Qualifications of the Followers of Jesus - Part 1 — Loran Helm

Tape number six of the waiting on God held in Indianapolis, Indiana, June 22 to 25 1975 beginning the morning session of Monday June 23 1975.

Waiting in Humility Before God

Here today by your mercies. We're here because of your protection and your healing. We're here because the Holy Spirit witnessed that at this time. They would allow us the privilege of waiting a Trusting as these services are thine are not ours.

We're trusting crying pleading waiting Just simply waiting. Well, we know Heavenly Father that If we are lowly humble submissive pliable appreciative thankful inwardly Loving thee and loving all people.

Then thee is able to crown the mercy seat with victory in each individual heart. For as we come we simply trust. Not making any plans or any requests or requirements. Although our heart hungers for the Holy Ghost awakening.

Our whole being cries for the Holy Ghost visitation. We've been waiting just about 32 to 33 years For the Holy Spirit to be poured out on the people, you know of old Evan Roberts waited 13 years. Others have waited 10 years 20 years some 40 years some 50 years.

But we've only waited just 30 about 33 years. For the Holy Ghost awakening just about as long as when you were walked this earth. Before your ascension and went back to the father. Just a little less than that the father.

It's been many times. I've thought it's been similar to what? Jacob said when he worked 14 years for Rachel it seemed his but a few days. So unto thee be the glory and the praise and the honor the Thanksgiving Lord Jesus.

Now those of you that ever been with us before we Endeavor to wait before God and yet we're only in the beginning of learning to wait after 37 years of endeavor. We're just probably in the beginning of it.

Now. Some people say I can't understand that but you see eternity is forever. So there's no end there isn't any end ahead of it. There is never an end to come. So you see we're only in the beginning. Doesn't make ever to 30 50 years 100 years.

We're just in the beginning. So after 33 years of walking with God Mary Webster one of the soul winners of Jesus With dr. E Stanley Jones spoke to me and my wife 1966 and gave me Gave me a word. I Never had anyone to tell me what to do.

I've had a few people tell me but I mean really from God. Instructed God seldom instructs you to tell anybody what to do. You seldom tells me to tell people seldom do I ever in all my life say I believe you should do this or do that.

I don't know whether I've ever told any of you. Unless the Holy Spirit gives me a definite guidance to ever say I believe you should do this. I believe God wants you to do that. I don't tell people to cut their hair.

I Don't tell people they ought to do this. They ought to dress this way. I simply believe them to God. I Love them. I Don't tell people now. This is what you've got to do it. This is for the Christian thing to do.

Oh, no. Just simply let the Lord dress them. Well, once in a while I get to preaching and I preach on certain things, but that's out of my hand. It's in his when he brings it to my attention. But for me personally to tell someone they ought to do this or that.

That is not what any of us are called to do unless the Holy Ghost gives us a definite word from God and the Holy Spirit and so therefore we want to be very cautious and careful and We want always to give the word of the Lord as he gives it to us.

Once in a while he gives a revelation and if he does we want to share it very tactfully and Kindly in a sweet way that it will not be offensive, but it will be edifying helpful strengthening encouraging but Mary Webster said to me that God had revealed to her something and when she said And declared that we were to meet the Saints of God in the United States and Wait somewhere in this country at least three days.

Just wait before the Lord. I Thought it was too great assignment for me because up until then after all these 30 some years. How being in the kingdom? I've just used to go into church and we'd sing a hymn.

But sing a song. Or they'd have prayer. Or we might have maybe a little scripture. But it was usually in a routine. It was in a pattern and you've all been in it. All your life all of you if you've gone to church very much.

I've gone to church now for 50 some years. I said well We'll begin the meeting by saying him number so-and-so Service tonight. We're going to sing him number so-and-so today will be him so-and-so to begin the service.

It's usually a song you go to any church. Or most churches I should say most churches not all churches, but they start out by singing or praying. Selling have you ever been in a meeting in your life? Or as soon as they got up the preacher start preaching he immediately and preached for an hour.

Seldom have you gone to meeting and no one knew what was going to happen the next minute. And so that's the way it is when we come in here. Nobody knows what's going to happen the next moment. None of us.

