GN 992
Reach the Rich The Poor You Have with You Always!
Conviction versus Compromise, Part 7
By Maria Maria #616 CM/FM 3400 2/02
Contents
“Rags to Riches!” 3
Reach the labor leaders 3
The focus has been on “rags” rather than “riches” 5
Keys to reaching the top 9
Evaluate your missionary work and your personal sample 13
Labor leaders are not always rich 17
It's not just how you look, it's what you do 18
What about “Consider the Poor” works? 19
Abide in your calling--a message from Dad on CTPs 20
Reread Dad's original “Consider the Poor” Letter 22
An evil demon of poverty, failure, ruin, and destruction of your faith 26
Apotheon 28
If you're feeling skeptical…. 30
Call on the keys 31
Deliverance, then action 32
Dear Family,
1. I have good news for you! This GN provides another important piece of the puzzle that will help lead you to greater fruitfulness and supply. I know you've been working hard to improve your sample of full-time discipleship. Our Miracle Man can't show us everything at once; that would be overwhelming. He gives us what we need, when we need it. Though this instruction might cause you to feel unsettled as you evaluate your personal sample and your Home's missionary work, it's important material that you need to consider.
2. The Lord has been taking us one step at a time, helping us see where we need to improve, and giving us time to make the changes needed. First He exposed very serious Family problems in the CvsC series, then was the worldwide prayer and fast day. That was followed by a very successful Christmas outreach season, and the marvelous gifts of Feast 2002. That's a lot to take in, especially with the boards swinging into operation now as well. But if you step back and think about it, it's very comforting and obviously supernatural how the Lord has woven His plan and message so beautifully, never giving us more than we can bear, preparing us with each new revelation or challenge, and then bringing us to the next point where He can show us more truth and ask us to make another change.
3. The next challenge before us concerns a number of problems that are interrelated, and each one, if not corrected, has the potential to bring about your failure or at least seriously stunt your missionary work in the long run. We are all aware of the fact that the Lord is preparing the Family for a time of growth. He called us to examine our sample of full-time discipleship, and we found that many areas were in need of vast improvement. These were discussed at length in previous parts of the CvsC series. But it's understandable that the Lord could not bring out every single problem in those Letters. He concentrated on first things first.
4. Now, however, it's time to look more closely at our missionary work to determine if we are staying squarely in the Lord's highest will. We need to specifically talk about how the emphasis on CTP work needs to be adjusted, and the need to return to the commission Dad gave us many years ago to reach the rich and educated, the labor leaders. This goes hand in hand with the Lord's vision of expanding the Family. We need to examine several trends that are becoming widespread within the Family. These have to do with: 1) Your standard of living and personal sample, 2) your outreach methods and what you have to offer potential disciples and Active members, and 3) an overemphasis in some fields on “Consider the Poor” works, to the neglect of other forms of outreach, tool distribution, follow-up and disciple winning.
“Rags to Riches!”
5. Before we go further, I want to remind you of Dad's counsel to the Family in 1973, in “Rags to Riches.” He said:
…The most neglected class of all [is] the rich! My mother said, “I belonged not to the dregs of society, but to the cream, or really the scum of society, the froth of society, the upper crust, and nobody ever preached me the Gospel, nobody ever led me to Jesus! That was something you did in the missions for the poor! The rich are the most neglected class of people there are, spiritually!”
There isn't enough time from now till the Lord comes to go to every little village and reach every little poor peasant! The revolution first captures the upper crust, and they share with the poor! Do you know where revolution was most talked about before the French Revolution, before the American Revolution, before the Russian Revolution, and before every single revolution? It was talked about amongst the people who had time to talk about it--the leisure class! And that wasn't the poor little laboring man out there sweating away! All he had time to think about was getting his job done and getting enough to eat!
It is given to the poor to be rich in faith, but the poorest people in the world spiritually are the rich materially, and they are the hardest to reach because of our God-damned pride, the spiritual pride of the poor! We're ashamed to go to the rich for fear somebody will accuse us of wanting their money! Why shouldn't we want their money for God's work!
We are spiritually rich, but we are being spiritually selfish and proud not to share with those who are spiritually poor! It is given to the poor to be rich in faith. What is it given to the rich?--To be poor in faith! … Why are the poor rich in faith?--Because that's all they've got--their faith and God! So to them God pours out abundant spiritual riches, and they are happier, healthier, or should be, and more spiritually rich, and more of them spiritually saved than most of the rich of the world!
We did not start the Revolution amongst the poor! It just looked like that to the churches, seeing that frowsy, motley bunch of hippies sitting there on the floor! But what they didn't know was that those they were pulling their skirts away from in horror and trying not to touch were the daughters of millionaires and sons of the rich, who were sick and fed up with the lives their parents were living, and had forsaken it to find peace and the truth and the answer somewhere else! They knew it wasn't in riches, so they were trying poverty!
God wants you to capture leaders-–people who are already leaders! If they aren't showing any leadership ability where they are now, before you get to them, they'll probably never show any afterward! They've got to have something in them to begin with. We need many quality labor leaders, even college grads-–people of intelligence and talent and skill.
We don't have much time to train the poor and uneducated from scratch to lead this Revolution! If we're going to win the world, we don't have time to fiddle around training people from scratch right now.
The places where we are making the most progress are where we have reached the leaders and the rich first. (ML #211:20, 21,31–33,39-41).
Reach the Labor Leaders
6. (Mama:) This classic Letter is not the only time that Dad and I talked about reaching the leaders, the educated, the ones who can turn around and win and teach others. Here are excerpts of other key Letters.
The Early Church went to the top first and preached the Gospel to the people who were well educated, spoke several languages, and then let them go into the boonies and preach the Gospel.
Jesus came to Jerusalem, the major religious capital of the world, and preached the Gospel to all kinds of people, including the poor‚ of course. We're not supposed to neglect and ignore the poor; we're supposed to preach the Gospel to the poor. But there are lots of poor people who have got a little education and can speak several languages and reach the rest of the world! Reach the key people, who can then reach and unlock the other doors (ML #927:50–51,53).
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They'd better do on these foreign fields just what we did on the home fields and what Jesus did on His home field, and win the same kind of disciples! Go after the rich young intellectuals, the educated and the smart and the fed-up! They've had it all already and they're not just trying to come for the rice bowl! They've had it, but they're looking for something better--soul satisfaction! They already know English, they've already got an education, they already have got the drive and the know-how and the intelligence and the aggressiveness to be able to meet other people and get out and witness to people of their own kind, not just in the rice paddies! … You only have to preach to them in English and get them won, then they can carry on and be indigenous, eventually self-supporting, self-governing and self-propagating! Pray for these and seek them out!
It seems to happen in every denomination that the missionaries gradually begin to gravitate down to the lower level, lower strata, because with them they can feel superior. … They're not aiming high enough; their aim is too low. They're not aiming for big game; they're shooting for the little game down on the lower level, the easiest ones to get that there's the most of, instead of shooting for the big game‚ the higher-ups that could really do them some good and who could really do some good! (ML #1418:53,61).
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When you've made good contacts, you haven't followed up on them and fed them spiritually. You don't want to waste all that time on prayer and really getting the power of God and the faith of God and the vision of God to get in there and reach people that could be tremendous powers for the Lord! You'd rather fiddle around with trying to sell a few posters and tapes just to make a daily hand–to-mouth living!
You're day laborers! You don't think about the future! You just think about today, and “let's just get out there and sell a few things just to pay for our food today and hopefully maybe the rent will come in somehow”--and that's it!
Well‚ you have reached a few top people and it has really paid off! … But it has taken time and effort and prayer and real vision and real wisdom! It's hard! It's difficult! It's slow! But once you get one, you've got one, and it pays off! (ML #2405:54-56).
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Those people need to go back to work and quit fiddling around on the streets accomplishing so little, barely eking out an existence! The Lord's not blessing it because they're not doing what God wants them to do; they're not really reaching enough people, the people who can really count and make decisions, the decision-makers, the movers, the shakers and the ones who can change world history! (ML #2413:29).
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(Mama:) As Dad has said, the only way you're going to be able to stay in most of these countries is if you will reach, win and feed those who can help you to stay! It's getting more and more urgent to really pray for people of influence, kings and queens and contacts, people that are going to be able to help you (Maria #67:5).
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(Mama:) Find good leaders--people who are leaders already in their own right, and who, when they learn more about the Lord and His Word, will be strong in their convictions and will be willing to stand up for the truth in front of others and who have the capabilities to teach and train others. We pray that the Lord will lead us to those who won't be afraid of what others think or say, but will want to please only Jesus and preach His message to as many people as possible. It is our desire to reach the top, those who are already leaders and have proven their leadership abilities. For if we can win them to the cause of Christ, they will quickly become leaders in His work (Maria #76:7).
The Focus Has Been on “Rags”
Rather than “Riches!”
7. (Mama:) Many Homes and Family members have veered from this vision. Many of you are not reaching the educated, well-to-do labor leaders like you should be. You're not making disciples of those who, like Dad said, have the intelligence, talent and skill to be leaders in this revolution! This is a drastic departure from the commission the Lord and Dad gave the Family, a commission that is just as valid and important today as it was when it was first given. We must win the labor leaders if we are to fulfill the Lord's plan of expanding the Family and reaching the world and making disciples of all nations.
8. One of the main reasons we're not winning disciples--both live-in and Active members--who are labor leaders who are sold out on the Words of David is because many brethren and Homes have become almost completely focused on helping and ministering to the very poor. While we as Christians and missionaries are to love the poor and do what we can to help them, that is not the primary calling of the children of David. An overemphasis on caring for the poor is especially detrimental to our future progress when such work is done with no association with the Family name and when such work causes you to not use Family literature, tools, and the Activated program, lest it be “discovered” that you're part of the Family.
