On the issue of excommunicating a church member from the church, Brother Branham had this to say in a Message QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS JEFF. IN COD 61-0112

"I don't believe that any deacon board has a right to throw anybody out of church, or any trustee board, or any pastor has a right to do it. I think if anybody was to be disfellowshipped, would be because of immoral living, or something like that, that he wasn't a fit person, like a man coming in here defiling our girls or -- or insulting our women, and things like that, and still professing to be one of us here...See? Now, if he's out somewhere else coming in, why, we have to do something about it, but, when it comes to a person like that a immoral person trying to make love to our wives, or-- or insulting our daughters, or, you know, something another like that, or do something immorally around her, or taking our little boys out and making perverts out of them, or something, those things should taken up, and then that fellow should be excommunicated from the fellowship and not permitted to take communion with it; because we're not supposed to do that. We're not."

There's no particular procedure to excommunicate a member. If he's found to be living in sin as God's prophet has described it, he should quickly be excommunicated before his evil ways affects the church. Sometimes, it may seem that a pastor is slow in taking these steps as given by the prophet. The only reason a pastor could be seen to be slowing in applying the principles as espoused, is that, he could be waiting to have the proven evidence so that he doesn't err on the side of the Message.

When a person falls into the trap of sin and repents quickly, his situation is different from what the prophet has described.

However, there's a procedure in declaring a backslidden brother or sister as a pagan/heathen in the church, as the Lord Jesus gave it in Mathew 18:15-17.

"Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican."

AMEN...Hope you are doing well. Confessing the wrong one commits takes on different forms:

* Where one wrongs the LORD, he must Confess genuinely to the LORD and repents from his wrong.

* If we wrong our fellow man, we must confess to him out of a repentant heart.

*If we wrong both the LORD and our fellow man, we must confess to the LORD and the person we have wronged.

Unconfessed sin is a sin that has been committed, and the one who committed it has not genuinely repented from it. If he has genuinely and thoroughly repented from it and has therefore confessed it before the LORD, it's no more an unconfessed sin. It's then put in God's sea of forgetfulness.

It's completely wrong for a married man (or unmarried man) to flirt with a lady he's not married to. IT IS A GREAT SIN BEFORE GOD! The Bible says those who do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. Unless there's a genuine and thorough repentance, they are hell-bound.

Another fearful thing is that that person can spurn the grace God has given him, without knowing grace is over for him. When that happens, his repentance will mean nothing as it happened to Essau.

Brother Branham said in a Message ADOPTION 1, 1960 , para 54
"And there's where the church is failing today: on that walk. Do you know that even your own misbehavior can knock somebody else out of getting healed? Your misbehavior of unconfessed sins of you believers, can cause this church to bitterly fail. And at the day of the judgement you'll be responsible for every bit of it."

It's good you are defending the faith to the outside world that we don't stand for that. As much as you're trying to convince such people of what we stand for, invite them to church. They need to hear what you hear.

Hello Elijah, I am happy the articles on this website have been a blessing to you.

(a) A pastor is the shepherd and the head of a Church. He is one of the office-holders of the Five-Fold Ministry which comprises Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers.

Ephesians 4:11-13 states: And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

The qualification to be a pastor is in 1st Timothy 3:1-7.

1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;

5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

The above qualification does not allow a woman to be a pastor since the headship of the home is linked to the headship of the church. For a detailed study into this topic, read the article entitled The Truth About Women Preachers on this website.

(b) It is an honourable thing to desire the office of a pastor. The problem, however, is that you are worried about your past even though you have repented and are now a changed person, as you said. When Christ forgives, He truly forgives. Let no man, including yourself, judge your past. Paul, Peter, Moses, Abraham etc. all had their past but they did the work of God because God called them out of their original state and made believers out of them. A Christian's past is in God's sea of forgetfulness. So be a Christian and move towards the mark of your high calling.

(c) Your past affecting or not affecting your forward march, depends on you yourself. If you truly believe your past has been forgiven because you have repented, live as such. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1)

Dear Believer, a person who claims to believe but lives contrary to the Word is not a believer because faith without works is dead. He or she is a prisoner of Satan and not a prisoner of Christ. Every person is either a prisoner to Christ or to Satan. There is no middle line. Repentance is key to Salvation. If the person truly genuinely repents, God will save them. If that person does not repent, he or she will go to hell. If that fellow is a true believer but slips into sin, bringing reproach to the Word, God may take him or her from this world to save their soul.

1st Corinthians 6:9-10 states:

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.