PAUL PLANTED

APOLLOS WATERED

AND GOD GAVE THE INCREASE

AS WE LABORED TOGETHER

Thought for the book taken from the

Message delivered on July 13, 2009

Chilanga, Zambia

©2009 by Ben Howard

All rights reserved. This book cannot be sold, nor in any way be used

for the soliciting of funds.

All scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version Bible

Published by the Sound Of Liberty

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TwoAnds@soundofliberty.org

PAUL PLANTED

APOLLOS WATERED

AND GOD GAVE THE INCREASE

AS WE LABORED TOGETHER

CHILANGA, ZAMBIA

It's so good to be with you again. I was with you two years ago and was greatly blessed by being with you. It's good to see this good number out on a Monday morning. We thank God for you.

We're going to begin our reading of the Word of God today in 1 Corinthians 3:4 and I want to take this thought, Paul Planted, Apollos Watered, and God Gave the Increase As We Labored Together. As we look at the Word, we see the word planted. Planting is a very important thing. You cannot have a crop without planting something. In every new move of God there has to be a planting. We are in a new day, and there is some Word being planted.

In the days of Paul, he had the full knowledge that the job wasn't his alone, because he said, "I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase; and we're laborers together with God." So that's what we're doing, we're planting for a new day as we enter into a new phase of the moving of God. We've come through the seven church ages where God sent seven messengers, and each one of those messengers planted for their time season. There were others that watered the seed; and God gave the increase as every predestinated seed from that time period came in. As each age labored with God, God gave the increase; and the increase was the predestinated for that time period. If God gives the Word, He has predestinated a people to receive the Word. So, planting means there's going to be a harvest; and the harvest of this message is the rapture. Then the angels can sing, "Bringing in the sheaves." So God has been moving in a special way through every age, and especially in the days we're living in.

Many of us have lived in different parts of the move of God. My ministry began in the 1950s. I saw many plantings and many harvests. I saw the planting and the harvest of the deliverance movement where there were big tents all over the country. Ministers preached healing and deliverance and God gave a harvest. Then that season came to a close, and it began to come into the teaching of the Word. Therefore, as we look at the planting of the seed, we look back to the church ages as they were preached. That was a planted seed, and now we have understanding of the seven church ages. There was a message. There's a book entitled, The Seven Church Ages, written by the Prophet Brother William Branham, which gives details on this.

Also, I was ministering before the seals were opened. The Word was planted that the seals had been opened; and it was explained what the seals were. As God sent that spirit of Elijah back to earth, there was a planting and a harvest. But God didn't use just one man to do the harvesting. He didn't use just one man to work His garden. Paul said, "I have planted; Apollos, he did the watering." Then he said, "Who is Paul; who is Apollos? They're only ministers by whom you believed."

Having said that now, let me read the scripture in 1 Corinthians 3:4,"For while one saith, I am of Paul: and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?" That's looking to the human side of the thing, but this is the work of God. Verses 5-7, "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase." He is saying here that this work is of God. God used Paul as that apostle to the Gentiles, and Paul spearheaded the great move in his day. He said, "I am the apostle to the Gentiles; I magnify my office." Then he said, "Don't get your eyes on Paul; don't get your eyes on Apollos, but it is God that doeth the work." He said what Paul did would be nothing, and Apollos watering would be nothing, if God didn't put His blessings upon it and increase it. Praise God! Brother Ben is nobody. Brother Lovemore is nobody; but it's to glorify Jesus Christ. He's the one who gets the glory. He's the one that adds to. He's the one that gives the increase. So when you plant your garden you put your seed in the ground, you water it, and then you ask God to let it grow. It's God that puts the sun in the sky. It's God that sends the rain. It's God that puts the nutrition in the soil. It's God that causes you to have a harvest. So we're just laboring together with God.

Now God has got a harvest. You're the planting of the Lord. You're like a tree planted by the water that stretches forth its branches. There's a message going forth where the tree of life is being re-planted. It's being re-planted in this day and this hour. There's not one person planting; there's not one person doing the watering; but we're all working together. The Bible says we're going to be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. Paul is speaking of that word together when he said, "Let there be no division among you; but have the same mind and the same judgment." And he said, "We're laborers together." So what we're doing is planting, what we're doing is watering, and what we're doing is saying, "Lord, give the increase."

