About Us
The foundation of faith
The Holy Scripture is the only source and complete foundation of our faith, the only guideline in teaching and life. God through His prophets in the Old Testament and by the apostles in the New Testament has left us all that we need to know. The Bible contains the whole testimony of God where unto nothing can be added as with a last will and testament (Gal. 3:15).
Only what the apostles left behind in the New Testament is indeed “apostolic teaching”. Only what the Bible truly teaches is “biblical”. Only what originates with Christ Himself is “Christian”. Statements of faith declared at different councils in the course of church history are rejected as additions and forgeries of the original Word.
Mission Centre Ethiopia is a local fellowship that is not affiliated with any denomination. A great number of denominations have come into existence since the Reformation, each founding local churches and establishing an organizational headquarters. But we are in connection with the proclamation of the whole counsel of God by the only valid Word which is necessary for the completion of the New Testament church. We do not claim to be the only church with salvation. We are just a part of the “ecclesia” together with all who are “called out” by the Word of God and are chosen to be part of the church of the living God. We do not point to a man as a founder but are a continuation of the revivals which came upon the earth at the beginning of the 20th Century and after the Second World War as a direct move of the Holy Spirit. The LORD Himself builds the church (Matt. 16:18) and He also completes it for the day of His return.
Mission Centre Ethiopia is also dedicated to the distribution of literature and sermons in connection with the proclamation of the last scriptural message for the Gentile church. We are in this way associated with the Freie Volksmission Krefeld and the biblical expositions and preachings of the missionary Ewald Frank. Our concern is the calling out and preparation of the church of Jesus Christ as the bride to meet the bridegroom. Like Krefeld, we believe that everyone belonging to God’s people, regardless of church affiliation, must be served.
The belief in one true God, besides whom there is no other, and who manifests His attributes as Creator, Sustainer, Saviour, King, Judge etc. is for us the only binding and valid foundation of faith. ‘Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God the LORD is One’ (Deut. 6:4-9; Mk. 12:28-34) is the oldest documented scriptural statement of faith coming directly from the lips of God Himself. The Jesus only teaching as well as the trinity doctrine, are rejected because they are not attested in the Bible.
The Nicean-Chalcedonian faith creed must be rejected because it is not biblical. Besides other points one can read therein, ‘… the only Son of God eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being with the Father …’ For a Son to have been begotten of the Father in heaven Who then also became God — there is not the slightest hint for such an idea in the Bible. The tri-unity image, which is been taught, was adopted by the Gentile church fathers and is a presentation of an old mythology brought over into formal Christianity. The true apostolic confession is found only in the Bible. In the “Didache” called ‘apostle doctrines’ is found what church fathers formulated. Clerical statements of faith are part of the dogma-history and therefore not binding for us.
God is one. He is not three persons who are omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent and eternal; not three persons who are part of the Almightiness; not three who agree; but rather the only One true Almighty Eternal God who is Spirit and has manifested Himself in various ways since the beginning of time. In the new covenant He revealed Himself for our salvation as Father in heaven, in the Son (Immanuel = ‘God with us’) on earth and in His church by the Holy Spirit. The Son was promised throughout all the Old Testament. He was the One begotten by the Holy Ghost, born by Mary, appeared in the flesh as our Redeemer, the firstborn among many brethren. The Son is also the LORD. Therefore it is written, ‘And why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?’ (Lk. 1:43). It is also written, ‘For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour Who is Christ the Lord’ (Lk. 2:11). And again it is written: ‘…and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Spirit’ (1 Cor. 12:3b). The ‘I AM’, the Logos, the Word, the One who spoke all things into existence, the One revealing Himself is always the same. The LORD/Yahweh of the Old Testament is the LORD/Jesus in the New Testament. In the Old Testament He was in a spirit body, in the New Testament in a body of flesh.
God created man in His own image to have fellowship with Him. The relationship between the Creator and those created by Him was broken through the fall. The fall culminated in the beguiling from which a seed came forth. Therefore the LORD directly had to put enmity between the two seeds and pronounced judgement upon Eve who would give birth to her children with pain. In the same connection the first promise was given with view of the Redeemer that the divine Seed would come through the woman and bruise the head of the cursed serpent (Gen. 3:13-17).
