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40. On the subject of unity: I agree 1000% with everything that was
given; it's personally convicting and I pray that I'll never be the same. The
field's need for it is obvious. But a recurring question that I have is
this:
41. In order for there to
be unity, doesn't everyone have to have it clear that they want to do the will
of God? I feel that the standard of unity that is expected can only be reached
after there has been a very clear division in the Family of those who want to be
here more than anything in the world from those who don't want to meet the
discipleship criteria that the Family
has.
42. Just like the Lord
doesn't expect us to be united with the churches or the System, I don't see how
you can be united with people who aren't really your brethren in heart. You can
love them, but you certainly can't live and work together. If they don't want to
witness, hear from the Lord, live “One Wife,” or abide by the Charter standard,
then the only way that you can live in unity is to find like-minded people--in
which case I would have the faith to overcome anything, no matter how difficult.
It's the heart and attitude that make all the
difference.
43. To me it seems
that the greatest conflict in unity arises over this very point--the
discipleship standard! So I don't see how it's possible to “get it together” if
you're going in two different directions. I'm not talking about people who have
problems (myself being first on the list), but you have to know that the people
you're uniting with are at least trying and striving to live by the Word
and obey with their whole hearts. (End of comments from
COs.)
44.(Mama:) In “The Dangers of Division,” the Lord has asked you to
overcome your division almost immediately. The exposure of the evil
Selvegion and getting rid of them will make a huge difference in spirit. I fully
expect that people will apologize and get right with each other at the worldwide
prayer and fast day, if not sooner. But questions still come up about what to do
when there is a very big difference in standard. And there will be situations
where there will still be people in our Homes that really shouldn't be CM or in
the Family at all. The Lord indicated that this purging will take some time, and
in some cases the Lord may have to take matters into His Own hands, which
indicates it won't necessarily be quick. So there will be situations where there
are people in Homes who aren't disciples living with people who
are trying to be 100%ers. That brings up the question, “How can two walk
together except they be agreed?”
45.As one of the COs said, isn't it a prerequisite for lasting
unity that everyone actually wants to do the Lord's highest will? Yes‚ of
course it is, but what about the situations where there are some who don't want
the Lord's highest will, who are compromising and not progressing? Of
course, we hope for the best in the months to come‚ but what we don't want to
see happen is people lowering their standards to be in unity with people who are
compromising and not fully dedicated-–all for the sake of “unity.” That's not
the purpose. We do need unity, obviously, but not at the expense of
compromise!
46.I asked the
Lord what, practically speaking, He expects people to do. What are the steps
you should take when you see that you're not in unity or you've lost the unity
you initially gained after the prayer and fast day, because people in your Home
or areas have different standards? How can that be overcome? What is the
solution? How can unity be maintained if there is a difference in
standards? Here is the Lord's counsel on these questions.
Don't Run
Away from Disunity
--Change
Things!
47.(Jesus
speaking:) The complete unity that I seek among My Family is unity between
those who are of like mind, like heart, and like spirit, in the sense that
they are committed to Me and to serving Me in this Family. I do not expect nor
seek for complete uniting of minds and hearts between those who are
dedicated and those who are compromised, though I do expect there
to still be love between them. It is not possible to have total
unity between a Family member who is wholehearted and committed and a Family
member who is halfhearted and compromised and on his way out. Those who are
compromised are causing disunity by the very act of
compromising.
48.To begin
with, I had to give the message I gave about unity and tell everyone that
if there is any disunity, all involved are at fault. This is true.
This is the case now and it is where the Family stands now. At the time of
issuing the major warning to the Family in “The Dangers of Division” I had to
tell everyone that if there is any disunity, all involved are at
fault. I had to get the Family away from the mentality of placing blame. I had
to make it clear that no one can hold on to bitterness, resentment, hatred,
or even dislike for another Family member. No matter what others have done
wrong, these vile feelings, attitudes and words that have been tearing down the
unity of the Family must stop. You had to rid yourselves of the evil Selvegion!
I had to make it clear that that was the first step, the call to
unity.
49.The next step
toward unity is that all those who have been compromising need to get on board
and start working on their weak areas and ridding their lives of
these compromises. I don't expect overnight perfection, but I do
expect overnight desperation and taking action. Action may be
small steps or relatively slow progress at times, but it must be motion in the
right direction, movement toward the goals I have outlined and the standard I
have clearly set.
50.Once
forgiveness has been given, once commitments to unity have been made, that unity
must be kept by everyone striving together toward the same goal. Everyone
must refresh and renew their own spirits daily with the commitment to
discipleship if unity is to be maintained. If someone is not committed, or is
not striving toward the goals of greater dedication and purity of heart and
spirit and Home, then that person is guilty of sowing
division.
51.In saying that,
I would also warn those of you who have been guilty of sowing division through
self-righteousness or criticalness to be on guard. For the evil Selvegion,
having been cast out, will still seek a way to enter your ranks again. If you
are faced with co-workers and Home members who are compromising, and through
this compromise weakening your unity, remember that two wrongs do not make
a right. Two forms of division do not bring unity. Your becoming angry,
resentful and critical will only bring in more division and destroy what you
have been building. As I said earlier, though it is not possible to walk in
complete unity unless all are striving for the same goal, it is still
possible to walk in love‚ to have My love and concern for each
person, each individual.
52.I
do not expect you who are dedicated to compromise your convictions for the sake
of being in “unity” with those who are not striving to be committed to Me nor
striving to minimize ungodly influences in their lives. This would be wrong,
and in fact I expect the opposite--that you will all encourage and lift
each other up, spurring each other on to greater commitment and
conviction, so that you can walk in unity, all walking the same direction, the
path of discipleship. Nevertheless, I expect you to be able to see with My eyes,
to separate the “sin” from the “sinner,” and to correct the behavior of those
who are compromised, and even make a motion for their moving on from your ranks,
if necessary--but to do this with love and tenderness, not with bitterness,
envy, resentment, or a critical spirit. This is a tall order, I know, but this
is what I expect. This is part of the unity and love amongst the brethren that I
call for.
53.In the past
there has often been division because of different “standards.” Some
have standards that are too low, and others have standards that are too
high. Now the standard of full-time discipleship has been clarified in the
“Conviction vs. Compromise” series. That standard must be upheld if you are to
remain in the CM Family. Of course, personal choices will still need to be made
as you are faced with your own set of circumstances, conditions and needs, but
now you have the clearer guidelines which I have set in My Word, and a greater
understanding of the true spirit of dedication and discipleship which I am
calling for.
54. If someone is
demanding a higher standard than that of the Word, and has a harsh and
self-righteous spirit, then that person is guilty of sowing disunity and must
repent and change. If someone is failing to fulfill the requirements for
discipleship, is not committed to Me and is not living the Word, then that
person is likewise guilty of disunity. In that case, the disunity must be
corrected by the person either changing his ways or changing his
status.
55.The method that
has been used in the past of splitting a Home or moving to another Home
because of differences is not a solution to disunity. If
disunity is a matter of personal differences, or people needing some correction
to help them live up to the standard, this should be sorted out within the Home.
If disunity is a matter of people lacking overall commitment and not
belonging in the CM Family, then shepherding should be given, by the Home
and/or area officers, so that the people involved can either be given the help
to change or to move to the level of membership that better fits their
lifestyle. The day of escapism, of trying to solve problems by running away from
them--which is compromise in a big way--is over. That is not the solution to
internal discord and division. The problems must be fixed and attended to--not
run away from or swept under the carpet.
56.This is part of the call to greater conviction: that when you see
something that is amiss, that is not in line with My Word, that you go on the
attack to remedy the problem and change things. Moving to
another Home or sending others in your Home off to some other Home is NOT,
and I repeat, NOT the key to solving disunity. Because either you or they
or both will take your divisive, independent spirits elsewhere, and continue to
promote either a low compromised standard or a self-righteous and critical
spirit, wherever you go, further polluting others in the Family. These
things must not be given place. Disunity must not be run away from. Don't cower
and tremble in the face of the attacks of Satan and his Selvegion, but
stand up to them, resist them, and cast them out! (End of message from
Jesus.)
57.(Mama:) In the above message, the Lord repeats His warningthat
(at the time this message was given, before the worldwide prayer and fast
day) if there is disunity, all are guilty. His “starting point” instruction
was that every person who is involved in disunity is wrong and needs to get
right with Him and others. That's the first step. You know that. You read it in
“The Dangers of Division.”
58.The Lord brought out, however, that the next step toward unity is that
everyone who has been compromising needs to work on their weak areas and rid
their lives of the compromises. Having a day of prayer and fasting, of
forgiving and asking for forgiveness, is only the beginning. Then the Lord
expects you to change your life. There must be action, desperation,
genuine yieldedness to the Lord, and a desire to get rid of the
compromises that have been exposed in the Letters. You can't just pray,
fast, go through the motions, and then continue living as you have been. That
won't cut it! You have to change, meaning work to overcome the
compromises in your life.
59.True lasting unity of spirit can only be found if everyone is committed to
the Lord and the Family. The idea is not that those who are dedicated
must try to be “in unity” with those who are compromising, disobedient,
rebellious, and on their way out of the Family. That's not possible. Two cannot
walk together except they agree. The idea is not that those who are
committed should become less committed so they can live in unity and
peace with those who are halfhearted and
compromised!
60.If you're
compromising the standard, you're causing disunity. Just the fact that
you're compromising makes you guilty of fostering division, because the
whole point is that we will all unite around obedience to the standard of the
Word. That's where our unity comes from--living the Word. It's not a matter of
figuring out in your own minds what you think is right and deciding what you'll
tolerate according to what seems good to each individual. The Word is
what sets the standard--the “Conviction versus Compromise”
series, the other GNs, and the Charter, which are all based on the Lord's call
to discipleship.
