WHAT IS A FULL GOSPEL CHURCH
Updated january 20, 2012
THE CHOOSING OF A BRIDE
So if I was choosing a church, I'd choose a genuine, fundamental, full Gospel Bible church, if I was
choosing one to put my family in.
Brother Branham used the words "Full Gospel" over 500 times in his ministry to define the
True Church. This study is a summary of the conditions that once created the "Full Gospel People"
from 1947 till 1965. It is certainly worth our time to see if we again meet the criteria of
becoming and belonging to a Full Gospel group.
Unexplainable Supernatural
ONE IN A MILLION
And I know, to the radio audience, perhaps many of you are not full Gospel, and this may seem
a little mysterious to you. Which it would to me, but there is... Anyone who can explain anything,
you don't have to accept it any more by faith. It's things that we cannot explain, that we have
to accept by faith. We cannot explain God. No man can explain God.
Full Gospel people believe in the supernatural elements of the Holy Ghost visibly manifested in
their lives. They believe they live in a special place where God uses them physically and speaks
directly to them. The full Gospel people had no superstition of spiritual things as the above quote
relates. Matter of fact, they were often overboard in this area. However, because of their faith in
the unexplainable they willing accepted and supported Brother Branham ministry. When Brother Branham
stated that he commune with angels they accepted it whole heartily with-out real understanding or
questions. If your faith demands an understanding of every supernatural event orbiting this message,
YOU ARE NOT FULL GOSPEL.
Supernatural outside of your Group
Many churches that once claimed to be "Full Gospel" were not really full gospel people. The
reason was, they could not accept supernatural event outside of their fellowship circle.
Sample, almost all the time, when Brother Branham spoke a sermon, he was speaking directly
about something that had taken place in his daily life. Standing in the Gap, Souls in Prison,
Masterpiece, and One in a Million are just a few of these messages. His sermons were his
supernatural life revealed. The Full Gospel people accepted those things along with supernatural
things revealed in other men's ministries. Full Gospel to them was the power and presence of God
in everyone. Today because of ministerial division, many find they can not accept the supernatural
outside of their four walls. If you are having trouble rejoicing over supernatural testimonies from
believers outside of your fellowship YOU PROBABLY ARE NOT FULL GOSPEL.
Unlimited Faith
BELIEVING GOD
Oh, son, I forgot to tell you something." Said, "While you was away these four years," said, "I
got sick. And you know Mrs. So-and-so over here belongs to that Full Gospel church?" Said, "Her
pastor come up and laid hands on me according to Mark 16, and I got well." Said, "The doctors
couldn't do nothing for me when I had that sick spell." Said, "That's how I got well." He said,
"Well, mother, I want to inform you something." Said, "'Course away to college we learn this."
Said, "The last nine verses of Mark 16 isn't inspired." Said, "That was put in there by the Vatican."
Said, "There's no history that says that that Word in there is inspired." And the little woman said,
"Praise God. Praise God." He said, "What's the matter with you, mother?" She said, "If God could heal
me with Words that isn't inspired, what could He do with that that is inspired?"...?... There you are.
"If He could do that with uninspired Word, what would He do with that that is inspired?"
The full Gospel church had a history of being persecuted by the fundamentals. Other words, they usually
had someone standing around calling them "off the Word". They are always called the uneducated. This
will sound wrong compared with the following paragraphs yet to come, but Full Gospel people believes
God often does things that is not written in inspired script (or in quotes). Brother Branham related
their mentality in the above quote. This loose wheel of scriptural views, would latter destroyed the
full Gospel people. Sample, the "FULL GOSPEL BUSINESS MEN INTERNATIONALLY" became self destructive
by unscriptural ministries. Nevertheless, to be "Full Gospel" you must believe God can and will do
things outside of His Word. But to remain full gospel, you must also believe God will not do anything
against His Word. If you have to have a scripture or a quote for everything you believe, your faith
declares, that you believe in a limited God, and most likely YOU ARE NOT FULL GOSPEL.