In every time period there was a move of God which had a planting. There was a great planting in the seventh church age. God used one great prophet to do some planting, but he used many to water. In the Book of Psalms it says, "The Lord gave the Word, but great was the company that published it." This work is of God and we're all equally involved in it. My wife back here at the video camera, she'll take these messages and put them on the internet and the whole world can see and hear them. They can hear Brother Lovemore interpret them. They can hear you saying, "Amen." They can hear the rain falling. That's your Amens and Praises! We're expecting a crop, the dead in Christ is going to rise, the living is going to be changed, and together we'll be caught up to meet the Lord in the air; so shall we ever be with the Lord.

The Bible says in Revelation 10:7, "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets." That 'mystery' is the seven church ages and it has brought forth a good harvest. I visited the library of the Voice of God when I was in Zimbabwe. It's a very big compound. There's been a great harvest to that planting and we praise God for it. The harvest has been gathered in, but now there's another planting. After the seven church ages are over, after the mystery of God is finished, after the seals have been opened, then we see the Mighty Angel come down from heaven, which was Christ coming in angelical form. Brother Branham said, "I must decrease, but He must increase." Praise God, there has been a great move of God and there has been a harvest, and great was the harvest. The harvest was that evening time. The harvest was what that evening time message produced after the seals were opened, as the Lamb opened them and gave the revelation to Brother Branham.

Then there was the Voice from heaven that spake again. The Voice from heaven spake to John and said, "Go take the little book which is open in the hand of the Mighty Angel." Now we're getting into another time period. We're going from Revelation 10:7 to Revelation 10:8. In Revelation 10:7, God took His prophet off the scene when the mystery was finished. The world was in the evening light. The Word says at evening time there will be light; and praise God there was light in evening time as that day was coming to a close. But as Brother Lovemore was saying earlier, every morning the sun rises and it sets in the evening time; and the next morning the hand of God gets the sun up. The hand of God is reaching out with the sun for a new day. The Bible says when Christ comes back to earth, Revelation 10:1-7 at the early beginning, His face was shrouded in a cloud, and the cloud stayed around His face until the seven thunders were uttered; until the seventh angel's message was finished. But then the sun broke forth in a new day for those who are married to Christ. The cloud rolled back and the Voice spake from heaven again saying, "Come on, it's a new day. Come on, there's still a move of God. John, go take the little book and begin to eat thereof." There's a planting for this message of this hour.

When the Prophet William Branham went off the scene, he said to go back to the beginning. When we go back to the beginning we find an apostolic ministry. We find a time when the gospel was in the hands of the Jews, and later God called an apostle for the Gentiles. And as we've gone back to the beginning, we go back to that new day as it begins. By this time, God has explained unto us where Israel fits into the picture just before this new day of God breaks forth, and is a time referred to as 'a silence in heaven' and it's at the very ending of the revelation of the seals. And in that time period, that transitional period of 'a silence in heaven' God used a man named Raymond Jackson, Jr. to tell us about Israel. He let us know how God was going to deal with Israel. He let us know about the mystery woman of Revelation Chapter 12; and he showed us where each tribe fits. He told us about the trumpets and vials, the millennium reign; and many other revelations he explained. He told us about the preaching of the everlasting gospel and the 144,000 Jews that would go forth and preach it, this transitional time period ending as the Voice spake from heaven again. (Revelation 10:8)

As God took Brother Branham off the scene in 1965, He also took Brother Jackson off the scene in the year 2004. All of that has been planted and gathered in. There's been a great planting of the Word. God used the Apostle Brother Jackson to plant the Word and let us know where Israel fits. There were other men that watered that Word. A paper called The Contender went all over the world. God gave the Word, but many were those that published it. Now they're still publishing it; and there has been a harvest of that part (or phase) of the message. Now God continues re-planting His garden. And when He re-plants the garden, as He is doing now, it's a message that takes us into the final phase, the consummation of the marriage, and Africa is one of the recipients of it. There's a great move of God taking place here in Africa. It's a new day for Africa. It's a new day for the bride, and there's a new phase of the message. This message reaches back and it gets the life of what Brother Branham taught; it gets the life of what Brother Jackson taught, and that life is gathered into this final phase. Then God began to plant this seed. He incorporates all that He has previously done so that the bride will have complete understanding.

So in the days of Paul after the Jewish age was over, God planted a brand new garden for the Gentiles. He said that He was going to call out of the Gentiles a people for His name sake, and there began a new day. God made that message so powerful, God made that message so real, and God so anointed that message that people failed to see it was of God. They began to think it was Paul. Some began to think it was Apollos. Paul said, "Some of you say, I am of Paul, and some of you say, I am of Apollos. Who is Paul? Who is Apollos?" Paul said, "I have planted and God used Apollos to water. But all would be in vain if it wasn't for God giving the increase." All that we do today would be in vain unless God gives the increase.

