1 Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
1 Peter 4:10-11 (KJVS) As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 4:10-11 (AMP) As each of you has received a gift (a particular spiritual talent, a gracious divine endowment), employ it for one another as [befits] good trustees of God’s many-sided grace [faithful stewards of the extremely diverse powers and gifts granted to Christians by unmerited favor]. Whoever speaks, [let him do it as one who utters] oracles of God; whoever renders him service, [let him do it] as with the strength which God furnishes abundantly, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ (the Messiah). To Him be the glory and dominion forever and ever (through endless ages). Amen (so be it).
1 Corinthians 12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
Ephesians 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Ephesians 4:16 (AMP) For because of Him the whole body (the church, in all its various parts), closely joined and firmly knit together by the joints and ligaments with which it is supplied, when each part [with power adapted to its need] is working properly [in all its functions], grows to full maturity, building itself up in love.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.** 5** There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
9 Spiritual Gifts (Charismata) 3 Divisions
- Speaking Gifts (“Say” something, Vocal Inspiration, Gifts of Utterance)
- Tongues
- Interpretation of Tongues
- Prophecy
- Hearing Gifts (“Reveal” something, Gifts of Revelation)
- Discerning or distinguishing spirits
- Word of knowledge
- Word of Wisdom
- Doing Gifts (“Do” something, Gifts of Power)
- Gift of Faith
- Gift of Healing
- Gift of Miracles
We Would See Jesus
Rev. William Branham · June 27, 1962 · Santa Maria, California
77 Now, if you believers . . . How many believers is here? If . . . I could not do it. I cannot bring Him. It takes all of us together to do it. I’m just a part of Him, and you’re a part of Him. But if you’re sick and needy, I’m your brother. And they . . . God set in the church . . . Now, there’s nine spiritual gifts goes in each local body, which is tongues, interpretation of tongues, and prophecies, and so forth. But there is five predestinated offices of the church: apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors and evangelists. That’s what God set in the church.
The Holy Spirit . . . That’s a office. The Holy Spirit might fall on one tonight and speak in tongues, and the other give the prophecy, and—and so forth. And then next night It might be on somebody else, and somebody else, like that. That’s local gifts in the body to keep us straight.
But in the church alone, five offices: apostles (means missionaries), apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors, and evangelists, God sets those in the church.
Now, let’s believe with all of our heart that through these ministering gifts that the great God of heaven will send Christ among us tonight, that we’ll see Jesus. Let us pray now as we bow our heads.
As I Thought on My Ways
Rev. William Branham · August 14, 1959 · Chautauqua, Ohio
63 Sometimes . . . Now, God, He’s good God. Oral Roberts says He’s a good God. And that’s true. He is a good God. And yet, He’s more than a good God; He’s a God of wrath too. Don’t you think He’s too good now, that He won’t—He won’t keep His Word and He will excuse you. He never does that. His holiness requires Him to be just. He’s a just God besides a good God. He’s good, but He also requires justice. And His law requires Him to be just. He must keep it. So then, He’s also . . . He’s a God of wrath.
And now remember, when . . . If you wouldn’t take my word for it, or I wouldn’t take your word, that would settle it. But not God. God sends gifts into the Church to still, to be sure that everyone will be without an excuse.
Some of those gifts are . . . Oh, well, there’s—there’s nine spiritual gifts that goes into every local body. How many believes that? First Corinthians 12. That’s speaking with tongues, interpretation of tongues, and gifts of prophecy, and—and adiscernments**, and all the different . . . wisdom and knowledge, and—and gifts of healing. And all that goes into the local body.**
64 And then there’s five ministerial offices. How many believes that? Sure. And that’s first, apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors, evangelists. How many knows that?
Now, how can you say there’s a pastor or evangelist without saying there’s a prophet? How can you say there’s a prophet when there isn’t an apostle? See, some people like to say, “Oh, there’s pastors, and evangelists, and teachers, but they don’t want to say prophets. The same God said, “teachers and evangelists,” said, “prophets.” He keeps His Word. We don’t penknife It, just preach It. That’s what it is . . . God’s up . . . It’s up to God to take care of His own Word. Don’t you believe that?
65 **Now, a prophet and a gift of prophecy is two different things. How many knows that? A gift of prophecy works through the church; a prophet is borned a prophet. Jeremiah was borned a prophet. Even before he was ever formed in his mother’s womb’s, God made him a prophet, ordained him a prophet over the nations. John, seven hundred and twelve years before he was born, Isaiah saw him, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness.” Jesus Christ was a woman’s seed from the garden of Eden. He couldn’t be nothing else but Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Moses was borned a prophet. See? Prophets are not made. It isn’t laying on hands and giving gifts, it’s something that God give. God has set in the Church (See?), first, apostles, then prophets. Others are local gifts that goes into the church.
Now—Now, the Lord is with us we believe, and will do these things for us.
