February 2008 Newsletter - Questions & Answers
Featured Questions & Answers
QUESTION:
“Does God's Word require ministers to teach and preach to the Bride of Jesus Christ?”
ANSWER:
“My advice would be for you to STAND AT YOUR POST OF DUTY, JUST AS LOYAL AS YOU CAN, to the cause of Christ, and BACK UP YOUR MINISTER and everything that-that-that is going on, and for the Cause of Christ. And do that, and God will bless you. The only way that you can respect God is to RESPECT ONE ANOTHER.” [More text.] “Let's all GIVE THOSE MINISTERS A HAND, everybody. Come on, THEY ARE WORTHY OF IT, OF A GOOD HAND OF PRAISE. That's right. I'M SURE GLAD THAT YOU GOT MINISTERS LIKE THAT here in Phoenix. My! I hope you have great union revivals and fill the auditoriums and everything full of people, and get people down at the altar.” [Experiences, Phoenix AZ, 12-21-47]
“If you'd send to your pastor, and he didn't come and pray for you when you were sick, well, you'd say, "The old hypocrite, I will go over and join Jones' church, or somebody." That's the reason your pastor can't do nothing for you. YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE FAITH IN HIM, AND CONFIDENCE IN HIM, AS A MAN OF GOD, and know that, “All things work together for good to them that love God.” That's right. Now, pastor didn't tell me to say that, either, but I know this. You've got to have confidence in the man you're dealing with, or it won't do you any good to do any dealing. That's true. YOU'VE GOT TO BELIEVE YOUR PASTOR. HE'S A GOOD GOD-SAVED MAN, PREACHING THE GOSPEL, STAND BEHIND HIM WITH EVERYTHING YOU GOT. If He isn't, go somewhere were they do do that, then. That's right. Now, that clears up for both sides. Now, remember this. IF HE PREACHES THE GOSPEL, STAY WITH HIM, HELP HIM, 'CAUSE HE'S A MEN SENT FROM GOD, ORDAINED OF GOD TO FEED YOUR SOUL.” [Believest Thou This? Minneapolis MN, 7-16-50]
“That's the reason God can't, that's the reason your pastor, sometimes, when your pastor come see you, the reason he can't help you. YOU GOT TO HAVE FAITH IN YOUR PASTOR. YOU GOT TO BELIEVE THAT HE'S A MAN OF GOD, SENT OF GOD, TO DO THESE THINGS FOR YOU.” [Moses, Houston TX, 1-10-50]
“That's the way of PREACHING the Gospel. The man PREACHES It by the Word. And my way is by vision. Won't you believe all the witnesses that God has sent to you? Can't you know that God is in them songs when you sing, that something blesses your soul? Isn't there someone, the PREACHER'S PREACHING, it just confirms everything to you? Isn't that right? Now, He has other gifts. “There is first, apostles; secondarily, prophets; gifts of healing, workings of miracles, teachers,” so forth. Is that right? All for the perfecting of the Church.” [Testimony of William Branham, Jonesboro AR, 53-0510]
“God has set in the church some apostles, secondarily prophets, gifts, so forth, in the church, for one purpose: the perfecting of the church. And now, if you happen to get sick, wherever you are, and your pastor is a man who believes that we should pray for the sick, have him to come pray for you. It'll be just the same as you was standing on this platform or anywhere.” [I Perceive You Are A Prophet, Connersville IN, 53-0614e]
“God sets some in the church as-as prophets, some apostles, and some teachers, and some evangelists, and some pastors, all for the perfecting of the church.” [Prophet Elisha, Chicago, Illinois 54-0723]
“Young preacher, get into the field. Stay into the harness. All you young preachers and things, don't you set around. Don't you just set and do nothing. Get out yonder and win a soul. Do something. Get on, get moving. Don't stop, young preacher over there. God bless your heart. He reminds me of when I was about that age, I guess, and maybe a little younger than him.” [Adoption, Jeffersonville IN 60-0522E]
“The celebrity of all through the islands was up there, and those businessmen was trying to preach the Gospel. He's out of his place. We preachers have hard enough time to keep It level. And they use every little influence they can find, and every little technique this way and that way; and it keeps It so scrupled up, you don't know what to do. [More text.] And I said, "Brethren, there's something wrong. You fellows are businessmen. The first place, you don't understand the approach. You don't understand the approach to the ministry, because the ministry is a God-called gift. God hath set in the Church first apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, and pastors." God set them in there for the perfecting of the Church. Businessmen should testify. Women, housewife, no matter if you're the maid in somebody's house, testify. Do everything you can for the Kingdom, but don't ever inject your own ideas. Just say what the Message says and keep going on, see, and then maybe you'd have some influence. Well, don't try to preach now until God, you know, calls you. Just stay right with that, your testimony. Because, if you don't, you'll get off in the wrong category, and then you'll mess up everything. That's it. And it doesn't please God, at all.” [Influence Of Another, Jeffersonville, Indiana 62-1013]
“The Bride is the Elected of God. There is five offices elected of God. "For God has set in the church apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors, evangelists." God did that. Man has deacons and so forth, and everything else, but, you see, but God set in the church for the perfecting of the church, can't divide it.” [Questions And Answers, Jeffersonville, Indiana 64-0823e]
SCRIPTURES: LUKE 1:2 2, “Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word.” ACTS 13:1, “Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.” ACTS 13:5, “And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.” ACTS 21:8, And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.” ACTS 26:16, “But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee.” ROMANS 10:14, How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” I CORINTHIANS 3:5, “Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?” I CORINTHIANS 4:1, Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.” I CORINTHIANS 9:13, “Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?” I CORINTHIANS 12:28, “God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.” II CORINTHIANS 3:6, “Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” II CORINTHIANS 6:4, But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses.”
Answers provided by Bro. Ken Andes, Minister, Lynden, Washington