Be Not Afraid, It Is I

Let us just remain standing for a moment and bow our heads and hearts before God. And while we have our heads and hearts bowed, I wonder if there would be requests tonight that you would want God to remember you in a certain manner, and for a certain thing. If there is, just raise up your hand to Him. He understands. He knows every move. He's infinite. Now just keep that in your mind while we pray.

Heavenly Father, we deem this one of the greatest privileges of our life is to come before the purchase of your blood, the church that's been borned again of the Spirit of God. And tonight, while we are assembled together in the name of the Lord Jesus.... It was told us by Him that wherever two or more was gathered in his name He would be in the midst of us. Now, it has to be so. He promised it.

And then, we're taught that as the day begins to approach to the end that we should not forsake the assembling ourselves together, as some who have not faith; but we are to assemble ourselves together. And we are taught, also, that we sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, being baptized into his body by one Spirit. Then we are with Him, raised with Him in his resurrection, and in his presence, knowing that He ever lives to make intercessions. We thank Thee for this.

And now tonight, Lord, there was hands that went up. You know what was beneath that hand in the heart. They're holding that request upon their heart now. God, hear and answer prayer for them. We thank Thee because we have the promise, and the promise ... and faith is the assurance with that promise it shall be granted to them. Save every lost soul, Lord, bring back every backslider, heal every sick person, Lord. Get glory to thyself.

Laying before us here now is handkerchiefs, cloths, Bibles. Now we're taught in the Bible that they took from the body of St. Paul handkerchiefs and aprons. Unclean spirits went out of the people, diseases. They were healed. Now we know that we're not St. Paul, but you're still the same God, the same Jesus.

And also, we were told one time where Israel was on its road to the promised land—the great church of God called out of Egypt. And on its road right in the path of duty the Red Sea cut them off from the land. God looked down through that pillar of fire with angry eyes. Something was standing in his children's way, to keep them from the promise. The sea got scared. It rolled back its waves, and its water, and Israel crossed over on dry land.

Now, You're the same God that was with Moses, the same pillar of fire, the same God. Now, when You look upon these tokens, Lord, when they're laid upon the sick people.... God, not through the pillar of fire but through the blood of Jesus, look down and know that by his stripes they were healed.

You said in your Word, “Above all things I would that you would prosper in health.” And may the power of Satan that's cut them off from that good health, may he get scared and move away. And may they cross over into that land of health and strength, and live happy here serving God. Grant it, Lord. Come tonight in great power. Move upon us as we humble our hearts before Thee. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask it. Amen. Be seated.

The Lord ever bless you.

I have just officially heard this afternoon about the ministerial breakfast in the morning, and I'm happy for this opportunity to get to meet with the brethren and have some fellowship. You know, there's something about eating that brings fellowship. I don't why it is, but it just does it. It brings fellowship.

And the Bible tells us that when Jesus was just about to depart from this life to enter into the eternal realms of the blest, He wanted to eat with his disciples and He selected a room by his prophecy. Said, “Go into the city now, and you'll find a man with a jug of water and follow him. And wherever he goes, say to the master of the house that you want to rent the room.” And so, He gathered with them to have ... to eat the bread, and drink the wine, and to have fellowship before his departing. And we feel that way with our brethren.

When we come into a city (just near time now for us to depart), we like to have some fellowship with each other, to talk and to express our feelings and gratitude for each other, and pray for each other. For truly, we're in the battle, and we need each other more than we ever did in all times. We need Christians. We need each other now more than ever.

Now, we are confident that God answers prayer, and gives to us his blessings. And now tomorrow night, if the Lord willing, I would like to speak on a message of salvation, to the church, to the people. Bring in those who are without Christ, and those backsliders, and let's talk to them about God tomorrow night, and how to get back to Christ.

Many are holding prayer cards, and we're going to pray for every sick person that wants to be prayed for before we leave the city, if we have to stay here a month to do it, see. We're ... that's what we are here for. So we are going to pray for everybody that wants to be prayed for. And God will provide the way, and we'll take it just as we ... go just as we feel led to go. And so, that's always best.

We made our messages real baby, juvenile form. Never went into it the deep theological approach, because this is our first time here. We don't want you to miss the message. We want to make it so that the little children will understand it, little drama. But yet, it's absolutely Scripture, and it's the truth. Just....

But now, when we would talk to clergymen, we would talk to them in a higher bracket—approach it in another way. Or saints who's seen the ministry and been around it, and knows how, we get into a higher bracket. But here we tried to keep it just simple, so that no one will miss it. And I felt the Holy Spirit tell me that, to do that while I was here in this ... Santa Maria.

And I trust that after going, that there'll be out of here ... that there'll be such a revival among the churches. I just pray that God will so richly bless you, and just make you a light to all the world right here at Santa Maria.

And all these fine people and ... of all denominations, see.... We're all human. We all eat the same kind of food. We all love our wives and our children. We're human beings that Christ died for. Sometimes sectarianism has cut us off a little bit, but we're.... Surely in the presence of God can look over them little walls there and see our brethren on the other side, and stretch our tent a little farther and take him in also, you see, 'cause that's the way we want to do it—for every human being.

Christ died to save every lost person, no matter what creed has done for them. That's always tried to be my approach to the people—is to be a public servant of Christ to whosoever will, just to whoever it may be. I'm here to serve. He's never drawed a line for anybody for me to pray for. He never said, “Now these are Methodists; don't pray for them. These are Catholic; don't pray for them.” He just said, “Pray for the sick children.” So, that's all. So there ... and I just want to.... That's the way I do it.

That's the reason I don't take sides with nobody. I just believe the Word, and just stay right with the Word. And any level thinker will know that that Word is right. It's just got to be right, see. And I don't put any interpretation to it. I try to just read it the way it reads, then say the same thing.

That's confessing. “Confess” means the same thing, like, “He's the high priest of our....” Well, King James puts it “profession.” But “profess” and “confess” is the same thing, see. So then to confess, that means to say the same thing He did. “By his stripes I am healed.”—I'm confessing, see. I am confessing the same thing that He said, see. I'm making a confession. That's what it is in court. You have to say the same thing. Now I am ... to my great high priest, for He sits at the right hand of the Majesty to make intercessions upon my confession.

So you see, before God can do anything for you, you first have to believe it, and confess it. He cannot work, cannot do one thing. I tell you, no wonder people are scared of divine healing. I say this reverently and brotherly, but there's been so many hoax that's called divine healing, you see, that's scared the people off.

Just remember, where is the scarecrows? Under the best apple tree. That's right. It's always a meal ticket. If you want to find out where the best apples are in the orchard, just find where all the clubs, and sticks, and scarecrows, and everything's around. They're trying to keep them away from that tree. And that's exactly what the devil does.

I remember one time years ago, I got a lesson on that. How many knows what a groundhog is? What part of Kentucky you-all from? I was ... there was an old sinkhole, and I'd planted some.... Now it's really ... the name of him is woodchuck, but we call him a groundhog. He's a really an American, 'cause he's all over the nation. And he's fine little animal—a little vegetarian. And he's a mean little fellow, too.

So one day I was planting some butter beans, and so.... I had these butter beans planted. I could not get them planted. That little old groundhog would come right down the row, eat them all up, and go back in his hole; and sit back there, I guess, and pick his teeth, and look at me. So, I thought, “I'm just going to scare the daylights out of that guy.”

So, honest, I'm.... My wife, sitting here, could tell you I'm quite an artist, you know. So I drawed me a picture of a big hideous-looking face. And anything that I'd draw any way would be very hideously, so I (Thank you, brother.), I drawed the picture of this great big face and put me some butter beans down in the sack, and tied it, drove a stob down in the ground, set it up there. And so, I put it right in the row where my butter beans was planted.

Out of the hole came the little old groundhog. I got back there and looked through my binoculars to watch him. He came out of there and looked all around to see if I was anywhere. And he didn't see me, so he started down eating butter beans. He got right up against that sack. It was a quiet day. The wind wasn't blowing.

So he stopped—the little fellow—and raised up, and looked at that sack. Raised up on his little hind feet and turned sideways, and looked at it, and this way. And he knowed there was something ... had a big ugly-looking face on it. And he walked up real close, you know, and he jumped at it four or five times to see if it would jump. It never moved.