61.It's
important that you really get this point, because we're not looking for a unity
that comes with people just figuring out in their own minds or amongst
themselveswhat they think is right so they can decide to live the same
way and find some kind of so-called “unity.” That is a counterfeit! The
guideline for what's right, also known as the standard, has already been
decided. It's in the Word. It's not negotiable. You do not have
the right to unite around some other standard, whatever you happen to
think is better or more comfortable or seemingly more convenient or appropriate
for your situation.
62.If you
or people in your Home continue to compromise, you will not find the lasting
unity you seek‚ and you will lose the Lord's blessing. You might be able to
restore unity temporarily through forgiving, asking for forgiveness and starting
fresh. But if the cause of the disunity–-which is often
compromise--is not rooted out for good, then the division will eventually
return.
63.If people continue
to compromise, they should be shepherded. If they refuse to change, they
should be encouraged to move to a different level of service and be helped along
their way. This is a key point. Unity is not found in compromising with the
compromisers; it's found in getting the compromisers out of the CM Family if
they refuse to change, so that the CM Family can be strong and united, with no
weak or broken links in our chain of
unity.
64.Special care should
be taken that you who have a tendency to be self-righteous or critical do not
cause division through those wrong attitudes and lack of love. If you react
self-righteously, critically, or in anger or resentment, then you are also
guilty of sowing division, because that kind of treatment of others causes them
to feel unloved and ostracized, and even to rebel. It won't encourage them or
give them hope or the help, faith, prayer and support they need to move closer
to the truth‚ but will only result in provoking them to want to go further in
the wrong direction. Beware of giving the Selvegion entrance through your own
sins! They will look for a way back into your fellowship, but don't let them
in!
65.Running away from
problems or choosing to live on your own to avoid hassles is no solution to
disunity. In fact, running away like that is a form of compromise. Instead,
you need to face the situation, ask the Lord for His help, look to His Word,
counsel, and then fix the problems! If you have differences or conflicts in your
Home, you need to work it out in your Home. If people in your Home are not
committed and refuse to be shepherded and change, then those individuals should
move to the level in the Family that better reflects their personal commitment.
If you want your Home to be united and free of compromise, don't just coexist
with those who continue to compromise. If you do, you're apt to suffer for their
sins, because you didn't obey.
66.Face the problems with division that will come up in the future
and find solutions! Don't give place again to the Enemy and the evil
Selvegion!
Differences in Child/Teen
Disciplinary
Standards!
67.I want to
address the division that is a result of differences in child and teen
discipline. With young children who have typical little-kid behavioral
problems‚ maybe you can just forgive and start again, but the question that has
arisen is what parents are supposed to do who are at odds with others because of
the bad influence of their bad-apple kids. There are situations where the
parents are doing okay, but their kids--especially teens who are too young to
leave the Family--are real rotters. The root of the problem is that the parents
can't or don't discipline them, and they don't allow others to discipline
them.
68.The excuse these
parents often give is that they don't want to push their kids out of the Family
by being too strict, but the end result is that they're overly permissive,
indulgent, and downright negligent. They think they have a “right” to
raise their kids however they want, regardless of the damage they do to
others. Then those unruly spoiled kids are allowed to pollute other kids.
And I'm not talking about little common behavioral problems; some of these
rebellious misbehaving kids are actively trying to infect and weaken others, or
the evil spirits they're entertaining are. So this is a serious
problem!
69.What are the
parents of the kids that are being weakened by such rotten apples supposed to
do? They can't just “forgive” and tolerate the horrible influence that these
bad kids are having on their kids. When kids are being corrupted and possibly
even ruined spiritually by rebellious, undisciplined kids, it's a clear
case of good versus evil. And we can't expect the parents of good kids to
just turn the other way and forgive, while their kids get ruined by rotten
apples.
70.We have heard
repeated reports from all over the world that a lot of the disunity is caused by
differences in disciplinary standards for our children and young people.
This is one of the main reasons, if not the main reason, that many
people don't want to live communally. People with good kids don't want
their kids polluted, and people with badly behaved kids don't want
their kids disciplined. The problem really is the different standards of
discipline; more specifically, that some parents are too lenient. Some
parents let their kids get away with bad behavior, allow them access to a lot of
negative System input, give them too much freedom to hang out with System
friends, waste time at malls, let them watch unrated movies, listen to System
music, play bad computer games, etc. Naturally the kids of these lenient,
permissive parents are going to go downhill
spiritually.
71.Then the kids
of stricter parents get resentful and envious, wanting the same liberties that
they see these other kids have. The more disciplined kids then rebel against
the restrictions their parents place on them in their efforts to protect them
spiritually and train them to be
missionaries.
72.So the
problem is really multi-faceted. Lenient, indulgent parents are allowing
their kids too much System influence, and it's hurting their children
spiritually. Those kids then pollute other kids with their worldly ways.
Stricter parents are naturally bothered if they see their children getting off
track due to the influence of spiritually weaker or less dedicated, more worldly
kids. And the kids whose parents are stricter get resentful of the boundaries
they have to abide by, which of course makes it difficult for their parents. It
can also create disunity between the children, as those of lenient parents
resent or question any correction given by those who are stricter, or the kids
of stricter parents can become self-righteous or question why other kids are
allowed to get away with so much more. It breeds disunity and division at a very
early age.
73.So families
have chosen to just stick to themselves, rather than letting their kids mingle
much with others. This not only hurts our sample of communal living, but
it's hard on the children, as they don't get much fellowship. It can also raise
questions in the children's minds about the difference in standards between
different families, which can hurt their faith and convictions and hinder their
unity with other kids and even adults.
74.This type of division needs to be overcome once and for all. I
trust that there will be a far-reaching reuniting of the Family as a result of
the Lord's instruction in the “Conviction versus Compromise” series, culminating
with the prayer and fast day. But if there's an ongoing conflict with
differences in the child disciplinary standard and such things as what it means
to “minimize ungodly influences,” then these problems will likely resurface and
the division will quickly return. That cannot be allowed to happen! We cannot
have the Family in division, but equally as bad, or worse, we cannot have the
parents of good kids compromising with the parents of rotten-apple kids, which
will only exacerbate the problem and possibly cause lasting damage to more kids!
That is a serious loss! Dad has taught us the dangers of
this.
75.Apparently the way
the Family has dealt with this up until now is that many parents have chosen to
separate themselvesfrom those with a different standard, to not
allow their children or young people much interaction with them, and certainly
not to consider living with them. Maybe you felt that was the only solution. It
is a complicated problem, but one thing we know for sure is that the solution is
not in the diligent parents compromising with the slack parents, so that
all the children end up being weakened
spiritually.
76.I asked the
Lord how both goals can be accomplished. How can there be unity and even
communal living while at the same time protecting our children and not allowing
rotten-apple kids to pollute others? What should parents do who've separated
themselves from others to protect their kids from negative or bad influences?
Dad gave the following stirring
challenge.
77. (Dad
speaking:) If your kids are spiritually off track, getting sucked
into the System, and influencing other kids negatively, then it's your duty as a
disciple and parent to get them in line! You must be willing to discipline
them or have others discipline them. If not, you'll need to reconsider your
place in the CM Family. You're probably more suited for the FM Family if you
can't get your kids in line, since our children are a very important part of our
sample!
78.It's one thing to
have kids with the typical JETT or teenage problems that can be aggravating and
time-consuming to shepherd. But a terrible division occurs when some parents
lower the standard so much and allow their kids to do so many things that the
other parents are not allowing their children to do. Then the kids that have the
restrictions on them get rebellious and don't see why they can't do the same
things as the other kids who have more freedom. The kids of the lenient parents
eventually start corrupting other kids, and eventually they can actually become
yielded to the Enemy and begin dragging down the other kids. These problems
cannot be tolerated! Having undisciplined, rebellious, bad-apple children who
are rotting others is compromise that brings division, and it
can't be allowed in the CM Family!
79.I'm not going to minimize the problems and difficulties of being a
parent, and I know that reining in a difficult child is one of the greatest
challenges in life. But I also will not back down from the conviction I've
always had that there's always hope, and there's always the ability to
change.
80.Problem children
are often a result of problem parents--parents who aren't disciplining enough or
properly, or who aren't giving the children the love and attention or
prayer they need; or who have ignored spiritual pests and problems, and
haven't taken a stand in the spirit to cast them out and send them away. It's
all been part of the spirit of lethargy, like the Lord said, that so many
parents in the Family haven't kept their children in shape spiritually like they
should have. For some kids, unfortunately, it's too late and they're already on
their way out. But most can be saved. It takes a lot of work, a lot of
prayer, a lot of effort, and a lot of time, but if that's
what you have to do, you'd better do
it!
81.You parents who are
trying to raise your children with discipline and solid boundaries and rules, so
they'll grow up with a desire to be missionaries, are faced with a very
difficult challenge and dilemma when you live with permissive parents who don't
have the heart to discipline their children. You want to be in unity with your
brethren, but you don't feel you can tolerate what is an obviously wrong and
ungodly standard. Well, you're right. You don't have to tolerate it. You
shouldn't tolerate it. That doesn't mean, though, that you should be
unkind or resentful toward these kids or their parents. That's not helping
anything. And like the Lord said in another message, running away to another
Home or sending them to another Home without first trying to do something to
salvage those kids is not the solution
either.
82.What you need to
see is that maintaining unity and maintaining a high standard go
hand in hand. The Lord doesn't want one without the other, in either case.
If someone doesn't want to hold to the Family standard, then they are sowing
division and should have division from the Family. And that includes those who
aren't upholding the Family discipline standard and keeping their kids' behavior
in line. If there are children or teens in a Home who are hurting others,
stealing, lying, cursing, and generally being unkind or a pain in the butt,
then only the sleepiest Family members could let that go by
unnoticed-–and no one is supposed to be sleepy anymore. Good heavens,
if the “Conviction versus Compromise” series wasn't enough to wake you up,
you're comatose spiritually!