9. If we continue to miss the mark in the focus of our witness and outreach, when we step back and see our accomplishments in the years to come, we will see that the entire “tapestry” that we have woven will be very different than what the Lord intended. The longer we continue down this path that is not fully in line with what Dad taught us, the more the end result of our accomplishments for the Lord and our preparation for the future will be lacking. Our entire missionary work--what the Lord has asked us, the Family, to accomplish--could fail due to this lack!
10. Here is some recent counsel from the Lord:
11. (Jesus speaking:) I am giving great insight that will be a key to bringing back the fruitfulness to many works in countries that have been lagging behind. Many Homes are feeling stifled and frustrated; they're bored and wonder why their work isn't taking off more. They are held back by money problems and it's a real drag, drain, and discouragement.
12. There are many Family missionaries on the field whose hearts are right with Me. They want to do the right thing. They are dedicated and sacrificial. They are willing‚ but the problem is that their focus is in the wrong direction. They've fallen into the same trap that thousands, even millions of missionaries have fallen into over the years--they're giving almost all their time and attention to the poor. I said, “The poor you have with you always.” You'll never ever change the plight of the poor‚ because evil men will continue to trample on the poor until the day of My coming.
13. No matter how effective your CTPs appear to be‚ they are not the main way that you will change the world. They are not the primary outreach method of the children of David. They are a part‚ a small part, of your overall service to man. But the Devil has come in and deceived many of the Family‚ causing them to place a higher priority on the physical than the spiritual. He has made them feel obligated to reach the poor, feed the poor, and comfort the poor at the cost of neglecting their ministry of preaching the Gospel to all the world and making disciples of all nations. But merely caring for the poor is not the goal or the calling of the children of David.
14. The vision to reach the rich was one of the primary things that set the children of David apart from all the other missionaries and humanitarian organizations in the world, because most other groups and individuals were nearly completely consumed with reaching the poor, and the poorer and more destitute the people were, the more the missionaries or other volunteers felt attracted to them and considered them worthy mission fields. The fact that the Family knew that the rich were the most Gospel-neglected class of all and you were willing to concentrate on reaching them was a new approach to winning the world. Others didn't usually have the vision of reaching the educated nationals in the cities, and training them to reach their own people in the villages.
15. It takes humility to reach the rich, because you're always afraid that they'll think you're after their money. Whereas to minister to the poor, you certainly don't have to worry that anyone will think you're after their money. There's no money to be gotten. To the contrary, you're sacrificing, getting down and dirty with the outcasts, the uneducated, the sick or orphaned or refugees, and that makes you feel good about yourselves. That makes you feel like you're “real missionaries.” That can even minister to your pride. While I know you do much of this work out of love for those in need, in many situations the Enemy has deceived the children of David because you have put your main emphasis on something good but something far from the best!
16. It is true that the poor have needs, but an overemphasis on supplying those needs of the flesh at the detriment of supplying the needs of the spirit for others is not of Me. One of the witnessing priorities of the Family is to minister to and win the labor leaders. To do that requires an emphasis on ministering to the spiritual needs of those who can lead their own people, as well as provide the support and protection that the Family will need. There are many in the world who can supply the needs of the poor, but I have so few like you who can win the labor leaders who will help you to change the world. Just as you have gotten away from some of the pillar beliefs that made the Family different, those addressed in the CvsC series, so you have gotten away from getting out the meat of the Word, and reaching and training the well-to-do and educated as well.
17. It takes more humility to minister to the rich. They challenge you. They keep you on your toes. They're not just there for the loaves and fishes. They expect to see you living your sermons. They want to see action, they want to see proof, and they want deep‚ solid explanations of your beliefs and a reason to get behind your movement. It takes much more to minister to and win the rich. They are skeptical, and they've often been burned by other religions and charities. While they might be impressed by your work with the poor and admire you for it, and that might serve as good “bait,” if you are to win them personally and bring them along to actually be a part of the Family and to the point that they take the Family as their own church‚ they'll need to see much more. They expect to see good businessmen, good parenting, good standards of living, professional, convincing Bible and Word classes and presentations, and that all takes work!
18. You really have to work to minister to the rich. You have to exercise your faith, have boldness, become one, and prove that your religion is the answer. You have to be real, deep, and consistent in your testimony and faith. While CTPs can be a good example to them and can catch their attention and put you in contact with them initially, they also need a life-changing experience with Me that they can relate to, that will change their lives! They want convincing explanations of your doctrines. They want challenging work to do. They want true friendship. They want to be taught the truth on subjects that are important to them. They want to know about the Endtime.
19. It's so much easier to go to the masses, the poor, many of whom have been held back and pushed down by generations of poverty, disease‚ and lack of intellectual or spiritual challenge. They won't question you or challenge you; they just take what you give and love you for it. But they'll never change the world. They can't change their own little world, so they'll never change their neighborhood, their city, or their country. They're locked into the inhumane imbalance of power of the Devil's system, and there's no releasing them until I return. But don't worry, because unto the poor it is given to be rich in faith.
20. You can try to alleviate some of their human suffering, and that's good and that has its place, but it's not the all in all, it's not the goal. It's only a small part of your work, and it's not what will ever be your greatest work. There are thousands who work to better the lives of the poor, but does it ever really change anything in a significant way? There are a few who might learn to read or write, and who might better their immediate living conditions and their little villages. Some even have a great change in their life, and go on to help change the lives of others. But such great changes are rare. The physical influence of the missionary or social worker seldom lasts very long or extends very far, and things often revert back to their previous state after the oversight is gone.
21. As David taught, the only way the Family will ever make the impact they are destined to make, the only way they'll truly reach the world is by reaching the rich, the labor leaders, the educated ones who will then go on to change their city and whole country. Reread “Rags to Riches!” That is the message for today! And it's not enough to just reach and win them; they must be trained in the Word to follow in your footsteps, which includes getting out the tools, winning their friends, associates and family to Me; promoting Activated and selling subscriptions; being willing to stand up for the truth, etc.
22. There must be a radical change in approach or the Family will fall far behind in their goals and stagnate in reaching the world. It is vital that the Family sees that it all works together to make a beautiful tapestry of My will, with each thread being crucial to the success of their long-term work.
23. Dear Family, you should examine each aspect of your work:
* Are you ministering to the middle and upper classes, or are you doing what the other 99% of missionaries worldwide do in caring primarily for the poor?
* Do you present a well-rounded ministry that is appealing to the rich, the idealists, the educated, the labor leaders?
* Is your sample and that of your Home what it should be?
* Is your “Consider the Poor” ministry in proper perspective, not taking too much time or prominence?
* Is your witnessing ministry well balanced, including using the tools provided, the Activated program (if available on your field), and sufficient follow-up? (End of message from Jesus.)
24. (Mama:) This might take some adjustment of your mindset or even the presentation you use in your witnessing. If you're very CTP-oriented, then you might even have a hard time explaining what you do, or feeling like a “real missionary” if you're not doing what most other missionaries do. To overcome this, please ask the Lord to give you faith to believe the message you just read, that your calling in life is to minister spiritually, to change hearts. You're changing the world one heart at a time with the Words of David–-focusing on those people that other missionaries are afraid to reach! You are soul doctors! We used that presentation for decades in the Family, long before we had CTPs, and we won lots of good new disciples and kings and supporters that way.
25. One of our SGA COs shared the following when reading an unfinalized version of this GN:
26. Most young people say that if they aren't participating or actively involved in some CTP, then they don't really have the faith to say that they are missionaries. I understand that because I've been through that. You're idealistic, and if you're not like Mother Teresa, then you're nothing at all.
27. My job doesn't afford me a lot of time to build a booming CTP project or foundation or be a integral part of something like that, so I've had to develop the conviction and faith to tell people that I'm a soul doctor, a missionary who is devoted to healing people's hearts with God's love and Word, and who helps them to establish a personal connection with Him‚ or to enhance their relationship with the Lord if it's already established.
28. I tell people things like‚ “There is so much poverty, disease and corruption in the world, but those are only symptoms of the real and greatest problem, a lack of love, and I've made it my life's mission to try to feed people's souls, feed them the Word to build their faith, which can in turn connect them to God's power of healing or supply of whatever they need.” People are then willing to support and help me for that.
29. I believe that and I don't feel like I need to have a CTP to prove I'm a missionary. It really works, and it's what I feel truthful saying. (End of comment from SGA CO.)
30. (Mama:) I admire this kind of faith. I believe that's a truthful presentation and one that the Lord will bless. It wouldn't hurt to explain to the people you're witnessing to that you're a different kind of missionary! Why not just say it! You're not like all the others! You've received a special “call from God” to give a unique message to the world that no one else knows! That would certainly be intriguing for the person you're witnessing to. And by using that approach, you're definitely going to find the sheep who are interested in the Words of David, which is what we're looking for!
31. As a confirmation of the above message from the Lord, one of the SGA COs commented:
32. CTPs can be a real witness and blessing--I've seen and experienced this firsthand--but they can also not only be a real dead end, but actually a tremendous pull away from the Lord‚ the Word, and actively giving an on-fire witness and staying alive spiritually! I've seen and experienced this firsthand as well! We've had some really good people and teams get completely sidetracked and even completely sucked out of the Lord's service because of CTPs, so amen and amen to all the Lord's counsel here‚ and may we take it to heart and actively work on being a stronger work, one built on following the Lord closely and ministering the spiritual riches we're so richly blessed with!