Because we haven't any plans. There's no program. Oh, we could have had programs. It's possible. God doesn't want me to do that. He wants me to trust it. I didn't know how to discern what he wanted first and second and so on until after I'd walked with Jesus 33 years.

After sister Mary had given me this word that Jesus gave her. And I thought that I wasn't able. I want you to note that whenever God asked you to do something. It's usually. The right response is you do not feel capable of doing it if you feel like you can do it at first.

Human Weakness and Dependence on God

You will have a wonderful lesson to learn. Years ago a precious one told me he said, you know, I was in a conference a Convention and they called on him to pray and He was a very humble person only had four or five grades in school.

Maybe the fifth to sixth reader. In those days, they called it fifth to sixth reader or they went to the sixth grade and they had the sixth grade reader. Well, I don't think he went to the sixth grade reader.

But he started to pray. And God came on him the Holy Ghost fell upon him and he prayed this for eternity and it was so precious. It's so glorious that I guess he just had to stop. He didn't get through and this one came around during the day.

Oh, I enjoyed that prayer. No, it came. Oh, that's her help me. Another one came over that prayer helped me. Well, I just had such a time that night as I guess the leader thought because he was so anointed it asked him to pray Again, and he thought to himself.

He says this time. I'll really show him how to pray. The thought just went to the mind, you know, it just went to the mind. Every one of us are weak and we have these little things said well, he said if they thought I could pray this morning I'll try tonight.

Oh, he didn't know how to pray. Oh, he had a time. Oh. He said it taught him the most wonderful lesson. He thought maybe he could try. Oh. My breath if any of you in the church think that you can do anything.

Anything you think you could sing or teach or preach or lead a meeting if you think you can. Oh Oh. You'll have a marvelous surprise in just a little while. All right, I believe that's almost without exception.

So when we come into this service we come in as nothing I used to think in 1942. We were right there. That's as little as we weren't cleared down to nothing. But seems as though we've been getting steadily less.

And less well wonderful Savior. Hallelujah, you'll turn in your scriptures to the book of Titus. How many Bibles do we have this morning on their testaments? Hold them high hold them up now. I want you to look around want you to look to the right to the left the center.

I think there's pro close to 250 to 300 Bibles here this morning in their testaments. You know. The Bible is a book that contains the mind of God the state of man the reward of the righteous to do with the wicked is.

A traveler's map the Christian chart of the soldier's sword is light to guide us food to sustain us comfort to tears. It's paradise of glory a river of pleasure. Therefore. We're ready to be wise believe to be saved and practice to be holy.

The book this book right here. So it's a good that you carry this with you. When you go to church or when you go calling the book of Titus Verse 4 chapter 1 to Titus my own son after the common faith.

To Titus my own son after the common faith this holy faith of God in Jesus Christ. It's not something out of the ordinary. It's just simple old-fashioned Christ centered godly faith the kingdom the holiness of God.

He said here in this precious truth. Praise the Lord. To Titus my own son after the common faith grace mercy and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ Our Savior and for this cause Left I thee in Crete that thou shouldest sit in order the things that are wanting and ordained elders in every city.

As I have appointed thee. Then he said if any man be blameless the husband of one wife having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. What a bishop a leader of a church in other words must be blameless as a steward of God.

Blameless Leadership and One Standard of Holiness

It said here that a leader in a church should be blameless. He should live uprightly. He should what his behavior his conversation his deportment must be pure and right. With caution and carefulness at all time.

He said a leader in a church should be blameless. What kind of requirement is that? Is that a high requirement? It's most certainly his. Every leader and later now, do you think there's two standards one for a bishop another for an elder?

Digging they all have the same standard. Every one of us there's not two standards for you and for me. There's just one that's a purity. He said blameless that means all my Conversation all your conversation must be without blame without judgment.

He said you tell them We must be blameless. It's not two standards. Some persons say well, that's just for certain persons that are anointed. But as I understand it a Bishop is to be a leader in a church according to Scripture.

This is the Bible. This isn't my word but he said there to be blameless and There's not two standards one for a leader and one for a layman. He must be blameless. There's I've got to be careful of my attitudes.

You see if I have the wrong attitude I'm not found blameless if I am with the wrong attitude. I couldn't be accounted as blameless. But you see a man can't look into a man's heart and see his attitudes.

