Expert: Elder Greg Madden - 2/9/2010

Question
Good Morning Son of God

We baptise in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ which I understand but  my problem is Godhead. We believe in one God who reveals himself despensationally as the Jehova God of old , the Lord Jesus Christ the Emmanuel and the Holy Spirit. I might not be convincing in explaning but our five fold ministry does and I understand it  when we fellowship around it but after a while I'm not happy.They say I am a father to my child, a husband to my wife and a son to my parents but my name is Sivuyile(that is Father,Son and Holy Spirit are titles but His name is Lord Jesus Christ. There are many scriptures to support our belief but there are also scriptures that support the trinitarian and oneness belief. I believe that the bible  cannot contradict itself. Also when satan quoted scriptures to Jesus He didn't say its wrong but He said it also written.I am serving a God that I don't know and my soul is desparate to find Him. If you know anything about my Prophet kindly comment with the Spirit of God. Some of the things we believe in is serpent seed and we don't believe in women preachers. I don't want to  live a lie and I will do anything for my God.All I need is a truth about who God is.

Pray to the Father that He may inspire you to help His sheep.

God Bless

Bro Papa

>>> AllExperts <> 2010/02/08 17:33 >>>

Expert: Elder Greg Madden
Subject: Is my Church/belief  from God?
Date Asked: 2010-02-05 11:30:15
Date Answered: 2010-02-05 18:26:52

Question:
I am a believer of the Message popular called "Message of the Hour" and some call branhamism/branhamites.It is an international church or it has sister churches worldwide.The founder of the belief is William Marion Branham born in Jeffersonville, Indiana, USA on 06 April 1909 and Died 24 December 1965.There many things to highlight in the life of this gifted man such as we call him a prophet to the last age, He revealed the mistries of the book of revelation/seals/seven church ages, preached Godhead, we believe him to be the forerunner of Jesus Christ second coming.My concern is that I,m not at peace with my belief and I believe all of His doctrine but I'm not at peace or settled. All I need to know is my belief from God or is it a cult or satanism in disguise?

Answer:
Sivuyile,



Thank you for your questions, and for the opportunity to help. First, let me say that I am both honored and humbled that the Lord would lead to ask me such questions. And though I'm am in no way perfect, I am a child of One Who is! So I am happy to help you in whatever small way I can in your spiritual journey in following the Lord Jesus Christ.



Sivuyile, you wrote that you are "not at peace with my belief". Would you mind being more specific? What is it specifically that is troubling you about your beliefs and the doctrines you have been taught? Before I can properly address your question I would feel more comfortable knowing what is bothering you. Thank you ahead of time for the clarification, and I look forward to your response.



God Bless,

Elder Greg Madden  

Please do not respond to this message.

Thanks,
Allexperts.com

Answer
Firstly thank you for the true word of God.Knowing God personally it is according to your explaination,so it is correct.We are taught that Malachi 3v1 fullfills John the baptist and Malachi 4v5 is the fullfilment of William Marion Branham. The pillar of fire that hovered over Bro branham's head in almost every meeting that he held and the cloud that also appear when he was baptising at Ohio river before He opened the seven seals,seven thunders.We are taught that as it was in the begining(Moses and Israelites time) so shall it be in the end( our time the Bride time).We are made to feel that it we are doubting the Branham we are the serpent seed or it is the devil that is putting those thought in us . I need your help man of God in any small way you can.We are taught that Godhead is like I am a father to my child, a husband to my wife and son to my mother but my name is Sivuyile meaning father,Son and Holy spirit are titles but the name of God is Lord Jesus Christ.Pray for me that I may receive the baptism of the Holy spirit so that He can guide me on what step to take.Please once more help me in any way you can in my spiritual/Godly journey.May the God bless you.

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Answer: Sivuyile,

I was so pleased to read that my answers have been of help to you. Know this, that I am praying for you, that the Lord Jesus would guide and direct you into all Truth. And that He would continue to bless and keep you as you seek Him in all things!

Now to your questions...

1. "Malachi 3v1 fullfills John the baptist and Malachi 4v5 is the fullfilment of William Marion Branham"

I know that Branhamites to believe that he was the fullfilment of Mal.4:5. However, in my prvious answer I went into the reasons why the Bible teaches us that those verses were fullfilled in John the Baptist and not W.B. With respect, there are many people who could (and some that do) claim to be the fullfillment of these texts. However, the Bible clearly said that John the Baptist was the fullfillment in Lk 1:17. Perhaps you could read through that answer again for clearification.

Here is my previous answer again...

John the Baptist was the fullfilment of this text.

(Matthew 11:13-14) - "For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14"And if you care to accept it, he himself is Elijah, who was to come."
what did Jesus mean when He said that John the Baptist was Elijah? Jesus is referring to the prophecy concerning Elijah. We see that the coming of Elijah was in the spirit of Elijah, which is so stated in Luke 1:13-17. The context is when Zecharias, John's father-to-be, was performing his priestly duties in the temple (Luke 1:8ff). An angel of the Lord appeared to Zacharias and said,

"Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. 14"And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15"For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine or liquor; and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, while yet in his mother’s womb. 16"And he will turn back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. 17"And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous; so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord," (Luke 1:13-17).

