DISCLAIMER: The sole purpose of this page is to document the existence of a publication produced by The Family International a.k.a. The Family, Family of Love, Children of God and various pseudonyms (hereon referred to as TFI). It is provided for the record, for educational and research purposes, with the principal aim of promoting accountability by the TFI for its teachings and statements, which have proven detrimental to the lives of many. By replicating this material, exFamily.org neither endorses the views expressed in this publication nor justifies the existence of this publication and its statements. Reader discretion is advised. The material on this page may be unsuitable for minors and may contain disturbing words of racism, hate mongering, directives to unhealthy lifestyles and/or criminal activity, and/or contain plagiarized works. |
GN 970 DEC.
2001
Maria 11/01
Please read this GN
unitedly sometime before January 5, to allow ample time to plan and prepare for
the Feast days beginning the evening of January 10.
The Family Feast
Celebration 2002!
By Maria
Dearest Family,
Feast
time is here once again, and what a spread our doting Husband has laid out for
us! Peter and I are praying for you as you prepare for this time. Even though
it's a very special and rewarding time, we understand that there are sacrifices
and some hard work involved in making it work in each Home, and we're
praying for the Lord's anointing for you and for His supply, and that
everything will go as smoothly as possible. Please join us in praying against
any emergencies or anything that would disrupt this time for any of our Family
Homes around the world. This Feast, like the others, promises to be a milestone
in our history, as the Lord reveals treasures and secrets of the spirit.
Somehow it seems that each Feast is more significant than the one
before-but maybe that's just because each one is exactly what we need at
the time.
General Overview and Organization
From Grapevine
117:
2. Our Husband confirmed that with as few exceptions as possible, He
would like for all Family members to be present in their Homes with their
brethren and teammates during these Feast days, starting the evening of
January 10th. He said that He has wonderful things to give us during these days.
Here are some excerpts of what He had to say:
3. I wish for the Family to
shut out the world as much as possible during this time. I want them to come in
out of the wings, to enter My temple, to stand under the dome of My Spirit, to
receive from Me fully, completely, uninhibited, and free from distraction. For
this reason, I confirm that starting the Feast a ways into January is My will,
allowing for those who must visit relatives to finish their visits, allowing
those who are extra tired from the Christmas and New Year's season of intense
witnessing to rest up, allowing the Homes to plan and prepare for the Feast at a
steady, yet relaxed pace, allowing for all to make the necessary
arrangements in order to set their house in order so that they can enter these
days of the Feast free from outside cares, free from distractions ....
4. I
desire that with little or no exception all Family members be present in
their Homes, with their brethren and teammates for this time of the Feast
2002. Request that all adjust their schedules accordingly, giving
these Feast days top priority. Ask all to make the necessary
arrangements to have finished their visits with friends and contacts and
relatives, to have finished their business, for I desire that all be rested up
and well focused to go into the Family Feast, alert, free from distraction,
and free of outside commitments ....
5. This Feast time will be like no
other, My loves, for as I have spoken, you can only go forward .... As you walk
into the era of action, onward and upward you go! There is no eye that has seen,
there is no ear that has heard the things I have prepared for you, My Family, My
faithful, My yielded brides of the era of action. Therefore, make
yourselves ready. Prepare. Set these dates on your calendars and let
nothing stand in the way of this plan. (End of excerpt from Grapevine
117.)
6. (Mama:) The plan of this Feast follows previous ones in that
generally there are two meetings per day-a morning meeting and an afternoon or
evening meeting, depending on what would work best for your Home. This year the
meetings will be fairly short-probably no longer than an hour to an hour and a
half, with the exception of the closing meeting on the 13th.
7. Because the
meetings will be fairly short, please take care to schedule the extra time
available so that everyone has a chance to have undisturbed personal time with
the Lord and in His Word and hearing from Him. It would be very sad for the time
to be frittered away, or taken up with duties which could have been done at
another time or organized so as to take less manpower.
8. The Lord also gave
a few questions at the end of various Feast GNs, which He's asking each of
us to come to Him about. These are to help us get the most out of these new
revelations and counsel He's giving us. You don't need to pray about all
these questions during the Feast days, but please do start on them and use the
time you have as efficiently as possible, so you can hear from the Lord about as
many as you can.