33. I know that I can personally testify that in working here in our needy field, it can be such an easy temptation to get so into ministering to the poor, and that as the Lord said, it does really feed one's pride. Also, you really don't have to be that desperate to start a CTP. With the combination of our training and the immense needs here, you literally can't throw a stone without hitting a good and potential CTP! Reaching the rich sure takes a lot more and you have to be very desperate with the Lord while you're at it. (End of comments from SGA CO.)
34. (Mama:) Here's a good tip from another CO:
35. Here in our third world field it seems that one solution and testimony with the CTP ministries that the Lord has used to open doors and help the Family get visas is that they can, in many cases, be turned over to local people who can be trained to work with their own people. This is looked upon very well by authorities who want foreigners to teach and train their people. By doing this we are being set free to do other things, while still helping and pouring into the local people, not just practically but also by teaching them the Word and helping them to grow in the Lord. They do a majority of the work, and in many cases it can provide them with a reasonable salary from our sponsors to these projects, as well as new opportunities through the training they are receiving. In other words, we are teaching them to fish! (End of comment from CO.)
36. (Mama:) A principle or standard that Dad taught us is that the best way to reach the world is to reach the rich and the educated, because through them you can reach the world a lot quicker and better. It's like the illustration he gave about Paul and Barnabas, and how they went across Cyprus right to the Roman governor's palace, got him saved, and through that were able to really reach Cyprus, turning it into one of the first Christian nations in the world. That lesson can be found in the Letter “Rags to Riches.” Dad said:
37. I want you to look at where our missions have made the most progress. Many others never made as much progress in all the years they worked there as we have in the last few months, because we started with the rich, the intellectuals, the presidents and the governors and the police and the heads of the secret service--the men who have the power and authority to let us and help us work! When Paul landed on the Island of Cyprus, he would have been there yet if he'd just associated himself with the fishermen only. Of course he preached to the fishermen! He preached to the poor all the way across the island, but he was on his way to see the governor! He won him to the Lord‚ and as a result‚ Cyprus became the world's first Christian nation, because he won the one with the power and authority to permit it and finance his preaching to help the poor!
38. When Paul just went to the poor only, he got knocked out and the officials ran him out of town when they heard about the stir he was making and they didn't know what he was up to. But when he went to the powerful first, they got the point and got Jesus‚ and they had the power and wealth to permit him and finance him. They needed the knowledge of why and what he was preaching, and that it was something everybody needed, including them! (ML #211:36-37).
39. (Mama:) You might think, “What's this new kick on reaching the rich? That hasn't been the focus for years. And why didn't Mama and Peter say something sooner, if it's such a problem?”
40. It was never Peter's and my intention for you to neglect your ministries to the well-to-do, educated labor leaders. In case you didn't realize it, we have been talking about reaching the rich, the upper and middle classes, each time we've promoted the Activated program. We might not have said “reach the rich,” but who do you think that program is meant to reach?! Obviously, the people who have the money to buy subscriptions and the other products, and who are interested in the subjects dealt with in the various publications. And it's through the Activated program that the Lord has promised to supply both laborers and the finances abundantly! Check out these prophecy excerpts from “The Action Series, Part 1,” published in June 2000.
(Jesus speaking:) Remember when David produced the first posters and said “millions for the billions”? You found it a little hard to believe or to take literally at first, because you had no idea how far those posters would go. You couldn't imagine there would literally be millions upon millions for the billions on all continents of the world. You had no idea of the tremendous abundance of finances those posters would provide and that they would become the Family's tool of choice for years and years.
I'm happy to announce that you will find just such extreme and magnificent fulfillment of the vision regarding the Activated program. There will be more active supporting members than you can imagine. You have no idea! Even if I were to say that it would be past your furthest estimation, you would still not come close to grasping at this time the potential that will be reached with the Activated program!
This will be one of the keys to your financial needs. You will have abundance. You will have more than you need for the many urgent and expensive projects you dream of, both to minister to outsiders and to the Family's needs.
Even more important, this ministry will be a source of multitudes of laborers. …
I ask you, what is that in your hand? That which is in your hand are those that you lead to Me. That which is in your hand are your friends, your contacts, the souls you lead into My Kingdom, those you meet. These are they that I have brought across your path and these are they whom you can feed, win, and make into disciples, into partners in your work.
This takes faithful feeding and shepherding. It takes a longer-term vision than you're used to. It takes commitment. But even as you've had to make a commitment to sticking with Me, to staying in the Family, to living the truth, so now I ask you to make the commitment to feed the sheep. Come before Me and commit yourself to this new vision--the vision of winning disciples of all nations, the vision of both preaching the Gospel and creating other preachers of the Gospel. This is how the Word will spread; this is how I will fulfill the vision.
It is the time to make disciples of all nations! Gather them in. Feed them. Win them. Shepherd them. Make them a part of you so that they too can be fruitful, they too can become shepherds, and they too can become preachers of My Word (ML #3298:106-109,161-162,165, GN 895).
Keys to Reaching the Top!
41. (Mama:) I know there's been a lot to take in over the last eight months. There's been one major challenge after another, which I'm sure has been difficult for you. But if you're fighting to obey the CvsC series, you have undoubtedly begun to see some good fruit and progress in your life and Home, which should encourage your faith for these other steps the Lord is asking of you now. I agree that the Lord has given a lot of correction in recent months, and He's asked you to make some monumental changes, not just in the way you see things, or your spiritual habits and practices in your walk with the Lord‚ but in the way you live.
42. This is another one of those big changes as the Lord asks you to change your vision, get on the attack‚ and reach the labor leaders! That's a lot to take in and put into practice, but you can do it, dear Family! It may not be easy; in fact, it'll probably be hard‚ as such changes often are. But it's necessary. And if you get behind this vision fully, changing any wrong attitudes and correcting any wrong methods of outreach or low personal standards, you'll see the Lord's full blessings!
43. We're in the middle of a major Family overhaul‚ and we can't stop here in the middle. We can't just get tired and sit down and think we've done enough‚ we've changed enough. If we miss a major piece of the puzzle, then we'll be found wanting in the end.
44. If you are to be doers of the Word, it helps to have a good understanding of what the Lord is expecting of you and why. Let's talk more about reaching the labor leaders, the middle and upper classes, and becoming the kind of samples that will appeal to them.
45. People from the upper classes, people who are well-to-do and educated, want to be associated with success! They might not mind working with a “Consider the Poor” project, ministering to the poor and relieving some of their poverty, but they don't want their church and their friends to be those poverty-stricken poor! They want to come to your Home and feel comfortable. They want to feel that you can relate to them and their problems and way of life, and that you're well-mannered and intelligent, like their other friends and acquaintances. And if you don't know how to interact in love and courtesy, if you and your children are rude and act like “ugly Americans,” if you're living in squalor and untidiness, they will not feel that way. They'll be turned off, embarrassed, and will run the other way!
46. And remember, people of means are more willing to associate with and give to those who have than to those who have not. Why would they want to work with you or support you financially if they feel you're a bad investment? If you want to win labor leaders, Active members with influence, new disciples with leadership potential, then you need to relate to them on their level. You need to give them something they're proud to belong to.
47. It takes work, but it's worth it‚ because as Dad taught us‚ those are the kind of people that will help you change the world. They've got the money, the influence, the education, and the drive to really make things happen, when yielded to the Lord's will and anointing, of course.
48. If you and your Home are to succeed, if you're going to promote Activated and win outside members, you must reach the top, the upper and middle class! There is no other way! Of course you can minister to the poor also, but you cannot neglect the labor leaders! (If you don't have Activated in your area, you can use other Family publications and Letters to feed and follow up on your potential disciples, Active members, contacts and supporters.)
49. Here is more insight on this subject:
50. (Jesus speaking:) I called you to “preach the Gospel to every creature.” I said of Myself that I was sent to bring good tidings to the poor--but not only to the poor. I want, and in fact expect you to be witnesses to all men everywhere. I don't want you to become so embroiled in one level of society that you cannot relate to or reach those of other levels. I want you to minister to the poor‚ for their need is great. Yet it is also essential that you minister to and reach the rich, the upper and middle class, because they have the resources--the finances, the education, the connections, and the drive--to help you reach others.
51. The poor have needs, and they need love, care, salvation, as well as material things like clothing and food, and many times I call you to help supply those needs. The poor of the world, however, are sadly not only poor in flesh, but often poor in mind and in purpose. Those who set their minds and bodies to changing their situation do not often stay poor forever. Those with guts and determination to do something with their lives usually do.
52. Many are poor simply because times are hard, because they were cheated, or because, like you, they have chosen to give their lives to something more important than money. Many others, however, are poor because they haven't tried for anything else. I love the poor, and I want you to touch all those who you meet with My love--I certainly don't want you to neglect or despise the poor. But I want you to look further, higher, and broader. I want you to see the big picture, like I see it.
53. To really reach any country you must reach the top. I don't mean just the very top, as in the country's leaders and richest of the rich, although that sure couldn't hurt. But I mean the top layer, the higher sector of society, the upper and middle classes, the educated, the visionaries. It's pretty clearly divided in many countries these days--there are the very poor, and there are the wealthy. Somehow, many of the Family have developed an odd mentality–-fear is what it really is--toward reaching those of higher levels. Because many of you don't have steady incomes and nine-to-five jobs, or you don't have the formal education and diplomas that others do, you let yourself feel inferior to these folks, and this has hindered you from fully reaching them. You also sometimes take part of the defeated and lethargic attitude of the poor around you, which locks you into feeling that “it's just a poor country, and we're poor here, and that's just the way it is,” or “we're having a recession and times are tough, and nothing can be done about it.”
