Salvation

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:38

After the apostle Peter’s cutting sermon on the day of Pentecost this is what happened;

Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Acts 2:37

They were convicted in their hearts and desired to respond to the preaching of Peter. Peter’s response is so stunning. He did not ask them to pray the sinners prayer with him and “ask Jesus into their heart.” He did not put them through new believers classes. These are post-biblical construction. Peter told them if you desire to be saved then first, repent. Turn away from your wicked ways, leave them behind, change your mind from wickedness to the truth of the Lord Jesus. Next, he said to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. This seems very strange to us. Clearly we understand that remission of sins comes through the blood of Jesus Christ. Colossians 1:14 says, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” Here we see that through baptism “in the name of Jesus Christ” we receive the remission of sins. True baptism acted upon by genuine repentance in the heart and then done in faith (“by grace are ye saved through faith” Ephesians 2:8) applies the blood to your heart. And the promise if you walk in this faith is to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Three steps to be saved according to Peter on the day of Pentecost;

1. Repentance
2. Water baptism by immersion in the name of Jesus Christ
3. Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost

This corresponds perfectly to what Jesus told Nicodemus. “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” John 3:5 We must be “born of water” and then “born of the Spirit.” “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” Titus 3:5 This is a verse that corresponds to what Jesus said “the washing of regeneration” is water baptism and the “renewing of the Holy Ghost” is Spirit baptism.

In the English Standard Version notice what Peter writes, “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 3:21 Peter says that baptism corresponds to the salvation of the family of Noah through water. He says, “baptism now saves you.” This does not throw away the scripture that shows us we are saved by grace through faith. It’s nothing we can do that saves us. It is a gift from God period. As part of the process God commands us to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. If we disobey this command we do not have faith and thus Peter writes, “baptism now saves you.”

He writes that it is not as a removal of dirt from the body. Its not a physical bath you are taking but an appeal to God for a good conscience. As you have repented and you are responding in faith to the word of God to enter the waters of baptism you are asking God to give you a good conscience. Keep in mind it is not baptism that gives you a good conscience. Baptism is an act of faith that appeals to God for a good conscience. Only the blood of Christ gives you a good conscience. “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Hebrews 9:14 The blood of Christ purges your conscience from dead works not baptism.

This is the simple formula for salvation. Most evangelicals simply state that salvation is to come by grace through faith as a gift from God. This is true, but you are missing the steps that the apostles taught the others to take. Paul’s first response to those who had not received the Holy Spirit (the new birth) yet was to baptize them in the name of the Lord Jesus. (Acts 19:2-6) It’s important for our actions to correspond to the actions of the apostles. What they were doing was not simply for another age, but it was the gold standard for all of us to walk in.

Forever Perfect?

The pastor at my church has off and on for the last few years brought this verse up and its a huge encouragement to me in my life.

For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Hebrews 10:14 ESV

God bless,

Jason

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

Pray For Your Enemies

I received this question from a sister on Facebook. It’s a great question because this is not an easy thing to do in the natural.

“towards the end of the sermon brother Branham, mentions “We shall pray for our enemies and love them; do good to them that do bad to us.”

Now i would like to ask simple question: How is it possible to pray for enemies whose mission is to hurt one? or when we pray to God for our enemies, what do we tell Him about them? Especially enemies who do not fear the Lord and are always trying to discourage a christian’s faith?”

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. Matthew 5:44

How is it possible to pray for someone whose mission is your hurt? It certainly isn’t an easy thing to do, but the first thing to do if you do not feel able to pray for them then you have to ask God to take away any bitterness you might have towards them and to give you a spirit that is willing to be obedient and pray for them. It is not easy because there can be years of hurt in your heart, but if you want to be obedient to the word of God – pray that he will help you overcome the hurt you have in your heart and pray for that person.

When we pray to God for our enemies it is in a spirit of meekness and fear not in a spirit of self-righteousness like the Pharisee that said, “God I thank you that I am not like these sinners over there.” Pray that the Holy Spirit would soften their hearts and change them. Pray that their hearts would be converted to hear and believe the word of God. Pray that they would make things right in their life so that Satan would no longer have dominion over them. There are many other things you can pray for, but none greater than their salvation.

Those enemies who are discouraging will not and cannot have dominion over you. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Pray that the Holy Spirit would convert their hearts to receive Jesus. God is omnipotent and able to do all things. We need to pray and have faith that He will. Jesus prayed for those who crucified him as an example, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” My, what love the Son of God showed and gave as an example! When you pray for those who discourage and use you pray that the Father in heaven would forgive them and grant them repentance.

I trust that this is a blessing to you. Make sure to subscribe to get our updates via email in the upper right hand of the screen.

