How Did I Get Involved in the Message?

Growing up, I was raised in a church that believed the Message led by Rev. Don Derksen.  There were some problems, my family moved to North Dakota where we went to an Evangelical Church, When I was a Sophomore/Junior in High School there was a Message Bible camp in Louisiana I went to, and I was either going to meet Jesus or reject religion completely. The Lord Jesus changed my life there.  Up to that time I had gone forward in a Billy Graham crusade, been around church, but was not converted, and I never really fit anywhere.  After the camp, I went back to the Evangelical church and also began to read messages preached by William Branham.  I was active in the church youth group, Held Bible studies at school on Fridays,  Youth For Christ,  Campus Crusade for Christ,  and I’ve also been to Promise Keepers.  I felt called to be a minister and spoke to Pastor Luiken about it and he recommended attending Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. He also said it would be a good place to study the Trinity. Which I never felt made sense.  Well I became a member of FEFC under Rev. Horn an associate pastor, so that I could then be admitted into Moody.
Our family moved to Wisconsin, I attended Moody Bible Institute for one semester.  My experience was that there is as much confusion in “Bible Colleges” as there was anywhere.  Some things were annoying such as one teacher was teaching that Peter was the Rock Jesus built His Church on (Catholic doctrine.)  There was more information on doctrines such as the Trinity but nobody was actually able to go beyond explaining it in a way consistent with scripture that would also fit with the Greek determination of persons the doctrine of the Trinity was said to be founded on.  I saw that man-made education in doctrinal topics was not for me.  It was not consistent in how God had revealed himself time after time in simple prayer and Bible reading.  Two great man, one great apologecist Jon Rittenhouse and another a seasoned  Pastor Bob Salstrom – convinced I was wrong tried to convince me otherwise, but in spite of their many degrees and long experience – still could not overcome basic scripture. Their explanations by their own logic though satisfying to them did not satisfy me.  I left Moody and Faith Evangelical Free during that time having experienced the best and closest to the Bible that organization could produce and realized organization could never bring other than more organization.   There are so many man-made positions in organization that I realized it actually separated man farther and farther from God rather than do what the intent was in bringing man truly to God.

At this time I had also been sincerely studying the Sermons of William Branham.  I liked the Miracles, and supernatural, but what really was attractive was the simple doctrine that was consistent with the Bible. Not Trinity, Not Oneness, just simply adding of scripture to scripture that brought a richer fuller understanding of the Godhead.

For me no organization, or denomination has produced anything that can satisfy other than what has been preached by unfettered sincerity for the Word of God via William Branham and the Message of the Hour.

I have read the skeptics since the early 90’s.  Most of what is now, was seeds planted by Mr. Kennah, formerly of Perry Greens church. Tuscon Tabernacle.  Plagiarism is done prolifically by the skeptics of the Message off his website at the same time they are accusing William Branham of Plagiarising.

My experience with unbelief has been the same ever since becoming a Christian.  Evolution was the first doubting arrow fired after i was converted. I believed there was an answer without knowing it, and the Lord brought those such as Ken Ham who were able to explain Creation from Evidence that had been interpreted through the glasses of Evolution.  Skepticism about the Bible was answered by man such as Josh McDowell, who constantly showed that the arguments of the Biblical skeptics were unfounded. Usually though the skeptics do their work, they influence many to fall away. When the answers become apparent some years after, those claiming to be motivated by truth to doubt the Word, do not return when the Truth points in support of the Word they doubted. They have moved on to other doubting reasonings by then. That to me shows it is a spirit of some sort anointing the skeptic thought a spirit that has a foundation in the heart where God has revealed something to the person and the person did not obey. Iniquity is knowing the Good you ought to do and doing it not. Yet all the serpent seed were children of iniquity, Judas was a son of iniquity. Cain did not even require a revelation, he knew the proper sacrifice to offer once his brother Abel had been honored.  He knew what to do and did it not.  My Prayer is to always press forward in faith.  At some point you must determine you believe the Word, even when you do not have an explanation. I believe God is willing to bear with you, but you will be required to step forward on something that you simply do not have an explanation for. At that point you will choose Life and faith, or doubt and death. You, if you can dig up the fallow ground of your heart to make good ground for the Word of God to be planted in your heart, you will step forward in Faith.

This site, Contending for the Message at best is only Man’s reasoning. If you can be talked in to believing the Message you can be talked out of it.  You Must have a personal experience with God and be Born Again of the Holy Ghost.

God Bless you, and may i have the privilege of standing with you in this day and Age when it seems we have the greatest honor of standing with the Lord Jesus. -Bearing His reproach as He bore ours.
Bro. Ben Wheeldon