54. It's not that every Family member in any given field is afraid to witness to those who are upper or middle class; you do lead them to Me and in some cases to further feeding. But by and large your vision falls short. You're not going as far as you need to go. What you need to try to do is not just get them saved and fed, but get them to actively join you, help you, assist you, and support you in your mission of reaching their country with My truth, for My glory. It's not fully happening. This is apparent by the fact that the Activated program has not yet taken off in some fields that should be shiner Activated fields!
55. You must minister to and feed your friends and sheep and lead them to greater growth, greater commitment, greater love for Me and others‚ and even to discipleship. Fellowships alone will not provide a sufficient foundation. The complete foundation is My Word-–the Bible‚ the Letters and the Activated program. If you do not have Activated available in your language, you would need to use other Family publications and the Letters. Bible classes are not enough. But many of you who do have Activated available to you are not using it as you should. A big part of that is the reasoning that, “Well, a subscription is so expensive‚ and this country is so poor…” Well, that reasoning is wrong. There are poor people, yes, but there are plenty of people, rich or middle class, who can afford Activated and who you should be reaching with it.
56. The Activated push has been the program of choice to change the world, which includes reaching the rich, winning new disciples, cultivating Active members, and appealing to the class of people who will not only help support you‚ but help you to stay in the country‚ help protect you, and carry on the work long after you're gone. Many of you who have not caught the vision of the Activated program don't know the content of the materials well and the general appeal and approach. Those who know those magazines, who have read them, sell them, and teach their sheep with them, know that they're a tool for reaching the educated people. They don't deal with the subjects that are typical for the very poor. They are addressing the hot topics of the rich and educated. Activated is it! That's how you'll reach the rich. That's why your king and queen have been doing all within their power to help you to see the value of this program. They might not have used the exact terminology “reach the rich,” but who do you think the Activated program is targeting?-–The educated, the movers and shakers, the labor leaders, the upper and middle classes.
57. You folks need to get stirred up and strengthened in your convictions as My ambassadors. You need to get out there and claim the land! Claim your country for Me! Claim its leaders, its upper levels of society, for Me. Get out there and reach them--and not just gently and lightly, but challenge them to do something for Me and others. Make disciples of your nation.
58. You're only going to make disciples by reaching the top, and you're only going to reach the top if you change your mentality. You have to focus on the power, not on the obstacles. You have to look at the untapped potential that there is, not at the poverty and the lacks. You have to lift up your eyes and look on the white fields that are ready to harvest.
59. Pray desperately. Seek Me with your whole hearts as a field, on a united day of prayer, and desperately cry out to Me to open your eyes, to show you the truth, to show you the potential that lies at your fingertips, and to show you specifically how you can tap into it. I have given you some of the keys already: Aim for the top. Reach the labor leaders. Fight fear. Don't let people make you feel inferior. Don't fall into a mindset of poverty, of “we live in a poor country.” Rebuke and fight the Devil. Don't succumb to the trap of looking at the obstacles. Use Activated. Promote Activated. Teach your sheep the full foundation of the Word--including the meat of the Words of David. Realize and accept that it can be done. It is My will. It must be done. If you don't do it, you're failing Me, failing the sheep, and failing your country.
60. If you really want to reach the top, if you want to bring them in close, get them to work with you, to join you and to be a part of you, then you have to relate to them. You learned from Paul of the importance of “becoming all things to all men,” but sometimes you neglect to apply that across the board. You need to be able to relate to the rich as well as the poor. You need to be able to make those from the upper levels of society comfortable with you--comfortable in your Homes and meeting places--just as much as you need to make the poor feel comfortable with you when you visit them.
61. You don't usually have the extremely poor over to your house for Bible classes and Activated meetings, do you? The people who are labor leaders, who have potential to really go somewhere for Me and become teachers and preachers, teaching others and spreading the message, are usually going to be those who will appreciate and respect a higher standard. If you are ill-mannered and lack a vision for your life or work, if your children are rude and dirty; you live in shabby, unkempt, run-down Homes, you're going to turn off and turn away those who need you, and who you need in order to reach your country.
62. Some of you might think that the poorer you appear, the more people will want to give to you, but that's not true. No one likes to give to a failure. Nothing succeeds like success. I'm not saying you should live in extravagant mansions and drive the most expensive cars, but you do need to have a good standard of stewardship. The things you do have should be in good shape, maintained, and clean. And if they're beyond the point where they can be in good repair and clean, then you should have faith that I will supply better things--better houses, better vehicles, better furniture. You and your children should also be the kind of people who represent My Kingdom well, with good manners and an appealing presentation of My truth.
63. Come on‚ now, it's the day of greater works and of no impossibilities! Do you believe that? No impossibilities means no impossibilities! Wherever you are, it is NOT impossible for Me to fulfill My promises to you.
64. If I have called you to reach the labor leaders, and I have, and therefore to be able to relate to them, then you should and must have the faith to live the right personal standard. There is no reason to let the impoverished mentality of a country or sector of society dictate your attitudes or surroundings. You are My children. You hold the power of the keys. You are destined to rise above! You're not meant to crawl along the ground--you're meant to fly! You're not meant to arouse pity; you're meant to arouse envy. I want the world to look at you and think, “I want what they have! I want to be like them!”
65. I want them to see that you have peace of mind‚ purpose in your life, inspiration in your work, and a quality of life that they are missing. I want them to see your personal life and family life, and to feel motivated to be like you‚ to be better people, better husbands, wives, fathers or mothers, better Christians. I want them to look at you and see that you're loving, courteous, unselfish, and hard-working, and that your children are well behaved and educated in all ways.
66. Those who get closer to you will admire your faith when you live in decent, clean and uplifting surroundings. It will be clear to them that because you have faith in Me, I provide; that because you are My children‚ I take care of you, even though conditions around you might be bleak. They will not look at you with contempt or criticism or wonder why you have such nice surroundings in a “poor” country. They will admire your faith. I want you to be examples of faith and of My ability to do the impossible for you.
67. One of the ways I want you to stretch your faith and prove My power is through raising your personal standard in all ways. It may seem a small thing, but the example that you will be through this will speak loudly, and will mean much to those who you minister to. It will touch both the rich and the poor, the educated and the simple. It will be one of the keys to reaching the top, and reaching the top will be the key to flooding the land with My truth and reaping the harvest that awaits. Begin now. Sharpen your instruments. Tune up your harvesting equipment. Clean and prepare your barns to receive the harvest. Then get out there and reap that harvest! (End of message from Jesus.)
68. (Mama:) In the above message the Lord refers to a united day of prayer. Peter and I will not be establishing a date for a worldwide prayer day. The timing of this can be decided locally. You will be hearing more details from your COs on this, but it should be held within one month of your receiving this GN‚ D.V. Thank you very much for stirring yourselves up and getting desperate, as the Lord instructed. We know it will bring forth great change and victory!
Evaluate Your Missionary Work
And Your Personal Sample!
69. As you know, there are many factors that work together toward a successful‚ fruitful missionary work. This plea from the Lord to raise your personal standard might seem like a small thing, or that it won't really make that big a difference in the long run‚ but note that the Lord said: “It will be one of the keys to reaching the top, and reaching the top will be the key to flooding the land with My truth and reaping the harvest that awaits.”
70. You must be obedient and on track in your overall approach to your outreach and in all aspects of your lifestyle. Otherwise, with time it's easy to get pretty off track, and the result is that years down the road your work will not even remotely resemble what the Lord would have hoped. You won't have won a network of supporters, Active members, co-workers, and influential people to stand by your side. You won't have gotten out the message as the Lord wanted you to, and you won't be prepared for persecution, which will come!
71. All of the following things must be present if you are to be successful. You must:
1) Use outreach methods that promote the Word and Family tools and that build a church rather than just raise money.
2) Promote Activated if available in your area; if not, use other Family pubs and Letters to feed your sheep deeply.
3) Cultivate a missionary work with a vision that is attractive for labor leaders to get involved with.
4) Have a good balance in reaching the labor leaders and ministering to the poor.
5) Have a standard that is presentable to the middle/upper class.
6) Teach your converts to be actively involved in your work through such things as witnessing to their friends and colleagues, selling Activated subscriptions and products, being the samples and witnesses they should to their family and others, helping plan and prepare classes and seminars, etc.
72. Please take some time to evaluate your missionary work. How do you fare with the six points mentioned above? Is your work something that would inspire an educated young professional to get involved with you? Is your lifestyle and the way you spend your time something that would motivate a university student to drop out and join, or be an Active member? Stand back and look at your Home, your ministries, how you raise your money. Do you look like dedicated missionaries with a purpose, with vision, who know how to build a successful, well-rounded‚ admirable work for the Lord? Will young families want to have their children associate with yours? The people you witness to will look at you, your children and your lifestyle and they'll ask themselves, “Is that what I want? Is that how I want to invest my life? Will I change the world if I do what he/she is doing?”
73. What do you think the answers would be if someone were to look at how you live and spend your time? How are you doing at reaching the people who can then reach their own country and remain there, active for the Lord, long after you've had to leave?
74. Let's delve further into the subject of your personal sample. We have talked about your sample of full-time discipleship in the CvsC series, addressing such things as how you spend your time, how you make a living, whether you live communally and in unity; whether you believe the meat of the Word and are willing to explain it and stand by it when asked; whether you're associated with the name of the Family, etc. Those are all important aspects of your sample. But what kind of Christian are you, and what kind of first impression do you make on those you're trying to reach?