At the beginning of the natural creation Satan through deceiving Eve and pulling Adam into the transgression, all humanity was drawn into the fall. In this wise Satan received influence and power over the whole creation, which by disobedience and transgression was separated from God and thrown into death. At the beginning of the supernatural creation God took fallen humanity back from Satan — by overshadowing Mary and the begetting of the Holy Ghost the Son of God, the last Adam, was born into this world. Through redemption and reconciliation the damage was made good and the fellowship with God was re-established and we received the adoption as sons (Gal. 4:4-7) ‘God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself’ (2 Cor. 5:19).
The secret of redeeming lost humanity is found in the fact that the Redeemer Himself as the Word, which was at the beginning, became flesh, fully human being, so that in His body of flesh He could die vicariously, go down to conquer death and h***, and manifest the new life by His resurrection. Because the fall happened in the body of flesh and blood, the redemption of fallen humanity also had to occur in a body of flesh, so the holy blood wherein divine life was could be shed on the Cross of Calvary.
Baptism in water
Baptism is administered after the apostolic pattern with those who believe according to the Word of the resurrected Lord, ‘He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved …’ (Mk. 16:16). ‘Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God’ (Rom. 10:17). Baptism takes place by immersion as it was also done in the first centuries after apostolic times. The sprinkling and the pouring of water and the reciting of a triune formula came about in the epoch when Christianity was forced upon nations and are therefore rejected as not having a Bible foundation.
Let us call upon some witnesses of the early church: Peter, the man of the first hour, said on the first day when the New Testament church was established with divine authority under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, ‘Repent, and be baptised, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’ (Acts 2:38). For thus it is written, ‘and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations’ (Lk. 24:47).
Also after the evangelical ministry of Philip in Samaria those who believed were baptised as we can read in Acts 8:16: ‘… only they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus.’
To establish this important teaching we shall call upon a third witness to complete the testimony. After the apostle Paul shared the Word in Ephesus baptism took place as stated in Acts 19:5, ‘When they heard this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus.’ In baptism a believer testifies to having received the forgiveness of their sins and confirms it in obedience to the Great Commission.
The early apostles and Philip as well as Paul preached and administered baptism precisely according to Mt. 28:19. They did not repeat the text as a formula, but rather had apparently understood what the LORD meant when He said, ‘… baptising them into the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit …’, namely that the New Testament covenant name Jesus was the emphasis in the commission. The one true God revealed Himself as Father, Son and Holy Ghost, to whom applies the name which is above every name and all salvation lies (Acts 4:12). God is “Father” but that is not His name; “Son” is not a name but what He is; and “Holy Ghost” is not a name. The one name of the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost into which the apostles were commissioned to baptise then, now and forever is the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the true doctrine and practice of the apostles documented by the witnesses in the New Testament. At the beginning of Christianity all believers were baptised in the name of Jesus Christ, even Paul himself (Rom. 6:3). This baptism is also confirmed in church history of being practised long after the apostles. There is not a single place in the Bible where baptism was administered by just repeating the text of Mt. 28:19.
The LORD’s Supper
The LORD’s Supper is also celebrated according to the Scripture. All Bible believers may participate in the Lord’s Supper as they believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour and have received the salvation of God by grace.
One bread without leaven is being prepared according to the number of those participating. During prayer the bread is blessed, then broken and shared with all. The cup contains red wine and is also blessed under prayer and all participate therein. It is for a remembrance of the suffering and death of our Lord and Redeemer who became the sacrifice, shedding His holy blood to pay the price for His own, which make up the church, His body: ‘And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins’ (Mt. 26:26-28).
The notion of many little cups is contrary to the Scripture. One cup containing red wine – not any kind of juice – should be finished by the believers since the LORD said, ‘Drink ye all of it’ (Mt. 26:27). By the commission of the LORD the apostle Paul also left to us the deeper instructions about the LORD’s Supper, stating, ‘The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body; for we are all partakers of that one bread’ (1 Cor. 10:16-17).
He continues to give some more information about this important subject: ‘For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread; And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, Take, eat; this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come’ (1 Cor. 11:23-26).
Nothing is being said about the wine and bread being changed into the literal blood and body of Christ, that is to say, into the living Christ who then should be eaten. Such a thought is not expressed in the Holy Scripture at all. Furthermore, a supper denotes an evening meal and the taking of the communion in the morning – it would then be called “The LORD’s Breakfast” – is unscriptural.
The Return of Christ
We believe that the return of Jesus Christ, as repeatedly promised in the Holy Scripture, is close at hand. The promise came from the lips of our LORD Himself, ‘… and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also’ (Jn. 14:1-3). Our Lord emphasised that we should watch the signs of the time: ‘So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the door. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled’ (Mt. 24:32-47). In Lk. 21:28-36 we are also told about the events predicted for the end-time, ‘And when these things began to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draws near.’ The day or the hour of His return, of course, cannot be known but as Bible prophecies are coming to fulfilment we look upon them as signs in the end-time predicted by our LORD and taking place now.