There isn't a person that can look into another person's life and see what the attitude is. Because an attitude is that presence down in the mind of the heart that is there Always and nobody outside has any control over it.

Somebody may put pressure, but that won't change your attitude. Let me say you must take it stand on it that won't change this inner attitude. It'll stay the same unless the hearts changed By Christ our attitudes the inner attitude Must be Christly.

Hold it. And if my attitude is not Christ-centered, I will not be found blameless. See, I will be found guilty of grieving God And hurting my fellow man. Though I do not say very much I say enough or I act enough that I may bring some Party To a brother or to assist a blameless much a bishop a leader of the church Must be blameless Without not any blame without any of these wrong attitudes.

We must continually Plead and pray that their inner life Will be without blame Without this critical part of us. There's something within us. It's an all person That's born in this life, that's why we must die daily die second by second and Yield ourselves or a wrong attitude an earthly thing will take over an earthly spirit an evil spirit a false spirit Will take over within us and create within us as a result an attitude that is not Christlike.

Any man be a bishop a leader of the church? He must be blameless. Now his motives. His motives must be completely from God. The motive of any person in the church must be completely from God the motive.

You see and sometimes we can have a motive to promote our church to promote our people our organization. Our own little clinic our own little group to promote it. See we can have a motive that we want to really do something in this community.

We want to be sure that that motive is Has been begun by God rather than by something within us or you. You or me must be you must have the right motive the holy motive. And the motive must be that it will glorify God in Jesus Christ.

That it will be such it will peace the Father the Son of the Holy Ghost. The motive must be that God can have all the originating of it With it that we don't arrange this ourselves. It must be the Holy Spirit that does it.

If we have the wrong motive and some motives may be good, they may be excellent but if that motive is not really sanctified and Instigated by the Father and the Son of the Holy Ghost. We will not be blameless.

Just a wrong motive. Motive that we want to do something. We must because we cannot do it there's anything we can do. There's one thing you can do Always and that's to trust in the Lord with all thine heart.

It's possible that a man could trust in the Lord with all of his heart, but it's seldom been done because we are prone to trust in ourself a little tiny bit or a small part or a Greater part of us rather than trusting in the Lord.

We rather trust. It's something that we know that we can do and we like we desire. If any man's going to be a leader or be a Christian. Let that man be blameless as a steward of God. As one that God can guide and he will take care of it of the business of God's kingdom.

The things of God's kingdom it will be exactly as the Holy Spirit directs to do. Not what we feel ought to be done. That's why we should never make any any plans unless the Holy Spirit is in them. Because if we carry out plans without the Holy Spirit leading They most usually even though they work out They are not edified and glorified God and most of them do not bring us to peace.

And to inner contentment and fellowship in the Holy Ghost unless the Lord build the house. They labor in vain that built it. Psalms 127 1. Except the Lord build the house except the Lord bring the motive create the motive and the attitudes.

It's all in vain. It's just all gone. It won't last very long. It just falls apart. So it must be that Jesus the Holy Spirit. Really leads this any man if any person be a leader or a Christian. Or one that God is going to use in his kingdom.

Let that let that man that woman. Let that man be blameless. Praise the Lord. Well, hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus for a bishop must be blame us as a steward of God. Did he be blame us the husband of one wife having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.

Faithfulness in Marriage and Family Life

We're supposed to have our children Under subjection and teach them so we do not provoke them. It's easy for us to get caught off and to provoke our children. It's easy for children to be disobedient and to have the wrong attitude toward parents.

And we need to wait before God because God is able to bring a parent and a child together. It's such precious understanding if they're willing to inwardly submit themselves to God. And so God is bringing to our attention here that his people are to be a pure people.

Not adulterers not fornicators. Where to have one wife one husband now this age. These TV programs and writings and editorials some of them are just cutting down these principles. They say it's time now just to feel free and you don't need to be obligated to any person.

You don't need to take a person for life. Change around a little. Just be free to do as you please. Now this kind of a of a theory will soon bring a society destruction in every country in any place even ungodly nations.

That are not of God at all. They are demon-possessed. They know this and they won't allow a lot of this at the heads of their government and in society there. They know that this will tarry and destroy.