75. Here are some insightful comments from one of the FGA proofreaders in our Home, which are a sobering reminder that man looks on the outward appearance:
76. I agree that for many Family members, their focus is in the wrong direction--not on reaching those who can help them really make a difference. It's not only in what folks do, but in attitude and thinking, in who they look to, who they relate to, who they witness to and where they gravitate--their whole lifestyle. That misdirected vision is also manifested in the kids. A lot of the kids who are raised under those conditions then also gravitate to that kind of thinking, that style of dress and mannerisms, a lifestyle of sloppiness and lethargy.
77. An example that came to mind was when I visited my flesh family for the first time after about 15 years. This was about 6 years ago. I'm from a fairly wealthy upper class family, and my brother at one point told me that before I came to visit they didn't know what to expect in how I'd look, my mannerisms, my style of dress, my demeanor. My lack of contact and the rumors they'd heard of the Family's more radical or controversial past had translated in their minds into comparisons with the more unsavory sides of society. When we first saw each other they first sized me up outwardly--my presentation, neatness and cleanliness, manners and consideration, etc. This is stuff that is taught from birth in those circles of society, and when done from the heart is a manifestation of love, concern and courtesy, which is attractive.
78. When talking at that time with my brother, he was very clear, expressing the feelings of the rest of the family, that if I'd not lived up to their expectation, or rather was an embarrassment to them in those respects, our visit would have been very short-lived and final. Thank the Lord it wasn't, and since that time it's only become progressively better.
79. The main point here is that this is the general feeling of most all people in these classes of society. They look on the outward first, and once you're accepted in that respect, then they sit down and listen, and there is potential to get deeper with them. In their minds, like Dad always said, there's nothing that breeds success like success, and if you look like‚ believe, act and carry yourself with the confidence of success‚ it will breed further success-–other successful people will feel comfortable associating themselves with you. Sure, we have to be able to relate to the low-down and down–and-outers, but in a moment we have to also be able to become “a Roman to the Romans,” the ruling class of the day, and “a Greek to the Greeks,” the intellectual class of the day.
80. Sure, some will argue it's a show and a pretense, and it can be for many in those social circles. Many of those people are shallow and lead shallow existences, which is why they are so needy spiritually. What rules is how the Lord gives us the ability to be chivalrous, but with the depth of real love and concern.
81. That's part of the problem with some Family folks; their vision is focused only on the lower rungs of society, and so they look like, dress like and emulate them in attitude and deportment. Quite a number of kids in the Family, for example, get into the “gangsta” type of look, attitude, dress and behavior, and not just for the reasons of “using it” to reach others, but rather they become it. If I'd been into that when visiting my family, no matter how sweet or real I may be on the inside‚ I wouldn't have gotten in the door‚ and especially through the door of their confidence to where they're willing to open up more to meaningful talk.
82. I'm not saying that styles and fads are the way for us to judge, by any means, but there is a difference in simple‚ clean and presentable appearance, regardless of the style, and being so overtaken by the spirit of lethargy and disregard that you become exclusive and so can't relate to or become one with any class of society. There will always be the shy and the bold, the more and less talented in the ways of talking and relating to different peoples‚ especially the rich and powerful, but we all need to be mindful of the spirit we carry, our deportment and confidence (in the Lord), and the aura of faith we should have that opens doors, whether doors of supply or hearts.
83. There should be purpose to our search for disciples--not to be exclusive and haughty or uppity--but to know that we want a Gideon's band of labor leaders. (End of comments from WS proofreader.)
84. (Mama:) Along the same lines, here are comments from an SGA CO, the mother of young children:
85. The first impression we make on people is crucial in determining the amount of future contact people will want to have with us. The level of society we're trying to reach is more often than not made up of very busy people. If we hope that they'll take the time and want to come to our Homes, then the first impression we make or our “outward appearance” has to inspire confidence. Because “appearance” is such a big deal in the upper echelons of society, at least in our continent, our physical sample has to be clean and presentable, and our way and mannerisms have to reflect education and courtesy.
86. We can't expect to sell someone on the Gospel when our personal “look” says anything but “I'm a success.” People won't ever take us into their confidence or want to be taken into ours if their first impression of us is a bad one, and if we're dirty, shoddy, slack and sloppy, we can be sure that our ratings will be anywhere from bad to worse. That kind of sample reflects an attitude of carelessness and lethargy, terms that are not associated with success.
87. Like it says in this Letter, the Lord wants us to inspire envy--but the way some Family people act and look, they don't inspire anything but a desire to not be around them, much less a hunger for our spiritual wealth, and that's the greatest shame.
88. The world is extra leery of “religious” folks and expects a lot more from Christians, especially “professional” missionaries, than they do from just about anyone else. So our whole presentation of the Gospel is either helped or hindered by what we look like and how we treat people. If we hope to change them, we have to give them a good reason to want what we have. This is where “becoming one” is very important.
89. Unlike ministering to the poor, it's very important that we “become one” with those who can help us to change the world through their positions of influence or through their financial help. That doesn't mean “one in spirit,” but it does mean that if you look, act, dress and behave like the poor, you won't get anywhere with the rich. Unfortunately, some of the Family young people have to some extent “become one” with the “lower” class. The baggy pants, heavy piercing, untied big tennis shoes, and in general the bum look is the way that some people express their individuality. Dad said that in some cases it's more revolutionary to not appear to be revolutionary in order to reach a certain type of people. At least in this part of the world, the “rich kids” or successful kids, the labor leaders, don't look like bums; in fact, they are usually at the other extreme. Even if they have an earring or long hair, they are clean-cut and classy and “together.”
90. One of the biggest burdens I have is to see the training of our children in these respects have a total turnabout and change. Children who are ill-mannered, sloppy and rude are never going to be a testimony to anyone; in fact, they'll only be a testimony against us. It's heartbreaking to see how some Family kids seem “neglected” in the way of being properly educated in etiquette and respect for others and even for themselves. It's pitiful. Our kids are supposed to be the proof of the pudding, but the way some of our “pudding” is turning out, I wouldn't be surprised if people choose to say, “I'll pass.” It's not only a bad testimony, but it's not fair to our kids to raise them in such a way that makes them misfits in the levels of society that we are hoping to win to the cause of Christ.
91. The wonderful thing about the Family has always been how we can adapt to any level or class and become anything to anybody in order to win them. We've learned to not be intimidated by the rich, nor to feel “better” than the poor. We're adaptable and can be comfortable in any situation. The way our kids are being raised now, however, that's becoming a thing of the past.
92. We have to realize that if we continue with our low level of faith, the future of the Family will be seriously disadvantaged, because we're training our kids to aim low and be content with being mediocre. That's not the destiny of Family-born kids. I believe that we were each born with a very special mission and we have to act like it, and our little guys have to be taught the same thing. They have to be prepared for their missions, but right now they aren't even prepared to have a nice dinner out at a restaurant.
93. Of course, not all Family kids are like this. And I take my hat off to our faithful Family parents who have managed to raise their children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” and have turned out winners that not only the parents, but the Lord and the Family can be proud of.
94. But the trend is shifting and drifting downward, and the bottom line for me is, it's not fair to our kids. They were born with a specific charge and we need to prepare them to fulfill their destiny. We're robbing our kids of a heritage that is rightfully theirs, and that's the heritage of faith to hitch their wagon to a star knowing nothing can stop them. Our kids are born into a royal priesthood; they are called out, set apart for the Lord‚ and we need to treat them like it and teach them to act like it. People don't seem to realize that the way they treat their kids is the way their kids will act, and that's a day in and day out thing. It all begins at home. They try to give their kids pointers on how to behave in front of visitors, but they should be stressing that as normal behavior, not a once-in–a-while‚ special-occasion act. It's crazy. It's teaching kids to be a fake and phony‚ instead of the real genuine princes and princesses that they are.
95. I don't want to be too negative, but I'm frankly embarrassed to go out with a group of JETTs. I'm embarrassed about the way they eat and the way they address each other and others, the way they ignore people who talk to them or are rude to those they're interacting with. Their dress and “look” are dirty and unkempt, and in general I wouldn't want to tell anyone that “we” are the Family. We need a radical change in the “image” of that age group, and now that I've read this GN I can see that the Enemy and his evil minions have targeted our JETTs, teens and kids because they're being visibly dragged down. It's really an emergency.
96. All that to say, we must raise our standard even if for our kids' sake, otherwise we're ruining them. As a parent, I don't think that I would listen to a thing “the missionaries” had to say, no matter how clean or nice their house was, if their kids were out of control, grubby, destructive‚ impolite, foul-mouthed, etc. Whatever you were trying to offer me, I'd figure it was ineffective and certainly not my idea of “help” for my own problems. People want to raise their kids to be successful, and if our kids are not winning material, then others will figure that we're not worth their time or interest, and certainly they won't want their kids to be influenced by ours. (End of comments from SGA CO.)
97. (Mama:) I hope these comments make you think. Please look a little deeper. Really consider what's being said here. We're not talking about reaching the labor leaders, the middle and upper class, the successful people because it's some vain exercise in becoming one or looking good or having proper etiquette. The point is that we have a mission in life. We can't accomplish that without the help of a lot of people. And those people need to have education, leadership potential, drive, vision, and a great deal of spizerinktum!
98. As Dad taught us, we can't change the world if we don't reach the rich. That's the whole point. We want to succeed in our mission, we want to make disciples of all nations, we want to change the world! We want to win national disciples who can reach their own country with the Words of David. In order to do this, the truth is that we must be the kind of Christians and live the kinds of lives that will appeal to the people we must win! That includes the sample of our children!
