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The Status of Message Believers: Difference between revisions
→The Many Problems with Wiliam Branham's message
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Most individuals that leave William Branham's message are not contacted after they leave by either the church leadership or those in the congregation. If those in the message really think that those who fall away from the message are lost, one has to wonder why there is generally no attempt to go after them. Didn’t Jesus talk about leaving the ninety-nine sheep grazing on the hillside to go and look for the lost sheep? One wonders what kind of Christians those in the message are when they don’t even make a half-hearted attempt to go after those that have left. | Most individuals that leave William Branham's message are not contacted after they leave by either the church leadership or those in the congregation. If those in the message really think that those who fall away from the message are lost, one has to wonder why there is generally no attempt to go after them. Didn’t Jesus talk about leaving the ninety-nine sheep grazing on the hillside to go and look for the lost sheep? One wonders what kind of Christians those in the message are when they don’t even make a half-hearted attempt to go after those that have left. | ||
Another evidence of a lack of love is a church's response to the poor, or a catastrophe. When disaster strikes, do you say "Thank God no believers were hurt", or do you extend a helping hand to those that were hurt? When the poor come into your church, do you lead them to the deacon (the policeman of message churches) or help them yourself? When the poor don't come to your church, do you find it easy to ignore their problems? | Another evidence of a lack of love is a church's response to the poor, or a catastrophe. When disaster strikes, do you say "Thank God no believers were hurt", or do you extend a helping hand to those that were hurt? When the poor come into your church, do you lead them to the deacon (the policeman of message churches) or help them yourself? When the poor don't come to your church, do you find it easy to ignore their problems? | ||
==Spiritual Pride== | |||
All message believers insist that William Branham's teaching constitute divine revelation. | |||
But true Christian behavior cannot be predicated on William Branham's teachings, which lead to pride, but on the way of love, which is in fact the true way of knowledge. | |||
The tyranny of the message and other special revelations as the basis of Biblical understanding and "spiritual revelation" has a long and unfortunate history in the church, from which most likely few — including the authors of this website — are exempt. | |||
And it is especially tempting, as message believers often do, to use it as a club on others. | |||
This does not mean that such revelatory knowledge is either irrelevant or unimportant, but it does mean that it cannot serve as the primary basis of Christian behavior. Special knowledge or revelation must always lead to love - see 1 Cor 13. | |||
One must always beware of those teachers or systems that entice one by special “revelation” or “deeper insights.” Such appeals are invariably to one’s pride, not to one’s becoming a more truly loving Christian. | |||
In the true Christian faith “special knowledge” or “insight” or "revelation" is never an end in itself; it is only a means to a greater end, the building up of others. | |||
And this is clearly lacking in the message. | |||
Those in the message will state that "love is corrective" which is simply an excuse for clubbing people over the head with their "revelation". However, true corrective love can only come out of relationship. | |||
=The Main Problem= | =The Main Problem= | ||