83.The other side to this is that part of unity is living the “One Wife”
vision. That means caring about not only your own children and personal
family, but caring about the children of other families too! To maintain
unity in your Homes‚ if you've got problem kids, you've got to unite as a Home,
as a body of adults and parents, and work on the problems. The solution is not
found in placing all the blame and responsibility on the parents. Of course, the
parents are ultimately responsible, and of course if everyone else in the
Home is united except for the parents, that's a perfect recipe for
disaster and disunity. But if the parents want to improve, want to raise their
standard, are trying and are fighting, then everyone should join in and support
them. Dig in, help, pray, fight together! Form parent support groups if you need
to. Have everyone in the Home spend some personal time seeing that problem
child or teen through if you have to. That's the kind of unity the Lord is
talking about when He says to be of “one mind, one body, one spirit!” Their
child is also your child, and you should see it that
way.
84.Every situation is
different, and you can't prescribe a one-size-fits-all cure for all problem
children. But the bottom line is that the parents need to be on board,
willing to live and uphold the Family standard, and to get united. Issues must
be discussed and addressed and prayed about, and Home discipline standards must
be both set and adhered to. Parents with problem children must admit there is a
big problem and receive the correction and suggestions from those they live
with. And then the others in the Home need to be supportive and
helpful.
85.If the parents
aren't “seeing the light” and aren't even trying or fighting, then that falls
under the category of compromise and needs to be corrected, and their place
may not be in the CM Family. But until or unless it reaches that point, then the
key to unity is in everyone determining to help those kids who are having
problems--not to send them away, not to run away, not to hide your kids from
them, but to help them.
86.If
they won't be helped, or if their parents won't be helped, that's another
story. But you have to give it your best shot. You have to give it a
sincere, wholehearted‚ valiant attempt. If you don't, then you're falling prey
once again to the attacks of Satan's
Selvegion.
87.If you're
living on your own because you don't want your kids to be around anybody else's
kids, well, I have to tell you that that kind of bubble protection method might
help in some ways, but it's a serious breach of unity, and while it may solve
one problem, it's contributing toward another major one. You're going
to have to break down and look around for someone that you're willing to work
with. Even if their kids aren't perfect, if they're not rotters, or if they're
rotters that are being worked on and improving, maybe you should be thinking
about how you can help. If you've trained your kids well and they're in good
shape, maybe those parents with unruly and undisciplined kids could use some
advice from you. Maybe those kids could use some of your inspired teaching or
your discipline.
88.Of
course, it all comes back to unity between the parents, the adults. You all
have to be committed to working together, to uniting in spirit, uniting in
standard. If anyone is “holding out,” it won't work. It takes everyone involved
pulling their load‚ doing their part, out of love and care for everyone on the
team. You've got to see yourselves as a team--not as “my kids” and “your
kids,” but as “our kids.” That's the only way communal living with two or more
families with children can possibly work. It's a radical concept and it's hard
to live, but it's part of the Family sample and discipleship standard. If you're
a disciple, you're going to put forth the effort it takes to make that sample
and standard a reality. (End of message from
Dad.)
89.(Mama:) Rebellious, unruly, spoiled children should not be allowed to
corrupt other children. For parents to compromise and endure the bad
influence of rotten-apple kids is not right! That is not the Lord's or my idea
of unity! You parents are to protect your children from evil and put them in the
best possible situation for them to grow spiritually. For that reason it's
understandable that you parents would want to distance yourselves from lenient,
indulgent parents who don't discipline their kids or allow others to discipline
their kids. As a last resort, you might have to do that. But before moving out
and living on your own while you try to find someone else to work with, or
before voting the problem family out of your Home, try to help the situation;
try to salvage the wayward kids! Don't just let undisciplined, spoiled kids go
to hell without a fight. Work together to help save them, if they show that
they're willing to be saved! Dad said that sadly some kids are already too far
gone to be salvaged, but that many can still be helped!Seek the
Lord, hear from Him, and He can show you what to do or not do, and when and
how!
90.But even while you're
trying to help the problem kids, remember that it's unacceptable to allow
rebellious kids who are yielded to the Enemy to pollute and hurt other kids
spiritually. The Lord and I don't expect you faithful, obedient parents to
lower your own disciplinary standard in order to be “in unity” with those
who are not disciplining their kids or who are too indulgent and spoiling their
kids. These lax parents need to be brought around to see the truth; they need to
change their parenting methods and start disciplining their kids. They
need to be counseled and helped.
91.
In the situation where you're already living alone because you don't want your
kids to be around anybody else's kids who are full of wrong attitudes and System
influence, Dad says you're going to have to break down and look around for
someone you're willing to work with, even if their kids aren't perfect. In these
cases, however, it's only fair to expect the parents of kids who have gone
undisciplined to feel the responsibility to work on their children first,
to make commitments and show that they are really willing to change in the
disciplining of their children, before others commit to living with them.
The parents of unruly kids should be willing to show tangible signs of progress
toward raising their standard of discipline, of receiving counsel from their
shepherds and CP board, as well as from their brethren who are trying to help
them and their children.
92. These
steps to move in together with a couple with unruly kids should be thoroughly
prayed over and taken a step at a time, giving the parents of the unruly
kids a chance to get over some of the initial humps in working toward
straightening their kids out, such as agreeing to allow less System influence in
their kids' lives, and taking action to get their kids in line and better
behaved. There's nothing wrong with allowing a little trial period for the
parents who have been negligent to prove they are going to change, before
concrete steps are taken to actually move in with another couple who have been
faithful to train their children all along. During this time period, parents of
such needy kids may want to live with other singles helping them, while they
work on getting their kids into better
shape.
93.If the parents of
such problem kids are not open to help, or even if they are, if they don't
change, then that's an entirely different situation! If they aren't open to
counsel, if they refuse help, if they ignore the Home disciplinary standard, if
they let their kids go undisciplined and won't allow others to discipline them,
then they're wrong, they're compromising, they're sowing
division, and if they refuse to change, they should be
reclassified. That behavior cannot be tolerated in the CM
Family.
94.I've heard about
many parents who are worried that if they're too strict, their kids will want to
leave the Family. They don't want to alienate their kids by disciplining
them or requiring that they minimize ungodly influences. Such parents often let
their kids have unhealthy access to movies, music, computer games, etc. It might
look like the kids are happy, but I'll tell you, it's a temporary fix, and in
the end the kids and parents will suffer much more. The kids will grow more and
more worldly, further from the truth and the Lord, and eventually they'll leave
the Family anyway. And when they do, they won't even be well prepared for life
in the System, because lax discipline and overindulgence wreak havoc
in a person in any walk of life!
95. Giving your kids as much of the world and System entertainment and
whatever else they want is not the solution. That's the spirit of
lethargy! If that's your approach to child training and you refuse to
forsake it, then take it out of the CM Family, as it will only bring
division and hurt others!
Practical Pointers on
Child Discipline
and Unity
96.If you find
that the unity in your Home is breaking down, consider these points which
summarize another prophecy from our
Husband.
97. Before you try to tackle
the kids' problems, get united and have a plan on how to go about
it.
98. Discuss the problem in
your Home Council. Have honest discussion between parents, teachers, and
caregivers first. Get in unity and get consent from parents before you
start addressing things with the
kids.
99. Ask the Lord for solutions.
Ask Him to help you get organized and to give you the right plan to follow.
Read the Word on the subject.Hear from Him in prophecy, both privately
and unitedly as a Home.
100. Read
appropriate parts of any related personal prophecies to the Home. (With the
permission of the person who received the prophecy, of
course.)
101. Bring it to the
attention of parents if they're not upholding the child disciplinary
standard. Letting kids run wild and go against all that the Family holds to
is not an option.
102. Don't be
self-righteous, but stand up for your convictions by not being afraid to
point things out to those who need help.
103. Shepherds, have the guts to stand up and say, “Listen, folks, there's
something wrong here! We need everyone to hear from the Lord about what to
do about this problem with division.” And then do what the Lord tells you
to do. Parents will need to consent to the consequences for their children,
according to the childcare discipline
guidelines.
104. Quit being so
passive in your shepherding. Care for your flocks, and if the evil
wiles of the Selvegion are entering your Home, speak up, find solutions‚ and
restore unity. Otherwise you're being delinquent shepherds. Your Home
needs to have a standard and you all need to be willing to keep it. But you also
need patience. Before you just go voting people out of your Home because
they don't hold your same standard, get together and discuss the standard you
have set as a Home; discuss whether everything you have agreed upon and are
expecting of each other is of the Lord. Maybe there are aspects that need
to change. Determine if you need to improve, decide what areas you need to
improve in, and then ask the Lord how you can improve--what practical steps you
can take. Hear from the Lord and be sure that the standard you are holding to is
His standard according to the Word, not your own self-righteous
standard.
106. Learn the difference
between upholding the standard and self-righteousness. If you are upholding
a standard and there is a question, don't automatically assume that you're
right. Ask the Lord, research the Word, counsel with each other and your
shepherds, and be open to change.
107. Along the same lines, however, if your lenient standard is
questioned, don't just assume that you're right. Likewise, you need to ask
the Lord, counsel about it together, and review the Word on the subject!You could be compromising!
108. Parents‚ if you can't discipline your kids, ask others to help
you.
109.
Parents, get
your kids in shape and don't let them be a source of disunity in your Home, or
you will reap the judgments of the Lord's discipline in their lives. You might
also lose your CM membership.
110.
Realize it's not the Lord's will for your Home to be disunited
over anything!Find out why there's a problem and what steps the Lord wants you
to take to solve it. Don't just live with it, hoping it'll go away, because it
won't. Unless you take steps to solve the problem, it will just get
worse.
111.
There is no
disunity that cannot be overcome if all parties are yielded to the Lord.But
there are situations where you'll have to “let the unbelieving depart” if they
are not open to raising their standard or giving their kids the help they need.
There are times when you are going to have to exercise the authority granted to
you by the Charter, and ask Home members to either get in unity with the rest of
the Home according to the Word, or leave. In fact, if the problem is very
serious, the delinquent parents will need to change
status.
