastor happened
to look around. He hadn't heard old Gabe say nothing for quite awhile.
And he watched around, and Gabe was looking over his shoulders towards
the--the sun setting as it was going across the western horizon. And
the pastor looked back, and he noticed Gabe wasn't saying nothing, but
looking back as he walked.
E-87
And the pastor, of course, turned around in amazement. He said, "Gabe,
I've wanted, and waited, and longed, and prayed for years for this." He
said, "Gabe, is it settled?"
E-88
That's true. It's true here this morning, men. The sun's setting,
setting in your life and in mine, and it's setting on time in
civilization; she's finished. And He stands at the door, knocking,
longing, waiting. That little knock, something down in your heart that
says, "It's I. Open up now." That's Him. Gabe had listened to that, and
he turned around. E-89 Did you ever realize that? In India today the little children, I know, laying on the street, and their little bellies swelled up, their little gums down like this, starving to death. The little mother begging to take this one, and there's thousands more. Of a afternoon they come by and pick up in the stretchers and things and take them to the salamander and throw them in. There's no John 14. Eat anything, grass from the ground, bark from the tree, or anything that they can do... We rake off enough in our garbage cans to feed them. E-90 We sit here this morning paying about a dollar and a half for a little bit of food here. And we got good clothes; we drive a nice automobile; we live in a nice home. You businessmen here, your businesses are plushing, as I hear you testify. God's good to you. Can't you realize that? Why? He loves you. You know that? And that's the reason that knock comes. "I stand at the door and knock, and if any man will hear My voice and open the door, I'll come in to him, and sup with him, and he with Me."
E-91
Now, that still, little voice that knocks at your heart's door, it
might knock so many times till it may be very faint right now. But
let's just be honest, just honest with God and ourselves for just one
minute. That little knock way down there that said, "I better curb my
ways. I'd better be different. I'd better straighten up. I know there's
things in me. I'm... Look here, I examine my life with this Word and I
see I'm wrong in many things." Look around and see how good... It's His
goodness that knocks at the door.
E-92
Oh, my Jesus, I love thee, I love thee. Oh, for grace to love you more,
Lord. "What is that little something keeps telling me in my heart that
I must come a little closer to Jesus? What is that?" Do you want to
open the door to that this morning? Now, with every head bowed and
every eye closed, please, down in your heart be real honest just one
minute. You have such a little knock at your door. I'm going to pray in
just a moment. And sincerely you'd like to know what that little
mysterious something in your life is, that you'd like to let--let Him...
E-93
With our heads bowed... Now, our heavenly Father, "There is a
fountain," as the poet said, "that's filled with Blood drawn from
Emmanuel's veins, where sinners plunged beneath the flood lose all
their guilty stains. That dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in
his day, and there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away."
E-94
I'm grateful, Lord, for these people who would raise their hands and
say, "Be merciful to me, Lord. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus, and
reveal yourself to me today. And I'll give You my life. Here am I. If
there's anything in me that's not right, Lord... And I look at my own
life and I see that there is plenty that's wrong. Then take me into
Your great molding house and--and mold me, and take from me all that's
worldly and ungodly."
E-95
O Lord, have mercy to honest hearts. I plead for those, Lord. Oh, with
all that's in me, I ask for Divine mercy, and hear me, Lord, hear me.
And may this great desire, with faith to know that it's God that spoke
to their hearts... It's God that does these things. And may the heart's
door come open just now, and Jesus walk in and become Lord of the
situation, taking all the world out and making them new creatures in
Christ Jesus.
E-96
Now, with our heads bowed, real humbly, softly, let's sing this old
hymn of the church, "I love Him, I love Him, because He first loved
me." And believe now that what you have asked, that that little still
knock that was at your heart, Jesus will come in now. Quietly, as we
sing it:
E-97
Now, with our heads bowed, you that want to accept Him as Lord in your
heart, "Lord, take away everything now. And from this hour I'm making a
consecration to You over this table, Lord, that I'll meet You again at
that great wedding supper. I'm consecrating my life to You this
morning, so help me, my Lord. If I haven't received the Holy Spirit
yet, I'm going to seek until the real Holy Spirit comes in and cleanse
my life, makes me a new creature in Christ Jesus. I promise You today,
Lord, as I make a consecration to You over this table. In the Name of
Christ I promise to do it, as I raise my hands." Now, you raise your
hands, and sing with your eyes closed now. E-98 Now, I want you to reach across the table and shake hands with somebody. Say, "God bless you, pilgrim. Glad to be here with you this morning." That's right. Everybody just mix up, Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, Presbyterian. God bless you; God bless you. The messages sometime are cutting and hard, and we don't... We want to feel good about it. Now, God bless you, brother. God bless you. God bless you, sister. God bless you, my brother, God be with you. God bless you. Fine. Bless you, Brother Tony. Now, let us stand just a minute. E-99 With our hands and hearts to God, our Father, all--all creeds, all--all now believing... Now, when you have prayed, remember Jesus said when you pray believe that you receive what you ask for, and it shall be given unto you. Do you believe it? Say, "Amen. I believe that I receive that what I've asked for. I've consecrated my life to Jesus Christ. And from this day henceforth... I really mean it, God; I'll walk before You until it becomes such a reality till I'm hid altogether in Christ Jesus." E-100 Now, is the song leader here? Let's start that gracious old hymn, "My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary, Saviour Divine." Wonder if the sister on the piano would give us that key. How many knows the hymn? Raise... Now, let's sing that to the top of our voice. "My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary." All together now.
My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
O Saviour Divine;
Now hear me while I pray,
Take all my sin away,
O let me from this day
Be wholly thine!
Let's bow our heads now.
While life's dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread, (Remember, you're going to meet the world now.)
Be Thou my Guide; (Listen.)
Bid darkness turn to day,
Wash all my fears away,
Nor let me ever stray from Thee aside. (Let's hum it.)
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