Now we're planting a garden, but before the planting takes place its necessary to break up the fallow ground! It's necessary to break up the clogs. It's necessary to put the seed in the ground. It's necessary to water the seed. And it's necessary to say, "Lord, you give the increase." That's what God is doing in this hour. There's a message that God sent to us; He calls it the little book. It was in heaven sealed with seven seals. And when John saw the book in heaven sealed with seven seals a strong angel came forth and said, "Who is worthy to take the book and loose the seals thereof?" And after the search went all over heaven and earth and there was no one found that could do it, John began to weep. Before coming here, we preached a message over in Zimbabwe entitled "Weep Not Little Bride." When John was weeping because no one could open the book, one of the elders said, "Weep not John. John, I've got some good news for you. The Lion of the Tribe of Juda, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof." Then John saw a bloody Lamb come forth and He took the book; he opened the seals. And instead of John weeping, he began to praise God! Everything in heaven began to praise God! "Because Thou was slain and has redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation."

With all seven seals being opened, He brought the little book to earth; although He didn't give it right then, He saved it back. It was a saved back message. He held on to it, until He cleared up another necessary portion of His Word before the marriage could take place. After God took the seventh messenger home, he used Brother Jackson to clear up the 2nd part to the 5th seal showing what will happen in Israel after the wife of the Lamb is raptured and the gospel goes back to Israel. Thus clearing up the remaining revelation of the 5th seal and also placing the revelation of the 6th seal, showing it was the day of the Lord after the tribulation period. Then the Voice spake from heaven again; the Voice spake, and that ended that 'silence in heaven.' It ended that transitional period for the bride to start a new day, for the marriage to take place. There was the Voice that spoke from heaven to start a new planting. It was the planting in the hearts and minds of God's people, 'this is not the end, but it's the beginning.' It's the consummation of the marriage; it's the eating of the little book.

When I was in Singapore I preached a message entitled, Is This the End or is It the Beginning? When the Voice said, "Time is no more," it was the ending of the seventh church age for the bride of Christ. Then the Voice from heaven sounded and started a new beginning, started a new planting, and that's what this message is all about. As Paul said, "I have planted." I can say today, "I am planting. There are others watering. But it is God that's giving the increase." He opened the door for the bride as the seven church ages came to a close. It was said at the end of that seventh church age, "I stand at the door and knock. If any man will open I will come in." At the end of the evening light message He closed the door on the age. Then God started a brand new day. And the day started with the Voice of the Almighty speaking, saying "It's not over with yet." Then He said, "John go take the little book." John received courage in his heart, and walked up to the Mighty Angel. I want you to notice that John walked up to the Mighty Angel and said, "Give me the little book." He was thoroughly empowered to do so. He was authorized to do so because the Voice had said to John, "Go to the Mighty Angel." So John had the commission to go to the Mighty Angel and say to the Mighty Angel, "Give me the little book." And for the first time the Mighty Angel spoke to John. He said, "Take the little book."

Now John had the authorization of Almighty God to speak. Sometimes God has to authorize us to speak. John had full confidence to speak. You're in a brand new day. There's a new planting. There's a new watering. There's a new increase being given of God. The book of life is back on earth again, and the Voice has authorized John to go ask for it and take possession of it. So when he walked up to the Mighty Angel, he realized he was fully authorized of God. You can't have faith in God to go take the book unless you know you're authorized to do so. John didn't walk up trembling. John didn't walk up afraid he would get rebuked. John walked up to the Mighty Angel knowing that the Almighty had commanded him to, and the Mighty Angel knew that he came in authority. The Mighty Angel said, "Here's the little book. Take it now and eat it up. It will be in your stomach bitter, but its sure going to taste good in your mouth. It's going to be just as sweet as honey." John said, "So I took the little book." That had started a new day, because the book that was sealed in heaven was now in the hands of John. After the Lamb had opened the seals, in order for this to happen in this manner, just previously God used a man that had the spirit of Elijah upon him and worked with him just like He would an Old Testament prophet. After the seals were opened, God took His prophet home. But before he went home he said, "Go back and preach the revelation that Paul preached." And when God took the prophet home, then the Almighty began to speak again. The same God that spoke to Brother Branham, the same one that spoke to him up in the Sunset Mountains of Arizona is now speaking to His wife. Now that the seals have all been taken off, all seven of them, He opened the book and made it available for us to eat. Now it's important to understand this so that we can go ask for it. There's a door closed to many people today because they claim they can't go beyond what the Prophet William Branham said. God used that prophet in a mighty way but He took him off the scene. Then He gave the book to John. He opened a brand new door.

