Order of Speaking in Tongues and Prophesying in Church

Questions 112 (COD Page 533)

 In what order is tongues and prophecies to be used during the service…(It is not to be used at all duringthe 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–Iknow the…(p-…Iguess 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)

140  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.

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 getthis thing straightened out between us, first.” See? That’s right.See? I love you all, and I’m only here in the spirit of toleranceto 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.

159  Now, but the first thing, you know, in the Old Scripture, no matter what the prophet said or what anybody else said, it was tested by the Urim Thummim, first. See, it went to the Word. And if them lights didn’t flash, they let it alone. See?

160  And the first thing, now, let’s take it back to the Word.
Now, this man spoke in tongues, sounded all right. This one interpreted, sounded all right. But the Word said, “Letit be judged by two or three judges, first.” Take it to theUrim Thummim.

161  Now, first thing, Willard Collins says, “It was of the Lord.” Junie says, “It’s of the Lord–Lord.” That’s two out of three. All right, it’s put on a piece of paper, it’s spoke out right here in this church. Then when the people who sees it read before it ever happens, and then see it happen, they say, “Brother, that’s
God! See, that’s God!”

162  But what if it don’t happen, then what happens? See? (Now we’re going to get to another thing I could hit right here, “Is all prophecy fully…all interpretations and messages prophecy?”) Now, just a minute. Now, what if it don’t happen? Then Leo has spoke in a false spirit; he gave a false interpretation; and you gave a false judgment. Then get that thing out of you. You don’t want that. That’s wrong. Leave it alone. That’s the devil. See? [Blank spot on tape–Ed.] “I ain’t a preacher, but I’m an–I’m an interpreter. See, I’m an interpreter, Lord, I–I’m not a preacher. I…” Brother Leo say, “Lord, I’m not a preacher, but I–I got a gift of tongues and the devil upset me on that. God, take that thing away from me.” You say, “Lord, You’ve give me the spirit of discernment, and I’ve seen You do it so many times, how did it happen? Father, clean me out! What happened?” You see, there you are, then you’ve got it real.

163  See, that’s a regular saints’ meeting. I think that’s what it was in the Bible, ’cause Paul said, “If one prophesies and something being prophesied, something be…and something be revealed to one sitting; let him hold his peace until this one speaks first, then he may speak. And you all may prophesy one by one.” Now, that couldn’t be in a regular meeting, you know that, each one couldn’t have give.

164  Now, to be sure that it’s of God, see, ’cause if it’s just foolishness it ain’t of God. If it doesn’t come to pass, it’s not of God. See? It’s got to come to pass. And–and therefore in our churches, you see, brother, we got a solid church then, see, where nobody can say that anything is ever said or done…

165  Look what it puts me before, when I’m up there before the public. Look at that! What abouts one error on that? See? Because I trust Him. See? I trust Him. Someone say, “You afraid of a mistake, Brother Branham?” No, no, uh-huh, ain’t afraid of a mistake. I believe Him. He is my Protection. I’m ordained to do this so I’ll stay right there.

166  If God’s ordained you to do something, then He’s your Protection. See, He will protect you. If He’s sent you, He’ll back up your word. You’re an ambassador then. You’re ambassador with the gift of tongues; you’re ambassador with the gift of interpretation; you’re ambassador with the gift of discernment; the three of you. See what I mean? Then what have you got? You got a solid church. You wouldn’t fear. Standing, yeah, no more than yesterday…

167  Here, I was in a meeting down here. A little ol’ English boy from England come over here, was trying to commit suicide. Brother Banks come up there and said, “He had been down there four or five days.” I had a lot of things to do, but he said, “The boy’s going to commit suicide.” The Waterview Hotel down there was telling me about the condition of that lad.

168  And I went into the room to pray for him. I come back out and I said, “Now, Brother Banks, I’ve never seen the man or know nothing about him, but I’m going to tell you what’s wrong with him before I get there.” Is that right, Brother Banks? And when we got there, the Holy Spirit come right down and told him what done it and all about him, and where he had been and all about his life. He just dropped over, nearly.

169  “Are you afraid of a mistake, Brother Branham, you tell a man something like that?” How about on the platform, tell a man he’s living untrue to his wife, got a baby by another woman? He’ll throw you in the penitentiary. You better be right! See? See? Don’t be afraid, if it’s God. But if you’re not afraid…If–if you don’t know it’s God, then keep still till you know it’s God. Is that right? Be sure you’re right and then go ahead.

