Does the Church need a "Message"?
We received an email which asked this question:
- What are you offering as an alternative to the message that he has brought?
This is really another way of asking whether the Church, the Bride of Jesus Christ, needs a special message from God.
What the Bible says about this question
The Apostle Peter tells us this:
- May grace and peace be lavished on you as you grow in the rich knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord!
- I can pray this because his divine power has bestowed on us everything necessary for life and godliness through the rich knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence. Through these things he has bestowed on us his precious and most magnificent promises, so that by means of what was promised you may become partakers of the divine nature, after escaping the worldly corruption that is produced by evil desire. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith excellence, to excellence, knowledge; to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness; to godliness, brotherly affection; to brotherly affection, unselfish love. For if these things are really yours and are continually increasing, they will keep you from becoming ineffective and unproductive in your pursuit of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ more intimately. But concerning the one who lacks such things—he is blind. That is to say, he is nearsighted, since he has forgotten about the cleansing of his past sins. Therefore, brothers and sisters, make every effort to be sure of your calling and election. For by doing this you will never stumble into sin. For thus an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be richly provided for you.[1]
So if we have everything necessary for life and godliness because of what Christ has given us, why do we need a message? Message people may say that it is because the church has fallen away, and, in many churches (including message churches), it may be the fact that the church is lukewarm. But Peter tells us exactly why this is the case: People don't make the effort to add to their faith as we are instructed in scripture. Those who lack such things are blind because they have forgotten how they were cleansed from their sins. That is why Peter calls us to make our calling and election sure.
The scripture is plain as Paul says:
- Our letters have been straightforward, and there is nothing written between the lines and nothing you can’t understand.[2]
William Branham pointed to himself as the only way to truly understand scripture but all he did was to create confusion and to create division within the body of Jesus Christ.
The church doesn't need the message of William Branham or any other message. What we do need is to focus on the message that is contained in scripture as Jude emphasizes:
- Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.[3]
The Apostle John also agrees with this:
- But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. [4]
So instead of studying William Branham's word and exalting his message over the Bible, his followers should simply read the Bible, pray and find a good church (there are a few still around).
What is really going on behind the question
Anyone responding to the mountains of evidence put forth on this website by asking, "what are you offering as an alternative?" has put the cart ahead of the horse.
Within this website are dozens of factual assertions and questions about William Branham and his message. Those assertions are either true or false. "What is your alternative offering?" is not relative to that truth quest. In fact, it is my experience that such a question is designed to set up their own circular reasoning circuit.
Example:
Message believer: "So if WMB was a false prophet, where should we go?" Ex-Message believer: "Well I now go to a bible believing church that simply preaches the Gospel." Message believer: "Do they baptize in the titles, Father, Son, & Holy Ghost?" Ex-Message believer: : "Yes, they baptize according to Matth–" Message believer: "–but we know that's not right, so you keep your mistakes and I'll keep the prophet and the revealed word."
Message believers will often add: "But brother, it really bothers me that the first thing these sisters do once they leave the message is start wearing pants and cutting their hair."
However, it must be pointed out to them that in their process of judging the message of William Branham, it is erroneous to consider something like that for two reasons:
- It is completely irrelevant when determining whether William Branham's vindications were valid, or his doctrines sound, and
- They are using a standard obtained through the message of William Branham (which has been proven to be false) to judge the standards of people who are saying that William Branham's message is not true.
That simply makes no sense.
Footnotes
- ↑ Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible (Biblical Studies Press, 2005), 2 Pe 1:2–11.
- ↑ Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2013), 2 Co 1:13.
- ↑ The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Jud 3–4.
- ↑ The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), 1 Jn 2:27.