Topic: Order in the church

Question

Question number two. Should the saved separate themselves from sinners in worship? Should the saved separate from sinners to worship?

Answer

I don’t know exactly what you mean by that. If you mean sinners like out in the…You worship God everywhere. But I think if we did, how we going to have church, ’cause the sinners come right into the church and set down by the side of the Christian. Don’t never separate yourself from anything but sin...

Question

How shall the church act towards calls for financial help of…for food and clothing? What—what act, what—what should the church do?

Answer

Now we realize that the church is responsible for its own, for our members here of the church, we are totally responsible as far as we have needs to supply them with. We are responsible for our own, that’s, steady, constant members of the tabernacle that come here and worship with us. We are duty bo...

Question

Is it sufficient to say openly from the pulpit that tongues and interpretations should be done in a meeting before the service? That’s the second question on this slip of paper that I have here, which is a little card.

Answer

Now, this would be pertaining to the pastor here, see. Because he—he, after all, over the spiritual part, he’s the head of that. Deacons are policemen in the church, to keep order and to take care of these things, and feeding the poor, and so forth. The trustees are over the finance and the building...

Question

Now, is there any better way to keep order in the church than to keep reminding the people with a—a repeat from the deacons accordingly? No, that, I just explained that. That’s question number three.

Answer

The deacons, your duty is to keep order in the church, with kindness and friendliness. And then you are supposed to, if someone gets out of order in the church, or comes in here like a drunk, or somebody come in. Like they shot that minister out of the platform the other night up there. You heard a...

Question

Brother Branham, in respect to the order of the church, we have tried to go accordingly to the way we understand the orders given in the dedication of the new church. And by doing so, some have gotten mad and left the church. And others will not listen to anything we say, especially the children. We have talked to the parents about their children, and they won’t take care of them. Now, have we misunderstood? Or, are we going about it in the wrong way? Thanks. Now let me answer this as they come down. In respect to the order of the church, we have tried to go accordingly to the way we understood it given in the dedication of the new church.

Answer

Now, that’s correct, you’re doing right. Now, this is supposed to be deacons, I suppose, ’cause it’s right here, it’s a deacon’s job. All right. And by doing so, we have often…people has often gotten mad at us. They do at me, too! They’ll do at any man. See? A person that does that, there’s somethi...

Question

How far, Brother Branham, can or should a deacon go to keep order in the church? Should we keep the order or wait until Brother Neville tells us what we should do?

Answer

That isn’t Brother Neville’s job, that’s your job. See? You don’t tell Brother Neville what to preach on, how to preach it. See, that’s your job, you deacons, you’re supposed to do that. You take care of that. That’s nothing to Brother Neville, that’s your job. See? Now, if a policeman’s out here o...

Question

Please explain just how we are to…how we deacons can keep the people just in the sanctuary before or after…Please explain. [Brother Billy Paul reads: “How do the deacons keep the people quiet in the sanctuary before and after church?”—Ed.] Oh. All right.

Answer

I would suggest this, brethren. Now, there’s a great thing. Wish we had more time to put on it, for it’s—it’s…it—it means something to us, see. Now, the church is not a… If you wants to…If you want to run this tape down some night and play it before the meetings, that the people will understand it,...

Question

Brother Bill, please say something about both children and adults being so noisy in morn-…moving about during the service. This tabernacle needs some lessons in reverence.

Answer

Amen! Children, do you not know how to obey yourself in the house of God? Do you not know this is the sanctuary of God? God is in His holy temple, let everybody keep quiet. It’s the place of God where people are coming, meditating, trying to find salvation to the soul; trying to find the problems of...

Question

If there is—if there is already three messages gone out in unknown tongues in one meeting, then in the prayer line can there be more messages go out and still be in the spiritual order of the meeting?

Answer

Why, certainly. That’s right. Sure. I know where you’re getting to. There’s Paul, said, “If they was…You prophesy and speak in tongues,” something like that, Paul speaking of… Little later on, when you all…Brother Neville, when you all want to now, these people that’s got these spiritual gifts…Now,...

Question

In what order is tongues and prophecies to be used during the service (It is not to be used at all during the service! See?) to glorify God (Not at all!), and edify the church? I know the people say the spirit of the prophet—I know the—I—I know the…(p-…I guess that…No, I beg your pardon, it’s been “the Bible,” B-i-b-l-e. I started p-e-p-l-e or something like it. No.) the—the Bible says, “The spirit of the prophets is subject to the prophet.” (Exactly.)

Answer

Spiritual speaking in tongues and prophesying is to edify the church, but it has its service of its own. See? It isn’t to bother as long as the prophet of the church is…the meeting’s in order. See? It’s never to interrupt the meeting. Now, see, “the spirits of the prophets.” We—we got another quest...

Question

Now. Is it all right for a person to speak with tongues when praying for others about the altar [Blank spot on tape—Ed.] without interpretation? [Blank spot on tape.]

Answer

Let me see what I put down on that, I have to look. If there is no interpreter, let them hold their peace. In First Corinthians, the 1st chapter…the 14th chapter and the 28th verse. Who’s got a Bible? [A brother reads First Corinthians 14:28—Ed.] […if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in...

Question

In case we should have a prophecy or a message in tongues out of order, just how should we correct it?

Answer

Now, that’s a good case of emergency, see. See? Now, bless you, deacon who mentioned this, ’cause this is a good thing. You want to handle it with rubber gloves. Now, if you give a…If someone comes in in our congregation here and gives a message or a prophecy out of order, there isn’t hardly anythin...

Question

Is more than one permitted to speak a message in tongues without an interpretation?

Answer

No. They should come one by one. See? One give…One speak, and then give the interpretation. See? And then if another speaks, the interpretation; ’cause if you don’t, the interpreter won’t know what he’s doing because there’s two or three messages here banging on him at once, you see, and that would...

Question

How should a brother be condemned whose weakness is to take a place in church without being asked to do so? Oh, my! Well, suffer with him, I guess. See? How should a brother be condemned…(He shouldn’t be condemned!)…whose—whose weakness is to take place in a church without being asked to do so?

Answer

For instance, if he wanted to—to be a deacon. See? And he’s not asked to do so, yet he wants to be a deacon anyhow, see. Well, if a person’s like that, you know there’s a little something, you know, weak somewhere, anyhow, and so I’d just kind of deal with him in love. And, course, you never want t...

Question

Will you please tell us how our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ expects us to come into the house of our Lord to worship?

Answer

All right, that’s a good one. That’s a very essential one to any church. God expects you to come to the church house…Now, that’s just a question, just a right out question. It isn’t a Scriptural; it…yet it is. Wait, I’ll tell you what He said. The first place, if you want Scripture, the people are s...

Question

What did God give to lead the Church?

Answer

And they’ll have a little puddle out there in the middle of this lake and that cold wind. They’ll discuss the subject, I guess, about the cold wind coming down, and they’ll raise right up off of that lake, and go just as straight to Louisiana as they can go. And he’s never been off that lake. Why? H...

Question

Can human theology take the place of the Holy Spirit?

Answer

When the disciples went forth, the Bible said they went forth preaching everywhere, the Lord working with them, confirming the Word with signs following. I was reading a tract today, was probably passed out in this church, concerning the broken cisterns. It was a very outstanding tract. I liked it v...

Question

Was the Church meant to be led by a program or by the Holy Spirit?

Answer

We got our programs all drawed out, and lined out, and so forth, I don’t believe it was ever intended for the apostolic Church of God to be led by a program, I believe it’s God’s program to lead us by His Holy Spirit, just the way He will.