If you have anything to add to this please comment below.

God bless you.

Jason DeMars

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!

Brother Hannington Baliita from Uganda

Dear Bro.Jason,
Praise God! Since I started visiting this website, the good Lord has tremendiously blessed me spiritually through the ministry of Bro.Jason DeMars, his teaching on the Godhead, his passion for missions to carry this Message of grace and hope and Life to the far places, and the updates of the world end time envents.

To the sinner, it’s one of the ministries that can lead you to the true Christ of God, the vindicated Word for this day, dissolving all the doubts. To the believer, it’s one of the diversities of operations in the Body of Christ to help the true Church grow in the knowledge of the Word of God and to grow to the stature of the fulness of Christ.

I encourage every visitor to this website to support this ministry with our prayers and in every way as our God may lead. God bless you.
Bro.Hannington Baliita of Kaliro Town in Uganda.

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!”

What is the Message of the Hour?

While it is true that God is no longer adding to the canon of Scripture and all truth that God desires us to know as Christians is in the Bible, it is also true that the Church fell away from the original doctrine of the apostles and God since the Reformation has been continuously restoring the Church back to the pure Gospel. To put it in another way God is continually unfolding what is already contained within Scripture. Prophecy is not always immediately understood when written or spoken by a prophet or apostle, but as time goes on God reveals it.

 

It started with John Hus, John Wycliffe, Martin Luther and on down the line. While each of these leaders sent from God had a glorious truth to proclaim it was not all that Christ was seeking to accomplish. He continued to work as the years went by, each leader was anointed by the Spirit and sent for a specific purpose. So in our generation has there been a leader sent from the Lord to gather together all these truths taught by the various reformers.

 

In each generation he sends men to stand as a beacon to reveal what God had in mind for that period out of the scriptures. He requires that truth from our mouths. If someone were to hear the message of Martin Luther in his days, “the just shall live by faith” and reject it they would be rejecting the gospel. Even if they continued in the current religion of the day, which was Roman Catholicism. They were rejecting the word. So is it today when God restores more of His truth to his church. If you reject the word of God in this day you are rejecting the Gospel of Christ. Just because something is not mainstream does not make it wrong. John Hus, John Wycliffe, Martin Luther and John Calvin were by no means mainstream Christianity. They were viewed by mainstream Christianity as heretical.

 

So then what is the message?

 

William Branham lived from 1909 to 1965. He had many supernatural experiences throughout his lifetime leading to his calling and ministry. Click on the name above to learn more specifics about the mighty signs and miracles God did through him. William Branham went forth with mighty signs and wonders showing that he was a teacher sent from God. This is not about that specifically, it’s about the restoration of the Church to the doctrine of the apostles.

 

Malachi 4:5-6 says this, “Behold, I will send unto you Elijah the prophet before the great and dreadful day of the Lord and he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers’ lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”

 

Now, first of all, understand that this is a two fold prophecy with a fulfillment in two specific prophets. First, John the Baptist and second William Branham.

To prove this lets read Luke 1:17, “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

 

Here we see John is to “turn the hearts of the fathers to the children.” The Scripture does not say that John turns “the hearts of the children to their fathers.” He turns the hearts of the fathers to the children. John the Baptist does not complete the prophecy of Malachi. So another prophet is going to fulfill the last part of the prophecy.

 

How did John the Baptist Fulfill Malachi’s Prophecy?

 

John was the link to the changing dispensations. He preached the baptism of repentance and called the religious leaders vipers. He was called to turn peoples hearts from the doctrine of the Jewish “fathers” to the apostolic “children”. He went before Jesus the Christ as a forerunner to his coming and turned their faith off of the traditional doctrines on to the true faith of Israel and in the coming Messiah.

 

Then the next part of Malachi’s prophecy does the reverse. It turns the heart of the children to their fathers. Here we see the children whose hearts were turned away from the doctrine of their fathers. There was a restoration needed just as in the days of John the Baptist.

 

Starting after the death of the first apostles of Christ there was a gradual shift away from the original apostolic doctrines. There are many specific examples and there are other articles written on these specific topics, but two specifics are the doctrine of the oneness of God and water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. The Gentile believers began to unwittingly apply Greek philosophical thought to scriptural teaching. Thus began the shift from believing in the one God of Israel and his Son, Jesus the Christ to a belief in three co-equal, co-eternal Gods. This is not a Jewish biblical teaching. It is the result of combining Greek philosophy, Gentile religion and Christian teaching. The second, water baptism is a result of this shift from the one holy Name, the Lord Jesus Christ to the titles, Father, Son and Spirit.

