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But if he has a gift of God and he's trying to edify the Body of Christ, then I don't care what he belongs to. You're not discerning the man, you're discerning the spirit, the life that's in the man. And that's what God told us to do.

Not one time was we ever commissioned to discern the man's group. But we was constrained and commanded by God to discern the spirit in the man, what he's trying to do, what the spirit in his life is trying to lead him to. And then if we can find out that he's trying to lead the people (not to break them up, but to bring them together) and to bring the church of the living God, not all to one denomination, but to a understanding, a fellowship, a unity of spirit. Then if he is former rain or latter rain, or whatever it is, his spirit and his purpose is right.

And the spirit that's in him, no matter what move he belongs to, the Spirit that's in him is trying to point the people to Calvary, away from himself or away from anything else, but his only achievement he has is to point them to Calvary. He doesn't care whether he's even knowed or not. He doesn't care whether even his own movement-- which is fine (See?), it's good, if he is a Methodist, or a Presbyterian, or a Roman Catholic, or whatever he wants to be by denomination.

But what is he trying to do, the purpose of his heart that he's trying to get? Then you can see what's in the man's life, whether his motives is for his denomination, whether it's for hisself, whether it's for worldly fame, whether it's for big names, to say, "I predicted that, come just exactly to pass." Now, you see that's wrong right there, to begin with. But if he's trying to use what God's give him, as a teacher, as a prophet, as a seer--

A New Testament prophet is a preacher. We all know that. Just any minister that's a preacher is a prophet, a New Testament prophet, if he's prophesying, preaching, not to try to edify himself to make a big name, or to edify his organization. Which, he should be in an organization. Here I am without one, but yet preaching you should be. That's right.

Every man ought to have a church home. You ought to have a place, not just to float about from pillar to post, but have somewhere that you go to church and you call it your church, somewhere you pay your tithe, and somewhere that you help support the cause.

Take your choice, but then don't never disfellowship the other man because he don't belong with your group. See? Discern his spirit and see if he's got the same purpose in heart, then you got fellowship one with another. You're working for one great cause. That's the cause of Christ. I think that that is absolutely true.

Now, if we will notice the motives and objectives of the Old Testament prophets, them men had one objective, and that was Jesus Christ. They had one thing that their whole theme of the Old Testament was built around the coming Messiah. They did not go out and do things just for money or for fame. They had one thing, they were anointed with the Spirit of God, and they predicted the coming Messiah. And those men were so anointed with the Spirit until they sometimes acted like the Spirit that was within them, they spoke seemingly of themselves. Watch how the Spirit of God made them men act.

We'll take, for instance, Moses, the great prophet, how that that man had no selfish objectives at all. He could've been the king of Egypt. He could've had the world under his feet. But because that he was a prophet at heart, he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer the persecution and the trials of Christ, esteeming the treasures of heaven greater treasures than them of Egypt. He forsook and denied himself of the worldly fame, of the luxury and the things that life offers. He had to look beyond that. See, he could've been that.

Just take the minister today: if he has the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and he knows that if he preaches that Word, it's going to cut his fame down; it's going to put him in a little bitty church somewhere, or maybe out on the street. But he knows that something in his heart is burning. He sees the coming of the Lord. He doesn't care whether that he has a big church or a little church. He doesn't care whether he has today's food or not no food. He doesn't care whether he has good clothes or doesn't have good clothes, He's only mindful of one thing, and that's the very Life within him crying out. He's trying to achieve something for the glory of God, and that man, in doing so, will act the very Life of the Spirit that's in him. Do you follow me? He'll act it out.

-- Brother Branham
March 8, 1960