The apostle Peter writes, ‘For we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ …’ (2 Pt. 1:16-21). In 2 Pt. 3:3, we are told in advance, ‘Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming …’ In verse 9 he gave the answer, ‘The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’
At this point it needs to be emphasised that the Mission Centre Ethiopia should not be placed into the ranks of the various end-time sects who profess to follow William Branham. Not a single sermon or publication about Armageddon or Doomsday originated with us or with Ewald Frank. This was done by people who never took time to search the Scriptures. We believe in the promised return of our LORD and have the task to acquaint the bride church with the biblical message of the bridegroom now before His coming. The prophetic part including all the eschatological (end-time) events as predicted in the apocalyptic prophecies are part of our exposition.
The return of Jesus Christ is identical with the first resurrection. The heavenly bridegroom will take His earthly bride home (Mt. 25:1-10; 1 Thess. 4:13-17; Rev. 19:1-9 a.o.). Before the Millennial Reign commences the martyrs from the tribulation period are added, ‘Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection; on such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years’ (Rev. 20:4-6). The second resurrection will occur after the one thousand years reign of Christ when all people who ever lived on earth will be summoned to the last judgement (Rev. 20:11). Thereafter God Himself will create the new heavens and the new earth: ‘And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away … And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold I make all things new’ (Rev. 21:1-8).
William Branham and his prophetic ministry in the end-time
We claim to believe as the Holy Scripture says and acknowledge with thankful hearts that we are now living close to the second coming of Christ. We see Bible prophecies fulfilled as it was at His first coming. The New Testament began with the fulfilment of Scriptural prophecies and ends the same way. The promise that a voice would cry in the wilderness (Isa. 40:3) and that the Lord would send His messenger to prepare His way (Mal. 3:1) became a living reality in the ministry of John the Baptist. This we find confirmed in Mt. 11:10, Mk. 1:1-4, Lk. 1:16-17 and Jn. 1:19-28.
As it was given to our brethren at the beginning to experience the fulfilment of Bible prophecies and to rightly place them, so is it with us now. John the Baptist appeared on the scene just before the day of salvation commenced. His ministry was done in the spirit and power of Elijah and many came to believe because of his message (Jn. 10:41-42). But there remains also the promise, ‘Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD’ (Mal. 4:5). According to 2 Cor. 1:20, ‘… all the promises of God in Him are “Yea” and in Him “Amen” unto the Glory of God by us.’ Not one of His promises can remain unfulfilled. Because of the importance of the last promise in the Old Testament our LORD repeated the same in the New, ‘And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elijah truly shall first come, and restore all things’ (Mt. 17: 11). ‘And he answered and told them, Elijah verily cometh first, and restoreth all things’ (Mk. 9:12). Also these scriptures do not permit a private interpretation. It is noteworthy that this announcement was given after the ministry of John the Baptist had long finished.
As certain as John the Baptist was the Elijah at the first coming of Christ, it is certain that the promise remained about the coming of Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the LORD. Through his ministry all things will be put into the right order and place. This promise was fulfilled in our time. Because of the many deviations a total return to the original teachings and Bible practices had to take place. The church of Jesus Christ at the end must be the same in teaching and life as she was at the beginning. The apostles understood the promises in the right way and placed them accordingly. In his second sermon after Pentecost the apostle Peter spoke about the times of refreshing that would come from the presence of the LORD in view of the return of Christ, ‘Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began’ (Acts 3:19-21). That is ‘Thus saith the LORD’ in His Word who watches over it and brings it to pass when the time is fulfilled.
Every time when something pertaining to the plan of salvation took place it was accompanied by the supernatural. The birth of John the Baptist and, of course the birth of our Lord was announced by the angel Gabriel (Lk. 1 + 2). When Saul was called and commissioned the LORD appeared to him, as in the time of Moses, in the supernatural light as recorded in Acts 9, 22 and 26. We therefore should not be astonished that the same has happened in our time. In the contrary, it only confirms that the ever-true God is the one who reveals Himself and who acts in all things pertaining to the plan of salvation even now at the end-time.
