Dear Children,

What an awesome God I serve... and I hope you do too! I mean the more I walk in obedience to Him the more His Spirit flows through me so that all these unbelievable things just sorta like happen. In fact it was only shortly after having finished the very bold sermonet Jimmy Swaggart And The "Since" That Should Have Remained "If"! (3/24/02) that the Lord commanded me to personally take Brother Swaggart a copy. That’s what the Lord wanted me to do, and that’s what I did... or maybe I should say we.

Because you see the truth of the matter is that somewhere around 1:00 P.M., on the 28th of March, I was in my truck headed to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with at least a million-and-one real good reasons why I shouldn’t be going. I mean all Hell was breaking loose in both the natural and spiritual world, but I kept my eyes on Jesus and just kept right on trucking down the road anyway. In fact it was somewhere around mid-morning Friday that I picked up Brother Alan in Houston, and the two of us finished out our journey to Baton Rouge by 10:00 that night.

Now the great thing about this trip was that only three days prior to my departure the Lord gave me His promise of what it was going to be like. I had God’s special promise, through His special Word of Mark 12:11, and it went like this: "This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?" Yep! That’s what He gave me, and without a doubt that’s what really happened! Because you see it was all along the way that we saw the Lord work in ways I never would have expected... which even included being introduced to a few of the people who will later become a part of the FMHCCI Ministry. I mean we’re talking about great and mighty things, and the way Father God went about doing them kinda like really and truly blew my mind.

But anyway, getting back to our #1 purpose of delivering the sermonet Jimmy Swaggart And The "Since" That Should Have Remained "If"! (3/24/02) to Brother Swaggart, by the time I went to bed Friday night the only instructions the Lord had given me was to be at the Jimmy Swaggart Ministries the following morning at 6:30. Now that’s not a whole lot of information to go on, but come Saturday morning that’s exactly what we did. I mean I had no earthly idea how we were going to pull this one off, but when we drove into the JSM parking lot the Lord gave me a few more of the details on what we were to do. You see He told me to just walk on over to the Son Life radio station and wait outside.

Now as I’m sure you can well imagine, there wasn’t a whole lot of people "out and about" at such an early hour on Saturday morning. I mean me and Brother Alan were kinda like out there all by our little old selves, that is until about 15 or 20 minutes later when one of the JSM employees drove by and stopped. I mean I was completely caught off guard; this was not what I had expected God to do! However, what happened next was the man in the car started-up a friendly conversation, and before it was all said and done the Lord instructed me to ask him to deliver the letter (sermonet) to Brother Swaggart. Neat huh? Well that’s exactly what I did, and after having prayed about my request the JSM employee took the letter while promising to personally place it in Brother Swaggart’s hands. Glory be to God!

But that ain’t even all! Because after the three of us prayed together the JSM employee had a special Word from the Lord for me. You see what I was told was that Father God wanted me and Brother Alan to stay for the rest of the Easter Campmeeting services. He went on to tell me not to get impatient because the Lord had a few things He wanted to show me and also some people He wanted me to meet. So after having heard what he had to say I sought the Lord to confirm it, and the remaining five (5) Easter Campmeeting services are now a cherished memory in my mind. I mean we had one more good time in the Lord... we got blessed!

Now as to just "who and what" the Lord showed me during those two days of Campmeeting services... well, to be truthful with you, if I gave you all the details we’d be here for a very long time. But, just to give you a taste of what went on, I will go so far as to say that Father God used Brother Alan and me in some very powerful ways. Take for instance the life-saving Word we gave to Brother Roy. I mean other than a miracle, it looks as though his only hope of living a long life on this earth is a liver transplant. However, the Word that the Lord had me give him was that his health problem is due to a sin problem. He’s been called by the Lord to be an evangelist, and, because of his continued refusal to obey God in this matter, one of his vital organs is failing to function properly. [James 4:17 - "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."]

[The above YouTube video has been pulled from viewing due to a copyright claim by Jimmy Swaggart Ministries. However, you can watch as a Windows Media Video or listen to the MP3 audio below.]
- Posted for illustrative/instructive purposes only. -

- Roy Pettijohn At JSM -
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- Roy Pettijohn At JSM -
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Talk about a powerful Word from God! Well along with that Word the Lord had me give him two Scriptures and the good news that he could be healed. Because God’s promise to me was that if he would put everything else aside and just do what God had called him to do — become an evangelist — his body would be healed as he walked out in faith.