1 Corinthians 12:10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues.
1 Corinthians 12:10 (CJB) To another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, the ability to judge between spirits; to another, the ability to speak in different kinds of tongues; and to yet another, the ability to interpret tongues.
Hebrews 5:12-14 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which* be* the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Hebrews 5:14 (CJB) But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by continuous exercise to distinguish good from evil.**
1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. For you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Discernment of Spirit
Rev. William Branham · March 8, 1960 · Phoenix, Arizona
45 Now the same Spirit that was in David, that was manifested in fulness in Christ, is in the Church today crying to the peoples. “How oft would I have gathered you!” And when you see separations and—and differences and—and brotherhood broken up, and Christian life, one against the other, then it makes the Spirit of God in your heart cry out. You’re trying to achieve something, a true prophet of God, a true teacher is trying to bring the Church to a unity of spirit, a unity of spirit, that they might recognize God; trying to achieve it no matter what denomination they belong to or what about it. We have discernment of spirit to discern the spirit that’s in the man, to see if it be the Spirit of God or not.
Questions & Answers
Rev. William Branham · January 12, 1961 · Jeffersonville, Indiana
141 Now, see, “the spirits of the prophets.” We—we got another question now, let’s let that go just for a minute. See, the real correct way of these . . . operate these gifts . . . This is answering many gifts, you see. When we get to them we’ll say we answered it in this first one, this person on this one here. See?
That’s number five:
Is the tongues and prophecies to be used during the services to glorify God?
142 You see, now, the minister . . . if the minister is anointed of God, and the church is set in order, now, the correct way . . . Many of you know how I—I’ve talked to you about “have it set in order.” These gifts are supposed . . . Now, here’s what we’ll do in the tabernacle, the Lord willing. Now, I’m watching, I’m seeing something, leaving Brother Neville and these other brethren here in order. Now you’re . . . And when many of these brothers are young brothers.
143 Now, I’m—I’m an old veteran to—to all of you in this Way. I’ve been thirty-one years in This. It was about thirty years ago I laid that stone there. I’ve had to face everything there was to be faced, and you better know what you’re talking about, too, when you come to it. You better not only know that, better be God there to back it up when you get—when you get through with it.
144 Now, the most successful way of—of doing this now, you could have a special meeting. I believe that’s what they done in First Corinthians 14 there, “Something be revealed to one sitting by, let the other one hold his peace then.” I believe it was “a special meeting for gifts,” which would be all right. If they wanted to have a special meeting where all the gifted people met once a week, them with gifts, and come into the church, that would be fine. Let them have that meeting, there’s no . . . be no preaching, it’s for the gifts of the Spirit.
145 It ain’t for the outsiders and the unbelievers. They’d come in, sit down, say . . . One raise up and go, “ah-ah,” speak in tongues; the other one say, “wha-ah.” “What in the world!” They’d come in and say, “Where’s the singing? Where’s the rest of it?” See?
146 But, now, these that’s speaking in tongues, many of them (and interpreting, and so forth) are babes in the Gospel. See? Don’t—don’t offend them, let them—let them grow till that gift . . . Some of it, you can see how Satan tries to weave into some. Course, veterans, we—we—we see that. See, we can catch that, and you’ll watch it.
147 Here not long ago a certain minister, sitting right here now, come to me and told me and had me at his home, a very precious brother.
148 I don’t say it ‘cause he’s sitting here, but you’re all precious brethren. If I didn’t think that, I’d tell you, “Let’s you and I get this thing straightened out between us, first.” See? That’s right. See? I love you all, and I’m only here in the spirit of tolerance to the Bible, you see, to—to help. See?
149 This brother had me to his house to . . . a certain woman, and that woman was wrong. And this . . . I never seen the woman but I heard it on tape, her give an interpretation of tongues, and telling something. You could pick it up right then.
150 One day, to another minister, and I, of the same person, we set on a stump, squirrel hunting, and talked of it. And both the ministers, present now, knows how that turned out. See, just, you watch.
151 When you ministers are correcting someone about a gift, when you’re correcting them, Scripturally correcting them, and they get offended, remember, it wasn’t the Spirit of God, ‘cause the Spirit of God cannot be offended by His Word. He comes to His Word. See, he’s always willing. A real saint of God wants to toe the mark. Yes, sir.
152 I want to be corrected. I want the Holy Spirit to correct me in things that I’m doing that’s wrong. I don’t want nothing substitutionary. I—I want the real thing or nothing, just let me alone, don’t—don’t let me have anything at all. See? Cause I’d rather do that than to bring a reproach on the Christ.
153 And I wouldn’t teach anything and I wouldn’t say anything ’less the Scripture . . .
154 And if some brother, some Christian brother would see me teaching something wrong, I’d appreciate it if you’d call me over to one side after the service, and say, “Brother Branham, I’d like to come to your room and talk to you, you’re in error upon something.” See? I’d—I’d sure appreciate that, brother, ‘cause I want to be right. I want it.