So he smacked it with his little paw, and it rattled them butter beans. He jumped back four or five steps, and looked at it again. Sized it up again, smacked it again—that hideous-looking face. It rattled again. Then he started shaking it with his paw. It was just a rattle. So he went right on around behind there, and went to eating butter beans. It didn't bother him at all, see.

When you see something that's bogus, don't pay no attention to it. Go right around behind it, and keep eating. That's all. Don't let nothing scare you away. God is a healer. He's always been; He always will be.

And now, don't watch for miracles. Don't tell God the way you want it; you just accept it the way He gives it to you. You just take a hold of his promise and hold it. Now, that's been my purpose. That's been what I've been trying to lay before this church here and Santa Maria—is to accept Him just by believing his Word in action, see, the presence and manifestation of Christ. And then, accept not only healing, but every promise He give—for the Holy Spirit, for anything. Accept it upon the basis that his presence is here to vindicate his promise.

Now, you know, that's really the Gentile way of receiving Christ. You know, there was a Jew one time in the Bible, he said, “My daughter is seriously sick. She's ready to die. Come lay your hands upon her and she'll get well,” see, now ... little Jairus. So I always had sympathy for him. He was kind of a secret believer. And when.... Some people, you know, don't believe in divine healing. But let somebody get near death, and the doctor turn them down, and then they believe right quick in divine healing, you see. You just haven't been sick enough yet, that's all.

But when he got to the place his only child was laying dying, then he went to find Jesus. Now watch him. He was a Jew. “Come lay your hands on my daughter, and she'll be well.” Now, that was a Jew.

Watch the Gentile, the Roman. “I'm not worthy that you'd come under my roof,” see. “Just speak the word and my servant will live.” That's the difference, you see.

Now we are supposed to believe God, and Jesus turned.... Remember his great statement? “I have not seen such faith in Israel,” see. “Just speak the word. My servant will live.”

I was speaking last night on the woman, little queen of Sheba, as we know her today. Jesus called her the queen of the south, and she lived in the utmost parts of the known world of that day. And I kind of upbraided this generation for not receiving it—and how it's gone across the land, and so forth, and they still don't receive it. And I said how that the people won't walk across the street now.

Today I was checking around, and I find out there's people here from way away. That shows that some of them comes from a long ways. I'm looking now at a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Tom Simpson. They're from Saskatchewan, Canada, to be in the meeting. Brother Tom, would you just stand up here? From Saskatchewan, Canada, he and his family.

Just behind him is Brother Fred Sothmann, his wife and family. They also ... right now they're in Jeffersonville, these people, but he is from Rosetown, Saskatchewan. Would you stand up, Brother Sothmann? He's from Rosetown. And that's from a long ways away.

Sister Ungren, Sister Downy (her daughter) and.... She has two daughters here, and a granddaughter, all the way from Memphis, Tennessee. I haven't seen.... I seen the daughter today on the street. Would you stand up, wherever you are, Sister Downy, Sister Ungren, from Memphis, Tennessee? Where are you? There. So glad to have you all in the meeting.

There is also my friends in the meeting, Brother and Sister Welch Evans all the way from Tifton, Georgia—about three thousand miles across the country—and their family. Would you stand up, Brother Evans, and Sister Evans, your family here? There ... happy to have them in with us, all the way from Tifton, Georgia. Brother Willie—I forget his name—I believe he's all the way from Tifton, too. I seen him the other day here. He's here from Tifton, Georgia. And so very happy to have them here.

Brother and Sister Wood from Jeffersonville, Indiana, they are here also. Where is Brother Wood, or Sister Wood tonight? Brother Wood and Sister Wood from Jeffersonville. That was the people that the Lord did such a great thing. They had a crippled boy with infantile paralysis, with a drawed-up leg. Brother Wood was a Jehovah Witness. And so ... his father was a reader in the Jehovah Witness movement.

And he heard about it, and they came down to Louisville, Kentucky. And a girl was in the meeting that night ... was turning to stone all the way up to her waistline. The doctors said, “It's all finished with your hands, and everything.” And the next night she was running up and down steps, like that, to the glory of God. They thought that ought to work on their polioed son and they....

I went overseas immediately after.... Well, they went down to Houston, Texas, where the picture was taken of the angel of the Lord. Authentically it was examined by George J. Lacy.

When a Catholic man standing there discussing—and a Baptist minister—saying there was no such a thing as divine healing, and so forth, trying to start a debate, or trying to ... with Mr. Bosworth....

And I said, “I don't claim to be a god. I don't claim to be a healer. I claim to be the servant of Christ. I only say if this ministry is in question, let God testify for Himself.”

And here it come whirling down through the meeting before thousands times thousands of people, and the critics took the picture of it. It was sent to Washington, D.C., the same night (the negative) and was copyrighted and sent back. We have it with us tonight, copyrighted by the Douglas Studios at Houston, Texas.

Mr. Iris, a Roman Catholic, had a heart attack that night 'cause he'd criticized, and said that.... A woman had a goiter on her throat. Said that I hypnotized the goiter off of her throat, and such as that. And Mr. Kipperman, an Orthodox Jew, also had said some ill things, and become a staunch Christian because of the miracle. And it's went around the world now. Mr. Wood was there.

Immediately after that I went overseas. Come back. He brought his crippled son to up in Ohio—Cleveland, Ohio. And one night in the meeting.... Said, “The Holy Spirit shows me a little boy [at a certain place] that's got a crippled leg. And thus saith the Lord, he's healed.” And the young man was immediately made whole, and now he's with us tonight, married and got two children. David, are you near? David Wood, are you in the...? Here he is, right here with.... Can't even tell which leg was hurt.

Then, his father, being a well-known contractor through the country, sold everything he had, rented out what houses he had built, and moved in next door to me. And he's lived there ever since. Since then, his wife being a Methodist—or Church of God it was, and all of her people were Methodist—every one of her people, as far as I know, has received the Holy Ghost and become filled with the Spirit of God since then.

Mr. Wood's brother came down a critic, and was.... The Holy Spirit revealed by vision to all those people, and telling them things like that, convinced them—his brothers, his sisters.... And his father, a reader, came down to really work me over. And the Holy Ghost spoke and told what would take place the next day. Word by word come to pass. He was filled with the Holy Ghost, and got the victory. Mr.... Oh, it could go on and on. Many here that I'm ... I hope I don't miss no one, but there's many here. I'm sure that I have already....

Had on my mind I was going to introduce tonight....

I'm going to do something. I'm going to catch a big bawling out when I get home. My queen, would you stand up, honey? Oh, I know her face is red, but.... She never likes to do it. My wife, Mrs. Branham, and my little daughter, Sarah. Where you at, Sarah? Stand up. I think she's in the meeting. My little son, Joseph, where is he? Stand up, Joseph. That's my son, Joseph. I've got one more that's not here tonight—Rebekah.

And yes, Brother Jim McGuire, our tape boy, who married into the family of the Sothmanns, is the tape boy standing here at the side.

Brother Welch Evans, that comes on my mind ... that Brother Evans.... The first time I met Brother Evans (I hope I'm not taking up too much time), but Brother Welch Evans ... did I have him stand up awhile ago (I believe I did), he and his family?

We were at Philadelphia in a meeting, and some ... the tape boy, one of them—Mr. Mercier, who he is. Brother Mercier and Brother Goad is not with us no more. They have gone into secular work, and they're not with the campaigns any more.

And Brother Mercier had said, “There's a man from the South, named Evans, wants to meet you.” And I said.... “Would you have breakfast with him in the morning?” And he was taking care of those things then, the appointments and so forth, like my son does now—Billy Paul.

And I said, “Yes. It would be all right.”

He said, “He wanted to meet you.”

Wife was with me at this meeting, and little Joseph. That's been about three years ago. And all of you know the story, or perhaps have read about Joseph. I was taking the life of Joseph.... And the doctor had told us we could have no more children after Rebekah was born because she was a Caesarean, and the wife could not have another child.

And I went into a little closet at Minneapolis, and was weeping there before the Lord. And a vision come down and said, “You will have a son, and you shall call his name Joseph.” And so, I began to announce it to all the people. And so, then waited four years.

Everybody said, “What about that prophecy about Joseph?”

I said, “He'll be along. Don't worry.”

And then we knew wife was going to be mother again. And so when it was born, it was a girl, Sarah, and everybody got to laughing at me. Said, “I ... you meant Josephine, didn't you?”

