The first time Jesus Christ talked about the church was when he promised to build it upon a personal revelation of who he was. (Matthew 16:13-18) In their epistles, the apostles wrote in great detail about the church, what it was, how it was to function, its purpose, and its mission.
In each of our lives, God has placed gifts and talents. You, and everyone around you, is unique in their own way. Some are talented at administration, some are gifted teachers, some are endowed with the ability and the means to be generous, some are gifted at giving exhortation and encouragement, others are talented musicians or singers. Some are fountains of wisdom and knowledge. These are just a few of the ways God has given us each a unique capacity to serve those around us. In examining the gifts and talents given by God, it is important to first acknowledge where they came from. A gift is something given to us by someone else. And the one who has given us our gifts and talents is God. (James 1:17, Ephesian 4:8, 1 Cor 2:11)By realizing the that gifts we possesses are from God, we may ask the question, why has he given us these gifts? The bible explains to us that God has made us stewards of his gifts so we can use them for the benefit of his kingdom.
The fruit of the spirit have been described as the nine graces of Christian character. Though there are nine of them, they are always spoken of singularly. The nine form a singular indivisible fruit, with each aspect working with and complimenting the other aspects.
During his ministry, Jesus shared different indicators that would serve to identify his disciples. “Bearing much fruit” was one of those indicators and is closely connected to his command to love another. Being fruitful is one of the most important indicators that we are disciples of Christ. In fact, without being fruitful, Christ warns we risk being thrown away and burnt. Seeing that being fruitful is an important pursuit for all Christ’s disciples, it is beneficial for us to have a good understanding of just what it is. So what is fruitfulness? How does it work? And how can be confident that we are fruitful?
Jesus told his disciples that their love for one another would be a mark by which all men would recognize them as his disciples. Knowing the great importance Jesus attached to love helps us understand why his apostles went into so much detail to explain the love of God in their writings. We have been blessed by scripture to have a full explanation of the qualities and characteristics of godly love. As an example to us, Jesus lived a perfect life demonstrating perfectly the love of God. (2 Peter 2:21) In a letter to the Corinthian Church, the Apostle Paul wrote one of the most well-known descriptions of love in all human history. The Corinthian church was beset by rivalries, jealousies, abuses, and mistreatments. To bring their shortcomings to their attention, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul penned the famous lines on the subject of love.
Jesus taught his disciples something revolutionary. All the commandments of the law and the prophets were based on a singular principle and basis: love. Love for God and love for our neighbor. This revolutionary revelation is so powerful that it completely reoriented the lives Christ’s disciples.
Catholic monk named Martin Luther had posted on a church door a list of 95 reasons that men could not be forgiven their sins by paying money to the church. This was known as the 95 Theses. The document proved to be the flame that started Protestant Reformation. The Roman Catholic world, led by Pope Leo X and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, attempted to silence Martin Luther. Their attempt failed, and the Christian world divided between Roman Catholics and Protestants. The reformers’ disagreements with the Roman Church were summed up by something we called the Five Solas of the Reformation (Five “Alones”).
Followers of Branham’s teachings can be found around the world; Branham claimed to have made over one million converts during his campaign meetings. In 1986, there were an estimated 300,000 followers. In 2000, the William Branham Evangelical Association had missions on every inhabited continent—with 1,600 associated churches in Latin America and growing missions across Africa. In 2018, Voice of God Recordings claimed to serve Branham-related support material to about two million people through the William Branham Evangelical Association, and estimated there were 2-4 million total followers of Branham’s teachings.
I grew up at a large Message church in Jeffersonville, Indiana. A former deacon of the Branham tabernacle attended, appointed by Bro. Banham during the 1940s, attended our church. He frequently testified before our church about William Branham and the goodness of God. His testimonies were always very inspiring and a blessing. One testimony he shared frequently was concerning his sons. Both had been severely injured by polio in their youth, and one became a cripple.
I have been aware of Jim Jones’s connection to the Message and William Branham since I was a young person. Sometime in the early 1990s, our pastor Raymond Jackson shared with us his knowledge of Jim Jones during a church service. He was prompted to give us the explanation by some material that had recently […]