How Do I Know If I Have Received the Holy Spirit?

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 1 Cor 12:13

We get into the body of Christ by being baptized in the Holy Spirit. This is our initiation so to speak into the church of the living God. It does not come by us making a decision for Christ though there is a part in that, it is by God making a decision for us. God gives the Holy Spirit to you and then you are a member of the church not by going through new member classes and then officially joining so your name is in the church member book, but by the Holy Spirit baptism.

After the last few writings I had several people ask how to know if they have the Holy Spirit. This is a very important question to ask yourself. However, there is a fine line because many who do have it begin to question themselves based upon the fact that they still have struggles in their life that they need to overcome. Receiving the Holy Spirit does not make you a person that lives a life without any sin. John wrote in 1 John 1:8-9 that, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Sin will always be present while we are in these “vile” bodies. It is a part of the curse. We are going through a process of sanctification. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Cor 3:18 Beholding the glory of the Lord is not a one time event, it is something that we do over our lifetime and it changes us from one glory to another glory. This is a process not an immediate event like salvation. But how do I know if I have it?

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Cor 5:17

The Holy Spirit baptism is likened unto a new birth by Jesus in John 3. It changes you from what you were in this sinful flesh to being a new creation, the old things of evil, wickedness and bad attitudes pass away and all things become new. God by a miracle of his Spirit turns you from walking daily in sin to walking in the Spirit of love and joy.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:21-23

The word fruit is a euphamism for results. In other words what grows from the Spirit as a fruit grows out of a tree or vine. The results of the Spirit in your life is love, joy, peace, etc. Will you still have struggles with these things? Sure. There will be a distinct transformation in your life from desires for drunkeness, envying, partying, anger, malice, backbiting, gossip, etc. to the love, joy and peace of the Spirit.

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. John 16:13 Another indication of the Spirit in your life is being led into all truth. If in your life God is continuously revealing more of his word to you and you are always open to receive truth from him then this is an indication you have received the Spirit. This does not mean that you will accept any idea or be the kind of person that waffles from one opinion to another. It means you know the truth that the Spirit is revealing and you have a ready and willing mind to receive everything that the Scriptures teach no matter how hard or how much it hurts.

These are four things that can help you identify the Holy Spirit in you.

1. You are being transformed into the image of Christ from glory to glory as you behold the glory of God.
2. You are a new creature. Your life has changed completely.
3. You have the results of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.
4. The Spirit of truth is guiding you into all truth.

Sometimes when you grow up in a Christian home and your parents taught you right from wrong you had a less distinct experience of becoming a new creation. If you have been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and you see the other three things manifesting in your life then just pray through to God and make sure that you know that you know you have received it. If you receive the assurance from the Lord that you have received it don’t let the devil lie to you anymore that you don’t have.

“A Believers’ Story” Are We Ready to Help?

This was sent to me in an email from brother Frank Prater. It blessed me so much. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever…” Heb. 13:8

Greetings Friends’,
The following is an event which happened on Sunday, February 7, 2010. This is a brother we worship with. He has not given me permission to use his name, however, his story is such a blessing, and I wanted to share it with you. The story is edited for the sake of space.

“As I was driving home I saw a man lying in the road and cars were driving around him. I stopped, ran to him and did all the inspections of a first responder. I found no pulse, and he wasn’t breathing. His skin was very cold and clammy and appeared to have been a heart attack. I prayed for the Lord to touch him. Several people stopped, and tried to get involved.
I laid him on his back to begin CPR. Miraculously his heart started beating, and he started breathing. I kept anyone from touching him until an ambulance arrived, (if his spine was hurt he could be paralyzed by the wrong movement). When the police arrived I told him all that had transpired.
With my children watching me in this and all the things that could have happened and if there was more for me to do has been running through my mind ever since. Thoughts keep coming to my mind. It really got me to thinking. On the spiritual;  we need to be prepared to help a brother/sister who may be lying beside the road. Would we be willing to stop to help, or would we just drive around them like everyone else.
Please keep this man in your prayers. He was still unconscious when put into the ambulance.”