I said, “No, I meant Joseph.”

The doctors said, “Mr. Branham,” said, “we had better do a little operation here, because your wife cannot, no wise, stand another child.”

I said, “Doctor, don't you dare to touch her. We're going to have a son, and his name's Joseph.” He just scratched his head, and done like that, and walked away.

And four more years passed. And one day we found out that she was to be mother again. Some of them said, “Is this Joseph?”

I said, “I don't know.” But I said, “I don't know. But Joseph is coming, 'cause God never told me nothing but what was true.”

And so, I went out to the hospital, and kissed her as she went up into the room—the delivery room.

A few minutes, the nurse came down. She said, “Who is Rev. Branham?”

And I said, “Me.”

And she said, “You have a fine seven-pound boy.”

I said, “Joseph, honey, you've been a long time getting here. Daddy's kind of glad to see you.”

She said, “You called him Joseph.”

I said, “That's his name.”

And so, we were at ... up at Philadelphia. And that morning I raised up, and I was looking in the room. I said, “Honey, the man that we are to meet this morning has violated the law.” I said, “He's been fishing, and he caught a sack full of fish too many. And I seen him hide them two or three times from the game warden.” And you know I used to be a game warden for several years.

And I said, “I seen him hiding them fish from the game warden.” I said, “My, that was a wonderful place he was fishing in, and so many fish!”

So just then little Joseph raised up and come over to me—about four years old—and he said, “Daddy, Da-da [which he meant David] is going to have an accident on a motorcycle.”

I said, “What do you mean?”

He'd already told me a vision. He said, “I was riding on my little tricycle out to watch for my little sister, Sarah, come up the street.” And he said, “Daddy, has God got a hand?”

And I said, “Yes.”

Said, “I seen a hand just like yours, like that with a cuff.” And said, “It was holding right up over me, to keep me from off the street while I was waiting for my sister.” Why, we never noticed it, you know, just.... living the way we do, and hear them talk about visions, so I thought maybe the little fellow, you know how....

So that morning he said, “David is going to have a wreck on a motorcycle. He's going to skin his leg on the right side.”

And I said, “Joseph, you've just gotten up, son. Come here.” I said, “Did you dream that?”

He said, “No, Daddy. I just saw David have it.”

Four or five days from that David.... A boy come from Louisville with a motorcycle, wanted David to ride it. Rode it down the lane, and it throwed him, and skinned his right leg, just exactly.

We went over to see Mr. Evans, and his lovely wife. I said, “Brother Evans....” After I met him, and talked to him, I said, “You live in ... down somewhere there's some awful good fishing.” And I said, “I'm a fisherman.”

He said, “Yes, I do.”

I said, “A few weeks ago you were fishing, and had a sack full of fish illegal.” And I said, “You had to hide them about three times from the game warden.”

He looked over at me, and said, “That's the truth.” And he looked at me, kind of sweated a little, and I said, “There's just one request. Will you take me to that place to go fishing?”

He said, “I will.”

We went down to ... fishing. And it was in Florida, down in the little bayous, and so forth. And we walked back in the 'gator swamps back there, where.... He had a brother that just a few months before there had been bitten by a ground rattler. Now you think your diamondback's bad. Just look at one of those little fellows, worse than a sidewinder. And they lay right on top of the water and hit you. In Florida, they just ... snakes ... just in rolls.

And so, we had pistols, and sticks, and we'd go back through these ... where they'd run a dredge line through a seventeen-thousand-acre ranch, putting his Brahman cattle in there. And they were gone wild. And were back in there with those great big bass. My, what beautiful things they were! We had poplar poles, we was catching them. And so we'd move the lilies like that, and look around for 'gators, and snakes, and so forth, and then move up in water.

And we got up on where the dredge line, or drag line had throwed out the dirt. And I'd caught some finest bass I ever seen. And I had a great big one on. His mouth was about that big, and this little bumble bee wouldn't stay in his mouth. He'd have to hold it, and he'd spit it out, or throw it out. And this bug popping on top of the water, he'd grab at it again. I had him on three times, couldn't even hold him.

Mr. Evans had his trouser legs rolled up, and he come up there and he said, “Brother Branham, I seen you catch that big one.”

I said, “Oh, my! He's a dandy.” And, Brother Evans, I won't tell them that you turned my fish loose that afternoon accidentally. So.... I had a big bunch tied, of the finest bass, and he started to pick them up and let the string run through, and the whole bunch of them got away. So we had eleven dandies. They had the pictures taken that night.

So we was.... I had this fish, and I tried it again, and another one hit it. I suppose that fish weighed twelve-fourteen pounds, so—a big large-mouth bass. And this one, he was striking through the water, and I was trying to hold him like that. I said, “No, that's not him.” So I'd wore him out (weighed about seven or eight pounds), and I'd got him up towards the bank, where the tules and so forth was standing up. And he said, “Wait a minute, Brother Branham. I'll get him for you.”

I said, “Never mind. I can bring him in.”

But he just jumped in the water, with his trouser legs up like that. And he'd no more than jumped till he jumped back. A ground rattler struck him and ... right on the side of the foot and leg. Well, I never seen such suffering for a few moments. It just almost paralyzes, and makes your bones freeze in you.

And there I was back there, and Mr. Evans would weigh close to two hundred. And to have to pack that man through that swamp on my back.... It was the only thing that could be done—get him out to the car, nearly two miles, I guess, away. Why, he was just holding his teeth together. And I looked and I seen about a inch wide where—hardly that much—where both fangs had hit right in his feet.

And his brother was walking on a hoop under his feet, where not over two hundred yards from there had been struck by a ground rattler. Now his brother is not a Christian and would ... laid in the hospital for I don't know how many days, or weeks. And still after months had a hoop, walking on it, for a long time.

And this rattler had struck Brother Evans. And just as I ... I thought, “O God, what can we do?” and this scripture came in my mind: “They shall tread on the heads of scorpions and serpents, and nothing shall harm them.” And I laid my hand upon it. I said, “Heavenly Father, we're in a state of emergency. And Thou art a very present help in time of trouble. And You have said that nothing shall harm these believers, and this brother is a believer. And I'm calling for your mercy.”

Well, he stopped his suffering, or going on. I thought it was with respect to my prayer. And when I got through, he said, “Not a pain nowhere,” got up, went on fishing. We fished for the rest of the day.

And that night, about eleven o'clock we were showing these fish and his brother come up, and he was telling him about it. And his sinner brother said, “Welch, it's all right to be religious, but it's not all right to be crazy.” He said, “Get to the hospital as quick as you can, and get some medical treatment or you'll be like me.”

Mr. Evans said to him, said, “Look, brother. That happened this morning about ten o'clock, and God has kept me without a pain, and it's about ten o'clock tonight. If God can keep me that far, He can keep me the rest of the way.” So ... is that true, Mr. Evans? “And they could say nothing against it. The man was standing in the midst of the people.”

Oh, he's still God, friends, see. That man travels, he and his family, every time that I'm at the Tabernacle. And sometimes that's week after week—fifteen hundred miles every Sunday. Come up on ... start on Friday and get there on Saturday, get back Monday or Tuesday. And he has an automobile work. And they travel that far to hear the gospel.

Oh, so many things could be said. And here it is time to start praying for the sick, but I'm just taking this time (I hope I didn't interrupt nothing) and ... just to recognize some of the people that's come so far to hear. Now, I wish we would all after this, just one more time bow our heads.

Now, heavenly Father, the witnesses of the gospel is near. Thou art always near to help, and to bless those who are needy. And I pray Thee, Father, that Thou will bless and will help all those who are needy. And these testimonies are give in the light of the gospel, that people who are sick and needy might receive help and blessings from the gospel.

Help this young lady, now, who is suffering back here in the meeting at this time. We pray that your mercies and grace will be upon the lady. Grant it, Father. And let thy strength be hers, and divide unto her of thy blessings.

And we pray, heavenly Father, that You'll bless us now as we approach the Word of the living God, that God's great mercy and blessings will be upon us all. These are bearing record that You are God, and that You are no respect of persons, that You are with those who desire to help, and desire to be healed. So, grant these blessings to us, and as we read of thy Word we pray that You'll anoint your Word for the benefit of those who are listening in. In Jesus' name we ask it. Amen.