And yet here in this country is supposed to be a bright country an intellectual country. We don't know that as a society only a few people realize. That if we are untrue to our companion, it will bring us to destruction and it will destroy society and the family.

It will cut us at the very roots. It will destroy what we're really trying to create a place of safety rest and Peace and contentment among the people and in the home and family so we are to have a very pure relationship.

He wants me to be pure and holy see I have my wife she's 42 years. We've been together 42 years and he wants me to be careful with her wants me to honor her and respect her. And I'd call her the old woman.

It is very disrespectful for any man to call his companion the old woman or to say I'll tell you we've been married. It's a long time. That's not good. Seems like a long that that isn't good. That isn't good.

I'm with some couples and they just cut up and they they just pick at each other and. Some of them have never been married and they just want and I know that's not gonna work. Oh, they think it will but in about 10 years or less, it'll fall apart.

Yeah, always time and I've been with people and they met well, but they've got things in their personality that worry me. Because I know that's not going to last. I know that that kind of a spirit and attitude and that frivolousness and that little joking thing that little thing.

It's going to bring Hardy to the companion. So they die out and they're crucified get this thing out of their lives. God wants my heart pure. He wants to be cautious and gentle with my companion. And he doesn't want me going around to some other woman and holding on to her hand too long.

No doesn't want that. We've got to be awful careful as men. About how we shake hands. With the ladies got to be cautious with it. So we'll be blameless. We've got to be Christian, but we've got to be on our guard.

Continually, we have no business putting our arms around some other brothers companion. We must be cautious in our life, so we'll be blameless and holy unto God. And undefiled before the Lord. Sometimes an older man.

Well, he takes the younger precious Christians as sisters and he's got to be awful careful vice versa. We've got to be cautious so that we'll be found blameless. He wants us to have one companion. This is his will.

Oh. There's so many things that were required. To be a leader or to be a worker in the church and there isn't any differentiation. It's all the same for all of us. Yeah, doesn't mean you never to teaching a Sunday school class or have the have the primary class or the little ones and The kindergarten age or the toddlers the same requirements is for them as for us.

It's all for the same there will be pure and undefiled before God as men and women. See, this is a holy wall. Somebody said I don't like to be restricted. I Don't like to be Restricted. Well what our hearts are right.

We just simply fall in line with the scriptures here without any resentments. How we're thrilled to do it because we find it such a joy. Not because we have to but because we love to. We love to we enjoy it brings us happiness and satisfaction and peace and glory hallelujah.

In the Lord in Jesus. Oh, if any man's going to follow Jesus, he must be blameless. Blameless, so I must be very tender very gentle my wife see if I cross with her any morning anytime I grieve God I'm not blameless.

Vice versa if a wife if a wife you see. There's a little bit naggy or cross. You see she's not blameless. She's carnal just like the husband is carnal if he gets the slightest bit of hostility in him in here.

It grieves God agrees children and grieves neighbors for any man or woman. To be hostile the slightest bit it brings conflict and chaos and destruction. We cannot. We cannot have little fits and spells and be godly people.

They don't go together. It's like you're getting fresh water and salt water out of the same fountain. You can't turn a little sprinkler and say now salt water come out now. I'm ready. I've got some infections or now I'll turn another one fresh water.

I'm thirsty. I want to drink. Well, is it we've got to be the same from morning till night. But to be careful. And when you're in church, you want to be respectful and reverent and Even though you know, there's lots of times while you're in church.

You want to you want to tell somebody next to you about that point? You're gonna have to be careful because while you're doing that it the pastor thinks he may he may that may be distracting him. He'll say what in the world have I said wrong.

When you're talking to anybody by you it makes it awful hard in a servant in the pulpit. Because he'll see you and you're talking. We've got to be reverent and respectful in the church services of God.

Because it bothers everyone every person in charge. Every person. Yeah, and some people go to church. We're not respectful. We're not reverent when we do that we've got to be careful at home in a church how we talk when we talk and so forth.

And then when we talk so that our hearts pure and the talk is is clean holds lifting. So with my wife I must be cleansed in my heart so that I don't aggravate her or reprimand her. Somebody says well, how are we going to settle our differences?

Good place to do it is together on our knees. Or get quiet if you can't get on your knees and ask the Holy Ghost the blood of Jesus to cleanse out of us all these little angered spirits hostility and This carnal thing that's in every one of us and let it burn out of it.