170  Now, this is hard teaching, brother, but you’re my brothers. You’re–you’re–you’re young ministers that’s coming on, and I’m an old man, going to leave one of these days. See? And so you be sure it’s–it’s right.

171  Coming out of the room of the…Maybe I’ll catch this a little later up here. A boy…Well, I’ll say part of it now. Yesterday, Brother Banks and I, real busy, been (oh, my) as hard as I could, and I’ll–I’ll tell you what I was going to do on this meeting. Leo and Gene and a bunch of us was going to go over there, and brethren, and say we was going pig hunting, hog hunting. They got five days of javelina hog hunting, in Arizona, after the meeting’s over, our meeting closes. We go to Phoenix for one day, and got to wait five days before we have another, four days before they have another meeting of anywhere. We got to be right there at Arizona. Well, it happens to be at just that time javelina hog season is open.

172  So I wanted to go shoot my little rifle in, to see if it was in all right. Banks was going with me. We started out the gate, started out the gate. Here come a man walking right in, over top of that sign (see, said, “Please don’t ask for Brother Branham”).

173  See, reason they do that…it’s not for people that’s sick. My, and at the house, ask Banks, he lives next door to me. People come, day and night and everything else, with sick children, everything. We never turn a person like that down. But…

174  And they called me, Leo and them, from out there at the trailer, and Jim and them, “There’s somebody here with a sick baby. And a man’s here with cancer.” We lay aside everything and take off for him.

175  Last night I was called into a hospital room where somebody called me, and the man wouldn’t even let me come in after I got there. See, somebody else just enthused. But that’s all right, I go anyhow. See? Cause it’s my duty to go, see, and try to help somebody.

176  Well, that’s not what that sign’s for. But this man, just as we was getting in the car, and Brother Banks knows that I had to…I waited in that house somehow. There was somebody come in at Brother Banks that held him up. And no sooner got there, I was held up. Then as soon as we grabbed our rifle and got started to get in the car, here come a man walking right in.
He walked up there.

177  And I was just getting ready to tell him go out and call that number out there (at BUtler 2-1519) over at that sign. [Telephone number has been changed.–Ed.] I said, “We’re in a hurry.”
Said, “I suppose you’re in a hurry, sir.”
I said, “My name…”

178  First I walked up, he said, “How do you do?” And I seen that he didn’t know who I was.
I said, “My name is Branham.”
He said, “You’re Brother Branham?”
I said, “I am.”

179  And he said, “I–I’m…I wanted to meet you, Brother
Branham.” Said, “I see you’re fixing to leave.”
I said, “Yes, sir, I am.”
He said, “I know you’re in a hurry.”
I said, “I am right now, sir.”

180  And he said, “Well, I just wanted to speak to you a few
minutes.”

181  And I was just going to tell him; and the Holy Spirit said, “Take him in the room, you can help him.” Now, there, that changes everything. The gun’s just laid aside, and everything like that, God’s work is first. See? And he said…

182  I said, “Come, go with me.” I said, “I’ll be back afterwhile, Brother Banks.”
He said, “It’s about my soul, Brother Branham.”
I said, “All right, come in.” Went through the house, Meda said, “Ain’t you gone yet?”

183  I said, “No, no, no, it’s somebody out here.” I said, “Keep the kids back in the other room.” I took him in the little den room, set down. No sooner set down…

184  That man was in church last night. Or did he come, Banks? Did you…Yeah, well, he was to come last night. He was just…

185  First thing, the Holy Spirit began to tell him who he was, what he had done, what happened down through his life, everything about it, see, just right on, telling him everything. Banks is a witness. Never opened his mouth and said but about two words to me; and there It come telling him, said, “You’ve been a vagabond, you really live in Madison. You just come from Evansville, Indiana. You’ve been down there in this Bible school, a cult, got all mixed up. You just come to Louisville a few minutes ago. There was a man, and a man told you (that you set and eat with him), told you to come over here and see me and ‘he’d straighten you out of trouble.’” I said, “That’s THUS SAITH THE LORD!”

186  The man just sitting, batting his eyes, looking at me, said,
“Yes, sir!”
I said, “Stunned you, didn’t it?”
He said, “It did.”
I said, “Do you believe the Holy Spirit?”
He said, “I want to, sir.”

187  And I said, “You want me to tell you what you’re thinking about?”

188  He said, “Yes, sir.” And I told him. He said, “And, brother, that’s the truth.”
And I said, “Change your thoughts.”
He said, “All right, I have.”
I said, “This is what you’re thinking about.”
He said, “That’s right! That’s right!”