Now, in the Bible in Matthew, the 14th chapter beginning with the 22nd verse, I wish to read. And my text tonight is a testimony.

And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him to the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when ... evening was come, he was there alone.

But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the winds were contrary.

And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.

... when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of a good cheer, it is I; be not afraid.

May the Lord add his blessings to it.

Is the lady sick, real sick? All right. What say? Now every one, what you've been taught, sit quiet. Bow your heads, and pray.

Now don't fear. Just be real reverent now. The lady has fainted, and she's sick. And they're going to get her to the air. We have prayed for her. And they're going to get her to the air now, so she can get some air. And now, let us continue on with.... Faith knows no fear. So just be real reverent. She'll be all right, if you just don't doubt now. Believe.

Now, as we're speaking on this subject, “Be not Afraid. It is I.” Now it must have been about the time the sun went down in the evening when the great, strong, brawny-backed fishermen began to move the boat off of the sand. And as they began to move the boat from the sands, turning the bow around again and climbing aboard, sitting down by the side of his brother Andrew, for they were brothers and fishermen.... And picking up his oar....

Now the boats of today are not like the boats of yesterday. The boats—what they call ships—were different from our ships today. We have gasoline, and oil, diesel and jet-propelled.... But them days they only went by hand power, or by a sail in the wind, is the way they went to their destiny with their ships. Many times there were great storms on the sea, and they could not just take one man in a boat. It taken strong arms to hold those boats.

You people here know what it means. You can't take a boat right up over top of a wave like that. You'll drown yourself. You've got to angle that wave, know how to hit it with your boat, to make it go through the storm. And a good boatman understands how to do that. And these men must be good boatmen, or they would not survive.

And so they had a seat. And they would take one man with two hands on a huge oar on this side; right across from him would be another man with the same kind of an oar. And sometimes six or eight locks of oars would be in there that would pull these boats with teamwork. How they would ... same time, same stroke.... And it was a powerful push that boat had, with those great wide-bladed oars that they used in those days.

And as each one took their position, dipped their oars down into the water, and began to pull two or three times, and then wave to the people on the bank, “Bye-bye.” And they were saying, like always when we have a great meeting, “Come back and see us.”

There's something or other about mankind, and Christians, when they are assembled together in one accord and in fellowship. They have things in common. You can tell that ... how they ... it's hard for them to part one from another.

Now this may be a little on the sideline, but many of you people have seen people that you just love to be in their presence. Then, you've seen people that they were nice people but you could hardly stand to be in their presence. See, you are a creator of an atmosphere around you. And you make that yourself by your own disposition, and the spirit that's on the inside of you.

And it's just like my old Southern mammy used to tell me that's just gone on to heaven a few months ago. She used to say, “Billy, birds of a feather flock together.” That's right. So therefore, crows, scavengers, and doves could have no fellowship one with another. Their diet's different, see. They can't eat the same thing.

And that's the way it is among Christian ranks. We gather like this, assemble together, because we have things in common. We just love to come to the meetings. You love to see your pastor walk up on the step, and you love ... because you know he is going to pray and honor your home. His presence means so much to you. You want to get the children in, gather around, so the pastor's blessings can be upon the children. And when you visit one with another you want to read the Bible, and offer prayer together, because you have things in common.

Oh, the church should be the most glorious thing, that fellowship! How that ... we used to sing in the Tabernacle years ago, when I was pastoring the Missionary Baptist Tabernacle, at Jeffersonville, we used to sing the old song, “Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love; the fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above. And when we asunder part, it gives us inward pain; but we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again.” Oh, that meant ... come from our hearts. We loved one another.

And they had been associating with Christians, men of like minds that day, and they'd had fellowship. And when they were parting, going across the sea, they were waving, “Come back, see us again. Come tell us of this lovely gospel of eternal life. Bring your Master along with you,” waving. Then somebody'd holler to someone, saying, “Come back,” maybe a relative.

And they'd pull a few more strokes, and wave, and the little party on the bank got smaller, smaller. And after awhile it dimmed all the way out. The sun must have been down then. And they was going to catch a breath you know, because ... perspiring from that heavy pulling. They had to cross the sea that night, the little Sea of Galilee, and they was wore out from the toil of the day. They must have stopped.

Must have been young John. He was the youngest—he probably wore out quicker than the old sturdy boatmen. So, he must have said, “Brethren, let's stop just for a minute and catch a breath.” And I can see him as he wipes the perspiration from his shaggy head. “Whew!” He said, “You know, while we're resting a few moments....” As the little ship drifted along, John must've raised up his head and said, “Brethren, I would like to have a little testimony here.”

You know, there's always something in a person's heart that they'd like to say, if they're confident in what they're saying. There's something about it. You have to testify and say something.

John might've said something like this: “We can rest assured that the man in which we are following is not what the world calls Him—a false prophet. He is not a Beelzebub, as our priests say He is, a fortune-teller. He's nothing short of Jehovah.

“When I was a little boy we lived down [Now we're breaking in on a testimony meeting.] ... we lived down near Jordan. And I can remember in the month of April, when the little flowers come up in the spring, I used to pick these little flowers and run in with a handful, and give them to my pretty little Jewish mother. And she would rock me to sleep in the afternoon for my nap out on the porch, and tell me Bible stories. And I remember so many.

“She'd tell me about Joshua, when he brought the children of Israel just a little below the fiord there, out of the wilderness, and crossed right in the month of April when the Jordan was swelling. And way up in the headwaters God held the water, and they walked right across on dry land. And all of the stories....

“And one used to interest me so much was that one she used to tell me about our people coming up out of Egypt, of coming to our homeland that God had given us; and about how God cared for them as they left Egypt, and started on to the promised land; how God promised to provide everything they had need of, and how that every night God would send down manna—bread—out of heaven and lay all over the ground. And the next morning only thing our people had to do was go out and pick up this bread, and eat it, and live through the day.

“And it used to amaze me as a little boy,” he might've said. “I'd turn over, and say to Mother, ”Mother, how did God get that bread? Has He got all the heavens is full of big ovens, and He's got a night crew up there working, and He bakes this bread and sends the angels down and places it all over the ground for his children?

“She said, 'No, John, my little boy. You don't understand. You're too young yet. God doesn't have to have ovens. God is a creator. He just creates the bread right out of the air, and it drops upon the earth. There is how He feeds his people.'

“And brethren, today when I saw Him take those five biscuits and two fish, and fed five thousand people, I knowed He had to have some connection with that Jehovah, because He had created bread. I knowed that that had to be the same Creator who created all that bread in the wilderness. And that little boy that had played hooky from school, and give us his lunch....”

Now that little boy.... I want to say something to these little boys. You see, that little boy had a little lunch. It wasn't nothing but just five little biscuits, and two little fishes. Now as long as the little boy had it in his hand, it didn't mean nothing—just enough to feed himself. But when he gave that little bit he had over to Jesus, look what it done! Now, we may have just a little bit. It isn't very much to us, but if we'll just let Jesus have it, what He will do with that! He fed five thousand people.

I can hear young John say, “You know what I did? I climbed up behind the rock, and I saw Him when He took that biscuit and broke it off, and laid it over into the tray. And I watched every move right over his shoulder. And when He reached his hand back, when He started back, there was only a half a biscuit. But the time he went to put his hand on it, there was a whole biscuit. And He tore it off, and laid it down again.”

I want to ask you, brethren, what kind of an atom did He let loose there? Not wheat to be grown, and made in eventually bread; but it was already bread baked. Not a fish that had to be killed and then fried; but already fried and ready. What did He do?

Goes to show If we're willing to turn loose what little we have to Him.... Just take what faith you had to come over here with tonight, and lay it in his hand and claim your healing, and go out with it. Watch what takes place.

And said, “When I watched that, I was thoroughly convinced that that was Jehovah. And when I looked at Him as He stood there, not a bit excited no matter what was going on, just as calm as He could be, breaking that.... He even looked like Jehovah to me as He stood there breaking that bread, and passing it out to those hungry people.” He said, “How, to me it's settled forever that that is Jehovah. And He is not merely a man, He's not merely a prophet, He's the son of God. He's the tabernacle in which Jehovah is dwelling in, because He created this bread.”