112.
In situations
where you have a serious problem with disunity, declare a Home fast.Take a day
to fast and pray, and have everyone get down on their knees and find out what
the problem is and how to remedy it.
113.
It's the responsibility of all of you in your Home to live in
unity.If there's a serious problem‚ all Home members need to pray about the
solution to the problem. Don't just dump it all on the teamwork; you should pray
about it too.
114.
You have a
say in the running of your Home, therefore you have a responsibility to seek the
Lord's answers to any problems that your Home
faces.
115.
sk the Lord the
following:Why is there division? Have I done my part? Have I sought You for the
solutions to the problems? Have we all discussed it and prayed about it
unitedly? Have we all done our part?
The Parenting Standard
Of
Active Members
116.Since
we're on the subject of disciplining our children and minimizing negative
influences in their lives, it's a good time to talk about the children of our
Active members who, from what some of our mothers have reported, are having
a pretty significant negative effect on some of our kids. The parents who are
Active members are being trained. They're coming along and growing spiritually,
but in many cases they're not putting much emphasis on training their
children, and usually their children have had strong, ongoing, almost
unbridled System influence in their lives. In fact, most still do since they go
to System school, have System friends and values, and are surrounded by the
System, with very little spiritual input. So these children bring all kinds of
negative attitudes into our Homes. Apparently some of the Active members get
offended if there are obvious restrictions or concerns about their children.
They want to have Family kids over to their house for the weekend to play with
their children, etc.
117.Needless to say, it creates quite a big dilemma, as other Family members
don't want to offend their Active members, or sometimes there's a big difference
in what is tolerated by the different couples with kids who are living in the
same CM Home. One couple, for example, might be much more lenient concerning
their children's contact with the Active members' children, allowing a lot of
System music, computer games, TV viewing‚ playing with guns, etc., and the other
couple might not allow those things. The difference in standards not only brings
division to the Home, but it's very confusing for the Active members, as it
looks more like personal preference rather than a standard that is based on
absolutes, the truth of the Word.
118.Here is some counsel from the Lord on this. If you don't need
this now, you will soon, because if you're being faithful to follow through with
the Activated vision, you'll eventually have Active members to train and
who will want and need to fellowship with
you.
119.(Jesus
speaking:) This is a very significant issue that will become more and more
important as you bring more people into your Family fold. The “expanded
Family” sounds great and grand and glorious, but when you get down to the brass
tacks of what it means, you're going to realize, if you haven't already, that
you have a huge job on your
hands.
120.You as adults have
a huge responsibility to the adults that come into the Family fold as members or
disciples at any level. You have the responsibility on your shoulders of
showing them through your deeds and lifestyle what the Family means, what it's
all about, and what you believe. You are responsible for their spiritual growth
and progress, and that in itself is a tremendous
job.
121.Then you have the
children of those adults that you'll be bringing in. You need to
realize here and now that in the same sense that your Active members will want
to model their spiritual lives after yours, they'll want to model their
parenting style after yours too. So start by examining yourself and your
parenting and your Home discipline standard. Are you following the Word? Are you
teaching your children to love the Word, love Me, and love and serve others? Are
you keeping a close eye on your children's spiritual input, as well as their
worldly input? Are you shepherding them personally, communicating with them,
addressing issues with them? Are you teaching them how to
witness?
122.You need to be
doing all these things, because if not, it will backfire both on you and on
them. If they are not spiritually in shape, and if you as parents aren't on
the ball, then as you interact more with the children and teens of Active
members or of our general membership, your kids will be brought down by their
kids. If, however, you are pouring into your children as you should, then you
will be accomplishing two purposes: You'll be strengthening your own kids,
enabling them to withstand wrong influences from other children, which there
will always be at least a little bit of; and you will be providing a good, godly
example to your new sheep and disciples of how to
parent.
123.You're going to
have to communicate with the Active members about their children and their
parenting. When you're ministering to people with kids, the care and
shepherding of their children are going to have to be close to the top of your
list of things you address with them and pour into them about. Of course, in
some cases they're getting off to a pretty late start--if they already have
older children or teens--so it may not be easy. Some kids may be pretty set in
their ways, while others are more open, moldable, receptive and sheepy.But if you're doing things right, your older children and teens should be
strong enough to witness to and minister to and “pull up” their kids or
teens--unless they're just downright brats or demonically influenced, which will
be the case sometimes, although rare.
124. In the case where the children or teens of some of your Active members
are too set in their ways, but the parents want to come in closer to be
fed and become a part of your ministry and work, you must come to an agreement
with the parents concerning the type of interaction your children should have
with theirs. Ask Me for guidance and wisdom on what action I want you to
take regarding this, and I will give you specific counsel to fit your particular
situation and need. While it is important to continue to pray with the
parents for their young people and be available to minister to the children if
and when they are open to it, if contact with their young people is detrimental
to your own, you must not compromise your convictions. Keep checking in with Me
on these matters, keep asking Me everything, and I will lead you in how to
approach these situations with your Active members. The important thing is to
take action, to do something, to not stand by and allow your own children to be
negatively influenced and spoiled.
125.You have to not only be on guard about compromise, but you have
to teach your children and teens to be on guard as well. You can't always
protect them from all wrong influences. But you can teach them to speak up to
other children and teens, or at least to you as their parents and
shepherds, if things aren't going well. They should not put up with behavior in
these other children that is unloving and ungodly. They should say something
about it and do something about it. You as shepherds of our Active members or of
our general membership need to be willing to get in there and shepherd,
including getting involved with their parenting and teaching them what the
godly standards are.
126.You
can't expect your Active members to be perfect, but you can sure expect them to
start teaching their kids the Word and training them to obey certain godly
standards. You can sincerely and simply explain to them that you are trying
to train your children to be disciples, and therefore you have set certain godly
standards that you expect them to adhere to; and that because you're concerned
about influences in their lives, you expect that their friends, other children
they play with, will adhere to certain behavioral standards as well. Spell out
those standards; ask your Active members if they can expect that of their
children. Tell them you want your children and their children to be friends and
do things together, but that there will have to be some conditions. That's
conviction. That's difficult to do, but it's completely worth the effort.
If you don't do this, the results you'll reap in your children will make
you sorry!
127.There are now
the “Keys to Parenting” booklets, which are a very good start for your Active
members. If they will follow the counsel in those, then that, coupled with
your being upfront and honest about the standards you have for your children,
will at least help keep the peace and keep your children from becoming polluted
by hanging out with rotten-apple kids. In some cases, though, you'll have to
just honestly say, “Sorry, your child is having a lot of problems right now and
it's affecting our children badly. So we're going to have to ask that you don't
bring him over for a little while, until you get him at least a little bit under
control.”
128.You can't
expect people to have perfect kids, and especially if these kids have grown up
in the school system and without any godly input in their lives, they're going
to have some problems. But for the most part those problems can be worked on
and helped to improve with a little attention and discipline. You shouldn't
usually have to use such drastic measures as keeping your children completely
apart from theirs, if you're doing a good job of shepherding the parents, as
well as supervising and shepherding your children when they're with their
children. But there may be times you'll have to do
so.
129.You can't wait until
your friends approach discipleship to address this subject. You're
often going to have to bring up this issue much sooner, when they're still
“friends.” But by the time they are disciples, even Active members, they should
have had a good serious class, or a few of them, on godly parenting, and a fair
bit of input along these lines. They should know what the discipleship standard
is as far as parenting, what you expect from your children, and what you and
they should expect from theirs. (End of message from
Jesus.)
What if You Feel You Can't
Live the Law of Love
Sexually?
130.(Mama:) A YA recently asked the following, after reading the
“Conviction versus Compromise”
series:
131. I'm just
entering the world of relationships and sex, and the thought of sharing
sexually with others, or sharing my girlfriend with others at this point, is
very difficult for me. I don't feel I can live the sexual side of the Law of
Love--at least not right now. I believe in the Law of Love, know that it is
Biblically based, and don't have problems with it as far as a doctrine. But I
struggle when it comes to doing the sexual side of
it.
132. After reading the new
“Conviction versus Compromise” series, especially the part that touches on the
Law of Love, I'm wondering if I must share sexually in order to remain in
the Family. And if I don't have the faith for it [the sexual side] right
now‚ does that mean I'm not supposed to be in the Family? (End of
question from YA.)
133.(Mama:) This is a perfectly legitimate question. If any of
you--particularly teens, young people, or individuals fairly new to the
Family--are struggling with this same question and are fighting condemnation
over feeling you're not able to share with others, or share your loved one with
others‚ the message below is for you. Our sweet Husband was more than happy to
explain how He sees this question, and how you should look at it
too.
134.Please bear in mind
that the message below is talking specifically about living the sexual
aspect of the Law of Love, not the Law of Love in general, which
touches every sphere of our daily lives‚ and which Jesus expects all
Christians worldwide to be living. This message is talking to you who are
struggling or even undecided. I can understand it if you feel that you don't
have the faith to practice the sexual side of the Law of Love and maybe you
never will, or you don't want to do so out of fear or jealousy, etc. That's one
thing. It's human nature.
135.That's very different than what Dad and I addressed in Part 5 of the
“Conviction vs. Compromise” series, when we expressed our and the Lord's
displeasure at those who are adamantly attacking the Law of Love, rejecting the
doctrine, criticizing those who live it, speaking against it and taking a public
stance against it, as they actively try to recruit others to their negative,
ungodly, doubtful way of thinking. That is totally different. That is wrong.
Those are the people that Dad suggested might be better off in the
churches!
136.But to have
battles, to feel you need more time, to wonder if you'll ever be able to live
the sexual aspect of the Law of Love is very different than actually
rejecting the doctrineand actively promoting a System attitude
instead. You who are considering the Law of Love, who have accepted it in
theory, who believe the doctrine, still have plenty of time to find your way and
establish your faith‚ and you shouldn't feel that you don't belong in the
Family.