To take out of us all this slumber and all of these things within us. It caused us to say the things that we should not say the grease the Holy Spirit. We must be blameless. We must have one wife. One husband and be pure and treat them very Gracefully and beautifully in God Christ like Like Jesus walked like Jesus taught like Jesus gave the word.

And so this is required in the kingdom of God. They must be very very pure in his relationship. With his companion or she with her husband a pure relationship a holy a wholesome. Not going out. Underhanded in secret in any way or any form.

Someone said well, this is a straight way. It truly is. It truly is but if you pray regularly and you obey continually, it's not Gruesome and it's not drudgery. It is a pleasant most precious place to dwell.

Oh It's wonderful. It's so precious. When we obey the Holy Ghost. Obey the Word of God. It just beats the soul and everywhere you go. You're like the salt of the earth. Sweetening every little part that you go.

You're just sweetening up every little corner just sharing with persons about the kingdom of God. Oh It's sweet. Yeah, it is. It's wonderful. Oh Yes, praise the Lord. I was somewhere a while back. So I just praise the Lord a little bit and say what a meeting we had in that place if we're to fail to praise the Lord, they're just real kindly like.

They would never have known and we wouldn't it wouldn't have come out. But oh what came out of there was good. It was so precious. So marvelous how God the Holy Ghost will have your heart with your companion with your children.

In your travels or in your community or in your church or in your place and responsibility just sweet things. Will just blossom and come right out of the garden of that opportunity if Jesus Christ is truly first in your heart and mine.

He was first place in my heart in your heart. Not second but first. Therefore we cannot let the desires of earthly friends or loved ones steer us from God's will. And that's the job a lot of the time.

That's a big assignment a lot of the time. Because there's times when the Holy Spirit will lead and you know, that's going to run cross screen with precious ones near you. And they're not going to understand it.

That's where it takes wisdom to keep plenty of the Holy Spirit oil in there. So that they'll be willing to yield themselves and die out and no longer make any requirements only God's way. God's way not my way not the way of the earth or flesh, but Christ's way.

Well, praise the Lord this this word is true. This word is true here that we have. That God has given us from his holy apostles and disciples. So a leader in the church must be blameless. And be a good steward of God not self-willed.

Surrendering Self-Will to God's Direction

Not self-willed now. He's preaching self-denial here as Jesus gave us in Matthew 16 24. He must not be self-willed. That is the will. The will must come from God and not from himself. Not self-willed.

A leader in the church cannot be self-willed. A Christian cannot be self-willed. We cannot let self guide us at all. If we do we're in difficulty and we put other persons in difficulty straight. Too many people have ulcers.

And too many people have stomach trouble because of certain people that are near them or situations that put them under strain and stress. And because of that they get tense. They just close up and their stomachs are not relaxed.

The organic system's not relaxed. It's all tense and we're not made to do this. And when we do that, we're going to have repercussion aftermath. Yes. A person any person puts anybody at carnality always put strain and stress on anyone and persons around them.

Carnality will put stress and strain on persons about them. We're not to be self-willed. Because self will have a tendency to exalt self and to fix conveniences for self. And to arrange the things that self likes.

This is the inner tendency of man and woman. Is to be self-willed. Let self will it let self direct it and instigate it this cannot be. Because this kind of result is always in conflict and disappointment and finally destruction.

To the person to the home to the community to the church. Or to the place wherever we dwell. So we must not be he says not self-willed. Self cannot control at all that says itself is not to control at all.

Is that the way you interpret this? So the self part of me cannot control. It must be that the holy spirit Works in my heart. So the will of my heart is is just in his hands. He guides he takes over. It's this self is crucified.

And the will of god comes within me his choice. His word his truth and we allow him to make the choice. I am pretty sure this is seldom done consistently. Continuously and yet this is the requirement of a christian this isn't making it too straight.

Is it this isn't hurting anyone offending any of us? It's simply telling us how to to live a victorious life. This is a recipe for a victorious life an overcoming life. It's an old old story, but it's true and when you get a hold of something old that's good it's as new as the morning.

And it's always fresh every hour when you look into the Beauty of it always fresh never tiring. You can get something beautiful if you wear it out it wears away. It doesn't hold but this will never wear out.