9. As with previous Feast times, please try to organize the
cooking and cleanup schedule in a way that will require a minimum of labor to
prepare and clean up. Preparing granola, yogurt, soups or stews, or other
easily served foods in advance of the Feast might be helpful, if you're able to
organize it. The main point is to allow everyone as much time as possible to
concentrate on the Lord and the messages He's giving, and be undistracted
by Home duties or other things.
Who can attend the meetings?
10. This is
up to you as a Home to organize and decide how it would work best in your
situation. It's generally fine for the children to be in the meetings, if
they are able to listen or play quietly without causing too much distraction.
Regarding the children's attendance, the Lord said:
11. I want some of My
children to have the opportunity to attend these meetings, if their parents have
the faith for it. There's nothing wrong with them sitting in and observing the
dedication and what I'm asking of their parents and the adults. It will help
prepare them for the lessons I have for them. I don't want to make it mandatory
for the children to attend, but neither should it be discouraged. If there are
many children in a Home, it might be distracting trying to keep them all
quiet and occupied or tuning in during the meetings, in which case they should
be cared for separately, since the most important thing is for the adults
to be fed and receive this counsel. But in most cases it would be fine for them
to be there, and it would be very inspiring and beneficial to them. I leave
it in the hands of each Home and parent to pray about and decide on. (End of
message from Jesus.)
12. (Mama:) It would also be good for the JEZTs and
junior teens to attend the meetings. There is a ceremony on the evening of the
last day which the JETTs and junior teens and even the children can participate
in if they attend the meetings and read the GNs. (MCs on up can attend this
meeting.)
13. Those on babes status and partial excom, as well as your Active
members, may also attend these meetings at the teamwork's discretion. Once some
of you teamworkers have read through the entire Feast package and are familiar
with its contents, you can pray about which Active members, if any, you feel led
to invite. The Lord also gave us some relevant counsel about inviting Active
members and the importance of the full-time disciples not being unnecessarily
distracted from the main purpose of the Feast. He said:
14. I will leave it
in the hands of the teamworks and Homes whether to invite and include their
Active members in the Feast meetings. However, above all it is to be a special
time for My full-time disciples to receive from Me, so I would not have it
become a mini-retreat, requiring added organization and ministering. If the
Active members are able to sit in on the meet-ings, that is wonderful, and I
grant them permission to attend this special time. But it should not be at
the cost of weakening or watering down the experience for the full-time
disciples who must at this time be fully focused and ready to receive all that I
will pour down.
15. This strengthening that I want to give you, My full-time
disciples, will pay off one hundredfold in your future times of witnessing
and shepherding, and that is why at this time it is important that you be fully
focused, without a lot of distractions or having to organize shepherding
and feeding for your Active members. If the Active members can sit in on the
meetings as they are held, then they can do so. But it shouldn't distract My
full-time disciples from receiving all I have for them. Each Home and teamwork
will need to seek Me regarding what is best for their situation. (End of message
from Jesus.)
Feast Reading- and Activities for Children
16. Though there isn't a
specific daily reading course laid out for the children, we do have a good
feeding agenda for them. There are two new MLKs to read during Feast Celebration
2002. These are "Keys to My Kingdom" (MLK #142), and "The Pavilion of the Power
of God!" (MLK #143). (For those of you who don't normally read the MLKs, if
you don't clearly remember the vision of the pavilion from GN 947, this MLK
can serve as a good reminder of the immense power source that is behind the keys
and God's Word!)
17. Also included in your Feast mailing is the "Categorical
MLK Index" (FCP #54). This is a new index of all the MLKs up to date,
categorized by themes for your easy reference. Please use this as well as
the Kiddy Cat Book and have your children read on the following subjects during
these Feast days (and following the Feast for reinforcement on these
topics):
Discipleship Prayer
Love Jesus More Spiritual Warfare
Unity
New Weapons
18. There are also parts of the Feast GNs, especially the
Word pictures, that you could read to your OCs and even your MCs to help them
partake of this New Wine. MLKs will be coming in the next few months on these
topics, God willing.
19. There are coloring pages taken from MLKs #142 and
#143 for reinforcement of the MLKs, and as activities for the children to work
on during quiet times when the adults are either in meetings or having private
prayer and Word time.