So what about that? Sounds like an easy enough thing to do, right?... just shut down "life as usual" and preach the gospel wherever God tells you to preach it! Well I hope and pray that Brother Roy can do what he’s been told to do, however, when I gave him the news a very sad look came over his face. You see the minute a Christian starts saying "no" to Father God a very bad thing just all-of-the-sudden starts happening inside their body. In fact it was in the Sunday morning service — just prior to me giving Brother Roy the Word from the Lord — that Brother Swaggart preached on the very same subject of "Spiritual Adultery".

Now that’s what you call God’s Perfect Timing! I mean Brother Roy had just gotten through hearing Brother Swaggart’s sermon on "never say no to Jesus" when I gave him God’s special Word that kinda like corrected him for doing exactly the same. Because you see whenever a child of God refuses to obey the Father they have in effect committed "spiritual adultery" by telling the Almighty that they are happy living in their bodies just the way they they are — full of sin! In other words Jesus gave His life on the Cross so that each and every one of us might have the opportunity to allow His Holy Spirit to come inside our bodies, clean us up from sin, and make us into the image of Christ. That’s what Father God wants to do, and that’s what He will do if we’ll only do what the Holy Spirit tells us to do!

In fact seeing how we’re on the subject of "Spiritual Adultery" why don’t we just go ahead and read the Scripture Brother Swaggart used in his sermon on that Resurrection (Easter) Sunday morning: "Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." (Romans 7:1-4)

Now that particular Scripture kinda like reminds me of too many present-day marriages... which even included mine. You see I chose my first wife Annie based on what my flesh wanted instead of what Father God wanted. I wanted it my way and the Lord let me have exactly what I wanted! I really and truly loved Annie but it was because of the fact that she didn’t have a heart for God that the Devil used her in a mighty big way to try and stop me from doing the Will of my Heavenly Father. I wanted to serve God but she wanted me to do the opposite. So you see there came a time in my life where I had to make the choice to either obey the wife or the Father... because I definitely couldn’t do both!

In fact going back to the sermonet The New Beginnings And Pastor Hector Saucedo! (11/25/01), it was in that particular message that we exposed a few of the details of the Hell that I had to endure in order to obey God. In other words, even though I was still married to Annie at the time (she was my wife), I had to become dead to her in order to maintain my marriage relationship with Christ.

In fact this thing about becoming "dead to the desires of the body" (law) in order to "live in obedience to God’s Spirit" takes me back to Romans 6:11 and the possum: "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."

So did you see the possum in that Scripture? Well just in case you didn’t let me explain what I mean. You see a possum has the remarkable ability to just "play dead" when his fiercest enemy is attacking him. I mean even though death is knocking on his back door, the possum just keeps his cool and kinda like makes-out like he’s had a heart attack. And because of the possum’s unique ability to "play dead" the life-threatening predators most often just decide to call-off the attack and leave him alone.

And it’s right about here that the word "reckon" — "reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin" — comes into the picture. Because you see in the Greek it means that the person doing the "reckoning" actually has to physically put it all together and "die to sin" in their mind. In other words becoming a "possum" to the desires of the flesh (the sin nature) doesn’t just come about automatically... it takes a lot of gut-wrenching work on the part of the Believer. The Believer has to actually die to sin!

So getting back to this thing about "Spiritual Adultery", it’s because of the fact that the process of becoming "dead to the flesh" in order to "obey the Spirit" is so very painful that far too many Christians just don’t bother to do it. In other words the Christian who should be obeying the Spirit of God chooses not to because of the pain that’s involved in the process. They choose to commit "Spiritually Adultery" instead of suffering through the pain of dying to the flesh.

And seeing how it’s the "thought" of suffering that stops most Christians from "dying to the flesh" and "obeying the Spirit", Old Splitfoot has brought in some mighty convincing doctrines into the church that teach the Believers they don’t have to suffer in the first place. They say only "believe" in what Jesus did at the Cross and you will be saved... which takes us back to Jimmy Swaggart and Brother Roy. Because you see not only does Brother Roy attend church at the Jimmy Swaggart Ministries but he also attended Bible College there too. And seeing how the Jimmy Swaggart Ministry is one of those who’ve been suckered into teaching and preaching this "no suffering" lie of Satan, Brother Roy’s been taught to believe the same.