Well, it might've been Simon, you know, who knew something about those things, too, that raised up and said, “Well, that's very good, John. But what bothered me first when Andrew come told me there was a prophet down there.... Well, I could hardly believe that. But I remember my daddy told me that when the Messiah come that He would be a prophet. And when I went down there that day with Andrew, and I looked at Him in the face, and He looked to me and said, 'Your name is Simon. You are the son of Jonas,' that settled it forever for me. I knew that was Him, because we've had four hundred years without this prophet and here He comes on the scene. And I know it was season, the time was right, and that was bound to be Him.”

Now remember, Jesus didn't do it four or five times; He did it once, and that settled it. They were ready. They knew that that was He.

Might've been Philip at that time raised up and said, “Simon, I was standing there. Though the miracle wasn't performed on me, it was performed on you. Yet, I believed, and was so convinced till I ran around the hill and got my friend here, Nathanael. And when I brought him back, I told him about what taken place, and what had happened to you, and how that we knew that this was the mark of the Christ. This is what the Scripture said He was supposed to do.

“And when you come up in his presence, He looked at you and said, 'Behold an Israelite in whom there's no guile.' And you said to Him, 'Rabbi, how did you ever know me?' And He said, 'Before Philip called you, when you were under the tree, I saw you.' ”

And Nathanael might have jumped up at that time and said, “And that settled it for me. I fell at his feet. There stood my priest, and give me a dirty look. But it didn't make any difference how much look he went, I'd done looked into the Bible and seen that that was Messiah. So I fell at his feet and said, 'Thou art the Son of God. You are the king of Israel.' ”

Oh, my! Wouldn't you like to have been in the testimony meeting, sitting out there rocking in that little ship? About that time, maybe Nathanael started praising the Lord, and ... said, “Sit down. You're rocking the ship. Sit down.”

You know, there's something about when you go to tell about the goodness of God, you get all upset—excited, you know, emotional. Someone says, “I don't believe in emotional religion.” Well, you better bury what you've got, then. That's right. So, if your religion hasn't got a little emotion in it, you better bury the thing. That's right.

And they must've got ... the old ship must have been rocking around pretty good when they all got to testifying. And it must have been Andrew then, just couldn't hold it any longer. Said, “Brethren, just a minute. We all remember down at Sychar that day, that ... how He sent us into the city to buy some food and wanted to be left alone, over in that country of Samaria. He told us He had need to go by there. The Father was sending Him that way. And so we all wondered about why did He stay alone. And go into the city, and You knowed how they treated us.

“On the road back, do you remember when we was coming up in the bushes back there, we heard Him talking. And there was a woman marked ill-famed, and she was talking to Him. Very unusual for an honorable man to talk to a woman of that type. And we slipped up behind the bushes to find out what He would say to her. And I can just hear Him.... What we all said, 'Watch Him tell her off. He'll sure tell her where she's at. He'll tell her because she's such a woman she is. I imagine He'll really scold her good.'

“And remember how we was all getting ready to hear Him scold her, when He said to her, 'Bring me a drink.' We thought that was strange, that our Master would associate with a person like that of low degree—our Master. Remember how we all looked astonished at one another? So we just snugged down behind the bushes to see what He would say.

“And as the conversation went on talking.... And after a while they talked about religion, and so He said to her, 'Go get your husband and come here,' and she said, 'I have no husband.'

“And you remember what we all thought? That's one time we saw our Master caught in a trap. He had been wrong. 'I have no husband.' And you remember how breathless we was, brethren, all of us? Our Master has told her that she had a husband, and here she flatly denies it. 'I don't have any husband.' And we looked at each other in astonishment, how we wasn't able to sit quiet just for a moment. [That's the matter with the church today. It can't sit quiet a minute, see.]

“So, then we see our Master as He stood modestly with his head down, and looked up to her, and said, 'Woman, thou hast said the truth. Thou art truthful. You've told me the truth.' And then we wondered. Here now, He's fishing around some other way about it. He said ... first said, 'You have a husband,' and she said, 'I do not have a husband.' And now He admits that she's told the truth. Then you remember how we felt, brethren?”

All of them said, “Yes, we remember. Sit still. Don't rock the boat. We're way out here now.” And so they all got all excited. “Yes, I remember that”—all of them talking.

And said, “Do you remember, then, the next words? 'Thou has said the truth, for thou has had five husbands. And the one that you're now living with is not yours.'

Then we watched the respond to the woman. And her countenance dropped, her eyes sparkled, something within her caught fire, and said, 'Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.' We wondered how that ill-famed Samaritan cast-out woman would have the knowledge to know that this man was a prophet.

“And as He went on talking, she said, 'We know that Messiah when he comes, he's going to tell us these things. But who are you?'

“And He said, 'I'm he that speaks with you.' And we find that she....

“We couldn't hold our peace no more. We were so happy to see that our Master was true, and his prophecies was right, till we rang out with joy, and run up before Him. And she left the water pot and ran into the city. And you remember, all the men of the city came out there.”

Now actually that woman was not allowed to do that. No. She ... if you know the Eastern trend, and the customs, no one would listen to her. She was an ill-famed woman. No one would pay any attention to her. She couldn't even go out there. That's the reason she was out there at eleven o'clock. She couldn't go out with the decent women. Here they're all together, but there she couldn't do it. And so, there....

But when she had met Jesus, and had got a drink out of that well, somebody's going to listen to her, whether it's lawful or not. That's the same way it is now. The person that ever gets a drink from that well, somebody's going to listen, that's all. Whether the church tells you to sit down or not, something is going to happen.

I think my brethren in all of our different denominations.... I certainly agree with Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to India when a young Chinese boy got saved. And he come up, and he said, “Mr. Taylor, I have to take four years of psychology, and so forth, and so many years in college.”

Mr. Taylor said, “Don't let a candle shine when it's half-burned. Give its light while it's just lit.” That's right. The trouble of it is today, when a boy gets a call of God in his heart, filled with the Holy Ghost, and he goes off to some of these cemeteries, or seminaries, or what.... Anyhow, he goes off there, and that refrigerator ... and they take out of him everything that God put in him. That's right.

I believe the hour has come ... I disagree with these big schools of theology building today. We're talking about the coming of the Lord right at hand, and building big schools and everything. Why, our own actions speak louder than our words. How could we be putting so much in buildings, and so forth, and great schools, and so forth, and saying the Lord's a-coming?

I say this: As soon as God lights the candle, take off. If you don't know no more, just tell them how it got lit. That's all. Let them get lit, and they'll tell somebody else, and we'll have a candle-lighting time. That's what we need anyhow, instead of so much theology. Candle-lighting! Just tell how it got lit. Just ... that's all you have to tell. Don't try to preach it—just say how it got lit. “I got filled with something that's burning me up.” That's all.

Just tell about the lighting-time, how it got lit, and it'll give the light as it burns down. Let that one light another one; then he tell how it lit, and he tell how it lit. There'll be a light around here after awhile if we just tell that much.

Now. How that this woman.... She could not hold her peace. She ran into the city. And her testimony was so stirring until they could not ignore her, so they went out. And the Bible said that the people of Sychar believed Jesus (Now, He never did that again to them), because of the woman's testimony that told her what she had done.

“You remember that, brethren? We all was amazed,” said Andrew. “We all was amazed at how that those Samaritans up there.... That portion of ground that Jacob had give to his son Joseph, and he had a well there, and that portion of ground had been given.... And here this woman of Samaria, an unclean thing to us, and yet, she recognized it in a minute, even in her ill-fame.

“No doubt but in her little house of prostitution [that I aim to preach on in the morning, the Lord willing], that little place, she had some scrolls of God there, where that she had been reading about God, and knowed that He was to appear in that form. And how we were all shocked!”

And oh, I imagine the boat got to rocking again, somebody shouting and praising God! And, it might have been Peter said, “Brethren, there's forty fathoms deep here. Keep quiet.”

Matthew said, “Well, you think you're going to get by without me telling something?” see, and said, “Let me tell you something. You remember that morning that we all went ahead of Him to fix the meeting down in Jericho?”

“Oh, yes,” said Luke. “I remember that well.”

“And we found a little businessman down there by the name of Zacchaeus, a little bitty short fellow. You remember how impudent he was, how arrogant—little hooked-nose Jew, and mean as he could be. And we told him about the Mes.... 'Oh, get out!'