20. Then for parent time, there's a fun new card game
for the kids and you to play during these days, "The 100 Soul Card Game" (FCP
#55).
21. For the kids who are old enough to understand the HTKs, here's a
reading list of HTKs:
Discipleship
#31 The
Endtime Race
#36 Seekman and the Treasures
#43 Pillars of God
#48 The
Amazing Supernatural Miraculous Transformation of Bill Bored!
#63 Purge
Your Playthings-and Head for the Highlands!
#67 Elite Troops!-Goals for'98
#102 Doing the Humble Thing!
#103 We're Prophets!
Love Jesus More / Our
Relationship to the Lord
#28 The Beggar Prophecy!
#40 Peter the
Water-bearer
#56 Whispering Secrets
#62 Quiet Time-Your
Lifesaver!
Law of Love
#81 God's
Law of Love
Unity
#33 Come
Together-In Love
#42 The Power and the Importance of Unity
#46 A Fresh
New Start!
#65 The Generation Gap!
#94 Mixed Bag-Labeling!
#99 Dad on
Honesty, Openness and Freedom
Prayer
#64 Thought
Power!
#97 Focus on Prayer!
#105 Prayer Is Action!
#106 Intercessory
Prayer Is...
#107 What's in it for Me?
Spiritual Warfare /
Overcoming Attacks of the Enemy
#53 Wham, Barn! Junk the Punk!
#55
Thrash Him and Trash Him!
#74 Our Defense Attorney! 7 #76 Elite
Troops-Special Army Issue!
#93 Elite Troops-The Battle is Intensifying!
#96 You Must Use the New Weapons to Survive on the Front Lines!
#98
Nothing Is Impossible!
Meeting Plan
Evening of Jan. 10:
Vespers, praise and communion
From Grapevine 117:
22. (Jesus speaking:) I
ask that you set aside a little time on the evening of the 1 January 13 10th to
begin the Feast with vespers. This need not be a long or drawn-out meeting, but
a time to stop and acknowledge Me, a time to praise Me, to commit the days ahead
to Me. (End of excerpt from Jesus.)
23. (Mama:) In praying more about this
meeting, which opens the Feast time, the Lord said:
24. Let this be a time to
praise and sing to Me, to love Me with your words and with your hearts. Let it
be a time to call on the power of the keys for cleansing from the thoughts and
distractions of the world, that this time of feasting may be truly set
apart in spirit, undisturbed, undistracted, fully focused on Me and on the
things of the spirit which I will reveal to you.
25. Take communion as a
testimony of your remembrance of My sacrifice, and that you are to be My
called-out ones, willing to give your lives as I gave Mine. As you take
communion, pray for your co-workers and mates around the world, all the children
of David who are taking this time apart to be wholly Mine, and as you do, you
will all be joined together in Me and will create a greater vacuum for My
Spirit.
26. This vespers need not be long. It should begin and end with songs
of praise and words of love to Me. (End of message from Jesus.)
• January 11
27. Morning
meeting: Read GN 971, "Focus on the Power" (ML #3374).
28.
Afternoon/evening meeting: Read GN 972, "Keys Turned to Swords" (ML
#3375).
• January 12
29. Morning
meeting: Read GN 973, "Full Possession" (ML #3376).
30. Afternoon/evening
meeting: Read GN 974, "The Gift of Heavenly Thought Power" (ML
#3377).
• January 13
31.
Morning: This time is to be spent in personal prayer, reflection and preparation
for the afternoon or evening meeting, which will be a special ceremony with vows
of surrender to our Husband. Enclosed with the Feast mailing you'll find
individual copies of the vows which you can pass out to each adult to read and
reflect on ahead of the meeting, so they can be well prepared. About this
time the Lord said:
32. I want to give everyone the opportunity to come
before Me in quietness and prepare their spirits for the ceremony. I don't want
it to be something that just comes and goes, for it is meant to be a milestone,
so that each person has the opportunity to have some undisturbed time for
reflection and consecration and hearing from Me. So leave the morning before the
ceremony free, a time when the Homes can schedule thingsso that each person has
the opportunity to have this undisturbed time. (End of message from
Jesus.)