So... having said all that it should be a little easier to understand why Brother Roy had the sad look on his face when I told him what the Lord demanded that he do in order to be healed. It’s called suffering with a capital "S", and of course seeing how he’s been taught that a Believer doesn’t have to do it, it’s gonna be extremely hard for him to just do it. I mean the bottom line is that we’re either gonna obey God’s Word and suffer for Christ or we’re gonna commit "Spiritual Adultery". It’s guaranteed that it’s either gonna be the one or the other!

And having said all that we must get it on down with this message entitled Jimmy Swaggart And His Spiritual Adultery! Because you see even though I am a loyal supporter of the Jimmy Swaggart Ministries I must stand up and preach God’s Truth in hopes that he might see his error. In fact it was right about the time Father God gave me the title for this sermonet that I kinda like asked Him for Scripture to back it up. In other words what is the reason — God’s reason — that Jimmy Swaggart is considered to be a "Spiritual Adulterer"?

That’s the question I asked Father God and Romans 6:3 is the answer that He gave me. However, in order to get a proper understanding of that one verse we’ll need to take a look at verses 1-7: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us were [are] baptized into Jesus Christ were [are] baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin."

Now even though we’ve kinda like already touched on this same Scripture in Jimmy Swaggart And The "Since" That Should Have Remained "If"! (3/24/02), it’s due to the fact that Brother Swaggart didn’t believe what we said in that particular sermonet that the Lord’s gonna give it just one more try. I mean we’ve just gotta keep on trying because it’s not the desire of Brother Swaggart’s heart to preach and teach error... but yet that’s exactly what he’s doing! He’s been deceived by Satan, and it’s our job to try and help him see that he has!

So, in order to help us understand what Brother Swaggart believes concerning Romans 6:3 — "Know ye not, that so many of us were [are] baptized into Jesus Christ were [are] baptized into his death?" — what do you say we read a few of his choice comments from his very own commentary on the same?

(The following excerpt was taking from chapter 6 verse 3 of the Jimmy Swaggart Bible Commentary, Romans, Volume Twelve.)

The conclusion of the question, "Were Baptized into His Death?", refers to God placing us in Christ when He died so that we might share His Death and thus come into the benefits of that identification with Him, namely, to be separated from the evil nature as part of the Salvation He gives us when we believe.

We were then placed in a new environment, Christ. The old one was the First Adam in whom as our Federal Head we were made sinners and came under condemnation. In our new environment in Christ we have Righteousness and Life. Our condition is changed from that of a sinner to that of a Saint, and instantly.

Whenever the sinner has Faith in what Christ did at Calvary, in effect, the Father places that sinner in Christ at the time of the Death of the Son of God, and in the Mind of God when Jesus paid the price, it was the same as the sinner paying the price, although in fact, it was no way for him to pay such except through Christ.

Nevertheless, what Jesus did is awarded to the believing sinner. The sin debt was completely paid by the Blood of Jesus poured out at Calvary, which meant that Satan has no more claim over the sinner, such claim being broken because the sin debt was once and for all and forever paid. As stated, and as we will continue to state, all of this comes by simple Faith in Christ (Jn. 3:16).

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Now after having read Brother Swaggart’s comments on Romans 6:3, the question is "Does Jimmy Swaggart have a proper Biblical understanding of the word baptism?" Does God’s "real baptism" — the one that delivers the Believer from the evil nature of sin and produces Righteousness and Life — come about instantly by simple faith in Christ? That’s the question the Lord wanted me to ask and the Lord’s answer to it is absolutely, positively "No!" I mean after all, that’s the reason we’re writing this sermonet in the first place.

But anyway, by turning to my Zodhiates’ The Complete New Testament Word Study with Parallel Greek New Testament Text we can find the following definition of "baptize" from the Greek word "baptizo": to immerse, submerge for a religious purpose, baptize (John 1:25)...; to baptize or immerse in or wash with water in token of purification from sin and from spiritual pollution... The baptism in or with the Holy Ghost means the work of Christ through the miraculous effusion of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and other believers at Pentecost (Acts 1:5), at Caesarea (Acts 10:47; 11:15, 16) at Ephesus (Acts 19:1-7). This is the baptism with the Holy Spirit that John the Baptist spoke of (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33). Believers are baptized or identified spiritually into the body of Christ, the Church, by one Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13). Figuratively, it also means to be immersed or plunged into a flood or sea, as it were of grievous afflictions and sufferings (Matt. 20:22, 23; Mark 10:38, 39; Luke 12:50).