99. Our physical sample, our manners, our outward appearance‚ our children's behavior and education are all part of our reflection of Jesus! If any of you live in squalor, if you're slothful or dirty in your personal appearance, if you don't know how to conduct yourself and interact with others in love and courtesy, if your kids are terrors who are disrespectful‚ rude, foul-mouthed, and dress like modern-day gangsters; then how can you expect to cultivate a truly successful missionary work that is a testimony of the Family, the Words of David, the power of the Lord, and all we stand for? Really! Please take a minute and think about your lifestyle‚ your deportment, and your kids' samples. What does it all say to those you're witnessing to? (For more on this, please see the following Letters: “Face Up, Dress Up, Trim Up, Straighten Up,” ML #1202, Vol.12; “The Ugly Americans,” ML #2349, Vol.17; “Man Looketh on the Outward Appearance,” Parts 1 and 2, ML #3124-25, GNs 735-36.)
Labor Leaders Are Not Always Rich
100. In this GN I've talked in depth about reaching the rich. I've shared messages from the Lord on that subject. In fact, the title of the GN is “Reach the Rich!” However, it's very important that you also notice there have also been numerous mentions of terms such as the middle and upper class, the educated, the labor leaders, those with leadership potential, the movers and shakers, etc.
101. Now I want to make something clear, and it's important that you really get this: Not every labor leader will be rich. Some of your potential leaders will be found at the university, some will be young professionals, some will be self-made men and women. Please do not limit your vision or become narrow-minded so that you don't recognize real potential unless it's wrapped in a Mercedes.
102. To emphasize this point, here are comments from one of our WS pubs workers. This FGA said:
103. Regarding reaching top-quality labor leaders from the upper classes, I agree with that, of course, but I think a lot depends on the person. In the past, we reached the top and won some disciples from wealthy families--very good disciples. But many of the wealthy and upper class that I met during this time were frivolous playboys with no interest in the serious things of life, and certainly weren't Family material. Granted, many of the disciples won from lower-class families weren't that potential in leadership either, but some were. A lot depended on their drive, motivation and gifts.
104. I guess I'm just thinking of myself here, hoping that others like me won't be passed up because they don't appear to be top quality, or any sort of quality at all. My family background was pretty basic, with my dad having been born in a log cabin in the hills of Tennessee, and if we were middle class, it was just by the skin of our teeth. When I joined the Family I actually had nothing to forsake, and I probably didn't look like the world's most potential disciple, ha! Anyway‚ all that to say that I think rich or poor, a lot depends on the disciple himself. (End of comments from WS pubs worker.)
105. (Mama:) I agree! I'm not saying that you should neglect hungry sheep now just because they don't fit your concept of “reaching the rich,” because they're not rich! We want to win potential leaders, but they can come from many places, and sometimes a person can have tremendous drive, conviction‚ dedication‚ and gifts, but those advantages can be somewhat “hidden” and not easily recognized. Please be very prayerful and see with the Lord's eyes!
106. On a similar point, one of our WS proofreaders commented:
107. Reaching the top doesn't necessarily only mean reaching “the top” people themselves. If you're in the groove of looking for ways to reach these folks, the Lord can also bring a key person across your path who is the “secretary” or “right–hand man” or “aide” to someone at the top. Maybe this person can be more easily reached and will help open the doors to reaching the top, or will be the lever that you can “handle” to influence the top. Sometimes these folks are a bit easier to reach because they're more humble, less busy or protected, and therefore more approachable than those at the very top, even though they travel and work in top circles. (End of comment from WS proofreader.)
It's Not Just How You Look,
It's What You Do!
108. (Mama:) The Lord brought out in the CvsC series about how we as a Family need to be involved in serious‚ fruitful missionary work, rather than only superficial fundraising methods that don't bring forth lasting fruit. The potential labor leaders we need to reach won't be happy just hanging out in your Home, with little or no vision. The middle and upper class people who have education, drive‚ connections, and the money you need to further your work in a big way certainly are going to want to be involved in something that they consider to be worthwhile, fruitful missionary work! Eking out a living, barely surviving, having no vision or fruit while you get out a little bit of message is not going to inspire anyone to join you and become a part of the Family!
109. Think back! What did you join the Family for? Didn't you want to change the world for Jesus? Would you have joined a group with little vision beyond paying the bills every month, where life was a constant struggle, where living conditions were low or sinking, with little hope of betterment, and where your main witness was to people even poorer than you? Can you honestly say you would have forsaken all to join such a group? And if you met the Family today‚ would you give up your job, your education, your independence, your family, your girlfriend or boyfriend, your car and money, to do what your Home does now?
110. If your witnessing and fundraising are so shallow, so poorly representative of the tremendous tools you have at your fingertips, then it's no wonder you lack vision and are living in need! The Lord cannot bless you fully when you've compromised your witness and are not using the tools He's provided and getting out a meaty substantial witness, with follow-up! There is possibly a place for various kinds of fundraising in which the witness is rather limited or shallower, but that can't be the only thing you do or even the main thing you do as your missionary work. That's just not enough. It won't please the Lord, and it won't inspire others to become a part of your work!
111. We have such tremendous witnessing tools, such an effective means to build a work and feed His sheep, that it's a reproach to the cause and the Family and the Words of David when brethren depend on meager and limited fundraising methods, without also having other ministries that get out the full range of tools and promote a deeper witness.
112. You should be proud of your profession as a Family missionary! You should feel confident approaching anyone and explaining what you do and how you live. You should be proud to be a salesman for a worldwide missionary organization that has the best products and literature available! But if you're not using those tools and promoting a work based on those tools, what do you say when people ask you what you do or to explain your special missionary work?
113. To reach the labor leaders you have to be doing something, you have to be successful in your work! They're not interested in a life of begging and poverty that's going nowhere, with no vision or clear objectives!
114. This instruction applies just as much to you older young people as to the FGAs. We hear from some young people that living in a Family Home is boring. But what are you young people doing about it? You can't just expect the FGAs to “make it happen” for you. You can get out there and pioneer your own ministry, win your own top disciples and train them! Establish your own Activated work! Build a following through your own tool distribution and follow-up! Win the educated, upper-class youth of your city! Go to the universities‚ and give the students the thing money and their parents' influence can't buy! The counsel in “Rags to Riches” is for you, just as it was for the FGAs who were your age when that Letter was originally written by Dad!
What About
“Consider the Poor” Works?
115. With this renewed emphasis on reaching the middle and upper classes, you might be wondering where your “Consider the Poor” efforts fit in. While we're to love, be concerned about, and be willing to witness to all men, we are not to give disproportionate attention to the poor. We are to try to help them when we can, but those who have become completely embroiled in ministering to the poor alone are neglecting the Gospel for all and are being disobedient to the Lord's commission to preach the Gospel to every creature. We aren't to be like the rest of the world's missionaries and humanitarian outfits. Our primary goal is not to concentrate on ministering to and relieving the suffering of the poor.
116. There is a place for “Consider the Poor” works, that's for sure. They are important, and Peter and I know that you who have dedicated yourselves to teaching, caring for, and supplying the needs of the poor have done so in an effort to show them the Lord's love. That's part of our mission, true. But some Homes have gotten to the point that they've put a very large emphasis on ministering to the poor to the neglect of the other types of witnessing and outreach available, and that's where some adjustment of priority is needed.
117. There are Homes in many countries around the world that have used their work with the poor to win the favor of the local or national government. There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, that's an important benefit of “Consider the Poor” work. But while doing so, some Homes have disassociated themselves completely from the Family name and tools. They no longer use the Family literature or follow-up tools at all, and don't want it to be known that they're part of the Family. If no one knows you're the Family, you certainly can't be working toward expanding the Family or winning labor leaders who love the Words of David.
118. I can see that there would be a certain satisfaction in working with the poor, and it's certainly an “accepted” approach. It's understandable and gains favor of the System. In some cases it opens doors and makes a way for you to meet people you wouldn't otherwise meet. Peter and I are not saying we should not do such work. But I ask you who now find yourselves involved in overwhelming, time-consuming CTP ministries, to please consider the long-term fruit. Where are your national labor leaders? Where are your new disciples who can win and lead others? Where are those who will support and protect you when persecution of the Family comes--and it will! Where are those who know you're the Family and love you for it? Where are those who will carry on and win their country long after you've had to leave?
119. Working with the poor has its place, and there are areas that have found a good balance. Some of the Homes in Brazil have, due to close shepherding and direction, been successful in using their “Consider the Poor” works as very good “bait” for recruiting the help of potential disciples and Active members. Various brethren in Brazil explained that some top people are not initially interested in coming to a Bible study, whereas they're intrigued by the idea of going to spend a morning “doing missionary work” in a slum.
120. Many wealthy people are guilt-ridden. They know they have so much and others have so little, so an opportunity to give a little of their time or even goods to help the very poor can be appealing. It's a new experience for them, something they can talk about with their friends. Through initially working together with or sponsoring the Family on a CTP project, they become more interested in the other aspects of Family life and work, and many later begin to attend Bible studies, visit the Home, read the Activated materials and Letters, witness to others, etc. And it grows from there.
121. Also, there are Homes that work with the poor in order to qualify for needed visas or support. That's fine, of course. The problem arises when CTP work is the only work you do, or the primary work. If CTP work were all you could do, then the Lord would probably be happy with that. But at this point in history, there are few, if any, fields where you cannot have a more diversified missionary work, including ministering to the middle and upper classes so that you'll meet, win and train the labor leaders you need.
122. Therefore, it is not acceptable to only do CTP work‚ and certainly not if it causes you to divorce yourself completely from the Family name and Family literature and products. This was made clear in the CvsC series when the Lord said:
(Jesus speaking:) You can judge the overall fruitfulness of the fundraising method by looking at the fruit of the Home. If they have no Active members or disciples, if they have no Church of Love‚ no Bible studies, no regular monthly supporters, no provisioning contacts, no potential disciples on the line‚ and no Activated subscriptions are being sold‚ then their witnessing is shallow and unfruitful. No matter how much money a method brings in, if the overall fruit of the Home does not include the above-mentioned fruit, the overall witness of the Home is shallow.