When that seventh church age was over in Chapter 4 of the Book of Revelation, John said, "I heard a Voice from heaven saying, John just come on up a little higher." He said, "Come on up hither." And when John got into the Spiritual realm he heard a Voice like a trumpet talking. He heard a talking trumpet. That talking trumpet is the third phase (final, completion) of the coming of the Lord. And as John was up in heaven there, then that message of that trumpet reached back and connected with what Paul saw. Because Paul said, "The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the Voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God." And John being a (type) of the bride heard a trumpet begin to blow. That was the beginning of the planting for the final phase. That's what is taking place now. As this trumpet continues to sound, as we continue to eat the little book, the final phase of this, the harvest of this planting is the resurrection of the dead and the translation of the living. When the dead in Christ hear the Voice of the Son of God they will come forth. The Bible says, "We which are alive and remain are not going to hinder them that are already gone, but we will be changed in a moment and in the twinkling of an eye; caught up to meet the Lord in the air." So that's what God is doing; He is re-planting. It's a new day. It's a new move. It's a new time period. It's the eating of the little book. It's the re-planting of the tree of life. It's going back to get what Paul prophesied would be here.

We find that Paul's message was in two parts. The first part of his message was doctrinal and instructional, and that is what the church stood with through seven church ages. But the other part of Paul's message was prophetic; it was Word that was laid in his writings that was to happen in the last day. Some of the things that Paul prophesied did not happen in his day. He did introduce the bride to Christ in engagement; but the marriage didn't take place then. God took that prophetic part of Paul's message into glory and sealed it up with seven seals. Therefore, when that Lamb came to take the book, He had seven horns (earthly angels) and seven eyes, (Spiritual angels) which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth in all the earth. That represents the seven church ages and the seven angels that were with each age. They only received from the hand of God a survival message during that time. But then when the seven church ages are over with, when the last messenger has come and gone and God finishes up this mystery, then He brings back the prophetic part of Paul's message. In other words, He brings back the Spirit and lays it on the Word. Then that Word begins to live. That Word begins to bring forth a new crop. God does this with the apostolic ministry that is here to start planting along with other ministers that are here to start watering. Then God starts giving the increase to bring forth a harvest in the earth. The dead is raised and we are translated. Now God is enjoying His garden.

I want to read a little more here. I want to start back with Verse 4. I want you to get this, because it's very important. Now we're not going to just leave this in Paul's day, because as long as we preach what Paul did and leave it there, then we're preaching a historical part of the Word. But when we preach it we see that Paul laid the foundation for this and God has restored back once again that true living Word, Christ among us. He restored back that apostolic office, and there's a new message coming forth. That does not destroy anything God did in the past, but it places it so that the people will have confidence to go forward and say, "Give me the little book." Unless we have confidence we cannot walk up to the Mighty Angel and say, "Give me the little book." God lets us see what He has done step by step. We see exactly where we're at; we see the exact Word for this hour, and we can say, "Hallelujah!" As Jesus said, "This day this scripture is fulfilled. Go take the little book." John said, "I walked up to the Angel and said give me the little book." This day this scripture is fulfilled. And the Voice of the Almighty from heaven speaking, telling John to go get the little book shows that God has accepted us to be as righteous as Christ. Remember in heaven there was no one worthy all over heaven and earth, or under the earth, nowhere was anyone worthy. Then the Lamb came and He was worthy. He took the little book. Now He brought it down to earth. Then the Almighty recognized you as being worthy. Remember, no one was worthy; no one could even look (get the revelation of it) at the book, and certainly no one could eat the book. But because of the Lamb and because of what the Lamb did, Christ can now take unto Himself His Wife, and He clothed you in fine linen clean and white. This causes God to recognize the Wife of Christ to be just as holy as He is. Now you're not just a type of the ministry and the church like John was, but you are the wife of Christ. He said to John, "Now go get the book and eat it." John went and said, "Give me the little book." And the Angel said, "Take it and eat it up." John didn't hesitate; he started eating. And we're not hesitating, because of our faith in God. We're not hesitating, because we know the Voice of Authorization has spoken. We're not hesitating because the Mighty Angel said, "Take and eat it." And with confidence we're eating today. We're eating of this new planting. We're eating of the tree of life. There's an apostolic office like in the days of Paul, and we have been planting. There's men like Apollos that keeps watering this same message, and Almighty God looking down began to give increase. Paul concluded saying, "You are God's garden. You're God's building." Let's read about it.