Now even though that particular definition of "baptize" covered all the elements — the Believer receiving the Holy Spirit, the Believer being flooded with pain and suffering, and the Believer dying to sin — I’m going to give you what the Lord actually says it means. Because by going back to Romans 6:3 — Know ye not, that so many of us were [are] baptized into Jesus Christ were [are] baptized into his death? — we find that I’ve listed not only "were baptized" but also "are baptized" too. In fact this is where the truth of this word "baptized" comes to light. You see in the Greek this verb "baptized" is considered to be "aorist" in it’s tense; without past, present, or future time. And if that ain’t enough to confuse you, it also means that the action of being baptized is a single one-time event.

So, you tell me, just how in the round world can anybody be baptized but yet not know the date and time that it happened? Well the answer to that one goes back to Isaiah 53: 9 and the description of Jesus’ Sacrifice for our sins: "And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death [deaths]; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth."

You see even though Jesus died only one Death at the completion of His Crucifixion Process, He died many deaths all along the way. His body actually went through the process of being "baptized" — dying to the sinful flesh — and He did it for each and every sin of the world. Jesus took on all the sins of the world and then defeated each and every one of them through a very similar method of baptism that we must go through. (See Jimmy Swaggart And the Accursed! (12/30/01) for more on this.)

So the answer to the mystery of "how can we be baptized but yet not know the date and time that it happened?" is all related to the fact that it’s a life-long process. Baptism starts when we ask the Holy Spirit to take control of our lives and then continues as we just do whatever He tells us to do. As we continuously walk in obedience to the Spirit we will likewise be continuously killing-off some of our sin-filled flesh... a little at the time. We are being baptized (die to the flesh) as we walk in obedience to God’s Spirit. And, as we’ve said so many times before, when we look at this thing called "baptism" from the "human body and sin" perspective we’ve got to look at it one cell at a time... because that’s exactly the way Father God does it. (See sermonet series How Do You Want Your Fire... Now Or Later?)

So getting back to Brother Swaggart’s error of "baptism occurs instantaneously through simple faith in Christ", what do you say we walk in obedience to God’s Spirit and see what Brother Swaggart had to say on this same subject sixteen (16) years ago:

(The following excerpt was taking from The Holy Spirit In The Life Of Christ [#04-062/1986] - tape #1 of the Jimmy Swaggart teaching series The Holy Spirit - Volume 2)

This ministry, what it’s accomplishing, whatever it is, in the Lord Jesus Christ is all by the Power of the Holy Spirit. It’s not with enticing words of men’s wisdom: "Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit saith the Lord of host." Now that’s simple isn’t it? Now just think of that! We get in our minds that we can do it. He said na-unh you can’t, "Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit saith the Lord." And if this is where the Church is missing it, ah, let me change that, if the Church is missing it this is where the Church is missing it; by not understanding the flow of the Spirit and moving therein. I want to know all I can know about Him.

All right, let’s go to Colossians 1 and 15. Jesus was born by the Virgin Mary — by the Holy Ghost really — but experienced the virgin birth. Colossians 1 and 15, it said, Colossians 1 and 15, "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature" — "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature".

And then turn to Revelation 3 and 14. Says, "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness," and then He says —which I really want you to see — "the beginning of the creation of God". He’s talking about Jesus, so what in the world does it mean there: "the beginning of the creation of God"?

Now in the Greek it means two things, this word "the beginning of the creation of God". It means the first creation or the creator. It has two meanings. Now we know that Jesus Christ as God was not created. As God He was not created. God is not a created being. That’s the reason God is not a spirit. He is Spirit, but He is not a spirit. A spirit signifies a created being. God is Spirit not a spirit. I am a spirit. I have a body, I have a soul, I live in a body. You are a spirit, meaning you were created. You have a soul and you live in a body. God is not a spirit. He is Spirit, meaning He had no beginning. He is not a created being.

So when Revelation, where He said "the beginning of creation", it meant, it meant that He is the One that created all things. Not the "first of the creation" but "He created all things". Now Jesus Christ has always been but not as Jesus Christ. There’s been a lot of argument, and I know I had some letters years ago when I made the statement that Jesus Christ had a beginning, but God had no beginning. Understand that! As Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, He had a beginning. He was not always the Son of God. And I know you’re going to get someplace that they’re going to teach you that He was always the Son of God. If He had always been the Son of God it would have meant He would have had to have had a beginning as the Son of God. As God He had no beginning, as the Son of God He had a beginning. He became the Son of God when He was born of the Virgin Mary. When He took upon Himself a body prepared for Him and became the Son of Man or the Son of God. So just remember that and it’ll save you some problems. And it’ll help you to understand the Old Testament a little better.