137.(Jesus
speaking:) Living the Law of Love in its totality is the ideal goal that I
have given the Family. I do expect each and every Family member to be able
to give a clear, resounding “yes” when asked if they believe in the Law
of Love, if they uphold it, if they accept the principles and will
stand up for them and the teachings.
138.The main thrust of the Law of Love covers all the loving, kind,
helpful, sacrificial, Christian interaction that you have with your family,
friends, and the world around you each and every day. I have commissioned
you to be a sample and testimony of My love to all those around you. You are
meant to live the Law of Love in every single thing that you do, and this is
conveyed through your Christian testimony and My love that shines through
you.
139.The sexual side of
the Law of Love is also part of living the overall Law of Love, although it is a
smaller part. As I have told you, this particular freedom and gift is a
special one. It is strong meat, and I have given it to the Family because you
have given your all to Me. I have given it to the Family because you are willing
to receive the radical truths of My Kingdom, and you are willing to live these
truths. However, I do not force it upon
you.
140.Living the sexual
side of the Law of Love brings with it many blessings. It melts your hearts
together and brings unity. It provides the needs of your brothers and sisters,
and it is a small repayment to Me of the ultimate sacrifice I gave to you--that
of laying down My life for you on the cross. I gave My life, and all I ask of
you is that you give part of your life and time to help fill the needs of your
fellow Family members. At times, this need can only be met in loving and
sacrificial giving, through sharing your love and intimacy with
another.
141.If you are
struggling with the thought of living the sexual side of the Law of Love and you
don't feel you can practice it yourself, please don't feel condemned or
guilty. I do not require each of My children to have total faith for living
the sexual side of the Law of Love. However, I am calling all Family members
toward a greater and fuller living of the Law of Love, which includes the sexual
side. I long for every Family member to seek Me, to hear from Me, to heed My
whispers, should I call them to give to someone and fill their needs. But it is
not a requirement. It is not a must. It is not something you must do or
else leave the Family.
142.I
do require all Family members to believe the Law of Love, to uphold it, to stand
up for it, and to be continually striving to live it more fully. I require
Family members to be making steps of progress, of yieldedness, of commitment, of
dedication, of sacrifice. These are all vital to living the Law of Love in its
totality. This is My greatest wish and desire. These steps are what I ask of
Family members.
143.If you
feel that you cannot live the sexual side of the Law of Love at present--you
feel it's too difficult, you don't want to give in that way, it's too much to
bear, you don't have the faith for it, you don't feel ready for it, and you're
fearful about what repercussions it will have in your life--My dear bride,
let Me tell you how I see things.
144.I understand that you may not feel you are able to give in that
way now. It can take time to adjust to giving of yourself in a new way that
you're not used to. It can take time to be strengthened in faith. It can take
time to stretch your muscles in this way. It can take time to let Me work in
your heart and life, and give you the faith that you need. But you don't need to
worry about this, because I have My hand on your heart and life, and I'm
teaching you, showing you new things, and bringing you along. You only have to
do two things--yield and remain open to
Me.
145.I don't hold it
against you if you don't have the faith to live the sexual side of the Law of
Love. I still love you and you are still My Own. I still want and need you
in My service in the Family. I still hold you close to Me, and you still have a
place within the Family. Don't let the Enemy condemn you over this and lie to
you, telling you that the Family is no longer the place for you, that you must
leave because you can't live the Law of Love
fully.
146.The truth of the
matter is that if you are yielded to Me and are willing to let Me work in your
heart and life, and if you are open and receptive to My Word and do not
close yourself off to My truth, I will teach, strengthen, and lead you along to
the point of faith where you will be able to step out and live the Law of
Love in its totality. It may take time, but I will not push you beyond what you
have the faith for. I will lead you along
gently.
147.You may be
thinking, “But I know I'll never be ready! I know I'll never
have the faith to live the sexual side of the Law of Love, or to share my
girlfriend/boyfriend with someone else! I don't want to!” Even if you feel this
way now, that doesn't mean you'll always feel this way. There are
hundreds of people just like you who once felt this way, but who are now happy
and content in living the sexual side of the Law of Love. They went through the
same struggle that you're going through now, but they held on, they trusted Me,
they believed that I would pull them through, and they waited. They stayed open
and yielded to Me, and when I spoke to their heart about taking a new step in
their lives, instead of fearing and worrying about what it would lead to, they
followed through on what I had asked of them. They took it one day at a time,
one step at a time, and consequently they gained faith, trust, and experience.
And now they are firm believers in all aspects of the Law of
Love.
148.The same thing can
happen to you. I know you don't want it right now, but it's still the truth.
You may not want to change in this respect, because right now it looks so
unappealing to you. You don't want to even allow yourself to be placed in the
position where you might have to change. If you feel this way, call on the power
of the keys for faith and trust. Rebuke the Enemy and the negativity and fear
he's trying to flood your mind and heart with. Then you must fight and resist
him, and refuse to give place to him.
149.Actively strive to build up your faith in the Word. Believe
the New Wine I'm pouring out‚ and even if you can't yet live the sexual side
fully and you're still building up your faith for it, do what you can and take
the steps you can. Do what you have the faith for. Ask Me what steps you can
take to increase your faith and give you more understanding. Ask Me for the gift
of peace that passes all understanding.
150.Leaping over this hurdle is just the same as any
other hurdle that you have faced in your life. It's the same
process--yieldedness, trust, faith, and prayer. Now you have the added power
available to you through calling on the keys, and you also have My reassurance
that I will lead you gently and I won't put a step in front of you that is
higher or harder than you can take. I have the victory for you, and I want to
give it to you. And in this case, victory means obtaining the faith, conviction,
desire to please Me, and the peace in your heart to enact what I ask of you.
Victory doesn't mean that you'll feel forced, pushed‚ or dreadful. When the
victory comes to you, you'll be thankful for it. It will still involve giving
and sacrificing, but you'll have the faith for it. So that's the kind of victory
you can look forward to and seek after, by simply doing the following
things:
1) Stay open and
yielded.
2) Be receptive to My Word and
the New Wine.
3) Call on the power of the
keys for understanding and peace.
4) Pray
for increased faith; actively strive to build your faith
muscles.
5) Ask Me to show you what steps
you can take‚ so that you are making
progress.
6) Don't reject the truth of
the Law of Love in its totality; don't close yourself off to the sexual side or
say that you'll “never ever be willing to live
it.”
7) Read the Law of Love series, and
review My counsel and guidance about how it is to be
lived.
8) Resist and rebuke the Enemy's
lies. Ask for My mind on the matter.
9) Take it one day at a time. Trust Me to work in your heart and life, to mature
you and bring you to a point of
faith.
151.Now read over
that list again, and at the end of each point, ask yourself if you can do those
things. Can you commit to doing each of those things? Are you willing to? If
your answer is yes, then you will progress and grow into living the Law of Love
fully. You may still have your worries and fears, and you may not have faith for
it today, but if you said yes to the above questions, then you're in the right
place. The Family is for you, and you don't need to worry or fear about living
the sexual side of the Law of Love. It will come in time, when you're ready, and
when I've brought you to the point of full
faith.
152.If you fall into
this category, then you must do your part by following the above pointers.
Hear from Me about it regularly, and don't shut it out of your life. Continue to
let Me speak to you about how you can live the Law of Love more fully, how you
can give, and how you can progress spiritually. If you are open to Me in this
way, I'll bring little things into your life that will help you to be
strengthened and to become the man or woman of God that I want to make you into.
(End of message from Jesus.)
153.(Mama:) The Lord is saying that you do not have to
choose between practicing the sexual side of the Law of Love or leaving the
Family. But He also explains that you do need to believe the truth of the
Biblical principles of the Law of Love, stand behind it, and live the daily life
of a Christian in applying the Law of Love to your every action. He asks you if
you're willing to lay aside your fears and worries, and trust Him to give you
the faith and peace you need to progress in this area. He has outlined a
nine-step plan for you, and all you have to do is say yes to each of those
points and He'll do the rest. Will you? The Lord is asking new growth from every
Family member, and He's more than willing and able to help you in this area of
your life too.
154.As the
Lord said, it takes time to grow into living the Law of Love in its
totality--including the sexual freedoms and responsibilities the Lord has given
us. I've heard from numerous young people on this topic. Many of you have
jumped right into practicing the sexual freedoms that the Law of Love grants us,
while others of you are going slower, and some are really struggling with it.
This message and answer from the Lord is for those who are struggling, feeling
that you cannot live this side of the Law of Love. This message is
not directed to those of you who are already living the Law of Love
sexually by sharing with others and helping to meet the needs of your brothers
and sisters, as the Lord leads you. This counsel from the Lord is not meant to
tone down our application of the sexual side of the Law of Love; rather, it's a
step-by-step guide for those who are struggling in this
area.
155.There may be some
FGAs who are also battling in living the sexual side of the Law of Love.
However, for the most part we FGAs have had years of experience living the
sexual side of the Law of Love, and we know its benefits and blessings. We've
already overcome the initial hurdle of stepping out to live it, and we've been
doing so for years. There are other battles related to the sexual side of the
Law of Love and sharing that you as an FGA may be fighting‚ but I want to
clarify that this message that you just read is primarily directed to the senior
teens, YAs, and younger SGAs, many of whom are just now beginning to enter the
world of relationships, sex, and
sharing.
156.So all of you
FGAs, SGAs, and even some of you YAs and senior teens who are stepping out to
live the sexual side of the Law of Love, please don't read this message and pull
back. The Lord wants you to keep moving ahead, obeying what He tells you in
prophecy, and striving to live the totality of His beautiful Law of Love, as
He's said it is an important goal for every Family
member.
157.The Lord takes
each one of us where we're at, but He does ask each Family member to continue
making steps of progress. So wherever you're at--whether a beginner or more
advanced--stay open and yielded to the Lord, and keep making steps of progress,
love, and sacrifice. Living the Law of Love in every way, every day, in every
action is what will make the Family the haven of love and peace that the Lord
wants it to be!