“You remember his wife, Rebekah, that was a true believer? how Jesus of Nazareth had done a great thing for her? And she said, 'I'm praying for Zacchaeus.' And we thought if we went up to the restaurant that he owned and eat, he wouldn't charge us for it. And when he found out we was disciples he made us pay double, and he said, 'Get out of here with such stuff as that! I'm a friend of Rabbi Kabinski, Lubinski, or [I hope there's not one in here like that. So anyhow, If I did, pardon me, see]....' ”

“And said the next morning.... Rebekah prayed all night long that.... Jesus was going to visit the city, and so she thought that she wanted him to come in contact with Jesus. She had told him about Him being a prophet, and He was the prophet that Moses spoke of. But ah, he was arrogant. His hopes was on money and he didn't care nothing about no Jesus of Nazareth. But you know, when Rebekah told us she'd prayed all night long.... You know, prayer changes things.”

That's right, friends. You know prayer changes the mind of God. God sent a prophet up to a man one day and said, “Set your house in order. You're going to die.”

He turned his face to the wall and prayed earnestly, and said, “Lord, I beseech you to consider me. I've walked before you with a perfect heart. I need fifteen years.”

And looked like God would have spoke right back to the king—he was the biggest man in the country. But he speaks to his prophet. He told Isaiah, “Go back and tell him, I heard him and I'm going to spare his life.”

Could you imagine the embarrassment of that prophet, going up once to the military men, “Oh, great prophet, what about our king?”

“Thus saith the Lord, he's going to die.”

Go up to the poor people standing at the gate. “What about our prophet ... prophet, what about our king?”

“Thus saith the Lord, he's going to die.”

Oh, how they was weeping. Coming right, going out, “Thus saith the Lord, he is going to die.” And then, in a few minutes, here he comes back saying, “Thus saith the Lord, he's going to live. Thus saith the Lord....” What happened? Prayer changed things. Prayer changes things.

Notice. Then this testimony: Little old Zacchaeus that morning.... When Rebekah had prayed all night, next morning he gets up real early, and he begins to groom himself, and comb out his beard, and put on his best robe, you know, and get ready to go down in the city. And Rebekah turns over, you know, and looks kind of out of one eye and said, “Uh-huh. I see. Thank You, Lord. It's going to be all right. Where goest thou this morning, my beloved husband?”

“Oh, just out for a breath of air.” And he goes down to the gate, and he finds out he can't get there. There's too many there—he's too short in stature. He goes back down and gets a city garbage pail, and pushes it up against the tree, climbs up in top of the tree. Said, “I know he comes down Glory Street here, and turns down Hallelujah Avenue. [He always does that.] So I'll meet him right here on the corner. That's a good place to meet him.”

“So you remember, brethren, how Zacchaeus told us about it?”

“Yes, we remember it.”

“And he climbed up in this tree and he said, 'Now, I'm so little that when he passes by here, goes by here, he'll never ... I'll never see him, and he'll never see me. But if I get up in this tree, I'm above the whole crowd. I can look right down and see him, and I'll just about give him a piece of my mind when he passes under here.'

“And then the first thing you know, why, he happened to think. 'You know what? Rebekah said that that man was a prophet. And if he was a prophet, he might look up in this tree and see me, and I'd be embarrassed. So I'll fix him. He won't see me.' So he begin to pull the leaves in around him, and he camouflaged himself real good. He sat down in a fork of a tree there, to scrape the splinters off of him, and the garbage from the pail, you know, and so forth.”

But you'll do ridiculous things when you want to see Jesus. There's nothing going to stand in your way. They can call them “holy rollers” or whatever they want to. If you got your mind made up to see Jesus, you'll go to see Him anyhow.

So there he was sitting up on ... where two limbs.... Now, that's a good place that everybody comes to—where your way and God's way meets. And he sat on this limb, pulls brush all around him. He said, “He'll never see me.” So He made himself a door—a big leaf here—so he could pull this leaf up, and look, and he could see Him coming, then drop it back. Looked all around. There was no way for Him to see him. After awhile he heard a noise.

You know something strange? When Jesus is around, there's a lot of noise. So he seen Him coming. He raised up this leaf, and he watched Him. But there was something about Him that looked different. He wasn't like other men. We see the big fisherman going along saying, “Step aside, brethren. I'm sorry, I can't ... we can't let you around Him. He's tired. He's been preaching most of the night. Sorry, folks. We can't....”

“And as He come by.... You remember what Zacchaeus said? He had his head down. He come right and stood under the tree. And when He stopped under the tree He looked up, and He said, 'Zacchaeus, come down. I'm going home with you for dinner.'

“Oh, you remember what Zacchaeus said? That settled it. 'How did He know who I was? And how did He know I was in the tree?'”

Zacchaeus, here tonight, He knows right where you are, and what leaves you're hiding behind. Exactly right.

One of them might have said just a.... Now, let's let Mark testify once, and then we'll close. Mark might have said, “Listen. You remember Bartimaeus, what he said? He'd been sitting there all morning, everything ... all hopes was gone. And he heard a noise coming out of the city. And he happened to remember, when he was sitting there studying, and thought, 'You know what? If I would have lived in the time of the prophets, right down this street come Elijah and Elisha, arm-in-arm, going down to cross the Jordan. If I would have lived in those days, I'd have run out there before those prophets and fell down and said, ”Oh, great men of God, pray for me that I'll receive my sight.“ But alas, the priest tells me that the days of miracles is passed.

'And just think, a hundred yards from where I'm sitting, the great warrior, Joshua, was walking around one afternoon. And all at once he seen a man standing over against him with a drawed sword. Joshua pulled his sword, and run to meet him, and he said, “Are you for us, or are you for our enemy?”

'And he raised up the sword, and the zigzag lightning flew from it, and said, “I'm the Captain of the host of the Lord.” And Joshua, the great warrior, threw off his helmet, laid down his sword, and fell at his feet. Just think, that was only about 150 to 200 yards from where I'm sitting.' “

Little did he know that that same chief Captain was on the road out through there then. Little does people know that same chief Captain is right in this building tonight. If it isn't so, the Bible is a misleading book. He said, “Wherever two or three are gathered I'll be in their name ... be in their midst where they are gathered in my name.

“He heard a noise. [Now, Mark is giving you a testimony of what he might have told him.] And all at once there came by such a noise, and somebody said, 'Who passes by?' Some of them said one thing and another, and the first thing you know, we heard a priest cry out, and said, 'Say, we understand that you raise the dead. We got a whole graveyard full of them up here. Come up here and raise one of these.' ”

You know, that old devil isn't dead yet. No, sir. “If thou be....” Same one put a rag around his face, and hit Him on the head with a stick, and said, “If you're a prophet, tell us who hit you. We'll believe you.” See? That same old devil that said “If thou be the Son of God, we got somebody down ... perform this miracle. Let us see you do it.” God don't clown for nobody.

Jesus said, “I come to do the will of him, and I do nothing till he tells me first.” (St. John 5:19)

“So poor old blind Bartimaeus was pushed back. We heard all.... One for him—one saying, 'Hosanna to the prophet that comes in the name of the Lord!' And another saying, 'Away with such a hypocrite!' Such a mixed crowd.” There's always a mixed multitude where He's at. And we find out poor old blind Bartimaeus, if you ever was at Jericho and mark where he sat, to where Jesus was—two hundred yards almost. There ... that crowd, throwing overripe fruit at Him, and so forth, making fun of Him.

But his precious face was set towards Calvary. He was going up to be a sacrifice for the world, the whole burden of sin laid upon Him. God had placed upon Him the iniquity of us all. He was walking on, not paying any attention to what they said. But He'd perform what the Father had told Him to do, and that settled it.

And He was going on out of Jericho, walking out of the city. And the first thing you know, blind Bartimaeus said, “Who is it? Who is it? What's all the noise about?”

And somebody pushed him back. “Oh, shut up! You're an insignificant person,” push him back, his old rags. He got up out of the dust.

There must have been a lovely Christian woman who was a believer on the Lord Jesus. They would never stand to see a blind man pushed around. They are always kind, Jesus' servants are. So this young woman might have got down and said, 'Sir, could I help you?'

And 'Yes, ma'am. I want you to tell me, what's all the noise about?'

'Oh, art thou a stranger here?'

'No, I was raised here.'

'Well, that's Jesus of Nazareth, the prophet of Galilee.'

'I do not understand.'

'Does thou know the Scriptures?'

'Yes.'