As a, as the Son of God He had a beginning, as God He had no beginning. When He was born of the Virgin Mary that was His beginning as the Son of God and the Son of man; same thing really. And, ah, as God He had no beginning and could not have a beginning. So when it talks about the first born, it means He preexisted as God but not as the Son. He, He preexisted as God but not as the Son and was born as a result of the Holy Spirit overshadowing the Virgin Mary. His birth was miraculous because it was brought about by the Holy Ghost.

Now, the Holy Spirit — I want to read one more passage here — um, let’s turn to Saint John 3 and 34: "For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him."

There’s some argument here over exactly what’s being said, it said "giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him." In other words He had the Spirit without measure. Finis Jennings Dake says that the same measure of the Holy Ghost which was without measure that He had, that after the Day of Pentecost we have the same measure of the Holy Spirit which is without measure. Kenneth Hagen says we do have it by measure, Jesus Christ had more of it than we had. I don’t know! Some days I believe Kenneth Hagen, some days I believe Finis Jennings Dake. (Brother Swaggart laughs.) When I lay hands on the blind and they don’t come up seeing I believe Kenneth Hagen. (Brother Swaggart laughs.) When God does something great through this unworthy clay I, I believe Finis Jennings Dake.

Ah, at any rate, after the Day of Pentecost a tremendous explosion took place in the spiritual realm, as the Holy Spirit came to live within our hearts. Now I want to, I want to cover a little ground that I covered, ah, last Sunday morning because I think it’s tremendously important to us. There is no where in the Word of God, as I mentioned Sunday morning, that we are told to ask for the fullness of the Spirit. We are told to ask for the Spirit. That’s in Luke chapter 11 verses 11 through 13. Let’s read it while we’re there so you’ll get it. Luke chapter 11. Jesus said, "If a son" — verse 11 — "shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?"

Notice it didn’t say He would give the fullness of the Spirit, it just said He’d give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him. All right, we’re told not to pray for the fullness of the Spirit but we’re told to simply ask for the Spirit. Now that should tell our non-Pentecostal friends that, ah, it’s not an automatic baptism. True, the Holy Spirit does come into your life at regeneration. You receive the regeneration of the Spirit. But there’s a difference of being born of the Spirit than being baptized in the Spirit. You have to ask for the Holy Ghost.

I’m sure it must have happened, but I have not heard of anyone that received the Holy Ghost — the baptism in the Holy Spirit — without asking for it. I haven’t heard of any, maybe some of you did; you received the Holy Spirit — never asked for It, and It just jumped on you. But, ah, I’ve never seen that, I’ve never heard of that.

All right now, so how do we get the fullness of the Spirit? How do we get the fullness? This is the secret of Life. Jesus had the fullness; totally possessed by the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit is in many lives, millions of Pentecostals have Him, but they have progressed no further than speaking in tongues. And the Holy Ghost does not have complete control in their life. And consequently, the fullness is not there. If you give God complete control He will give you the fullness. In other words the more control the Holy Spirit has in your life the more fullness will be there, and a little common sense will tell you that. Think about it! Christians do all kind of things that are wrong. The Holy Spirit doesn’t leave; He stays there, He works, He pleads, He plods or prods. He does everything within His Power to get you into the area that He wants you; to be made into the image of God.

Let’s read this passage right here. Galatians 4 and 19, we read it Sunday morning, we’ll read it again. Galatians 4 and 19. But it’s so important, that uh, this is the secret of your victory; 4 and 19, "My little children of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you".

Now the word "formed" means to make, to be made in a Christ-like image till the expression of Christ inside of you, or rather until the image of Christ inside of you is expressed externally. Until the Jesus that’s in you — everyone of you here that are saved, filled with the Spirit, Jesus in your life. He’s there, but He’s not outside quite as much as He wants to be. Now, you get that? He wants your outward expression, your attitudes, your actions, what you do, what you say, the senses, how they act, to express totally the Lord Jesus Christ that’s within you. That’s the reason Paul said that he travailed that they be that Christ be formed again in them.