I Corinthians 3:4, "For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?" He says if that's as far as you go you are carnal. Verse 5, "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?" We could say today, "Who then is Ben Howard? Who then is Brother Lovemore?" We are only servants that you believe by, but it's God that's giving the increase. God is giving the increase today! I want you to notice, it says, "As the Lord gave to every man." He gave some apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. God gives these. God gives the increase. The work is of Christ.

Verses 6-7, "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase." With this mighty work that is taking place today Paul said, "You get in a carnal realm if all you can see is man." A man told me last week; he said, "We ministers decided to come together. I know we all believe different things, but we all believe in Brother Branham. And since all of us believe in Brother Branham, we come together on that and nothing else matters." Well, that's what some were looking at in the days of Paul. Paul said, "Get your mind off of man and get it on God. We're only servants of the Lord." He said, "It is God that deserves all the glory." God said, "I'll not give my glory to another." We're just laborers in the garden. One is planting, another is watering, and some are bursting clogs. God gave the Word, and many be those that publish it. We're right in the middle of a new move of God and there is a mighty army of God marching forward. The Word said we will have one mind. We will have one mouth. We'll all believe the same thing, because God's anointing will say the same thing. It's God that gives the increase.

Verses 7-8, "So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one:…" Hallelujah! Hallelujah! I like that. He that planteth and he that watereth are one. We are one in Christ. By one Spirit we are baptized into one body. We become one with Christ as His wife. We are rejoicing in the Lord. The Marriage of the Lamb is come! And he said, "Let us be glad and rejoice!"

Continuing Verse 8, "Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour." Now I can't make it for you and do your part. You can't do my part. But as members of the body of Christ we can all do the same, because (as we're going to read) we're all working in the same garden. We're all loving God with all our hearts. There's apostolic planting going on today with this new move. God has ordained me to plant. He has ordained others to water. Great is the multitude that publishes the Word; but it is the Lord that gives the increase! I cannot receive what God has for you. You can't receive a reward for my labor, but together we're laboring in the Lord. The Lord says we are one, whether it is planting, or watering, or whatever it may be. Now the weeds that were in the church ages can no longer grow here. They can't grow in this final phase of the move of God. They can't grow in this little book. We are past that period where wheat and tares are growing together.

Let's continue reading now with Verse 9, "For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building." Now that word husbandry is garden. Ye are God's garden, and there's some new seed that is being planted in the garden of God. The planting up to this time was what happened in the church ages and showing Israel's place in the plan of God; but now the planting is for the marriage. This garden comes forth and brings forth the wife of Christ. She has the little book to eat. She has apostolic leadership. She has other ministers speaking the same thing; and they know that we are one in Christ. We have gotten to the place that Ephesians 4:11-16 speaks of where we are no longer tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine. The ministry and the rest of the members of His wife are one, bone of His bone, flesh of His flesh, and as you're united with God's ministry which is in Christ's stead (2 Corinthians 5:20) by the Word, then we're all married to Christ as His wife. That's what John represented in Revelation 10:8-11. Paul said concerning this, "He that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit." And as we all become of one mind, we are married to Christ. We're no longer tossed to and fro. We're the new garden. We're the tree of life, and we all begin to prophesy – brothers and sisters, talking about the Word, talking revelation talk. We're one in Christ, because the Spirit is telling you the same thing He is telling the preacher. As it's preached it's quickened to your heart; and all together we're one with Christ. That's John eating the little book.

You're God's garden. You're God's building. Verse 10; Paul says, "According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon." You're God's garden. You're God's building. God used Paul as a wise master builder. He used Paul as a wise planter. What makes me know that Paul was a wise planter? As God's Word was planted for that Gentile church in that day, Paul said, "Just because God used me to do the planting, I'm nothing without Him. Some of you say, 'I am of Paul. While others say, I am of Apollos.' And just because God used Apollos to water, to preach and encourage you, to give you that Holy Ghost water on God's garden, Apollos is nothing and Paul is nothing. One plants another waters, but let's get our eyes on the one that's giving the increase." It's Christ the Mighty Angel that has come down. Let's get our eyes on Him. His face is shining like the sun! There's a new planting of a new crop and you're that new crop this planting has produced. The harvest is the rapture, the change! Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase and we are laborers together. Now let's bring it up from Paul's day up to this day.

God bless you.

AUDIO/VIDEO SERMONS AND BOOKS

All sermons by Brother Ben Howard are recorded on Cassette tape, CD's, DVD's, and Mp3 formats. Also, there is a collection of published books that are available for download or by request as well. And we will continue to add more as the Lord permits. Please feel free to visit us at our website often as new materials are constantly being added, or write to our postal address below.

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