A regular “Consider the Poor” ministry alone isn't necessarily enough to determine that the Home has a fruitful, well-balanced outreach ministry, because a “Consider the Poor” ministry will not usually provide the Home with supporters, new disciples, or protection. The same can be said for a regular provisioning ministry‚ unless you're faithfully ministering to your contacts with Family materials and they're growing in their knowledge and understanding of the Family, what you believe and what you do. There must be in-depth witnessing, follow-up, and reaching the middle and upper class as well if a Home is to fulfill the vision of making disciples of all nations. That is the only kind of witnessing that will relieve the Home of the “hand-to-mouth” syndrome and provide a solid, dependable base of support (ML #3363:138,139, GN 959).
123. (Mama:) Our field leadership has voiced concern that some Homes or areas are getting distracted with CTP work, to the point that it's no longer a means to an end, but has become the all in all. Peter and I have been prayerfully monitoring this, praying about it and seeing how things develop. The above counsel from the CvsC series should have set the record straight that CTP work is not enough to have a fruitful, well-balanced missionary work, but to make it very clear, here is a recent message from Dad.
Abide in Your Calling--
A Message from Dad on CTPs!
124. (Dad speaking:) CTP work is scriptural. Jesus said to feed the poor‚ to care for the sick, to give to those who ask of you. But you have to balance scripture with scripture‚ and more importantly, you have to abide in your calling.
125. What's the Family's calling? It hasn't changed over the years. Our methods have changed some; our tactics have changed and will continue to change if the Lord so leads. He's led you to branch out into diverse ministries--but your calling is still the same, the goal is still the same. What's the main job of the Family?–-To witness the Words to the waiting world!
126. You are to preach the Words of David, the special Words Jesus has given you for the Time of the End. That's your main job, to be His Endtime witnesses, to preach the Gospel, the unique message He's given to the children of David--the Gospel of the Last Days. And what's the best and most effective way you can do this today?--By activating your country, distributing the tools, winning friends and supporters in your land, and training labor leaders who can help you get the job done.
127. There's nothing wrong with CTP ministries, as long as you keep your eyes on the goal and remember that any involvement you have in a CTP ministry should not be your sole focus. If you're spending your time and effort on CTP only, it's time to reevaluate where you're heading. A CTP ministry should not be the end, but merely a means to an end--a means to help you promote the Word and activate your part of the world.
128. I've always made this clear from the beginning, and nothing has changed on this score: The Family's ministry is to be a spiritual ministry, first and foremost. Your main job is to spread the Word, to make disciples of all nations. And how can you accomplish this today? What is the main method He's given you? What are the tactics He's asked you to use? It's all summed up in two simple words: “Get activated!”
129. Watch out that you don't get so stuck or cornered into ministering to the poor, trying to feed and provide for them physically, that you neglect your greatest responsibility to feed the spiritually destitute. And sometimes the poorest spiritually are those who are not lacking in material goods but yet are starving in spirit. You must go to wherever the need is, to whoever will receive our message. And there are plenty of rich who need us!
130. If you're not cultivating kings and queens right on your respective mission fields, if you're not reaching the top (the upper and middle classes) in the country where you live, those who can in turn help you to reach your field, then something's wrong; you need to reevaluate and pray and refigure what you're aiming at. If you're going to activate your part of the world, if you're going to reach your country, then you've got to win the top of that land, as well as minister to their poor if the Lord so leads.
131. I've been keeping tabs on your outreach, and I'm seeing that some are settling down so much into their CTP ministries that they barely focus on much else. Others have settled into returning to home fields in order to raise support so they can maintain their CTP ministry on the foreign mission field. Now, there's a time and a place for everything, and I'm not saying the Lord will never lead you to embark on a fundraising mission to one of the richer home fields--but I ask you to take a look at the whole picture, the future.
132. It's commendable that you're willing to raise support on a home field in order to then focus on your CTP ministry. But is this preventing you from fully cultivating friends, kings, disciples and supporters on your mission field? How are you going to reach the field He's called you to if you don't reach the top, if you don't win friends, supporters, and labor leaders right there where you are? They are the ones who you can feed and teach and train to carry on, even long after you're gone.
133. The Family's main ministry is not a physical one. Who else in the world can feed people's spirits like you can? Who else has the Word for the Last Days? There is no one else who can feed the world spiritually like you can. No one else is called to do the job He's given you--to spread His Endtime Gospel, to spread Activated, to win disciples! This task is reserved for you.
134. Right now your main job is to change the world with the Words of David--and the most effective way to do this is to get the tools out, to activate the world. This is something no other Christian group can do. There are others He's commissioned to run and maintain schools, hospitals, shelters, and so forth, but the foremost job He's given you is to preach the Gospel, and not just the Gospel but the meat of the Word‚ the Words of David, the Endtime message, and not only to preach the Word, but to win, teach and train disciples.
135. If maintaining a CTP ministry will help you do that, fine. If you are cultivating kings and queens that will sponsor you and help you pass out the printed Word and distribute videos and other tools to the poor so you can feed them spiritually, great. If those same kings and queens will help you pass out material goods to the poor, that's great too‚ as long as you're not neglecting your main job of spreading the Word through getting out tracts, posters‚ CDs‚ videos, magazines, books and booklets, and winning disciples-–labor leaders!
136. I'll tell you, if you'll get out there and distribute the tools on your mission field, the Lord will bless every area of your lives! He'll supply the means for you to keep up your CTPs so you can be a testimony and to do your most important job of all--witness and minister spiritually to both the rich and the poor.
137. It always pays to stop periodically‚ to examine the facts, evaluate your work, check in with the Lord regarding your outreach and ministries, and get His fresh counsel to see if there's any change needed. Will those of you who are involved in CTP ministries do this for me? Will you lay the cards out on the table and see how you're faring--keeping in mind what your main focus should be?
138. I'm proud of you for faithfully sticking it out on the mission field. Will you take time to ask the Lord these questions? I know you all want to do your best for Him, so why not ask Him how you can improve, what you should change and what you should keep the same? Okay? Please ask yourselves, and ask the Lord in prophecy:
1) Where is our CTP outreach taking us? Are we hitting the target?
2) Do we have a proper balance between our CTP ministry and other outreach, or are we stuck in a rut? Is our CTP ministry a means to a greater end?
3) Through our CTP are we aiming to reach those who can help us in a greater way? Are we cultivating kings and queens who can sponsor us and help us promote and spread the work‚ the Word, and the Lord?
4) Are we using our CTP as a means to minister to the people spiritually, to give them the most important thing that only we can give--the Words of David?
5) What, if anything, needs to change regarding our outreach?
6) Are we reaching the middle and upper classes and winning labor leaders as the Lord has repeatedly asked us to do?
7) Is our missionary work preparing us with support and protection in the event that persecution should come?
8) Is our CTP work associated with the Family, or helping to promote the Family's name?
139. If you'll take the time to ask the Lord these questions, if you'll open your minds and hearts and receive His guidance, and then go to work and faithfully follow what He tells you to do, you can't go wrong! I know I can count on you to stop, reevaluate, and make any necessary changes so that you can stick to the main job, the most important job He's given you--witnessing and preaching the Gospel, distributing the Words He has given you in every available form, winning disciples, training labor leaders‚ and activating the world! Thank you for taking up the challenge! Remember, if you need help, you can call on me anytime--I love helping you witness! I'm always rarin' to go! XXXXXXX Dad. (End of message from Dad.)
Reread Dad's Original
“Consider the Poor” Letter
140. (Mama:) I think it would do everyone good to reread Dad's original Letter “Consider the Poor.” (See ML #2755, Lifelines 20, written in 1991.) Sometimes what you think a Letter says and what it actually says can be very different. It seems that Dad's counsel to minister to the poor and needy has, with time, taken on a life of its own that is not 100% in keeping with the original vision Dad had. Maybe you vaguely remember words like “poor, homeless, needy,” etc. But if you read the Letter carefully, as I just did, you'll see there are other important factors to consider.
141. To begin with, the Letter was primarily about the U.S., although there are some small portions where Dad broadens the vision somewhat to the world. Dad is referring to reaching the needy in the U.S., as we did in the beginning with the hippies. But he doesn't hesitate to mention that the hippies were the sons and daughters of the middle or upper class. Also, there is clarification that the “needy” of the U.S. doesn't necessarily mean the beggars and bums on the street, but those that are poor comparatively speaking, like those who are recently homeless or who are afraid of losing their jobs and becoming homeless.
142. Also, Dad explains that the “top” in the U.S. are mostly older people who have already heard of us and rejected us. They want nothing to do with us, they wouldn't receive us even if we tried to reach them, so we're to go to those who don't care who we are, as we did with the hippies in the beginning. But as Dad explained in “Rags to Riches” and also in “Consider the Poor,” those hippies were well educated and from good homes. They were “poor” because they were fed up with and had rejected the System of their day! They certainly were the ones no one else wanted!
143. Dad was talking about the U.S. in the setting of the recession in which there were many newly poor and homeless, people who were formerly middle class or well-to-do, but who had lost their jobs. They're desperate and frightened; they don't care who we are, as long as we love them and help them--not necessarily by giving them food, although that's okay, but by leading them to the Lord, the One Who can solve their problems and supply all their needs!
