Kenneth Copeland - Following God's Chain of Command
Hello again, everybody on Wednesday, this is the Believer’s Voice of Victory broadcast. And we are here in Kenneth Copeland Bible College in class this morning. So we’re glad you joined us. We’re studying the Christian chain of command. Now our golden text, which we’ll go to the 14th chapter of the Book of First Corinthians. The Spirit of God said through this great apostle Paul, «Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order». He did not say, «Try not to do that». That’s the Gospel.
If you’re going to obey the Gospel, you have to obey that. Whether you speak in tongues or not, don’t you dare forbid anybody else to. You’re way out of line. You’re way out of order. This is command orders that have come down from headquarters. And these are written orders. We had finished basic training. I didn’t know where I was going until I received my orders. When I was to report at Fort Gordon, Georgia, for Southeastern Signal School. That’s when I found out I was in the Signal Corps. The signal what… corps, the Corps. I met another one of my heroes, General Jerry R. Currie, just a little black boy, got baptized in the Holy Ghost when he’s nine years old and enlisted in the U.S. Army. But he accepted every school that they came out with. I mean, if they had a school, he was determined and he was led of the Lord.
Except every school they offer. He wasn’t trying to be a general. He’s just doing a good job. He accepted all the schools. He wound up learning how to fly airplanes and helicopters, went to war. Korea, Vietnam, wound up a three star general up through the ranks. I had dinner with him one time. Delightful man. And of course, you know, picking his brain. I wanted to know more about him, and I knew those facts before I ever met him. And we finished dinner, and of course I talk to him about his mother and he said, «You know, my mother, she’s the one that really encouraged me, saw to it that I studied hard». But he said, «There’s something I do not understand about the body of Christ», and he’s qualified to speak.
Born again, Holy Ghost baptized man, came up through the ranks to Major General, not a brigadier, a three star. He said, «There’s something I don’t understand about the body of Christ». Now we’re talking about the body of Christ Chain of Command here. He said, «This is a situation that actually happened to me. I had a situation under my command that I didn’t know how to fix. I did not know how to handle it. But there was another general that had exactly the same problem. I didn’t like that guy. He used words like obnoxious. But I called him and I told him, I had rather have called anybody else but you. But for the sake of the Corps, I’ve got this problem here and I know you fixed it. He said to me, 'Well, I feel the same way about you, in fact I hate your guts, but for the sake of the corps, here’s what we did.'»
For the sake of the body of Christ, for the sake of the Corps this is what we did. He said, «I don’t understand». That’s a huge problem. Well, I’ll tell you right now, those people preach on water baptism absolutely too much. What business is it of yours. Gloria’s grandmother, they were very faithful Church of Christ. Well, water baptism is a main thing with them. But they came and visited Grace Temple, where I preached, afterwards… and she just wanted to know. She said, «Kenneth, you did not mention water baptism one single time». I said, «Mom, there’s a reason for that». «What»? I said, «Everybody there had been baptized». «Oh, okay. Nobody ever mentioned that to her. That’s just the way we did it».
And then she came with James 5 in her hand. She said, «Kenneth, you believe this»? I said, «Yes I do, Mom». She said, «No use going to our elders, they don’t believe anything». Well, little country Church of Christ, her pastor told me. He said, «Copeland, she sits on the front row» and he said, «I have to be careful to read the Scripture right, she corrects me right in the middle of my sermon». Why? She knew God, she’s bossy about it, but she knew God. She said, «I have a back problem. Will you and Gloria anoint me with oil»? So we did. What happened? She considered me an elder of the church because her elders didn’t believe that, she went up a grade in the chain of command at the Lord’s direction.