'You know that Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet that Moses said would be raised up, He's passing by. That's Him.'

Then all of a sudden Bartimaeus, it dawned on him. 'He's too far away for me to let Him hear me physically, on account of so many people. But if He is God, if that's the Son of David, I can still touch Him.' He might've fell on his knees, and said, 'O God, hear me! Thou Son of David have mercy upon me.' [He would have never heard it literally with his ears, but the faith of that one blind beggar stopped Jesus. I'd like to preach one day, or some time before I leave “And Jesus Stood Still.”] And He stood still. And He didn't know ... What was it? His faith stopped Him, and then He brought him.“

Oh, what a testimony meeting! They got to looking around, it was getting late. Said, “Brethren, we better pull on to the bank.” So they started to pull again.

You know what? The devil seen them out there without Him, and he looked up over top of the hill and he said, “There they have gone off without him, and now is my opportunity.”

Now I say this with love, brethren, see. I wonder if that isn't the situation tonight. Since the revival has been on, the great prosperity of the church, we've built new buildings, we've been in big programs, we've done everything big that could be done; and trying to compare with the Lutheran, Methodist and Catholic, getting more members in all the time. I wonder if our big program ... if we haven't went off without Him in our excitement.

They were so excited they didn't constrain Him. They went off without Him, and that's the devil's opportunity to start on a man. So he come down with all of his force. He said, “I've got them now without him, so I'll sink them out there on that sea.” And he began to blow his breath out of the skies.

And he's begin to blow it again. “The days of miracles is passed. It's all emotion. It's all fanaticism. It's all this, that, or the other.”

And the little boats are rocking hard, you know, without a sail. The boat become waterlogged, the oars broke, the mast pole of the tent broke in two, and the winds had whipped it, and tossed it around. Looked like all hopes was gone that they'd ever be saved. But you know what? When He sent them away, you know what He did? He climbed the highest mountain there was out there. The higher you go, the further you can see. So He climbed up on the mountain so He could watch them.

And when He died at Calvary, and He commissioned his disciples to go into all the world, and “these signs shall follow them that believe,” He climbed from Calvary to past the sun, moon, and stars—plumb on up past the Milky White Way. He went till He passed heaven. The Bible said He sits even above heaven, looks down upon heaven. He got there so He could see all over the universe. And his eye is on the sparrow, and I know He's watching tonight.

No matter how much tossed about we seem to be, how many oars is broke, how much all hope is gone, He's still watching. “I'll never leave thee or forsake thee.”

Oh, in that time of crisis, the revival was over, and the boat was waterlogged, and looked like everything was gone, all hopes was gone. And here He come walking to them on the sea. Walking upon the sea. Strange—walking on the sea. And the strange part about it: the only thing that could help them, they was afraid of it. It looked spooky, looked like a spirit. And they cried out for fear.

That's the same thing today. The only thing that can save us is the Bible, and God's promise, and the Holy Spirit with us. It looks spooky to people, and they cry out for fear. But here come that sweet, calm little voice: “Be not afraid. It is I.”

And I believe, tonight, if He could walk in upon this meeting tonight, performing his miracles, and you wonder what takes place—“What does that? What kind of a trick is it? Is it some telepathy? What is it?—He'd scream back to you, ”Be not afraid. Be of a good cheer. It's I,“ fulfilling the promise that He said He would do.

But the very thing that could help them, and the only thing could help them, they was afraid of it.

And today, it's the same thing. They're afraid to take a hold of the Holy Spirit. They're afraid to believe God's message. They're afraid to believe the Holy Spirit when they see it working among them. They'll say, “Now, wait a minute. I don't know whether it could be for me or not.” It's for whosoever will. Healing's for everybody.

Salvation is for whosoever will come—anybody. “Be not afraid. It is I.” It's Christ. He is not dead; He's alive for evermore, and has the keys of death and hell. And there's nothing can harm. Do you believe that? God remains God. If He ever was God, He's still God. Do you believe that? Amen.

I've kept you late every night. I'm not going to do it now. How many in here that does not have a prayer card, that doesn't know me or I don't know you, and you're willing to say that “I believe that message is the truth, and Jesus Christ is in the midst of us.”? Raise up your hands, wherever you are. Now, may the God of heaven come walking in on the troubled sea. When you're wondering, “How am I'm going to get a prayer card? How am I going to get prayed for...?”

It isn't.... You might ... I might pray for you and lay hands on you, the brethren might pray. We're men. That's not the person to touch, though. We're men in sympathy for you; but the one to touch is Him. That's the one—touch Him. And if somebody else can touch Him, surely you can, for He's touchable.

The Bible said that He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. The Bible said He's the high priest right now, that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities. Well, if He is the same high priest, He'd act the same way that He did when somebody touched Him in that day with faith. How many that day with the woman with the blood issue ... how many was touching Him, putting their arms around Him saying, “Rabbi, we're glad to see you, sir,” so forth like that? And He stopped and He said, “Somebody touched me.”

And Peter rebuked Him, as if to say, “Master, do you know that's a discredit to your standards, you asking who touched you—when everybody's got their hands on you, touching you?”

He said, “Yes, but this is a different kind of touch, see. I got weak. Strength went out of me.” And He looked all around over the audience, and He found the little woman. Oh! And what did He say to her about her blood issue? “Thy faith has saved thee.” If that was Jesus yesterday, that's Jesus today.

And brother, sister, let me ask you something. Now, you will not see Jesus in a corporal body until He comes for his church. But everything that He was ... all that God was He poured into Jesus. And all Jesus was He poured into the church. He's the same. He's in the church, the believers. Now, if a man come here, as I said the other night, with nail scars and thorn marks on his head, that could be a deceiver. But when you see the very life of Christ produced.... John 14:12, He said, “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; more than this shall he do; for I go to my Father.”

But it seems to be that some people think that men who pack these gifts of ministers should be some great priest, some great scholar. I've got my first one to ever read in history that God ever used like that. Tell me where's he at, and when it happened. God always takes the nothing, so that He can show his glory in nothing.

Look what He chose: fishermen, illiterate, ignorant, that He might manifest Himself. You might say to me about Paul. Paul said he had to forget everything he ever knowed to know Christ, died daily that He might know Christ. And he said, “I never [told the Corinthians] ... I never come to you with great educational words, and smart, like educated men, because your faith would be built in such. But I come to you in the power of the Spirit, that your faith would be in Christ, in the Spirit.”

God takes men of anybody He desires to take—nothing, that He might manifest Himself. That's what makes Him God. It ain't the man then; it's God working in the something that's nothing—proving that it's God. If the man was something, you could look at the man. But if the man is nothing, then it has to be God. And in this case, there's no man could do it. It has to be God ... is to fulfill his promise. Now we know that.

And friend, stop just a minute. Shake your memory. Shake the part ... blow the dust off of the promises of God, and see if we're not promised this in the last days. Now, He is appearing among his people, and He's here tonight. And no matter how much He would anoint me, He's got to anoint you the same way. It's your faith—not mine. It's your faith that does the things, not mine at all. I'm just an instrument, and you're just an instrument, that if some people....

Now, if this strikes someone with a prayer card that's going to be prayed for, I don't mean it that way. But I want to ask you something. Many of you out there ... I don't see a person but those that I introduced, and I don't ... I didn't see them even.

I missed one—Brother and Sister Dauch, sitting over here, all the way from up in Ohio come down here. Wish I had time to give their testimony—how a man ninety years old would brave them things, and he'd follow us wherever we'd go (that's right), because he believes; and how that their testimony would alarm you.

But outside of Brother and Sister Dauch sitting there, and I believe Brother and Sister Simpson.... Now Sothmanns and them's back in there somewhere, but I don't know. I don't know no one, Brother Roberson, and I don't even know what the chairman's name is. That's the truth. I couldn't tell you his name right now if I had to. I don't know. I've heard it, but I don't know.

And all through the day.... Today I took my little son Joseph. We went to the seashore, and I backed up the car in a little cove. And I said, “Joseph, play out there. I must go up here in the cove, and while....” I said, “God, you take care of my son there, that he don't get in those waves.” I went up to talk to Him.

I'm not an isolationist. But you can't be a servant of God, and a servant of the public. You can't ... out, and parties and carrying on like that, and still expect to remain.... You've got to keep yourself to God, so that you can help the public. And that's what I'm here for, is to help you. I didn't come here for popularity. Why, you knowed I shun such stuff. And I know I'm nothing.