Now, I, I believe that every last one of you here, you want the fullness of the Spirit within your heart and within your life, because once you have that there is no limit to what can happen in your Life. I mean there is absolutely no limit! And I’m not just talking about preachers, I’m talking about anyone. Because when the Day of Pentecost came, the Holy Ghost spread out from just the so-called prophet of God to the whole body. Everybody! If you’re here tonight and you dig ditches for a living, He can help you dig them better than anyone’s ever dug them before you! There’s nothing he cannot do! But He has to have that total control within your life. He’s got to have it! If you’re here tonight, and you have got talent running out your ears, He can refine that talent, totally refine it, until Christ begins to flow through.

I’ve made mention of it, I’ll do it again. In musicians, we’ve had them to come and we’ve had them to go. Scores of them; some of them with fantastic talent! We’ve had them to audition when we’ve needed particular musicians or singers, I’m talking about singers now, and, uh, they could sing. Oh my could they sing! Voice, melodious, beautiful, perfect voice control, but when they would get through I would tell Thomas "I’m sorry we don’t want them." Why? Because I saw none of Christ and all of them. You hear me? You say, "Well wouldn’t you rather have someone that couldn’t sing but Christ is expressed in them?" No, I don’t want them either! (Brother Swaggart laughs.) I like the Christ that’s, but I want a singer too. (Brother Swaggart laughs.) But they’re hard to find where Jesus is preeminent. That’s the reason God cannot use many preachers. Sounds strange doesn’t it! He cannot use many. He cannot use many people in a church, because "self will" gets in the way. Christ becomes smaller and smaller. And, and Paul said, "You Galatians, you have drifted so far away until Christ is still in you but there is no expression externally."

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And what did you think about that? Well just wait and see what the Lord’s going to show us about that message! Because you see sixteen (16) years ago Brother Swaggart spoke the Truth about baptism on that particular tape... and that was before he committed "Spiritual Adultery" and got all bogged down in error. What we have just read is the unadulterated Word of God concerning "baptism" — as spoken through Jimmy Swaggart — and all we’ve got to do is help Brother Swaggart just believe what he said way back then. Because you see iffin we can do that then he’ll admit his "baptismal error" to the whole world and start preaching/teaching the Truth once again! Glory!!!

So where do we start? Well what do you say we first compress Brother Swaggart’s message down into a nice, neat little package:

"This ministry, what it’s accomplishing in the Lord Jesus Christ is all by the Power of the Holy Spirit. It’s not with enticing words of men’s wisdom. - We get in our minds that we can do it. - "Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit saith the Lord." - This is where the church is missing it by not understanding the flow of the Spirit and moving therein. - Jesus was born by the Holy Ghost. - In other words He had the Spirit without measure. - After the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came to live inside our hearts. - Notice it didn’t say He would give the fullness of the Spirit...just the Holy Spirit to then that asked...it’s not an automatic baptism. - How do we get the fullness of the Spirit? This is the secret of Life. Jesus had the fullness; totally possessed by the Holy Spirit. If you give God complete control He will give you the fullness. - The Holy Spirit does everything in His Power to get you to be made in the image of God. - Until the image of Christ inside of you is expressed externally. He has to have total control in your life."

Now even though that’s not all we’re going to cover from Brother Swaggart’s message that’s where we’re going to start. Because you see everything that was said by Brother Swaggart in the preceding paragraph can be directly linked to the "Seven Spirits of God" as found in Isaiah 11:1-5... and as I will attempt to explain very shortly, this is actually God’s step by step process of "baptism" being performed inside the human body:

"And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins."

What we have just read concerning the "Seven Spirits of God" is a description of how Jesus’ Body was programmed by the Holy Spirit and made ready for His Victory over sin at the Cross. Jesus prepared His Body through the "Seven Spirits of God" to defeat sin in His Body at the Cross, whereas Believers overcome the sin-filled flesh in their bodies and likewise replace it with Righteousness and Life through the "Seven Spirits of God".