33. (Mama:) During this time, please try to keep the house quiet and
reverent, as much as possible, so that those who are taking their preparation
time can concentrate fully. Of course, some people will need to be with the
children, and those who are with them can help them to prepare for their
participation in the ceremony as well, but perhaps the care of the
children can be rotated or scheduled so that each person also has time to
be alone and pray.
34. Afternoon/evening meeting: Read GN 975, "Vows of
Surrender Ceremony" (ML #3378).
35. This will be a simple ceremony where each
person (age 18 and up) declares where they stand for the Lord, as they say vows
of surrender and dedication to Him. By the time you reach this point in the
Feast, you will know what the Lord is asking as far as our dedication and
submission to Him. This ceremony is an opportunity to make it official before
Him and our mates. However, whether or not you say these vows is optional; it's
up to each of you individually, and that is why the Lord asks that you each take
time to prepare, to make personal commitments to Him, to receive His Words for
yourself, so that you will know where you stand and will be prepared to say
these vows in full faith and with your whole heart, if that is the decision you
make.
Ceremony Logistics
36. The teamwork or those
leading this meeting should read GN 975 in advance, so that you are able to
decide the logistics of how things would work best for your Home-for example,
whether each person should say their vows in turn, or whether to say them in
unison, etc.
Active members
37. If you have Active members attending your
Feast meetings, you will need to explain to
them that they're not expected to
say these vows. These are vows of surrender, of "utmost forsaking and
yielding," as the Lord put it. Most Active members are not at the stage of
forsaking all, and the Lord doesn't want them to feel bad or like He's expecting
them to say these vows, or that they must say them in order to please Him or
you.
38. (Jesus speaking:) These are vows of full commitment, and they are
for My full-time disciples. If the Active members want to say them in their
hearts of their own volition, and then their actions follow, that's up to them.
But I will not encourage them to say these vows, for most are not ready, nor at
the point to completely drop out of the System.
39. I offer the opportunity
for them to attend the meeting and witness the testimony of those who are
full-time, dropped-out disciples dedicating themselves to Me, because the sample
and witness will be powerful. But I'm not expecting the Active members to
say these vows, and I don't want them to think that they must say them if they
are to please Me. Each person has his or her place. But for those who give Me
their all, I have many gifts to give them in return. (End of message from
Jesus.)
The Children, JETTs and JuniorTeens
40. (Mama:) When we asked
the Lord about the participation of the children, JETTs, and junior teens in
this ceremony, He gave a beautiful prayer for them to say in place of the vows.
(See"Thank You for the Keys," MLK #144, for the explanation to the children
about this ceremony, and for their prayer.)
41. If you find that your older
children would do better praying a prayer along with the JETTs and junior teens,
feel free to pray about this, and if the Lord confirms, include that child or
children.
42. If your OCs (9- to 11-year-olds) sit in on the readings of the
Feast GNs, you might want to include them in the junior teen/JETT prayer. If
your MCs (7- and 8-year-olds) also took part in the reading of the Feast GNs,
then perhaps you would want your OCs to say the prayer with the MCs at this
ceremony.
43. Or perhaps you would prefer that the children say it with their
parents in a parental ceremony with the kids at another time. If you wish, you
could read "Thank You for the Keys" with the children on the afternoon or
evening of January 13, or the following morning. They could pray their prayers
to the Lord then. The Lord said:
44. I encourage you to include the children
as much as you can during the ceremony. They can gain much from this time of
commitment. Even if they don't understand, if they are there taking part, at
least the MCs on up, they will gain much from seeing the adults and teens
committing themselves to Me. This is needed. And they will gain even more
if they know it applies to them as well.
45. Suffer the little children to
come unto Me, and forbid them not. They need this public ceremony of committing
to Me as well. It's part of building a foundation in their young lives. So
include them as much as their understanding and maturity allows. (End of
message from Jesus.)