I didn't come here for money. Why, certainly not. I didn't come here because I had no other places to go. I come here because I felt led to come here. I got six hundred or more invitations from overseas and things, the Christian Businessmen from everywhere—chapters to be organized worldwide, way's paid, everything. I don't have to have money. Everywhere I go, they just pay. The Businessmen want to send me somewhere, they sometimes spend thirty, forty thousand dollars a year sending me places, and I don't have to have a penny.

If I want to ... God sends me where there's just five or six people, I can go, stay till He tells me to leave, see. I'm not under obligation, only to God. Then I must find out, “Father, what am I doing here? What do you want me here?”

Jesus went up to Sychar. He was on his road to Jericho. Why? Father just sent Him up there. Now, what's to happen next? Here come a woman out, so He just talked to the woman. He found out what it was, and the whole city believed on Him.

Now, He's here tonight. And you believe it. Don't you doubt. You believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and He was raised up from the dead and ascended on high, after being persecuted and crucified by Pontius Pilate—and buried dead in the grave three days, and rose and ascended on high, and sits at the right hand of the Majesty to God.

Tonight He's the living high priest, ever living to make intercessions upon our confession; and a high priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities—the same yesterday, today, and forever, with every promise and things that He did to be reproduced again in the church. After the Roman cankerworms and palmerworms eat it down. He promised He would restore, saith the Lord, in the last days. He would restore it right back again, that bride tree.

He was the tree, the tree of life from the garden of Eden—which, the woman was the tree of death, the perversion. That's what makes them act the way they do today. The whole thing's been a perversion acting that way. So hard to come up against it, but you must stand. Somebody's got to say it. Certainly. Be a lot more popular if you didn't say it; but who's going to say it? Somebody's got to say something about it, 'cause God who.... Then it's going to be.... They're responsible then at the day of the judgment. But if they didn't.... If they heard it and ignored it, that's up to them. Now, if you hear it, walk in it!

Now. May the Holy Ghost, of whom I represent here tonight amongst the body of Christ, may He take every fear and doubt away from you. May He come down here tonight, just as He did that night upon the sea and say, “Fear not. It's me, the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

How appropriate that sign was. I didn't know it was there till last night. They printed it up there. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Now you believe it with all your heart.

I want to ask you something. If He'll do it at least.... One time ought to be enough, but two times—one or two times in this building tonight.... And we're not out.... It's not like some black magic under some Ouija board somewhere. We are right here under the lights of this tabernacle. We're right here under the ... everything laying open here in the presence of God and the face of this company, with God's Bible here declaring it will happen. There's where my faith stands—right there, that He said it. He promised it, and I know He'll do it.

That angel, when He met me that night up there (and that light circling through there), and He told me those things and said, “Don't be afraid. It'll come to pass this, and then it'll come to pass that....” Many of you remembers when it was prophesied. Here it is. I'm telling you the truth. Christ is here, and you're already healed, every one of you. Everybody's saved, but you've got to accept it for it to do anything for you. You've got to believe it, and take it in your own.... “It's for me.” The price is paid. You just have to believe it.

Now, if He would do it, how many in here would say, “By God's grace and help, I'll accept it tonight, both for my Saviour and my healer.”? Raise up your hands, and say, “God, I mean it from the bottom of my heart. I'll do it.” God bless you. Looks like 100% around everywhere. “I do it. Now, I've got difficults. You know I've got that, and I'm fighting hard against it.” But God will reward that. Just don't you worry about that. Always has been.

I remember here not long ago a guy come, hired by the army, come over to hypnotize me. You remember the meeting. He sat out there, and I kept feeling an odd spirit somewhere. I tried to ignore it, because so many things has been done—evil. I just never said nothing, went on for a little bit. He just kept on doing it. He'd go in the army camps, and make boys bark like a dog, and run around on the....

The Holy Spirit just took me. I couldn't say no more. Said, “You child of the devil! Why have you come to interrupt the meeting of the Lord? God will deal with you.” And he's been paralyzed ever since, so.... He sent letter after letter, and said this, that, and the other; and I said, “I have nothing to do with it, sir. I never did it. Repent. It's the only thing I can tell you. That's up between you and God.”

Now I take every spirit in here under the control of the Holy Spirit which is anointing me now, in the name of Jesus Christ. Let the glory of God shine through, and prove, no matter what I say. I can lie, I'm a man; but God can't lie, who promised it.

Just be in prayer. Just say, “Lord Jesus, the man doesn't know me. But we are told that you're going to send us.... I've been here night after night, and I've searched the Scriptures. It's exactly the truth. And it's the last sign that we're going to receive from God till the fire falls, just like it was in Sodom that Jesus promised, and said we're ... that's our last thing, last sign.” And that's the truth. You just mark my word in your book somewhere, and find out if that's the truth.

Look in '46, what it said about Billy Graham returning, and the rest of them and so forth, the revival, and what would happen. Denominational seeds have been sowed, and that's what the crop would be. And that's exactly what it is.

Sit real quiet. Each one of you is a spirit. When you move.... Of course, if you're not a spirit, then you're dead. The spirit that motivates your life, pulsation from the spirit, is exactly what Jesus was speaking of about of the woman; when He seen the Pharisees, and perceived what was in their heart, and could tell them. They was thinking He was Beelzebub. Both classes is always near, always gathered together.

Here sits a woman over here to my right, praying. She's praying because she's got a tumor on her back. You have a prayer card? You don't. You don't need one. Are we strangers to one another? We are strangers. Raise up your hands so the people can see. Is that your trouble? All right. You believe God, the thing will go away. Amen. I don't know her, I've never seen her. God knows that.

Here's a little woman sitting right out here, kind of a greenish-looking dress on, her head down, praying. She's got kidney trouble. If you believe with all your heart, sister, God will heal you of the kidney trouble. You accept it? Have you got a prayer card? You have ... have you? You don't need one. Your kidney trouble left you. I challenge any unbeliever to tell me what that woman touched. She never touched me, but she touched that high priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities. If you believe with all your heart.... Amen.

Now it's beginning to move everywhere. That blackness has begin to move back. It was pretty deep around here for a minute, but it's moving back. Here sits a woman in front of me, suffering with allergies. I don't know you, lady, but you've got allergies, haven't you? You believe that God knows who you are? If I'd speak your name like Jesus told Simon Peter, would you believe me to be his servant? You would? Mrs. Holt, believe with all your heart, and go home and be well.

Do you believe? Watch. Look ... can't you see that light? Look here, it's right over a man looking right towards me, sitting right back here. He's praying for a wife. That's you, sir. Do you have a prayer card? You don't. Stand up on your feet.

If something isn't done for his wife right away, she'll die. She suffers with cancer. That's right. You're not from here. You're from away from here. You're from a city called Fresno. That's right. You believe God could tell me who you are? Would it help you to believe? Would it help you? Mr. Matthew, believe with all your heart, go back home.

I challenge any unbeliever to tell me how that's done, outside of the power of Almighty God. Do you believe it? Well, don't be afraid. That's Christ, just exactly what He said. Now do you believe it? Now, I commend you to Christ who is present here. If you will believe it with all your heart and accept it on those grounds, you can be healed. You are healed right now. How many believes it with all your heart, without any further ... for salvation, for your healing, your physical being, and will believe God the rest of your life? and you'll accept Him right now? His presence ... it's Him, the only thing that can help you. Believe it and stand on your feet.

Say, “I stand up right now in the name of Jesus Christ, to accept it.” Every person that believes, stand to your feet.

Lay your hands over on one another now. Lay your hands on each other. The Bible said, “...these signs shall follow them that believe.” Being that you have become a believer.... If you are a believer now, the Bible said, “...these signs shall follow them that believe. If they lay their hands on the sick they shall recover.” Just exactly like repenting, and being baptized. It's obeying a commandment of God. Now pray for one another, just the way you pray in your church. Pray for one another, while I pray for you from this platform.

Heavenly Father, I have did all of this at your command. I have did it just the way You said do it. And I pray Thee, heavenly Father, that in the name of Jesus Christ, that You will honor the prayers of these people, their faith, their efforts.

Satan, you have lost the battle. You are a defeated being. Come out of this people. In the name of Jesus Christ, leave them, and go out of them.

And be healed every one.