It will never decay deteriorate it's the same always praise the lord. Never changes. The unchangeable christ the unshakeable. Yes. He's able to cleanse us out of us in less than a second. If we're just willing to surrender and take the reins out of our hands and put it in his hand altogether.

Now that's beautiful. That's beautiful. Now when I say that's beautiful. I wish I could tell you the operation that some way operates in my heart. If we were able to comprehend that simple thing that simple truth.

I am sure it would be worth far more than all your days here will involve. And encounter in our all of our Financial need. And other need so we're not to be self-willed. I must not steer As I would want it to be but rather as god would lead it you see I know in Just in your home in our home ideas we have Certain things we want.

But we must wait upon the lord. We must let the lord work it out as we pray and let him help us make the decision. In our Relationship with our family and our home and our community and with circumstances in the home.

Not self-will. I remember when we were building the home belt by faith. We were I asked brother bullis to come down and anoint me with oil about three mornings ago been suffering. And this incision, of course when I coughed I was praying casting out a demon out of it out of a precious person.

About 300 miles from me in the name of jesus. Of course, I just got home from the hospital and I was lying there in my bed. And I had a telephone like this when I was praying this prayer. My body was in a twist and all of a sudden the powers of the air hit me and a cough came up and right exactly.

Where this hole is this little drainage is where that hit while I was in the midst of that prayer. It wasn't a surgery. It was I was in a battle spiritual battle. So the devil took a Strike at me. And and so I i've been crying for the elders.

And calling for them to anoint me every once in a while. This teaches us a long suffering and patience and rejoicing to rejoice when you hurt. Because if you don't hurt you don't have compassion on somebody else it hurts.

So I called the pastor down my precious pastor to anoint me with oil and james. And we were rejoicing over how god was leading and blessing and he said to me he said it's a wonder to me. How this town can't see that when you didn't have anything how he could build a home like this.

And not be convinced that god has led you these years. We were just having a time there rejoicing about how god had blessed and provided and made way. And took care and given us love for everybody in the world everybody.

That's everybody the whole everybody. Oh everybody give us love now I tell you i'm a density is that he could put it in my heart like that because before. Oh, you know, we had resentments and anger in us.

It took the holy ghost to take it out of us 30 40 years ago between 30 and 40 years. Oh, we're weak. We have nothing to boast about but oh I tell you as we were talking about how god had cleansed their heart.

And how god had blessed us and how god had been so good to us. I recall oh we had such a precious fellowship. You know, we had such a precious fellowship. You know when god sent james to us and revealed to me that james was nancy marie's husband.

Brother bolus I'd say to himself. He says well john is so wonderful. You know, john is one of the most wonderful little pilgrims in the world. And james is too. I didn't know james. I didn't know him at all.

I didn't know his background. I didn't know anything had happened to him or work. But just soon as jesus told me I took him just like john. Took him just like john. The holy ghost just took him like john.

Hallelujah. Dick gilbert, where are you? Are you here this morning? Where is dick? Is dick here this morning? There he is. Praise the lord. I remember you and I talked what got you and helped you and blessed you.

Was you said brother help what really blesses me is that you just took james. Just like your own son the answer that god told you that's because of jesus that's because the holy ghost that's because of the cleansing blood you see.

That was real praises. I was so thankful because that encouraged me. I hadn't thought of it. Yeah, uh quite like that brother richard. Yeah, you want to praise the lord? Yes, i'd like to praise the lord this morning.

It thrilled my heart brother when uh, I knew it was the lord directing because I learned that to jesus to take a stranger in to a precious daughter like Nancy I'll tell you it really stirred me. I knew james but only through the spirit and the lord.

Because he and my son had been so close together and the lord had used him so much. Yeah, I was just thrilled I tell you when the lord The lord witnessed this I'll tell you I don't know. I don't know how to put it in words what the lord done for me.

Do me. Oh, it's so it thrilled me that you and sister helm could take this precious one. Yes. Who you didn't know before we ever before he ever came up there what we called him. Amen. Yeah, he was with us just like john.

Oh, that's right. So precious. Amen. But it was beautiful. I said it had to be the lord for these precious ones to take this young man in. And not know him from from i've never seen him hardly at all.