To the senior teens
46. (Mama:) I want to
address you seniors now and share with you the message the Lord gave about your
preparation for and participation in this ceremony. We were asking the Lord
about your participation because the Lord has said before that these are your
years of decision and growing into full discipleship. Just as He has not made
the Charter membership contract available to be signed until you're 18, because
He wants you to have the time to make your decision without feeling pressured,
so we asked Him what He is asking of you in light of this further commitment and
dedication to Him with these vows. He indicated that it would not be appropriate
for you to say these vows until you're 18. It's the same with many religious
orders. Catholic nuns and priests cannot take their vows of full dedication
until they reach a certain age or stage of growth or training. Even if they're
fully committed before that age or stage, which many are, those are still the
years which are considered years of decision and training, and they must wait to
take their official vows.
47. I'm explaining this because I don't want any of
you senior teens who really are committed to the Lord to think that we're
belittling your commitment or brushing it aside. As you'll see in this message,
as soon as you make your commitment to the Lord, you immediately receive the
full blessings and benefits that accompany that commitment. The Lord doesn't
wait until you've signed the Charter membership contract before He considers you
a "full disciple" if you're living the life of a disciple. The signing of the
contract is really a formality by comparison, and a testimony to others that
you've made your commitment official. But the Lord looks at your heart and what
you do with that commitment you've made to Him. It's the same with these vows.
The Lord gave a prayer for you to pray which covers many of the same points, but
doesn't put you under the pressure of total lasting commitment, as He wants
you to make those commitments when you're older and more ready to do so.
48.
These are your years of decision and growth. They're not years to fool around
and fritter away, and if you have the attitude that you can wait until you're 18
to start living the life of a revolutionary disciple, you're going to arrive at
age 18 sadly unprepared and behind in the spirit. But these are years when the
Lord is giving you time to make your decision without feeling forced or
pressured. He's giving you this time to search His Word and strengthen and
prepare yourself for the life you want to live. He knows that you need to
grow into discipleship. Here's what He said when we asked Him whether you should
say the vows along with the adults.
49. (Jesus speaking.) My dear senior
teens, you have so much potential! I look at you and I see powerhouses,
individuals who, if you yield all to Me, will go far to change the world and
accomplish My plan.
50. These years you are going through are years of
decision. You are not yet full adults; although you have many of the Charter
rights and privileges, and some of the Charter responsibilities, you are
not held to full accountability. I have made it that way so that you have this
time to pray about and consider what you want to do with your life, and to
prepare for it.
51. You are a diverse group since you each arrive at the
maturity of discipleship at different times. Much has to do with your
experiences, and how much you get out of those experiences. If you're
seeking Me, studying My Word, and doing your best to obey, you'll find that you
grow quickly, you mature and find a place of responsibility, and I reward you
with the blessings and rewards that are reserved for those who are revolutionary
disciples. At the same time, because you have this time to grow at your own
pace, some of you choose to fritter away the time, to push the limits and see
how much you can get away with, to wait until full discipleship is absolutely
"required" of you. That isn't wise, for that is not using these years as I have
ordained them to be used. I have given them to you as a grace period, a time to
make your calling and election sure, a time to study My Word and be strengthened
before the full responsibility hits you.
52. I want to encourage those of you
who have ah-eady fully committed to Me and are living the life of a
disciple. I don't wait until you become of age to give you the full gifts and
blessings and rewards of your commitment-I will begin to give them to you the
moment you make the decision for Me. But I do understand that it takes time to
grow into the responsibility that I ask of full-fledged disciples, and that is
why I give you this grace period. Use it wisely, My loves, for it is short, and
there is so much to learn.
53. Because this is a grace period, I do not ask
you to say these vows at this time. I give you a special prayer to say instead,
which, if spoken from your heart, will help to prepare you for the day when you
will say these vows of yieldedness and surrender, love and devotion. Your
prayers mean just as much to Me as the vows the adults will say, and you will
receive the same rewards and benefits and anointing in
return, but they leave
room for your continued growth and commitment to Me. (End of messagefrom
Jesus.)
Receiving our Husband's vows in return
54. In addition, at the end
of the ceremony, after we say our vows to our Bridegroom, He then wants to speak
to each of His brides individually to give them His personal vows of love
and commitment. And after that, there is to be a time of celebration.
55.
(Jesus speaking:) I wish to speak personally to each of My brides when they
declare their vows to Me. These personalized Words are important for each to
have and to hang onto. I ask for this opportunity to speak personally to each
bride as they come before Me to state these vows.