May God bless us to be ready to help a fallen brother, or sister.
Luke 10: 30 – 37

Doctrine of Christ Continued

This is another post from the discussion board on Facebook. I’m posting this because it is something that I feel is very overlooked, but also very important for us to grasp.

Francis wrote, “Tell me who was speaking to Moses from the midst of the Burning bush or at other times from the shekinah Glory, was it Jesus or God the Father? Or was it Elohim or the self existent one? Or could it be Melkizidek? Do you know or can you hazard a guess?”

It was the invisible, eternal God speaking, Yahweh or the self-existing one who reveals himself speaking to Moses, but scripture tells us, 
“2And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.”

It was Yahweh speaking through the angel of the Yahweh or the angel of his presence. That was a pre-figuration of the Lord Jesus.

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

This is speaking of the man that was born to Mary. Remember, they are gods to whom the word of God comes to. God told Moses, “you be God and let Aaron be your prophet.” God’s representatives are called God how much more is the perfect Son of God, who is the perfect manifestation of God. A Hebrew translation renders everlasting father as father of the age to come. Also, it is spoken of David that he was a father unto such and such people. That is, he is a provider. Jesus is the founder and the maker of the age to come. God created all things through and by his Son, his perfect image and manifestation.

When you look at Jesus you see God, also remember that the Jehovah of the OT is the Jesus of the NT. So the name of God has changed to the Lord Jesus Christ.

It’s important to have a scriptural balance to see both sides of the equation and understand the separateness of the Son and the Father as well as their unity. Both sides need to be there. What you are saying is correct, but it should be tempered with the other side of the coin, that there is a Father who is the invisible and eternal God and there is a Son who is the visible man who manifested God. The man has a relationship with God and because the fulness of God is in him he is God.

Jesus Christ is God, but that statement is understood differently than the Jesus-only, actually the majority of message believers are Jesus-only and the Trinitarian ideal. The truth of “Jesus Christ is God” is not in either of those ideas. It’s right there in the bible. 
Jesus is the I AM, how so? God was in him, the Son. The Son is not the Godhead, but the Godhead is in the Son. 

GODS_GIFTS_ALWAYS_FIND_THEIR_PLACES JEFF_IN 12-22-63 

37 They said, “He couldn’t be Deity and die.” The man, the body was not Deity, but Deity was in the body.

How is Jesus God? He that has seen me has seen the Father…the Father dwelleth in me, He doeth the works… Jesus is God because God was in him in fulness manifesting himself without any hindrance. God was perfectly manifested through his Son so that when you see the Son you say, there is my Lord and my God. However, it takes a revelation to say that without a Jesus-only or a Trinitarian understanding. 

The man is not the I AM, but the eternal Spirit dwelling in the man in fullness is the I AM. The Son began in the womb of Mary, the Godhead that entered him at the water baptism had no beginning. 

As far as the Father being a dispensation is there a scripture for that? 

God bless,
Jason

William Branham – Visions and Discernment

Watch as the Holy Spirit works through brother Branham to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. You are witnessing Jesus Christ on display to the world. This is a manifestation of the Spirit of God in a way that has not been done since the times of the apostles.

Don’t Forget the Blood

But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Preach the Gospel

I have a deep burden in my heart to see the gospel preached here in America amongst and through believers of the end-time message. Here is the reason I have this burden.

I have seen and heard of many people being so disturbed because someone presented them with William Branham and his ministry. They say something like, “the worship William Branham” or “they are exalting a man.” What a reproach this brings upon the word of God!

What happened to following William Branham’s example and preaching the same gospel that he did. Not just a powerless presentation of the powerful ministry of William Branham, but preaching the gospel with signs following. When I say the gospel I mean, the apostolic fathers’ faith, the original faith preached by the apostle Paul. I’m talking about water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, the oneness of the Godhead, the work of the Holy Spirit, the blood of Christ, sanctification of the Spirit, holiness living and salvation by faith alone. The mysteries of the scriptures are important, but people need to hear the original faith and gospel. I am seriously in prayer that the Lord would raise up a generation of brothers that would preach the word and not preach quotes of God’s servant or about the miracles of God’s servant.