155 Now, all of us want to be right, that’s why we want to—we want to speak these things. And they got to come through the Scripture, you see, to make the Scripture tie together.
156 Now, the speaking in tongues should be . . . Now, a little later on . . . Now, let it go right now, for a while. See, I’d advise you just let it go and let it be. To you ministers now, you pastors, just let it go until these babies get just a little bit older. Now, maybe, sooner or later, if it’s the enemy that’s trying to deceive that person, it’ll show up. We’re not too sure.
157 Now, after this, before you start this, get some spirit of wisdom in there, some discernment of spirits, you see, to find out. The first thing, you know, you begin to notice that somebody’s begin to see that there’s a little something wrong, that’s discernment. Then, and baby that a little while. See? Then when you see the discernment getting wrong, then correct that. And if that thing . . . if it’s of God, he’ll stand correction with the Word. See?
158 Say, for instance, I’m going to say we spoke in tongues, somebody, we’re . . . this is a—a gifted bunch of man. And Leo raised up and spoke in tongues; then, and a brother here, Willard, give the interpretation. All right. Now, I want to say that Brother Neville and Brother Junie and Brother Willard Collins was the discerners, see. Now, because Leo spoke . . . Now, we’re just here in like in a little saints’ meeting, a gift meeting, and Leo spoke and Willard give the interpretation here, and he said, “THUS SAITH THE LORD! ‘Wednesday night there’s coming a woman in here and she’s going to—she’s going to be violent. Tell Brother Branham not to rebuke her, because she’s insane. But tell him to take her over to the corner, because it was in a corner where she did a wicked thing one time and a certain thing taken place.’” See? That sounds very good, doesn’t it? See? All right.
Being Misunderstood
Rev. William Branham · July 23, 1961 · Jeffersonville, Indiana
- Brother Branham, I am saved and have been baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ, but how do I get away from a stubborn spirit that I can’t seem to break away from?
46 Well, my Christian brother or sister, whoever it may be, now, most times when you find people that’s got stubborn spirits, it’s usually a complex that causes this, either they have inherit it from a mother, father, uncle, aunt, or grandmother, grandfather, somebody like that. And if you’ll trace back down through your life, you’ll find . . . Now, I’ve taken this by experience, under discernment, because I have met cases on the platform, thousands of those that had that spirit. And the first thing you know, I’d chase that spirit right back by discernment and find that there was a granddaddy, there was a grandmother, there was somebody else back down there, and you inherit that by nature.
47 Stubborn, stubbornness is not of God. And now the only way to get away from that is you have to have faith to overcome that, that, you are a Christian. You are a son or daughter of God, whichever you may be, and you’ll never be able just to stand and rebuke it and rebuke it and rebuke it. It’s just like tantalizing a rattlesnake, he’s laying there ready to bite you. If you’ll just ignore him and walk away from him, he can’t hurt you. See?
48 So when you feel that you got a stubborn spirit, lay the thing on the altar, and believe God that the thing is dead and you’ll never have it no more, and go on and don’t even pay any attention to it no more, and the thing’ll leave you. Resist the devil and he will flee from you, that’s, “get away quickly.” So that’s, would be my advice how to overcome it. We overcome the devil by faith. That’s what we overcome all evil, is by faith.
Christianity Versus Idolatry
Rev. William Branham · December 17, 1961
78 That’s right. You’ve got to know the Word. Stay on the Word. See**, the great battle is at hand. Now, we’ve played church for years and years, but the hour’s come now that when Jambres and Jannes will withstand Moses as the Bible said they would. And it’s going to be spiritual battle: conflict**. There’ll be some just continue on. The denominational church will just move right on into domination, and go on the way it goes. But I mean the real true believer is coming to that battlefield. And you’d better be versed and know what you’re doing, or you could take an evil spirit so easy and not know. If it’s contrary to this Word, don’t believe it. Stay with that Word.
Christ is the Mystery
Rev. William Branham · July 28, 1963
12-1 Love one another above everything. Love one another. Don’t . . . No matter what the devil tries to say . . . Now, you’re all one great, big, sweet group now, but remember my warning. See? Satan won’t let that stay that way. No, sir. He’ll shoot everything, if he has to bring somebody in to make his target. He’ll bring some critic or unbeliever in, set him down, and cause him to fellowship with you under the quietness and things*. Then he will shoot that guy with some kind of poison stuff, and he’ll start through the church with it.** Don’t you take sides with it. Don’t you have nothing to do with anything else. You stay right loving and sweet and kind to one another. Pray for that man that he’ll be saved too, or that woman, ever who it is. Just pray for them and stick one with another and stay with your pastor. See? He’s the shepherd and you give him respects. He’ll lead you through, and–cause, he’s ordained of God to do so.