189  I said, “Now, you don’t need a vision, you just need straightened out.” And I told him something there that you wouldn’t want me to tell. If it was on you, you wouldn’t. It’s some bad thing that was horrible, so you wouldn’t want me to tell it if it was on you. And I don’t tell what the Lord shows me on people. So I just said, “All right, you’ll do it?”
He said, “I will.”
I said, “Be on your road.”

190  We was in there about not over ten minutes, wasn’t it, Brother Banks? About, between seven and ten minutes. Walked back out, come back down the road, and going down the road, he and I and Banks and my little boy, Joe, I believe it was, riding along together, going down the pike. He turned around to me, he said, “Mister, I want to ask you a question.”
I said, “All right.”

191  He said, “I’m a bit confused.” He said, “How did you know
all that stuff on me?” See? Banks was sitting there.

192  And I said, “Mister, did you ever hear of my visions and
my ministry?”

193  He said, “I never knowed your name till about an hour ago. Somebody told me, just said over there in Louisville, told me to come over here, and I walked across the bridge.” Is that right,
Banks? He said, “I never even knowed your name, knowed who you was.”

194  I said, “In my ministry, it’s a gift of God that He sent.”

195  He said, “Then if that’s–that’s the way that is,” said, “now I’m…” Said, “I’m just all…I’m all right now,” he said, “everything’s gone.” See? He said, “What it is, that was God speaking through you to me.”
I said, “Correctly.”

196  He said, “Now, I understand in the Bible that…One time I read in the Bible and, said, Jesus spoke to His disciples” Which he meant “the people,” you see. Said, “Spoke to His disciples and He told them the things that they were thinking of.” See, “perceiving their thoughts” is what he was getting to. He said, “And He said it was His Father that was speaking through Him.”
I said, “That’s right.”

197  He said, “Now, now, the Father then just used you to speak through you to me, to tell me these things, to get me to believe what you told me was the truth.”
I said, “Was it the truth?”
He said, “Yes.” Said, “Then it has to be God.”

198  And I said, “Brother, you know more about it now” (me and Banks was remarking) “than some that’s been in the meeting for ten years and still don’t.” Just that–that man! Now, that is what that is. See?

And the Spirit (orderly) in tongues is prophecy to be used during the service?

199  No. It should be used on this way, and then told in the service. But for this time, for this present time, let them speak. Now, if it goes to getting out of hand, then it ain’t, you have to watch that. Now, sometimes it could be God. And those little fellows, just like a little kid trying to walk, now, if he falls down four or five times…Now, I’ve seen this since I’ve been here in church, and–and, well, I’ll–I’ll just leave it like that. See? And, but, you see, but what of it, would you then say, “Brother Branham, why didn’t you correct this?” No, no.

200  When Billy Paul back there first started to walk, he was up and down, and down more than he was up. But he didn’t know how to walk. But I believe he had a gift of walking. See? I let him walk a little while. And then when he got to stumbling his big feet, I tell him about it now. You see what I mean? See? Go along looking at something else and popping into something,
I say, “Pick up your feet, boy. Where you at?” See? Now, that’s–that’s the difference, you see.

201  Now, let them–let them stumble and let them block along a little while. Now, when you have to correct them, if they resent it then you know yourself it wasn’t God. Cause the Spirit of God is subject. As you got here a little bit, “The spirit of prophecy is subject to the prophet.” See? That’s right.

[Brother Stricker says, “Brother Branham, I’d like some correction.”–Ed.] All right, brother. [“Many times I’ve set in services and I’ve heard speaking in tongues and interpretation, and most of the times I’ve felt very bad about it. And I go home and I’d seem as though I’d repent all the way. Was it because I felt that it was not of God, or was it because it was out of order?”]

202  It could have been, brother, it could have been either one. See? I would say…Now, this is–this is William Branham, see; until I get into the Scripture, why, it’s still me, you see. Now, this I would say, Brother Stricker, that it could be either one. It could be that it was out of order; it could be that it was something wrong with you; it could be that there was something wrong the person; something wrong with the message; or anything would make you feel bad.

203  Now, now, let me just help you a little bit, Brother Stricker, here. See? Always…Don’t never judge anything by its feelings, you see. Judge it by its attributes, you see; whatever it bears fruit, you see. Cause sometimes…

204  Course, we realize that there is things that you feel, that spooky feeling. I get it myself, and, boy, I start moving away right–right easy, you know. But I don’t say nothing. Just let it alone ’cause I don’t know what it could be, you see, until I know what it is.