Drawing the Line Part 1
HEALING AND WHAT SICKNESS IS
That's what I like about you full Gospel people: you put the line down, and you're--you're on
one side or the other
THE RESULTS OF DECISION
I like the full Gospel, myself, for a full man. Preach the Gospel; preach the whole Word of God. Believe
it all. Practice it all. Amen.
A "Full Gospel" church draws a dividing line, a yes or no, for every Bible question. We realize
there are a couple of questions asked Brother Branham that his answer at the moment was "I do not know",
but honest people can easy find his answer in the next following quotes or many other places in the
message. In trying to define the people whom Brother Branham called Full Gospel, we see having an answer
is a sign you are Full Gospel, even if your answer is not Biblically correct. Today, for the sake of
church membership, clergy association, and other personal benefits, many people will not offer their
Bible views on different subjects. If you are not willing to share your teachings or your personal
convictions with others for fear of persecution, according to history, it looks like YOU ARE NOT
FULL GOSPEL.
Drawing the Line Part 2
The real full gospel folks and the holiness people was the same group. May we say, they are still
the same group. Full Gospel people preached against all kind of sin (not just one area of Holiness).
Historically, they look for something to be wrong. There is no middle ground. They are in love with
hard preaching (not to many Full Gospel people around anymore). If you are looking for an easier
scriptural living standard, or a preacher that's in the middle of the road with his moral teaching.
We should ask ourselves why. We might find out that YOU ARE NOT FULL GOSPEL.
Physical Worship
GOD'S PROVIDED APPROACH TO DIVINE FELLOWSHIP That's the reason I like these full Gospel
conventions: You hear the people cry and shout
and praise the Lord, because they've come into a fellowship, a Divine fellowship of the Holy
Spirit. God... Whenever you get rid of that, you're gone back to Babylon and you might as
well bury yourself. That's exactly right.
Full Gospel people believe in the liberty to worship God. Their love to worship God was
their trademark. Physical expression is a must. Full Gospel people in history are known to
practice shouting and dancing in the Spirit. If you have never danced in the Spirit or
spoke in tongues or have a physical explosion of worship you would not be accepted among
the Full Gospel groups of yesterday, whom Brother Branham associated himself with. If you
do not love to physically worship God you ARE GOING to be out-of-place in a real Full Gospel Fellowship.
Gifts of the Spirit
SPIRIT OF TRUTH
You know, last evening especially we had a little sample of that. Now, we being a full
Gospel people, believing in all of the operations of the Holy Spirit... And now, that's
the only way we can be full Gospel, is to believe the full Gospel, all the Lord has written.
And I believe that we are. Full Gospel people believe in the operation of the Gifts of the Spirit. If you were seated
in a Full Gospel church 50 years ago and expressed your doubts concerning the Gifts moving
during the service. You would soon be asked to leave for quenching the Spirit. Today, if
none of the nine spiritual Gifts have no place in your worship, YOU ARE NOT FULL GOSPEL.
Witnessing
WHO IS JESUS We are here as full Gospel brothers. See? We believe it. Let's get to work,
and get out and get
some of these other brothers and bring them in, whether full Gospel or not, and bring them into
our--our meetings. One thing that has characterized the Full Gospel believer is witnessing. They are always on a
mission to convert their denominational friends. A church with new converts is always on fire
for God. Many groups have discovered that is easier to raise families instead of winning the
lost. The Full Gospel people of the past welcomed the pain of child bearing. They never
accepted Satan's bluff that their teaching would be threaten by the presence of unbelievers.
They believe they could win anyone that would attend a few of their church services. If you
doubt that your church can transform your worldly friend to this Message you are not full
gospel or YOU ARE NOT ATTENDING a Full Gospel church.
CLOSING: These are a few things we have come to understand in the study of what a "Full Gospel" church
should be. By historical standards and quotes that Brother Branham used to define Full Gospel people,
many of us realize that we are not quite like that groups that Brother Branham sought to be identified
with during his earthly life. I do ask your prayers that I might become more like what so few are today,
a FULL GOSPEL PERSON.
Eagle Christian Church ' P.O. Box 1510 LaVergne, TN 37086 USA
Pastor James Tidwell
Pastor James Tidwell