56. Homes may organize this
ceremony according to their situations. In some situations for very small
Homes, people may want to recite their vows individually. For the most part, to
save time in the larger Homes, people may say their vows all at once. In cases
where they would say them in unison, they should envision saying them
individually to Me. Close your eyes and think only of Me, blocking out all else
that would distract, as if you were in a praise meeting or a loving Jesus
time.
57. In cases where the Home is very small, after each bride says their
vows, the Home members can stop and hear personal Words from Me for that
bride. Another channel may receive these words, one channel for each bride after
they say their vows-much like you do when someone asks for united prayer.
58.
If the vows are recited simultaneously, as in the case of larger Homes, then
afterwards a few channels can receive Words for the group, My personalized Words
for your Home and situation. However, these Words are to prime the pump,
and in this case I ask that each bride then go to a room that offers some
privacy where they can individually receive personal Words from Me, immediately
after the ceremony. Another option for larger Homes is to break into
smaller groups of 2 to 4 people and receive words from Me for each other.59. Or,
if Homes prefer to assign each member of the Home to hear from Me for
another member, they may do this instead. In other words, everyone would
hear from Me for someone else rather than getting a message for
themselves. The important thing is that I want to give personal Words to
each of My brides.
60. If someone doesn't have the gift of prophecy, he or
she can team up with someone who does. If you have Active members attending
the meeting, they can either join a team that is hearing from Me or they can
help with the children, however you feel led. Each situation is different, so
Home teamworks should seek My leading on what is the best arrangement for their
particular situation.
61. In some cases, this plan may seem difficult to
organize, for not all have their own private room. Yet I will guide and show
each Home how this can work out, if the teamwork will ask Me. If everyone will
get quiet and alone with Me, even if they each take a corner of the room and sit
quietly with a pen and paper or notebook, I will give My personal Words to each
one who seeks Me and sucks for My golden seeds.
62. I wish to give My
personal vows of love to all, young and old alike. Even the older children
can participate in this time of hearing from Me, if the parents feel it is
appropriate. I will leave it with each Home to organize how it would work best
in their situation. If someone misses this time because of needing to care for
the younger children, they can simply come to Me later to receive My personal
Words for them, and I will pour them out abundantly.
63. After this time of
receiving personal Words from Me, everyone can gather again for a time of praise
and thanksgiving. This is not to be a long meeting for more reading, but a time
to rejoice, a time of praise and congratulations. You can begin this time by
acknowledging and praising Me. It can be a time of inspiration, to sing songs of
praise to Me. It should be a time to unite and sing along with your anthem, as
well as sing other appropriate songs of commitment and dedication, such as
"I Surrender All." It should be a time to rejoice, to have a toast of
honor,
to honor Me and to honor you, My brides -a time of praise and thanksgiving, a
time of singing songs of commitment and dedication, a time to have a glass of
wine and make a toast, to serve snacks if you wish, and to fellowship as you
love and praise Me together.
64. It is not meant to be a time for disco
dancing, for playing games, or a time for everyone to go off in smaller
groups. It should be a time of praise, singing songs of commitment, a time of
loving fellowship and togethemess^a time to rejoice together, be together, and
love and fellowship in loving praise and thanksgiving to Me. (End of message
from Jesus.)
65. (Mama:) In light of these instructions, please plan your
meeting early enough to leave ample time for the reading of the GN, the prayers
of the children and teens, the vows of the adults, receiving our Husband's Words
for each bride (whether unitedly or privately), and then to meet back together
for a time of celebration and singing and praise together.
66. About the
time of saying the vows and prayers the Lord said, "In most cases it would
probably be best to have the children go first, followed by the teens, and then
the adults. However, if the children are shy and would feel awkward
starting, it would be good for one of the parents to go first, and then the
children, teens, and lastly the rest of the adults." As the Lord suggested,
afterwards you can have some snacks prepared if you desire, and a glass of wine
to toast and celebrate and honor Him and His brides.
67. May the Lord bless
you with a thrilling, satisfying and renewing time with Him during these
special days. We're praying for you in your preparations and organization, and
for our dear Husband's miraculous supply of all your needs. We're claiming the
power of the keys to make this time very special for each one of you.
Much love in our
Bridegroom,
Mama