 

The church also shifted from the teaching of justification by faith alone through the sovereign grace of God. They taught that certain works needed to be done in order to complete salvation.

 

These shifts away from the bible caused the necessity of God bringing forth the Reformation and all the resulting denominations from them. Most denominations have some form of truth that they focus on and is a teaching that God desired to restore to His elect. However, it was not God’s purpose that each of these truths be divided and separate into various factions. He wanted this truth to all be there and available for his elect to embrace and proclaim.

 

This was the purpose of God in William Branham.

 

He came and turned “the hearts of the children (of God) to their (apostolic) fathers.” His ministry has turned the Church back to the original faith and doctrine of the apostolic fathers. He told us to get back to the Bible over and over again.

Each denomination has their own take on what the bible teaches. So how do we know the difference? God proved the difference by manifesting himself and showing that William Branham was a teacher sent from God. He was a man approved of God among us by signs and wonders which God did through him.

 

Of course the objection tends to come up, “why have I not heard of this?” There’s a very good reason for that, but first let’s explore the times when Jesus Christ was here ministering on earth. First of all, was he rejected? Yes, he most certainly was, only the minority of simple people who were not religious authorities accepted him. Second, who were the people that hated him so much that they sought to kill him? Again, it was the religious authorities who were in power and were afraid of losing their power and control over the people.

 

Search through the Scriptures and find out if any prophets who were totally accepted and applauded by the “orthodox” church, synagogue or temple leaders. Of course they were not accepted by the majority because their ministry came as a rebuke to that majority.

 

Is different in this day? Unfortunately it is not. William Branham came with a strange ministry to most people. He did not join with any organization or group. He heavily criticized them and was in turn rejected by them, but that did not stop God from accomplishing his purpose through that ministry.

 

Now, William Branham has been dead for 40 years and MOST people refuse to accept his ministry. Things have not changed, but there are a few who receive the benefits of what God has revealed to us.

 

Remember, the man is just a means for God to accomplish his purpose. He is simply a chosen vessel God uses for his eternal glory.

 

What specifically is the message?

 

The message is what the end-time Elijah is sent for…to bring the Church back to the original faith as taught by the apostles. John 1:5 tells us, “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” There is no traditional darkness in God. He is Light! “But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.” If God is light and the light is what is made manifest then the message itself is a manifestation of God himself.

 

The message makes manifest God himself as He brings the Church back to the original Bible faith and life of the Gospel.

 

 

 

 

 

Two Foundations

Back To The Gospel

In my time of prayer and meditation on the word throughout the day I feel a definite leading in the Holy Spirit that I am not focusing on bringing the word of God to people the right way.

While I do not feel at all convicted for teaching on the deeper things of the word of God I do feel that my focus that back to the Gospel.

What I mean by that is not simply that all I focus on should be the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and proclaiming that to the lost, though that should be a huge focus. I mean focusing as a minister on the Gospel and the major doctrines surrounding that. As in justification by faith alone, sanctification through the Spirit, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the doctrine of Christ, adoption, predestination, the inerrancy of scripture, etc, etc. Brother Branham taught extensively on and focused primarily on these issues. He certainly taught about the 7 seals, the presence of Christ, the 7 church ages, the serpent’s seed, his ministry, etc., but he never left off the preaching of the Gospel to the lost. This is something I’m feeling I have left. My focus is bringing people to the message but in doing that it’s a fine line of balance in my heart. How much different is that than a Pentecostal going out and trying to make people Pentecostal?

You could say, well you have the truth and the Pentecostal does not. However, what is in my heart? Is it a love for that person to bring them to biblical truth or is it a pride in my heart because I believe the message of brother Branham and I want to point people to him?

Certainly it depends on what is in my heart, but really, what is my focus? Are we doing all we can to get people to Christ or are we trying to make them a convert to our religion?
My desire and my purpose has to be to get people to Christ. First, they must know him as their Savior then you can show them what He has done in this day.

The doctrine that William Branham taught was pure and it brings us back to the bible. Somehow I wonder if in proclaiming the message we have lost some of the focus and balance that brother Branham had through the Holy Spirit.

I need to rebuild the foundation of scriptural teaching in my life and to approach others with the leadership of the Holy Spirit in bringing them the Gospel. For those of us who believe this message we have been restored to the pure Gospel as taught by the apostles.

Let’s place our focus on it and bring it to the world. The Bride should have a greater passion and greater desire to bring this pure Gospel to the world because we are being led by the Holy Spirit himself who is here for us in this day. The same Holy Spirit that vindicated the ministry of William Branham is here to work in us and bring the same Gospel to the world.

That is my passion and that is the direction that I want to go in my focus.

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