So, we see that John the Baptist was in the spirit of Elijah. First of all, it is noteworthy that John did not apply Malachi 4:6 to himself, but instead quoted Isaiah 40:3 to explain his purpose.  Some have concluded from this fact that John did not realize he was Elijah.  However, this is extremely unlikely, since Zacharias would surely have told John of Gabriel's reference to Malachi 4:5-6.  It is also noteworthy that Isaiah 40:3 is parallel in thought to Malachi 3:1 (which is closely related to Malachi 4:5-6).  In Mark 1:2-3, Mark quotes Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3 together to explain John's ministry, introducing the quotations with the words, "As it is written in Isaiah the prophet."  These facts indicate that John saw the "voice" in Isaiah 40:3 as a humbler way of expressing the same functional role as described in Malachi, and that he realized he was to function in that role "in the spirit and power of Elijah."

The actual reason for John's denial that he was "Elijah," then, is that John was avoiding being acclaimed as Elijah resurrected in the flesh.  Apparently the Jews in Jesus' day expected Elijah himself to come, based on an overly literal interpretation of Malachi.  (This would not prove that the Jews believed in reincarnation, rather, they expected Elijah to be raised bodily from the dead by God.)  In this sense, John denied that he was "Elijah"; he had come merely "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17).  Because the Jews had misunderstood the Elijah prophecy in Malachi, John instead applied to himself the parallel prophecy in Isaiah 40:3 (John 1:23).  When Jesus said that John was "Elijah," He meant the same thing, namely, that John was to fulfill the same role in his day that Elijah had, as specified in Malachi 4:5-6.  That role, specifically, was to call the nation of Israel to repentance.

That John's coming "in the spirit and power of Elijah" did not mean that he was a reincarnation of Elijah can be seen from the example of Elisha.  Just before Elijah was taken up into heaven in a flaming chariot, Elisha requested that he be given a double portion of Elijah's spirit, which was granted to him (II Kings 2:9-15).  Obviously, Elisha did not thereby become a reincarnation of Elijah, since they had both lived at the same time, and since Elijah was clearly taken from the earth once and for all in bodily form.  (The fact that Elijah did not die but was taken up bodily into heaven also rules out his being reincarnated in John.)  However, Elisha received in his prophetic ministry the spiritual power that characterized Elijah's ministry.  Indeed, Elisha's request for a "double portion" of Elijah's spirit makes it impossible that he was requesting to incarnate Elijah's personal spirit, for one's individual spirit surely cannot be "doubled."  Neither in the case of Elisha, nor in the case of John, then, do we find evidence of a reincarnation of the personal spirit of Elijah.  Nor is there any reason to regard John's statement in John 1:21 as a contradiction of Gabriel's promise and Jesus' statements regarding John's ministry as a kind of second Elijah.(equip.org)


2. "pillar of fire that hovered over Bro branham's head in almost every meeting that he held and the cloud that also appear when he was baptising at Ohio river"

I have seen these photos and with respect, I feel that they do not serve as any type of evidence from the Lord. Perhaps they were, but perhaps they were not. It is totaly speculation to say that this was some sort of "sign from God" to verify the calling on W.B. The Bible teaches us that we should not "seek after signs" but seek to know Christ and Him crucified. Mk 8:12, Lk 11:29, 1 Cor 1:22 The Bible teaches us that everything that is preached or taught should be judged by the Word of God itself. 2 Cor 13:1

3. "We are taught that as it was in the begining(Moses and Israelites time) so shall it be in the end( our time the Bride time)."

I'm not sure what this means. Perhaps you could clearify?

4. "Godhead"

Once again I believe that I answered this in my previous answer. Here it is again...

The Bibles teaches us that there is one God, and that His nature is described as trinity. Though I believe that the word "triune" best describes the nature of God. You see, too many who believe in the trinity teach the plurality of God so strong that they are more tri-theists (the belief in 3 gods) than Trinitarians. While on the other side, those who emphases the unity of Gods nature so strong they fall into the false teaching of "modalism" (that God changed from Father, then to Son, then to Holy Spirit: ergo modes, or modalism).

The Bible teaches us that there is one God. The Word declares that He is the eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, sovereign, and immutable triune God; and it declares the unity of the Godhead where three personalities, equal in every divine perfection and attribute, execute distinct, harmonious offices, in the great work of redemption.