And looking at this Seven Step Process as it applies to us sin-filled Believers, the first step or function of the Holy Spirit — the Spirit of the LORD — is that of inviting the Holy Spirit to come inside us and clean us up from sin by taking control of our lives. The second step or function of the Holy Spirit — the Spirit of Wisdom — is the Word we will receive through the Holy Spirit that will direct our "walk in the Spirit" in order to clean up some of our sin-filled flesh. The third step or function of the Holy Spirit — the Spirit of Understanding — will give us an understandable true meaning of the Word of Wisdom as it applies to our life, and the forth step or function of the Holy Spirit — the Spirit of Counsel — will help us understand why we must obey this Word of Wisdom that’s making our flesh scream out in fear. And of course it’s the fifth step or function of the Holy Spirit — the Spirit of Might — that’s going to give us the strength to just do whatever the Word of Wisdom has instructed us to do... regardless of our screaming flesh... and come Hell or high water! Because it’s in the sixth step or function of the Holy Spirit — the Spirit of Knowledge — that Philippians 10:3 becomes a reality: "That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death..." In other words the reason Jesus commands us to take up our cross and follow Him becomes very evident through this sixth and final step in the Baptismal Process.

That’s the way it works in the real world of "baptism". It’s called the "six step process" of dying to the flesh — and without a doubt it is one more gut-wrenching process, but it’s the only way it’s ever gonna happen. However, after all the pain and suffering of steps one (1) through six (6) comes the glory of step number seven (7). Because you see it’s the seventh function of the Holy Spirit — the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord — that reprograms a part of our body with "Righteousness and Life" after some of the sin-filled flesh has been eradicated. Glory!!!

So that’s the way baptism actually works, and of course it falls right in line with what Brother Swaggart believed back in 1986. That was then, and this is now, but we still haven’t finished this message quite yet. In fact going back to "the rest" of what he said so many years ago we find the following:

"Until the image of Christ inside of you is expressed externally. He has to have total control in your life. - If you have talent, He can refine that talent until Christ begins to flow through. I’m talking about singers...but they’re hard to find where Jesus is preeminent. "Self will" gets in the way. Christ becomes smaller and smaller. - You Galatians, you have drifted so far away until Christ is in you but there is no expression externally."

OK, so what Brother Swaggart has just described in his closing comments is exactly what happens to Believers who commit "Spiritual Adultery". In other words the Believer has started out on their "walk in the Spirit", but when they get somewhere around steps three (3) or four (4) they kinda like "just say no to Jesus!" It’s what Brother Swaggart was talking about "having the Spirit but not the fullness". And you see the main reasons why Believers abort their "baptism process", before they ever make it to step seven (7), is either due to the fear of having to suffer for Christ or a belief that they don’t have to suffer in the first place. Whatever the reason, God’s "Seven Step Process" never gets completed and the unbaptized Believer becomes a Pharisee at best - "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves."

And having said all that we can get to Brother Swaggart’s comments about singers. Because you see when it comes to "praising and worshipping" God Almighty through singing, the singers must be Believers who are completing and have completed God’s Seven Step Process. I mean what could be worse than a Pharisee singing the praises of God?

Now that’s a good question! And as much as Brother Swaggart preached against it sixteen (16) years ago, it just so happens that this exact same thing is actually happening within the Jimmy Swaggart Ministries right now... and it’s even happening with Brother Swaggart’s approval! So based on what Brother Swaggart said about "self-willed" singers back in 1986, why do you figure he’s got one of them as his lead singer in 2002?

Well the answer to that question is found in Brother Swaggart’s error of the Cross. He’s believing in a doctrine that shortens God’s Seven Step Salvation Plan down to a quick and easy one step operation. Brother Swaggart is committing "Spiritual Adultery" himself and the fruits of his labor are starting to show up in his ministry (see Jimmy Swaggart And the Accursed! (12/30/01)).

But getting back to the subject of "self-willed" singers, what do you say we take a look and see exactly who this singer might be. Because it’s through the following "Hand-picked" Family Worship Center Home Church videos that God Almighty has exposed her sin for all to see:

(The following excerpt was taken from the Family Worship Center Home Church video - Fourth Sunday/March, 2001)

(Jimmy Swaggart)

I want us to pray right now for Tabitha. She has a problem in her, in her voice, and ah, but the Devil will not overcome; he will not! And I don’t want to say that the Kingdom of God needs anything, because God doesn’t really need anything, but we need her voice for the proclamation of the gospel all over this world. Hallelujah! And whenever, whenever Tabitha sings I can feel God, and there is nothing greater than that; nothing! And I want Philip to step up here please. Of course most all of you know this is her husband and I want, I want us to believe God together. He said "If any two of you will agree as touching any one thing on earth it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven." Philip and I are going to touch Tabitha in this need, and you are going to agree with us — hallelujah — that she’s going to be totally and completely healed. Father (Brother Swaggart laughs) we ask right now for complete healing for Tabitha, we take authority over the evil one who would steal, and kill, and destroy. Satan you are defeated! And Heavenly Father, Jesus paid for this healing. It’s paid for. It’s paid for. And your Word says "By who’s stripes we were healed." In the name of Jesus we claim total and complete healing. That that goiter will dry-up, wither away, in the name of Jesus we say it, amen and amen. Praise God, ah hallelujah!