As glorious and wonderful as the ministry of brother Branham was we are never called to lift up a man. We are called testify of God’s work, but not before we testify of the real true gospel of the bible and Jesus Christ. My hope is there would be a group of men raised up to preach out of the scriptures and not a bunch of quotes and statements piecemealed together. The gospel (that is the good news that Jesus is Lord and Christ, that he has raised from the dead and that through his name there is remission of sins) comes not in word only but in power and demonstration of the Spirit that faith might be in God and not in the words of men.

My hope is that the saints in America would be revived to this and would go out in our local areas and present the truth we have been restored to in a scriptural means and not as the seven sons of Sceva who said, “we adjure thee in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Many times that is what we do as we preach, “bro. Branham said this out of the bible and bro. Branham taught that out of the bible.” PREACH THE WORD!

I pray the Lord helps us all!

Christ Our Righteousness For the Rapture

There is no way for me to stress the importance of this teaching enough. It is very simple yet so needed for this hour.

The premise of this teaching is that only through the merits and righteousness of Jesus Christ will we make the rapture. Of course we know that. You do, but do you trust in something besides that to make the rapture? Are you trusting in how spiritual you are? In other words, have you ever felt like you were doing something or could do something to hold back the rapture? Do you think the Bride of Christ is doing something to hold back the rapture? People may be spiritually asleep and they may be in a position in their life where they should not be, but let me tell you, nothing will prevent God from catching away the Bride in the season He has ordained. According to Ephesians 4 the ministry is ordained to “for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry…until we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.” This is what God is doing in our day and age. Nothing will stop this purpose from being accomplished. If you are born of the Spirit walking in Christ your righteousness is of Christ. You are sinless in the sight of God and nothing will hold you back from the catching away of the saints.

Whether we make the rapture has nothing to do with your righteousness and your good works. It is all about the blood of Christ shed on the cross for your righteousness. You could never work yourself to be holy enough to make the rapture. You will perish in your sins if you think the church you go to or the holiness of your own character is holding back the rapture. If you think the church you go to or whether you are living good enough has anything to do with being caught up to meet Christ in the air YOU NEED TO REPENT! Satan has injected an idea in you that is leading to your destruction. The destruction of your faith and either your ultimate repentance and salvation or ultimately leaving the faith of the word of God.

Brothers and sisters, what rest and what peace this should bring to our hearts. If you born of the Spirit and feeding on the word of God you will have accomplished in you the purpose of God. The righteousness of Christ has been given to you by faith in his blood. NOTHING WILL STOP YOU FROM BEING RAPTURED. No man, no church, nothing can stop God’s work in you! Put your hope in the future grace. Because you are IN CHRIST NOW you will be caught up WITH CHRIST THEN! “Comfort one another with these words!”

Who was William Branham?

Who Was William Marrion Branham?

William Marrion Branham was one of the most influential Bible ministers of our time. He was considered by many to be the initiator of the healing and charismatic revival that began in 1947, and from his ministry there sprang a myriad of other ministers who became internationally known. One Historian of that movement stated that William Branham was “a prophet to our generation”, and a Pentecostal Historian wrote, “Branham filled the largest stadiums and meeting halls in the world.” The Full Gospel Men’s Voice, (now, Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International), in its February 1961 issue, wrote: “In Bible Days, there were men of God who were Prophets and Seers. But in all the Sacred Records, none of these had a greater ministry than that of William Branham, a Prophet and Seer of God, whose photograph appears on the front cover of this issue of Full Gospel Men’s Voice. Branham has been used by God, in the Name of Jesus, to raise the dead!” From 1947 until the time of his passing in 1965, the powerful ministry of William Branham was well known and considered unparalleled in the history of gospel meetings. The impact of the supernatural ministry of this one man was felt not only in North America, but also around the world.

Early Life And Conversion

William Branham was born April 6, 1909 in a log cabin in the Kentucky hills, the first of nine children of Charles and Ella Branham. Reared near Jeffersonville, Indiana, he knew only a life of deep poverty and hardship, his father being alcoholic and illiterate. Compounding these circumstances, the young boy was considered “nervous”, because from an early age he spoke of “visions” and “a voice” which spoke to him out of a wind, saying, “Don’t ever drink, or smoke, or defile your body in any way. There will be a work for you to do when you get older.”