It truly happened on 11th June 1933 at about 2:00 PM in the presence of approximately 4,000 people when the supernatural light broke through the clouds descending over the young preacher William Branham. At the moment he was about to baptise the 17th person in the Ohio River, the voice from this light spoke to him, ‘As John the Baptist was send to forerun the first coming of Christ, the message that is given you will be a forerunner of the second coming of Christ.’ In the ministry of William Branham we are dealing with a divine commission, the fulfilment of the Elijah prophecy.
William Branham also referred to the experience he had on the evening of 7th May 1946 when the supernatural light illuminated the room and the angel of the Lord, who he described precisely, stood before him saying, ‘Fear not, I am sent to you from the presence of God to tell you of your commission…’ As true as every calling has been which we find recorded in the Bible, this one is also true because it is a direct fulfilment of the promise God made. It is also important to know that the ministry of Ewald Frank is in direct connection with William Branham. He attests to being an eye- and ear-witness of this God-given ministry for a period of ten years from 1955 to 1965.
So that this generation will be without excuse, the following happened on 24th January 1950: the supernatural light descended during a meeting in the Coliseum in Houston, Texas, where about 8,000 people were gathered to hear William Branham preach. This took place after a debate between Dr. Best who denied any supernatural to take place in our time and the co-worker of Rev. Branham, Rev. F. F. Bosworth. At the moment William Branham come to the pulpit and he said, ‘I do not need to defend myself. He that called and commissioned me will also confirm it.’ The press photographers Mr. Ayers and Mr. Kippermann were taking many photos. At this moment Mr. Ayers pressed the button of his camera. When Mr. Ayers was developing the film in the Douglas Studio, he noticed that only one picture had come out with the supernatural light about the head of Rev. Branham. The official expert of FBI for questioned documents Dr. George J. Lacy confirmed on 29th January 1950 that the negative was absolutely genuine and the light had to be there in order for the camera to catch it. Apparently in this age of technical inventions God permitted unbelievers to confirm His presence among believers.
It would be indeed pitiful if we only knew about what evangelists and charismatic personalities are doing who all have their own plans and programs. To say it clearly, they all build their kingdoms within the kingdom of God and establish their own churches, Bible schools etc. If we would not know what God is doing now in His kingdom and in His church, we would be of all men most miserable. He redeemed His church, He builds His church and calls His own out of all the religious captivities and confusion and brings us back to the original foundation of the apostles and prophets whereby Jesus Christ Himself is the chief cornerstone (Eph. 2:20) and is also the headstone (Zech. 4:7). Now, according to Mt. 24:45, in all faithfulness, the spiritual food is given in due season. Man does not live by bread alone but by every Word of God (Mt. 4:4; Lk. 4:4) which is the spiritual manna for our souls.
Ever since God had His servants, He also placed the different ministries into the Church (1 Cor. 12:28, Eph 4:11-16). From God’s point of view the ministry of Rev. Branham is just as important as that of Moses, of Joshua, of John the Baptist, of the apostles Peter and Paul. Furthermore, Rev. Ewald Frank also received a direct calling and commission on the 2nd April 1962 to preach God’s Word and to proclaim the divine message which would go forth into all the world before the second coming of Christ. His ministry is only a continuation of what God has given by the direct commission to William Branham.
We believe that the ministry of Ewald Frank is to rightly divide the Word of truth and place it correctly as with the commission of the apostle Paul in his day. We are now experiencing the last part of the events pertaining to the plan of salvation and soon we shall see the completion. Finally, the following remark should be permitted: only those who are of God will hear the Word of God (Jn. 8:47). And as it was revealed to the apostle Paul in Rom 11:7, it is even now the case that only the elect will receive what God has given. The religious leaders of all times bypassed what God was doing. They did not recognise the ministry of John the Baptist and were totally opposed to our LORD and His ministry although they were celebrating their religious services. Is it possible that history is repeating itself? One thing remains true forever: God does all things according to His Word in fulfilling the promises He made.
To avoid misunderstandings it may by emphasised that we, along with Freie-Volksmission Krefeld, have distanced ourselves from all so-called ‘Branham-churches’ and ‘Message Believers’ who do not take the Holy Scripture as their final authority but are rather taking statements of Brother Branham out of context and establishing their own teachings. We do not believe in a ‘Branham-Gospel’ or in a ‘Branham-Message’ but in the true message of God’s Word brought to us by the messenger. Therefore we believe the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ our LORD and we are now ambassadors of Christ as the apostle Paul states in 2 Cor. 5:20: ‘Now, then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ’s stead, be you reconciled to God.’
The grace and the peace of God be with you all in the name of Jesus Christ, our LORD.