Don't Let the Enemy
Scare You into
Quitting!
158.As I
mentioned earlier, in Part 5 of the “Conviction versus Compromise” series, Dad
made it very clear that if you have rejected the freedom of the Law of Love
and are bent on preaching your contrary views and criticizing and ridiculing
those who share sexually, then you're probably not cut out for the Family. You
need to find somewhere else to serve the Lord, because the full freedoms of the
Law of Love are not going away!
159.You will see, however, in the following message that Dad is
merciful and understanding of those who believe but are struggling. Please
don't let Dad's “blast” in Part 5 scare you away, if you're sincerely
trying.
160.(Dad
speaking:) I understand that some of you may not have the faith for sexual
sharing right now. The Lord takes you where you're at, and it's certainly
not something to leave the Family over, if you truly believe and accept the
doctrine in your heart. But it is something to be praying for more faith
for. It's something to study up on, to ask the Lord about personally, to receive
His Words about so that He can strengthen your faith, so that He can explain any
questions you might have about it and dispel any lies of the
Enemy.
161.I urge you to ask
the Lord about it, because maybe what He's asking of you isn't as much as you're
expecting of yourself. Maybe what He wants you to do is much easier than
what you think He would ask you to do. Or, if He does ask you to do something
difficult, He'll give you the grace for it, and will make it easier than you
thought it was going to be.
162.The Lord never gives us more than we're able to bear. So go to Him about
it. It's between you and Him. You're not going to be kicked out of the Family if
you feel you just can't live the sexual aspect of the Law of Love. It's
something that you have to make the decision about
yourself.
163.But please ask
the Lord about it. Ask Him what He expects or wants of you. What He has in
mind or is asking you is likely very attainable, because the Lord will start you
out slow and easy. Maybe there are other aspects of living the Law of Love that
He wants you to practice right now, rather than the sexual side. Then, as you
become stronger in living it overall or in those other ways, you will
gain faith for the sexual aspect.
164.It's only when you close yourself off, when you say, “I'm not
going any further, I can't and I won't,” that you start to lose the Lord's
blessing and you can miss the mark. As long as you're open and willing to
take it one step at a time with Him, you can't go wrong. He knows you so well,
He loves you so much, and He'll bring you along at the pace you can safely walk.
Okay?
165.So often the Enemy
tries to condemn us for all we're not doing. He throws the whole book
at us, trying to convince us that if we're not doing it ALL, we might as well
not do ANY. What a lie! All Jesus asks is one day at a time, one obedience at a
time, one little willingness to ask Him and then take that one step at a time.
It's so much easier than you think, if you break it down like that and just
handle it as it comes, as the Lord asks it of you. Because remember, He'll never
give you more than you can bear. So don't let the Enemy scare you into quitting!
I love you! (End of message from Dad.)
Be Yielded Today
To
Be Prepared Tomorrow!
166.(Mama:) While we're on this subject of the Law of Love, there's
another question that has come up from both FGAs and the second generation.
As you know, sexual sharing is according to each person's individual faith, and
nobody should ever be forced or pressured into doing something they don't have
the faith for.
167.Over the
last couple of years the Lord has repeatedly brought out the need to live the
Law of Love fully, and there has been some emphasis on that. Some have
written me and asked why I'm “pushing” sexual sharing so much. Some are offended
by that. Considering all that Peter and I have published in the GNs over the
last few years and the many topics that have been covered and emphasized, I
don't believe there has been extreme emphasis on sexual sharing, nor is it
something that I am personally bent on “pushing.” I'm giving the Lord's Word, as
He leads.
168.Of course, if
you're struggling with sexual sharing, if it's something that you don't
particularly like, then it's possible that any mention of it or
any GN on the subject has a very big effect on you. I can understand
that. But here is an explanation as to why Peter and I don't just let the sexual
side of the Law of Love slip under the rug, mentioning it as infrequently
as possible, and never striving to teach the Family the right way to live it,
which is what some of you would prefer we
do.
169.(Jesus
speaking:) Living the sexual side of the Law of Love is still optional.
It is not a requirement to being in the Family, nor will you lose your Family
membership if you do not share sexually. As I outlined in the above
message, however, living the totality of the Law of Love is a key to My
Family being all that I am calling you to
be.
170.In order for you to
do the job ahead, I am outfitting you with the weapons you need and giving you
the training you will have to use in the days to come. This is why I bring
up the full usage and application of the Law of Love. It is up to you to
choose how much and to what degree you will apply this training, and I stress it
because I know that this continual learning, giving, sacrificing‚ and obedience
to Me will strengthen you and prepare you for your future
work.
171.In order to be
fully used in the days ahead, you must be open and yielded now, today. You
have to be willing to let Me work in your heart and change the attitudes that
you have which are not right or not in line with My plan. I'm not trying to
force you; I'm just trying to prepare you. You who allow Me to have full
sway in your lives are those who will find these changes easiest. You who say to
Me, “Work in my heart as you will,” are those who don't have such a difficult
time living the Law of Love fully. You are the ones who will be prepared and
ready in the days to come.
172.All I ask of you is that you are open and yielded to Me. I know what each
of you needs, and some of you need more training in one area than another. Some
need much less training in one area than another. So the only way to know that
you're in the center of My will, receiving all that you need in preparation for
the days to come, is by being open and yielded. Drink in My Word and give Me
full access to your heart, so that I can make you into just what you need to
be.
173.The big question is
not whether you are practicing the sexual aspect of the Law of Love. That's not
the point. The point is: Are you yielded to Me? Are you allowing Me to speak
to you about the areas that you need to change in and give more to Me in? Are
you willing to forsake the things that are hindering you? Are you willing to
give up your own habits, desires, and trips? Are you willing to step out and
give a little more to Me than you've been giving, in preparation for what's
to come?
174.I do wish for
you in My Family to give more to each other, to help one another more‚ to be
willing to sacrifice yourselves for the benefit of another, to bond together in
greater unity, and this is accomplished in part through the Law of Love. But
this is not the end in itself or the full goal. But the Family, as a whole,
needs to grow in this area of becoming One Wife, so I continue to remind you of
this need, and I challenge you to step out, give of yourselves, and meet the
needs of others.
175.So ask
Me if you are holding back. Ask Me what you need to do or change in your
life in order to allow Me to work in your life and heart. If you do this, and
you hear My voice, and apply the counsel I give you, then you will be in the
right place, and you will be receiving the training and preparation needed for
the days to come. (End of message from Jesus.)
News from
“Creature”
176.(Mama:)
To close this GN, I want to share some news with you about a new rock band
called “Creature,” composed of Vas, Godfrey, David (Mexican) and John. They
live in Mexico City. They have recently signed a contract to play at the Hard
Rock Café in Cancun, Mexico, for 10 weeks. In light of the counsel in the
“Conviction vs. Compromise” series, the team there was very desperate with the
Lord. They had been asking Him each step of the way, and they confirmed with Him
again whether to move forward with the audition, which was scheduled after they
had read the first three GNs in the “Conviction versus Compromise” series. The
Lord led them to go forward.
177.Still, wanting to be sure they were making the right decision, Dust wrote
Peter and me, asking our advice. When we prayed about it, the Lord gave the
clear go-ahead for them to proceed with their gig at the Hard Rock Café.
However, He also gave some very important sobering guidelines. We'd like to
share this counsel with you because it can be applied to other ministries that
include a lot of exposure to the System. The warnings the Lord gave should shake
up the rest of you who might start some project with plenty of “good
intentions,” but in which there is the danger that you'll fall prey to the many
temptations to compromise.
178.Before including the prophecy of counsel that we sent to Dust, Ahlai, and the
band members, I want to share with you some of the recent news from their
Home. This is only a summary. They also sent prophecy excerpts, of course,
in which the Lord was giving them the “two thumbs up” to proceed. Peter and I
were very happy to read those prophecies. However‚ I'm only including the brief
of their activities, mainly to show that they're involved in a lot of
quality witnessing; they're not just a performing band. They have a
well–balanced ministry, which is an important factor in this
equation!
179.Here are
excerpts of Dust's report to Peter and
me:
180. God bless you,
my dear queen and king! I love you more than ever, just because of your love and
the words that you pour forth to all of us. You are faithful and true and I love
you! The Lord's Spirit comes through you bright and shining with the love and
truth of our Husband and King, Jesus.
181. The “Conviction” series is terrific! It has been a real kick in the
pants for our Home, and I am one old warhorse who is determined to go for it no
matter what! ¡Viva la Revolucion! Of course, now I'm only one who is putting his
armor on as opposed to taking it off. Nevertheless, I'm inspired and I have the
faith and courage to ford the Jordan once again! I don't even mind having
the spurs dug into my side if that's what it takes to get me to take the plunge,
which I figure it probably does. Yes, I am a little weary and I “do not relish
the swim,” but I'll do it anyway. May God help me and all of us to fight and win
the victories that the Lord has for us!
182. Here in Mexico City I have the privilege of being a part of the most
exciting, diversified and powerful missionary work that I have ever been
involved with. Just when it seems our little Mexico City Home, which consists of
10 adults and 8 kids, is stretched to the limit, the Lord does even more
miracles of witnessing, provisioning, open doors, support, follow-up, etc., that
need to be manned, and it's all hands on
deck!
183. We have a terrific
team here, and surely one feature that has made everything work so well is the
blessed unity the Lord has given us. Most of us have been together for at least
a couple of years now, and some of us even go back six or seven years working
and living together. We're well acquainted with one another's flaws, weaknesses
and rough edges. But we sincerely love each other anyway and appreciate one
another and count it a privilege to be part of a loving, unified team and
Home.
184. We've just launched
our new band, “Creature,”consisting of Vas, Godfrey, David
(Mexican) and John. Already this newly formed band has performed at one of
Mexico City's largest and toughest prisons. The band has also played for the
crowds on the streets at Coyoacan, a major outdoor
plaza.