William Branham came to know the Lord and was filled with the Holy Spirit in 1931. From that time, the Bible became the focus of his life and Jesus Christ the center of his very existence! He was ordained to the ministry at the age of 23 years, in the Missionary Baptist Church in December of 1932.

Visitations Of An Angel

On June 11, 1933, William Branham was baptizing in the Ohio River near Jeffersonville, Indiana, when a bright fiery light suddenly appeared over his head and a voice spoke out, “As John the Baptist was sent to forerun the first coming of Jesus Christ, so are you sent to forerun His second coming!” The next edition of the Jeffersonville Evening News reported the incident with the subheading, “Mysterious Star Appears Over Minister While Baptizing”.

In May of 1946, he set himself aside to seek God for the meaning of his strange life. As he prayed alone late one night, an angel of light appeared, saying, “Do not fear. I am sent from the presence of Almighty God to tell you that your peculiar birth and misunderstood life has been to indicate that you are to take a gift of Divine healing to the peoples of the world. If you will be sincere when you pray and can get the people to believe you, nothing shall stand before your prayer, not even cancer. You will go into many parts of the earth and will pray for kings and rulers and potentates. You will preach to multitudes the world over and thousands will come to you for counsel.” This was literally fulfilled in the years that followed, for his ministry took him around the world seven times and many individuals of public influence, including Congressman Upshaw of the U.S.A. (left figure) and King George VI of England, were healed as a result of his prayers.

On the night of January 24, 1950, one of the most amazing photographs of all time was taken in the Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas. As William Branham stood at the podium, a halo of fire appeared above his head. This picture was the only one that turned out on the entire film! George J. Lacy, Investigator of Questioned Documents, and often hired by the FBI in that capacity, subjected the negative to every scientific test available. At a news conference, he stated, “To my knowledge, this is the first time in all the world’s history that a supernatural being has been photographed and scientifically vindicated.” The original of this photograph is kept in the archives of the Religious Department of the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C.

Worldwide Ministry

As news spread of miraculous healings, pastors from all around began to call Bro. William Branham to minister for their congregations and pray for the sick. A supernatural sign had been given him for the purpose of encouraging the people to believe. Firstly, a physical sign in his hand would indicate a disease or healing. Later on in his ministry the secret thoughts and needs of individuals were revealed, resulting in faith for deliverance. It became abundantly clear to any serious Bible reader, that William Branham was ordained a Prophet to fulfill the many scriptural prophecies concerning our time.

Churches could not accommodate the crowds, and the meetings moved to large auditoriums or stadiums for united campaigns in the major cities of North America.

Jonesboro, Arkansas – “Evening Sun” Newspaper June 12, 1947.

“Residents of at least 25 States and Mexico have visited Jonesboro since Rev. Branham opened the camp meeting, June 1st. The total attendance for the services is likely to surpass the 20,000 mark.”

Helsinki, Finland – 1950

Two years prior to the Helsinki campaign, God had shown Bro. Branham a vision of a boy being raised from the dead. He related the details to his audiences and asked them to write the vision in the flyleaf of their Bibles. The vision was fulfilled at the scene of an accident, near Kuopio, Finland, where a boy on a bicycle had been struck by a car and killed. The Branham party travelling in a motorcade came upon the scene and Brother Branham, asking that the sheet covering the body be removed, recognized the boy to be the same one he had seen in the vision. He prayed and the child was raised from the dead.

Durban, South Africa – 1951

Meetings were sponsored by The Apostolic Faith Mission, the Assemblies of God, the Pentecostal Holiness and the Full Gospel Church of God and conducted in eleven cities, with a combined attendance of a half a million people! Church history was made on the final day of the Durban meetings, held at the Greyville Racecourse, where an estimated 45,000 people were in attendance and thousands more turned away at the gates!

Is This Ministry A Fulfillment Of Prophecy?

“Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7

God’s pattern of dealing with His people has always included the sending of prophets. The prophet Amos informs us that God does “nothing” without a prophetic forerunner, and even a surface study of scriptural history will uncover this to be exactly as stated. Seldom was there a prophet who spoke the words of God who was not greeted with skepticism, rejection and abuse!