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Now the problem that Tabitha was having with her voice was the result of her not walking in obedience to the Holy Spirit. She was having the same problem as Brother Roy, and it all goes back to what we uncovered in the sermonet Jimmy Swaggart And the Accursed! (12/30/01). Tabitha and her husband had been called of God to leave the Jimmy Swaggart Ministries and go where the Spirit would lead them... but due to the desires of the flesh Tabitha committed "Spiritual Adultery" by "just saying no to Jesus!" She said "no" and her voice suffered the consequences. And just to make sure that my reporting on this matter had proper proof, Father God saw to it that Tabitha admitted her guilt on yet another Family Worship Center Home Church video:

(The following excerpt was taken from the Family Worship Center Home Church video - Fifth Sunday/April, 2001)

(Jimmy Swaggart)

Tab would you come up and sing. Tabitha has been, had a problem with her voice for the last month and I want you to know young lady it’s good to have you back.

(Tabitha Pimlott)

It’s good to be back, this is where I belong. God bless you everyone. (She sings.) "Only trust Him, only trust Him, only trust Him now, for He will save you, He will save you, He will save you now."

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So just Who do you figure told her she didn’t belong at the Jimmy Swaggart Ministries? I mean after all she did confirm there had been some confusion about it in her mind ("this is where I belong"). Would you believe God Almighty for One? It all came about in step number three (3) of His Perfect Plan — the Spirit of Understanding — as He tried to direct Tabitha’s walk in the Spirit! He told her to leave but she refused to believe it was God. And, to top it all off, after she admits to the fact that she "just said no to Jesus!", and before a world-wide television audience, she then goes on to sing about trusting in God’s Seven Step Salvation Process. Now do you call that hypocritical or what?

In fact to wrap this sermonet up the Lord has given me one final Scripture that kinda like hits the nail on the head concerning this message. It comes from Galatians chapter 3 verse 14 and it goes like this: "That the blessings of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ: that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."

So how do we receive the promise of the Spirit? It’s called having the faith that’s willing to die to the flesh and be born of the Spirit of God... and it can only be accomplished if we have faith in what Jesus Christ accomplished at the Cross. Through the Power of the Holy Spirit, and His walk of obedience to God the Father, Jesus overcame and defeated every sin of the world in His Flesh! Jesus Christ took on a Flesh and Blood Body just so He could complete God’s Seven Step Process and prepare the way for us to do the same. Glory!!!

Now when it comes to the Jimmy Swaggart Ministry I fully realize this has been one more abrasive sermonet... but this is what the Holy Spirit has given me to say. This message is not intended to destroy anyone! On the contrary it was designed by God to save many souls from the burning fires of Hell. The Jimmy Swaggart Ministry will be used greatly during the end-time harvest, but it must be preaching God’s Truth in order for it to all happen. My prayer is that God’s Will be accomplished through this message.

In closing, please let me say that it is extremely important that we as Christians hear and obey each and every command from God Almighty. We are getting very close to the time when Satan will be removed from his throne... and he’s not the least bit happy about it. As Satan’s deceptive powers continue to increase his ability to destroy Believers’ faith will likewise do the same. Don’t get caught in his trap! Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and Keep On Keeping The Faith In Jesus!!!

(See sermonets Jimmy Swaggart And The Accursed! (12/30/01), Jimmy Swaggart And The 'Since' That Should Have Remained 'If'! (3/24/02), Is Jimmy Swaggart's Wife Frances Really Uncovered? (5/5/02), Jimmy Swaggart Repents! (9/25/04), The Monster Within Jimmy Swaggart Threatens To Kill Gays! (9/26/04), Jimmy Swaggart Trashes Knee Worshiping Frances! (8/14/05), and Jimmy Swaggart Thinks He Has Arrived...But God's Got An Eraser! (10/23/05) for updated information on this subject.)

Love,

Dad (Bruce Hallman)