205  Now, like a lot of people say, “Whew! Brother, I know I got the Holy Ghost! Hallelujah! Praise God!” And they still wouldn’t have the Holy Ghost. They could speak with tongues, and everything else, and shout and dance in the Spirit, and still not have the Holy Ghost. Because the rain falls on the just and the unjust. It’s not by feelings, it’s by their fruit.

206  Say there’s a…Remember my vision of that? How that… Hebrews 6, you see, “The rain which cometh oft upon the earth is to water it, which is dressed for, but thorns and thistles which is nigh unto rejection whose end is to be burned.”

207  Excuse me, I’ll let a little air in, I know you’re all getting sleeping and getting tired. So now, wait, I’ll have to hurry through these a little faster or I won’t get them. This has got… We’re about at the basis of–of all of it, in right this handful here. But they’ll…See, the…

208  Here’s a–a field full of wheat. And in that field is sowed jimson weed, cockleburs, or whatmore, weeds. Well, the drought is on. Now, doesn’t the jimson weed and the cocklebur get just as thirsty as the wheat? And what kind of rain is…a special rain falls on the wheat and then a special rain falls on the cocklebur? Is that right? No, the same rain falls on it. Is that right? The same Spirit falls on the hypocrite that falls on the Christian, the same thing. But by their “fruit”! Do that sink in, brethren?

209  The evidence of the Holy Ghost is the fruit of It, the fruit of the Spirit. Well, it…Well, now, you say, “I’m a stem, I’m a cocklebur. I’m a stem the same as that wheat’s a stem.” But what kind of a life is in you? The life that’s in it bears stickers, always fussing and cutting up, and, “blare,” mean and ill, and everything. See what I mean? Arrogant, see, that’s not the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is meekness, patience, gentleness, see, all that. See?

210  He can say, “Well, I can shout just as loud as you can. Bless God, the Holy Ghost falls on me!” That may be every speck true, but the life that he lives doesn’t back up what he’s talking about. See? He was a weed, he was a weed to start with.

211  Now, we get down on a big question now, see, on election, you see. So that’s…You have to be that. You understand that.

212  They was a cocklebur to start with; he was a wheat to start with. So the drought was on; the rain fell on the just and unjust. Okay, got it?

[A brother asks, “How about the fruits of a preacher, would that…that’s preaching the Word?”–Ed.]

213  That, the preacher, still, if he stood up there and preached the Word like an Archangel, see, understood the mysteries of the Bible, and made a very good pastor, went and visited the people and things like that, he could still be lost. See? It’s his fruit tells it every time, brother. See? He, no matter how good he is or what he is, he must have the Holy Spirit in his life. See?

214  Now, didn’t Jesus say, “Many will come to Me in that day and say, ‘Lord, have not I prophesied (preached) in Thy Name, and I worked miracles in Your Name?’” He had spoke with tongues, he had done miracles, give interpretation, the mystery things of God, and all those things there; He said, “Depart from Me, you workers of iniquity, I never knew you.” See what I mean?

[Brother Taylor asks, “How about the man bringing the–the wrong message? I mean, he–he thinks he’s right but he’s preaching wrong.”–Ed.]

215  Well, I believe that that man is sincere, like the brother that’s sitting here wanted to go back over his…trace back these things like that. If that man’s elected of God, and he’s ever brought before Truth, he’ll–he’ll recognize It. See, “My sheep know My Voice.” You under-…See what I mean, Brother Taylor? Is that what you were talking about? See?

216  Now, for instance, say Brother Crase–Crase–Crase, say he was a Baptist preacher and he never knew nothing about the baptism of the Holy Ghost, neither did he know any of these things, the gifts of the Spirit, and he was a good, faithful Baptist preacher. See? But the first thing you know, This come before him. And I believe that every child of God will be…every age will seine it till He gets him. The Kingdom can’t come until the Will of God has been done. That’s right. And not one will perish, you see. Now, see, that’s the way.

217  And the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man throwing a net into the sea and brought it forth. When he had, he had all kinds. He kept the fish, and the turtles and terrapins went back in the water. He threw it again, got some more, maybe got one fish. But He kept on seining till it was all seined out. See what I mean now?

218  But that fish was a fish in the beginning. It was just put in the Master’s use, that was all, put him over in another pond where it was better, clearer. But He was still seining in this frog pond till He gets all the bass out of it. See what I mean? You get what I mean, Brother Taylor. You ought to know by yours up there.All right, now:

William Marrion Branham
61-0112 Questions And Answers