This does not mean that there are three "people" called God, but rather a way of saying God eternally exists in three personally distinct ways. Scriptures declare that there is only one God, Who is eternally (past, present, and future) manifested/revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

2 Cor. 13:14, John 1:1,2, Rev. 4:2-5 & 5:1-7

1 John 5:7
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

The Father - Co-existent, co-eternal, and co-equal with the Son and the Holy Spirit. He is the Creator and Giver of life. He is God revealed as Father in creation.
Scripture References: Isa. 43:10; 44:8, John 3:16, James 1:17, John 4:24

The Son - Co-existent, co-eternal, and co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus was conceived by the Spirit and born of a virgin, to take upon Himself the form of man. By becoming obedient unto death, Jesus bore the curse of sin, sickness and sorrow redeeming us back to Himself. He arose the third day and ascended unto heaven, there He sits on the right hand of the Father, where He ever lives to make intercession for us. He is God revealed as Son in redemption.
Scripture References: John 1:1-3, Matt. 1:23 , 1 Tim. 2:5, Eph. 2:18 , Phil. 2:6-11

The Holy Spirit - Co-existent, co-eternal and co-equal with the Father and the Son. Sent by the Father, through the Son, He reproves the world of sin, prepares the church for Christ's return, and empowers the believer to follow the Lord. He is God revealed as Holy Ghost in regeneration.
Scripture References: John 14:26 ; 15:26 ; 16:8

Another way of understanding this definition of the nature of God, is to understand His attributes. By attributes I mean His omniscience (He knows all things), His omnipotence (He is all powerful), and His omnipresence’s (He is everywhere at the same time, and at all times). His omnipresence’s allows us to (in a very simplistic way) to see how He can be Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at the same time. Being omnipresent He is not only everywhere at the same time, He is everywhere at every time. God is here, now, at this present time. But He is also in the future. He is already there because He is not limited by time. He is also in the past. You see, time is linier. Time had a starting point (Gen. 1:1) and it will come to an end (Rev. 10:6). But God is eternal. He has no beginning, and He will have no end. Therefore time itself existents within God, God is not limited within time. Therefore the One God is the Father, Son, and Spirit eternally (in the past, in the present, and in the future). I know this is deep, but it does help understand how the One true and Living God is eternally manifested as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

5. "Pray for me that I may receive the baptism of the Holy spirit so that He can guide me on what step to take."

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is the empowering for service that takes place in the life of the Christian.

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is the empowering for service that takes place in the life of the Christian. The most important thing is that you are a Christian. You see, a Christian is not a religious person or merely a member of a church; a Christian is one who has been forgiven of his or her sin and has an ongoing personal relationship with God. Not only this, a Christian is someone that Jesus Christ lives in, one that has been born again (John 3.3) and lives in the assurance that Jesus paid the price for them to be right with God and go to heaven.

Its as easy as A.B.C.
A. Acknowledge that you are a sinner in need of forgiveness .
B. Believe that Jesus died for the forgiveness of your sins on the cross.
C. Confess Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.

However, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a Second encounter with God. The first encounter with God is called as 'conversion' or salvation. Just as the indwelling Spirit reproduces the life of Jesus, the outpoured, or baptizing Spirit reproduces the ministry of Jesus.
Luke 24:49; John 14:16; Acts 1:8; 2:4, 38-39; 10:44 -48, 19:6

To illustrate, if I had a glass of water and took a swallow, then the water would be inside me. If, on the other hand, I went down to the beach and stepped into the ocean, then I would be in the water. We receive, as it were, a drink of the Spirit when we are saved, but when we are baptized in the Spirit, it is as if that initial drink becomes an ocean that completely surrounds us.

Do not think that I am saying you have to speak in tongues to be saved. I am not. The work of the Lord Jesus Christ and the mercy of God bring salvation and the indwelling Spirit, and that does not involve speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues, from all indications in the New Testament, is the consequence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. There was an initial utterance in tongues, bearing witness that the tongue had been sanctified and empowered by God for His use. But speaking in tongues was not necessary for the salvation of those people.

You may be asking yourself, how do I receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? Realize that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit comes by faith just like salvation, healing or anything else received from God. God wants you to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said in Luke 11:13, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children; how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?"

Praying in tongues is an act of faith. You must step out in faith after you have asked to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and begin to speak. The Bible says in Acts 2:4 that when the disciples received an infilling of the Holy Spirit that they "...began to speak with tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." They stepped out in faith, following the leading of the Spirit, and started speaking in tongues. They (themselves) began to speak the words the Spirit was speaking in their hearts.

My friend, no one can tell you what to say or lead you in a language. You must step out in faith after you have asked to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and begin to speak. When you do, God has promised in His Word that you as His child will receive.

Begin by letting God know that you believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is Biblical, that it is for you, and that you are asking Him for this experience. As you do this, begin to praise God. Lift your voice in worship and adoration to the Father. As you do you the Spirit will place words, and phrases inside your own spirit. As you begin to sense these sounds, open your mouth and begin to verbalize outwardly what is happing inwardly. The Bible says that "...they began to speak in other tongues...". And as a disciples of the Lord, we too must open our mouths and receive the Holy Ghost baptism. Believe it, and receive it!

http://www.forministry.com/USOKPENTEMMM1/WhattheBiblesSaysabouttheHolyGhostBapti...

Sivuyile, once again know that I am praying with you and truly do hope that you will find the answers you are looking for in God's Word. Please let me know if this helps, and if you have any further follow up questions. I am here for you.

God Bless,
Elder Greg Madden