So Gloria and I anointed her with oil and she went, «Oh, oh, yes,» she got up and bent around. I said, «Now Mom, wait a minute. If a doctor had done this, you’d tell everybody in Center Point, everybody in Little Rock, everybody in Texarkana about it». «Yes». I said, «Now you’re going to have to go tell the people at the church. You’re going to have to go testify because Jesus healed your back». Amen. So now then, let’s go back to Matthew 7 again, and we’ll start there. «Judge, not that you be not judged». So what else you need to know? That’s a commandment. «Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye measure it, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? You hypocrite…»
What is a hypocrite? It’s a mask. It’s an actor’s mask. I particularly like Tom Selleck in Monty Walsh. Tom Selleck was not Monty Walsh, but he answered to that name in that movie. And he had a line in that movie that I picked up. And what is your name again? Robert something… And he said, «Well, Bob, you can’t know how little I care». Well, devil, you have no idea how little I care because I’ve cast all my care over on my God and he is my care taker. I liked that. I also like cowboy sayings, I like Butch Bruton, Cowboy preacher on the Victory Channel. And he said, now this is a cowboy saying, «I realize I’m the same age as old people…»
Now see that’s a joyful moment. I realize I’m the same age as old people, hallelujah. «You hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh…» But you have to go through all that other first to get there. That was the bottom line of this because I was seeking, actually that word is research. Research, how? In this Book, both ends of it, all 66 books. Amen. Thank You, Jesus.
Now let’s go to the 14th chapter of Romans. Let’s look the last part of that 13 chapter verse 12. «The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light». Oh, Oh, that’s good. Put on the armor of light. «Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering, or lewd behavior. and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs».
I eat vegetables. You eat meat. That’s your business, not mine. I had to learn… «For God hath received him. Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand». What business of it is yours to judge another man’s servant. Judge not in the first place. But now you’ve judged another man servant just because of the way he eats. Now I see people that are obviously obese. I don’t judge that person, I used to be that person. I got up to 263 pounds, one time. I didn’t stay there very long. But I weighed in this morning at 160. It’s dangerous, but it’s not my business to do anything but to pray. And I see it on television, I see it and things and I say, «Oh Lord, open the eyes of his or her understanding, like you opened mine».
I had to learn this. So whom am I to judge someone else for that. I can’t do that. Or to judge someone… anybody, I don’t care who it is. But now let’s bring this down to close. How many of you called to pastor? How many have you called to evangelistic ministry and so forth like that? Well, you know where my calling is, I started out as a teacher. Now the Ministry of the prophet had come across my spirit, but you’ve got to remember now, you don’t got to. But you must remember that this is 60's and 70's and well, January 24th, 1967 is when I enrolled at ORU. But now this is ten years later in 1977. But before that, I picked that up and I just said to the Lord, I said, «Sir, I am not going to announce this».
Now, there are those that do. I’m thinking about a situation right now in this particular church where they decided we’re going to have a full New Testament church and we will appoint apostles and prophets and pastors and teachers… Really… And you were born in Bethlehem, right? Not hardly. Well, it created chaos in that church because then those people tried, they were honest about it… well, okay. So they tried to be apostles. They tried to be prophets. Can you see where that’s going? There’s going to be chaos in that because the devil’s going to get right in the middle of it and there’s going to be false prophecies and it’s going to butt into the people’s lives and there were a lot of places, a lot of cases, particularly back in those days where that happened.
But at camp meeting, and I told the Lord, I asked him, I said, «Sir»… and I would like for you to do it publicly. So I’m not going to announce this, but I just forgot about it. The last night of camp meeting at the William Center, packed out, 9000 people in there, Brother Hagin giving the invitation. Well the speakers were up on the platform and I had been one of the speakers. I was right behind Brother Hagin, he was standing there at the pulpit and he began to give the invitation. And then as he did, he said, «Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ll tell him. Ken Copeland…» Right before that the Lord said, «Get on your knees». I said, «I don’t want to call attention». He said, «Get on your knees now».
Just as my knees touched the floor, he said, «Ken Copeland, you’re going to have to move over there into that healing ministry a little sooner than you thought you would. You’re not stepping out ahead of God. You’re keep in step with God, now knowing you, you will do it. And whether you want to or not, you’re going to operate in the office of the Prophet, the seer, the seer. Standing right in the pulpit you will see it like it’s run off over television and you’ll be able to minister to the people. And by the authority invested in me as a prophet of God and direction of the head of the church, I separate you to that office».
And I got it back to the room that night. I just kind of stunned. And the Lord said, «How’d I do»? You did good and listen how he put it, whether you want to or not. I mean, the Lord just was so kind and sweet to that and other, he let everybody know he was calling me to that office and I didn’t have the slightest idea what to do with it, but it was in order of the chain of command. I didn’t call myself that. And we’re out of time again today. Glory to God. So let’s give the Lord a praise right here and now. Thank You Lord.