Consider these scriptures:

Malachi 4:5 and 6 is two-fold, fulfilled in part in the ministry of John, the Baptist. He preceded the first coming of Jesus Christ, called the “great” day of the Lord, turning the hearts of the fathers of the “law” to the children of the New Testament era of “grace.” As stated in Jamieson, Fausset And Brown Commentary on the Whole Bible, “…John the Baptist was an Elijah in spirit (Luke 1:16,17) but not the literal Elijah (John 1:21). This implies that John, knowing he was referred to by Malachi 4:5, knew by inspiration that he did not exhaustively fulfil all that is included in this prophecy: that there is a further fulfillment. There is a prophet that will fulfill the second part of this scripture, forerun the second coming of Christ and “turn the hearts of the children to their fathers..” Literally, a ministry that will turn the hearts of a backslidden generation back to the Word of God and the faith of our “early church” fathers before the “dreadful day of the Lord”, the second coming of Christ in judgment.

Again, Matthew 17:10-12 is two-fold. Firstly, “Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?” “… But I say unto you, That Elias is come already and they knew him not …” speaking of John the Baptist. Secondly, “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.” Speaking of a future forerunner to precede Christ’s second coming.

The ministry of William Branham involved three distinct stages that he referred to as “pulls”. The First Pull: Healing. Second Pull: Prophesying. Third Pull: The opening or revealing of the Word of God.

The ministry of Jesus Christ followed exactly the same pattern. First Pull: multitudes flocked to hear his gracious words and to receive His miraculous healing touch. Second Pull: Revealed the secrets of the hearts. (John 4:17-18) Third Pull: His “message”, the Word of God which came in strength and contrary to the religious order of the day, caused the multitudes to leave him.

“From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.” John. 6:66

In December 1962 God gave William Branham a vision of an angelic visitation which he foretold in a message “Sirs is this the Time?” On February 28, 1963, the vision and prophecy was fulfilled when a constellation of seven angels, formed as the head of Christ, met him with a commission to speak the opening of the Seven Seals of Revelation. Life Magazine (May 17th 1963) carried the photograph of this supernatural event, describing it as a “Mystery Cloud over Arizona.”

To the millions of believers around the world who have heard and received the Message which God has sent through His prophet, William Branham, the Word of God has opened up as never before in history. Jesus Christ has come into plain view through the pages of revealed scripture. World events no longer cause alarm, for all is unfolding as it should, fulfilling Bible prophecy!

We urge all sincere readers to be as the Bereans in Act 17:11 who “were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

Water Baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ

Gog and Magog? Two Occurances.

I got some feedback from a good brother here in Minnesota in regards to something I wrote about Gog and Magog being prior to the 1,000 reign of Jesus Christ over this earth. We find references to Gog and Magog in Revelation 20:8 and Ezekiel 38 and 39.

He stated, “you were talking about Gog and Magog on THIS side of the Millenium – actually Armageddon is on this side and Gog and Magog are at the end of the Millenium…”

This was a good point made by this brother. He was correct, BUT so was I.

Revelation 20:8 refers to after the 1,000 year kingdom of Messiah and Ezekiel is referring to a time prior to the tribulation period. Here was my response to our brother.

Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. Ezekiel 38:2-6

This is Meshech (Moscow), Tubal (Tobolsk), Persia (Iran), Ethiopia (quite possibly what is now the Sudan), Libya, Gomer and Togarmah (possibly Turkey) will gather with a great company against “the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel…”

They will come down to “take a spoil” (Ezekiel 38:12) which I believe is what bro. Branham said Russia will come down against Israel for their oil, which they are just now discovering, amazingly enough.

Now, here is why I believe this is prior to the tribulation period.

As a result of the war God will send fire and hailstones out of heaven to destroy the armies gathered against Israel.

And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog. And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land. Ezekiel 39:9-12

According to these verses they will be cleaning up from the destruction that God wrought for 7 years and it will take 7 months to bury all the dead. After the millennium a fire comes from heaven to cleanse the entire earth. There will be no need to spend 7 years cleaning up the mess and burying the dead.

Of course, this isn’t an issue that has to do with our salvation, but its a prophecy of scripture that speaks of an event that will come to pass shortly. We shall see.

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