185. In addition to the
band, we also have an acoustic singing team that performs in several of the top
restaurants in Mexico City every weekend, getting out CDs at the tables. The new
interactive CDs are going especially well. We meet many top people and sheep
from the upper echelons of Mexican society. It's a terrific ministry that
affords us wonderful opportunities to witness, get out the tools, and interact
with some very interesting upper-class
Mexicans.
186. Then there is our
Mex Studio, which we built on the roof of our Home, which is located smack in
the heart of Mexico City. Just about everything is within walking
distance.
187. We're very
involved in Activated(Conéctate), and our Home heads up the
monthly united Mexico City area Activated meetings, as well as weekly
Activated Bible studies in our Home. These Activated
meetings are attended by 100 or so sheep from all the eight Homes in
Mexico City and surrounding areas. The last Activated meeting
included a two-day retreat for sheep who came from as far away as Morelia and
Veracruz, accompanied by Family members from those
cities.
188. I'll tell you right
now, our Home has flatly failed at getting Activated subscriptions, and
we're extremely convicted by the “Conviction” series in this regard. We gave it
a go about a year ago and only got a handful of subscriptions. It didn't go so
well, so we slacked off. It didn't seem to be such good use of our time when
many other things were going so well. But of course that's probably because the
Enemy was fighting the Activated subscriptions more than these other
Bible classes and forms of outreach and ministry. Now we're determined to get
more subscriptions, and we've come up with some ideas and programs to do so. One
thing that we're doing right now is phoning every friend, contact and sheep that
we think might be interested in subscribing. We're also going to give some gift
subscriptions to certain friends that our Home will simply pay
for.
189. With the arrival of the
new Letters we've cranked up our witnessing to where we now go to Coyoacan every
weekend to witness, sing, pass out tracts, and do Holy Ghost samples. Coyoacan
is a plaza where youth hang out and Mexican artisans bring their wares, kind of
like a hippie fair and nighttime hangout for teens. It's a terrific place to
witness, and young people from several of the Mexico City Homes participate. In
the last couple of weeks we've won over 63 souls through one-on-one personal
witnessing, a good many of whom are coming to our next Activated meeting
and some to our weekly Activated Word
studies.
190. We also have an
orphanage that we support by delivering weekly supplies of food and other
necessities. We go there and serve food and minister two or three times a week.
On Saturdays, we have “Open the Door to the Children” where between 10-20 of the
orphans, who have no family to pick them up or see them on the weekend, come
over regularly at 2:00. We do flannelgraphs and memory work with our Family
materials, skits and art projects, along with “El Desvan de Tio Ivan” (Treasure
Attic) videos and have snacks. God bless Ahlai and her daughter Juliet, 11, who
do this faithfully each week while watching the other little kids in the Home
while the parents sing in restaurants. The orphans have all gotten
saved!
191. We do Consider the
Poor in the poor barrios of Mexico City, where we offer puppet shows (courtesy
of dear puppeteers Spanish Samuel and Mexican Marcos and Rebecca), music, and
food to some of the sweetest, most receptive and needy people you'll ever see.
Children's Day (El Dia Del Niño) was particularly notable. Along with Sandra,
the wife of the manager of a famous Mexican pop group who wants to give more
time to helping others, we put on a wallop of a Children's Day party in one of
the poorest slums of countless street kids we have ever seen. This colony is
literally a cesspool of garbage, and a whole city of poor residents live around
it. There were games of all kinds, puppets, clowns, music, balloons,
face-painting, and a good time was had by all. The event ended with a couple of
hundred poor receiving Jesus.
192. We've had booths at twoExpos held at Mexico City's
World Trade Center.One Expo was in June and the other in July. We're
scheduled to do another expo at a security fair with a free booth in November.
These were exhibitions held for companies that make toys and educational
equipment for babies and children.
193. The cost for each booth was $1,800, but we were able to provision a
$1,200 discount on the first booth and we got the second one completely free. In
the process we befriended the woman who organizes these particular expos
directed to children, and she has told us that we can continue to have free
booths at expos held in other cities of Mexico, as well as future expos in
Mexico City. We set up and decorated the booth with banners‚ displays, and
balloons. We set up two demo computers and our interactive CDs, “Desvan de Tio
Ivan,” were a big hit! We sold 92 of these plus another 150 CDs. We want to let
you know how thankful we are to you and those who have developed our wonderful
Family tools; they are terrific, and we are dedicated, happy salesmen.
Incidentally, the interactive CD is a real hit with parents and day care
centers, and a very good source of income and support for the Home at the same
time. Alex, Ahlai, and Argentine Sammy have been shiner salespersons at these
events, while Joni, Paz, Robin and others have been shiners at the restaurants
getting out the CDs.
194. Each
person has to wear a number of hats, and one minute you're at center stage or
demonstrating an interactive CD on computer at an expo, and the next you're
either changing the oil in the van, making refried beans, or changing a doo-doo
diaper--all of which is pretty exciting and a lot of fun! By the way‚ I just
happen to be the guy writing this report, but anyone here could also tell you of
the many exciting miracles the Lord is doing in Mexico
City!
195. As I mentioned, over
the course of this year the Lord opened the door to what He has indicated is a
major opportunity to reach Mexico with our music and witness in the form of our
new band, “Creature.” They are now on the brink of launching into a ministry of
performing, witnessing, recording and touring that may very well hit Mexico in a
big way with our music, message and
witness.
196. Last Christmas
while getting out tools at a gas station in Mexico City, I sold one of our CDs,
“DC Band--En Vivo En Mexico” to Alfonso, the co-owner of the Bulldog Club‚ a
famous rock music club in Mexico City. A few days later he phoned me and said
that he had listened to our CD and really likes our “energy” and “sound.” He
invited our DC Band to play at his club. Ahlai was able to witness to Alfonso
for a couple of hours on the phone and he later came over to the house for a
visit. He invited the entire Home to the Bulldog where they went as his guests
and sat in the VIP section with him, in what turns out to be a very large and
impressive club where live bands perform on a massive elevated
stage.
197. Later he invited
everyone in the Home to his lakeside house located south of Cuernavaca. He
reiterated his offer to have our band play at his club. And in the course of all
of this, he's grown close to us and we've been able to witness to him quite a
lot. He said, “Just let me know when you're ready and we'll roll
it!”
198. These are just the
highlights and basics of what seems to be quite an open door to reach Mexico
with music. But the problem was, that although the Lord spoke in prophecy that
this door is of Him and that we should strike while the iron is hot, we just
didn't have a band anymore. In fact, Vas was the only member we had of what
would be our band. The Lord indicated in prophecy that we “must once again
assemble the singers and musicians to go forth,” that “now is the time to put
forth the call, to assemble your group.” And so, we wrote letters to David,
Godfrey and John, asking if they would be interested in coming to Mexico City to
join us in our efforts.
199. And
now in light of the new “Conviction” Letters we haven't wanted to make a move
without hearing from the Lord to get His confirmation and leading each step of
the way. We haven't made a decision on our own without seeking the Lord for His
guidance and direction. We've taken the band to the Lord many times, asking for
His confirmation, leading, direction, instruction‚ correction, etc. Each time
the Lord spoke and led us, whether about our song list, style, whether to play a
certain gig, etc.
200. Now, after
a couple of auditions and much prayer and prophecy, the band is scheduled to
play at the Hard Rock Café in Cancun for 10 weeks beginning in February. Alfonso
advised us to go ahead with this
opportunity.
201. By the morning
of our final audition, we had already read parts 1-3 of the “Conviction” series
and had asked the Lord to confirm our even going ahead with the band and taking
a job at the Hard Rock Café. The Lord instructed us to
proceed.
202. Although pretty
nervous, the band did quite well, and now we find ourselves about to sign up to
play in Cancun. The band will be paid for the 10 weeks. They are provided with a
4-bedroom furnished apartment, free meals at the Hard Rock Café restaurant, and
travel by air. I'm planning to accompany them as their shepherd/manager. The
funds will go to supporting three Homes.
203. One thing that the Lord told us in prophecy was that while the band
is performing, the rest of the Home should concentrate on Activated and
the other ministries outlined above. We're really pretty much doing double duty
and burning the candle at both ends to build up a fruitful, lasting and
supportive Activated ministry while keeping these other irons hot in the
fire.
204. At the same time the
Lord has told us that the band would have a big impact on Mexico and be a
powerful witness to Mexico's youth. This is already happening. Last week one of
the other bands who play at the Hard Rock Café came over to the house. We made a
meal and witnessed to them for hours, and Vas led all of them to receive Jesus.
This band is from Uruguay, except for the Mexican drummer, who says he wants to
come to our weekly Bible studies. At Coyoacan, several Mexican students and
others came up to the band after their performance and received
Jesus.
205. The band does play
some system “cover” songs, as they are called in the business, only because
these are required by the clubs where we are playing. But we play our own Family
songs too with a good, clear message, and our goal is to eventually play only
our own songs with our message. Once we've got our foot in the door, we
plan to abandon the “cover” songs entirely. As a matter of fact, at our audition
two other bands present, as well as the management, said that our
original Family songs were the best and wished us well to sometime soon get out
a CD of our own songs, which we hope will be a tremendous hit here in Mexico,
where the young people clamor for rock music. The Lord told us in prophecy to
add one more of our own songs to be a witness and to start off on the right
foot, and He blessed it at the audition.
206. Our Home has taken a stand against system music. We wouldn't want
our playing of a handful of “cover” songs to be seen as a reason or excuse to
get into system music. Because of our rather delicate situation with the
band playing “cover” songs, we've decided to give it no other place in our Home
outside of the necessary practice. This has pretty much been our policy all
along, but we just felt the need to be vehement about it, and so that's the
standard that we have tried to uphold in our
Home.
With love and prayers, Dust (and
Ahlai) for all of us at the MexCity Home.
Be a Disciple First of
All!
207.(Mama:)
That is a wonderful report, which I pray will both inspire you and motivate you
to pray for the work in Mexico. Here is the counsel the Lord gave when we
prayed about the direction these loved ones felt led to go. Remember, this
counsel could very well be useful to you personally, so it's wise to tune in to
the general conditions and admonitions the Lord
gives.
208.(Jesus
speaking:) I give people different talents. I give My children talents
that can be used in their service to Me, even as I have talented these as
musicians, and they wish to use their talents to serve Me. They have used these
talents to serve Me in making music for My children, and they wish to use their
talents as a witness, and they have been able to do so to some extent. Their
desire is to continue to do so, to pursue the using of their gifts in My
service, and in this, they are of pure
hearts.
209.Their main motive
is to use their gifts and talents for My service, for My glory, and to reach
others for Me. But the road on which they're traveling to use these talents
is one that is fraught with many, many pitfalls. But because they have a strong
desire to use their talents for Me, and because this is almost the only way that
they can use these talents as a further witness to the outside, I must let them
walk down this path. I send them down this path with My blessing, because the
motive of their hearts is right.
210.But as I have said, the path is fraught with pitfalls, dangers,
and temptations. The temptations are many--primarily the temptation of
pride, as well as the temptation of getting so wrapped up in the popularity and
the activity that the main motivation for doing the job in the first place is
lost. The danger is in going and being a band and not being a
witness. The danger is in going and being a band and not being a
sample of the standard of discipleship that I am asking of My children.
The danger is in going and letting the little things, the little foxes, eat away
at the vines, the little variances here and there--missing your Word time
because you're tired, missing the opportunity to witness to somebody because it
seems uncool to do so, a little extra drink here or there, the little
flirtations, a kiss, a little compromise, and these things begin adding up.
Then, no matter what the original motivation was, the end result could be
disastrous.
211.It doesn't
have to be that way, but it potentially can be that way because the path
is fraught with all of these things. I have opened this door for them, and
as they sought Me about whether to go through it, I directed them to do so. It
is an opportunity for them to see what they're made of in spirit, to see what
effect this kind of ministry will have on
them.
212.How they do will
depend very much on their choices, their prayerfulness, their being
disciples, their using the new weapons, and on their praying for the people that
they meet, following up on them and feeding them, not just
entertaining them.
213.Much will depend on if they use their gifts and talents as the bait‚
and then use the Word and their testimony and their sample as the hook,
because they don't want to just be feeding the fish bait. There has to be
more than that; there has to be the goal to hook them on My Word‚ to hook them
on Me. These boys are going to have to lift up My Name, they're going to have to
lift up My Word, and when you're in a situation like this and people are adoring
you and giving you adulation because of your music, to hold Me up can sometimes
be difficult. And as time goes on, the temptation is to lift Me up less and
less, and to hold themselves up more and
more.
214.Again, I'm not
saying that they will do this, but I'm saying that this is the temptation, and
many have gone before them and have succumbed to this temptation. So can
they make it? Yes, it is possible. Will they make it? This will very much depend
on them and their commitments, and their having regular honest evaluations of
how they are doing, and regularly hearing from Me‚ asking Me how they're doing
both as a Home, a unit, a team, and
individually.
215.They will
have to be very willing to be very open and to receive from Me and from one
another any correction or guidance that I have. They are going to have to
realize that they're there to feed sheep, to win souls, to harvest the hungry.
They are not there to be a band; they're not there to play music. If they are
going because they're there to win souls and disciples and to reach the lost,
then I will bless them. If they're there because they're a band and they want to
play their music, I will not.
216.Can it be fruitful? Yes, it can. Will it be fruitful? It very
well may be, but that will depend on them and on their connection with
Me--and not just their connection going in, not just their motives going in,
but their everyday motives, their everyday connection until the day the job is
done. If their motivation and connection do not begin to wane and weaken as the
days and weeks go on, if when they're tired and when they've befriended many
people, they're still upholding Me and preaching the Gospel and giving
the Word and following up and making it a true witnessing adventure, a “faith
trip,” then I can bless it and then it will be fruitful. But if, as the days and
the weeks go on, they begin to grow weary and compromise and not lift Me up and
they water down their witness, then it will fail, and the fruit will not be good
and the effect in their lives will not be
good.
217.I'm allowing them
to go down this path. I am telling them that this is an opportunity for them
to walk down this path, and I have told them what good fruit could happen. But
now I'm telling you that in order for them to achieve what could happen, they
must be very careful and very prayerful and very open--open to Me, open to
shepherding. They must use My new weapons. They must be disciples who are
using their gifts and the tools of the trade to do the job. They have to be
disciples first, soul-winners first, and musicians and band members second. It's
the only way that it will work, the only way that it will bear the proper fruit,
and the only way that I can truly bless.
218.So, yes, I am allowing this‚ but it is with conditions. It
must be with the understanding that these conditions must be met for them to be
successful in this venture, for Me to bless it and for them to come out of it
strengthened instead of weakened. It will be a test for each one, but they are
capable of passing the test if they will practice and use the weapons of My
Spirit, if they will be open to My voice and to any guidance and correction from
Me, from their shepherd and from each other. If they will put the winning of
souls and the feeding of these sheep first, with these conditions, I will bless
them.
219.The choice and the
results are really up to them. You can share these words with them and let
them know that they go within My will, with the potential to do good and to win
many. But that will depend on them and on their faith and faithfulness to stay
close, to be full of Me and My Word, and to do the job that I'm sending them to
do, using the tools and gifts that I have given them, but realizing they are not
going for those particular tools. They're going to win, to witness and to feed.
The tools are just a means; the music is just a way to get them into places
where they can witness. The music is not the main point; the job, their
discipleship, the winning of souls is. And if they will put Me first, if they
will put the true job first, then I will bless and I will anoint and I will make
it fruitful beyond their wildest dreams. But if they do not, then it will not
bear fruit, and it will be damaging in spirit for
them.
220.There is potential.
There are many sheep who need to hear My message and who will be attracted to
them, who I will bring to hear them and to hear their songs and their
witness. I will do My part to gather them in. I will do My part to put it in
the heart of people who are hungry to be there. But, My beloved musicians, it
will be up to you to feed them.
221.I know you can do it. I know your hearts and I know you desire to
do it. But do not be deceived, for the Enemy will try to distract you, to get
you tripped off, as he has many before you. But you are now empowered with
the power of the keys that I have given you. You have more power than those who
have gone before you. You have more Word than those who have gone before you,
and you have the potential to make this a wonderful witness, to make this a real
steppingstone in the fight to reach Mexico. But like good soldiers who are sent
forth into the battle, they must remember they're soldiering, and they must
conduct themselves as good soldiers, faithful, valiant, and true, to win the
battle.
222.So it is with
you, for I send you forth into this battle. I send you forth where you can
use the gifts and talents that I have given you, and the tools that you have for
the task. But the tools are not enough; the gifts are not enough. It requires
your commitment--your commitment to excellence, your commitment to discipleship,
your commitment to do the job of winning the lost. If you will keep this
commitment true and hold it up before you each day, with each person, with each
needy soul, then you will win victory, and the Enemy will be defeated. You will
need each other, you will need Me, you will need My weapons. But you can win
victory if you fight the good fight, and if you let Me, as your Commanding
Officer, lead and guide you. For if you do, you will see victory and much fruit
borne from your labors. (End of message from Jesus.)
Conditions
for
Fruitful Witnessing
Ministries
223.(Mama:) The decision of these band members to accept this contract to
play in a System club for 10 weeks is a dangerous commitment, because as the
Lord said, there are so many pitfalls and temptations. You might think this
doesn't apply to you, since you're not a musician, but the general counsel and
guidelines that the Lord gave to help these band members stay on track are the
same that anyone who has a lot of contact with the System would need to abide
by. The same temptations of pride, of compromising the witness after a
while, of not being the sample the Lord expects you to be, of losing the vision,
and of letting the little disobediences weaken you are what all of you who spend
a lot of time out witnessing and fundraising need to watch out
for.
224.Another important
point is that you might start some project with pure, unselfish, good
motives, really expecting to accomplish a lot for the Lord, get out a good
witness, and win souls and disciples. But with time, those original commitments
and motives can wane. The end result is real problems! Good intentions going
into a project aren't enough. You have to keep those motives and that
commitment fresh and alive every single
day.
225.There are a lot of
ministries in the Family and a lot of different kinds of “bait” that we use to
draw people, so you, too, are responsible to not just “feed the fish,” but to
use the Word and your testimony and sample as the hook. We're out to win the
lost and win disciples, not just entertain people, befriend them, or show them
how “cool” it is to be a lukewarm
Christian!
226.Specific
conditions must be met if you, like this band, hope to be fruitful in your
witnessing ministries. Some of these conditions
are:
- Be disciples and soul-winners
first.
- Make godly, Word-based, unselfish, loving
choices, according to the Charter.
- Be
prayerful.
- Use the new
weapons.
- Call on the power of the
keys.
- Pray for and follow up on the people
you're witnessing to.
- Feed the sheep; don't just make
friends.
- Be very open to receiving counsel and
correction from your teammates, shepherds, and the
Lord.
- Be aware of the specific pitfalls in your
ministry or calling. Ask the Lord what they are and how you can avoid
them.
227.Please pray
that the Lord will make this music ministry in Mexico, and any other similar
ones worldwide, fruitful. We now have the keys of the Kingdom, which give
you much more power than others had who have ventured into such activities or
obligations in earlier years. Granted, it takes a tremendous amount of
desperation and diligence in spirit to resist the temptations and pitfalls, but
it is possible!
-
Whosoever will
call upon the power of the keys will work
miracles.
Never underestimate the
power of the keys. All things are possible with the power of the keys. Power to
the people with the keys.
-
228.I love you very much, dear Family. I pray this counsel on a
variety of subjects has helped to answer some of your questions. Peter and I
continue to pray for you desperately.
Much love in our Miracle Man,
Mama