144. You see, the idea never was that the Family was to embrace what Dad calls the “social gospel” where you put ministering to people's bodies first. Dad makes it clear in “Consider the Poor” that our primary ministry is spiritual. He said, “Witnessing is our job, and we shouldn't get into anything that's going to distract us from that!” (ML #2755:22). We are to go to those who need us and appreciate us, and in most of the world, that's not only the poor, but also the upper and middle class!
145. The last section of the Letter “Consider the Poor” is clear that we're to minister to the poor in spirit! Dad said:
Let's not carry this to the extreme to think we're only going to minister to the homeless and the poor! Jesus didn't minister only to the poor and the homeless and the hungry. I'm just saying there are going to be an awful lot of people who are poor and hungry because of the depression, so we'd better get ready to minister to them, as well as whoever else we minister to.
The Lord says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit!” (Mat.5:3). And He said He satisfied the hungry, but that He sent the full away (Luk.1:53). You can be hungry in spirit, and yet be rich in material things. (Maria: The idea is that we should minister to not just the physically destitute, but also the spiritually destitute and needy.) People in need! Sometimes the rich are the most neglected of all. We're to minister to whomever the Lord leads us to and brings to us, but there are going to be a lot more poor than there used to be. A lot of people who have been rich, by comparison they're going to be poor. But that doesn't mean they're going to be beggars on the street, or absolutely, horribly, poverty-stricken like some of the poor in Southeast Asia and South America who live in shanties with no plumbing, and sewage running down the street!
Let's put it this way: We need to minister to the poor in spirit. (ML #2755:42-44‚ Lifelines 20).
146. (Mama:) All CTP work is not wrong. As one of our WS proofreaders commented:
147. CTPs are what governments and officials see of us first and foremost; they can be part of the important outward appearance, and in some cases it's what these officials or people can use to justify their backing of a Home(s) for visas, support or whatever. A good CTP can also be a great asset in times of need--especially in times of persecution, which the Lord said will come eventually.
148. (Mama:) Another CO who read this Letter commented:
149. We do CTPs‚ we volunteer at the local mission‚ take food and clothing to orphanages, etc. In some ways our efforts are meager‚ but we really don't want to get bigger. We do it not only to help people, but also because in so doing it causes us to rub shoulders with other members of the community, establishes us and our work in the community, potentially opens new doors, etc. And we explain to people that our primary goal is to minister spiritually and we try to not just get stuck behind the stove cooking chickens, but work ourselves into places where we can have contact with people.
150. It's not so much the size of the CTP that determines whether it's fruitful but rather the fruit it's bearing. The point is that the purpose is to go ahead and do good works through the CTPs, as Jesus did as well, but to keep our eyes on our primary purpose of ministering spiritually and using the opportunities that CTPs offer to minister spiritually to the upper class that CTP work can and should expose you to.
151. (Mama:) Another person commented:
152. A good national CTP can be a way of getting in the door to many of the wealthy who can sponsor and support the funding and the manning of a CTP. With proper funding you could even hire other workers from the outside to help with the CTP work so it doesn't take all your time and attention. In other words, move into the position of using the CTP as a tool to reach the poor‚ yes, but also as a tool to reach the wealthy and to break into their circles.
153. (Mama:) While we must pull out of unfruitful CTP works and get back to our primary job of witnessing the Words of David and winning labor leaders‚ if you've made a commitment and people are depending on you, you can't just up and drop whatever CTP you're doing and leave, irresponsibly, without notice. For example, if you're working with a foundation or some organization and you've committed yourself to a certain project‚ you can't just decide you've changed your mind and you don't want to do that anymore and just pull out, without warning. But if that's the case, you will need to work extra hard to make sure you have a good balance in the rest of your outreach program, so it's not only CTP work. If you must continue your CTP work, then you'll probably need to do double duty, putting in extra hours witnessing so you can also concentrate on reaching the labor leaders.
154. Some signs that could indicate that your overall outreach program is imbalanced, tipped too far toward CTP work, would be:
* Your CTP projects have caused you to distance yourselves or even divorce yourselves completely from the Family name and tools.
* You're afraid to let those you work with on CTP projects know you're the Family.
* You spend most of your time ministering to the poor but aren't reaching labor leaders.
* You're not witnessing the Words of David (including the meaty message).
* You're not following up on people.
* You're not using the Activated program in your witnessing (or whatever is comparable if Activated is not available in the field where you live).
155. When reading the unfinalized version of this Letter, one of the COs commented:
156. We recently had some mild persecution in one country in our area. While we had a lot of “good works” that we could have shown and used in our defense, it is my understanding that most, if not all, our CTPs and social works were not associated with the Family. And from what I understand, we asked if we could make the connection and the Family was very reluctant to allow that. I heard of some very good missionaries there that are embroiled with such works but are not necessarily bearing the type of fruit that we've been called to bear and that you, Dad and the Lord make very clear in this Letter. I see this GN as a real needed message and challenge. Thank God for the living Word that keeps us on track.
157. (Mama:) This leader is giving this field the benefit of the doubt, and possibly it's not as bad as it sounds. But let this serve as a good check to you. How would you fare now if your CTP work were needed in a time of persecution to prove the Family's good works and benefits to the city or country? Would you be prepared for that? Please reread the counsel in the CvsC series Part 4 on “Denying Association with the Family,” ML #3364:123-154, GN 960. But just in case you don't take the time to find that GN and reread this entire section, I'm going to repeat here a key prophecy from that section:
(Mama:) We realize, of course, that there are times when your connection with the Family would need to be kept secret, such as when you're in a country where your work is banned, or where the authorities would imprison you‚ or where being a Christian in itself is dangerous. But obviously the trend to not make known your connection with the Family is much more widespread than that. I asked the Lord for more counsel about it, especially how this fits in with His call to rid ourselves of the compromises that are making us ineffective. His message is very clear.
(Jesus speaking:) Much depends on the motivation and the details surrounding each individual situation. If a Home deliberately hides their association with the Family to the point that they're actually denying their faith in the Family and the Words of David, then it's a pitiful, terrible sample! I can understand taking on a certain name for a particular “Consider the Poor” project if that name has meaning and possibly communicates more to the local people than simply the name “The Family.” I can understand that it might be more effective for the upfront name of a project to be such things as “Defeating Drugs in Our Neighborhood” or “Help for the Homeless” or “Tough Love for Teenagers” or “Foundation for the Benefit of Underprivileged Families,” etc. Such names are immediately self-explanatory, and therefore people know right away what you're doing.
If the motivation for adopting such names is for such a legitimate reason, then it's acceptable. But there should always be some association with the Family, some explanation or tie with the Family; otherwise your presentation is deceptive and I cannot fully bless you. If you deliberately hide or even deny your association with the Family, then when it becomes known that you are not just associated, but actually longtime, full-time members of the Family, your reputation, testimony, and works will be tarnished!
Your supporters and colleagues will conclude that you've been lying, and if you lied about something as fundamental as that, then they'll wonder what else you're lying about. The trust you have worked so hard to build with others will be dashed, and your Christian testimony will be sadly tainted. News will travel, and you'll find many doors that would have otherwise been opened to you will be permanently and tightly closed. In the end you will suffer much more for your deliberate deception than you would have had you been honest and presented your association with the Family wisely, at the appropriate time and in the appropriate way.
Those of you who think you can indefinitely work under another name with no association with the Family, while remaining members of the Family, are living in a dream world. It is foolishness and naïveté for you to think that your membership in the Family will not eventually be discovered. So unless you want to face devastating embarrassment and a collapse of your work, you must be upfront and honest.
That doesn't mean you need to tell every single detail about the Family immediately, but to actively hide or actually deny your association with any religious movement and to not mention the name of the Family fairly early on in your work relationship with others is extremely unwise and will only backfire.
The worst part of this is not just the way your work will suffer, and how you might even have to completely shut down and move on to something else, because your benefactors and sponsors will have lost faith in you and will have to retaliate to save face, but even worse is the damage it will do to your personal sample as a Christian. You should be known for your integrity, honesty, and fairness. You should be known for love and truth. You should be known for doing the right thing, for making choices according to your conviction, even to your own hurt. You should be known to be like Me, the Man Who was known for going about everywhere doing good.
But how can lying, covering up, being deceptive and actually leading people astray through half-truths, omissions, and lies be looked at as “going everywhere doing good”? You'll be very sorry, but the damage will be impossible to undo. Once you've hurt people's faith in you by lying and deceiving them, even if not by what you say but by what you don't say, it's impossible to regain it. They'll always, forever after, be thinking in the back of their minds, “Hmm … I wonder if they are telling me the truth.”
Not only is it a terrible, damaging sample to your supporters and something that destroys your personal testimony as a Christian, but it also undermines the conviction of your children and the younger ones and new disciples who work with you. Just stop a moment and think honestly about what you're saying to the younger ones when you deny association with the Family. Do they see that you're proud to be a member of the Family? Do they see you boldly standing up for the truth? Do they see you accepting your place as a prophet and voice in the Endtime? Or do they see you compromising, cowering, and hiding?
You who have lied, deceived, and compromised in this way should be ashamed of yourselves! I am ashamed of you! You know it is written: “Whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My Words, of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed.” To deny the Family name and to deliberately cover up your association is to be ashamed of Me and My Words that I've given to the Family. You might try to justify your actions and get out from under the conviction of this verse by saying, “Well, I do tell people about Jesus. I do witness salvation. I don't deny the Lord or the Bible.” That's not enough for those who claim to be part of the Family. Because you have received much, much is expected of you. If you are ashamed of the Word as you know it, as you've been taught through the Words of David, you are ashamed of Me.
If you have so little faith in Me and My ability to raise up those who will stand by you for what you truly are, as part of the Family; if you have so little conviction in the message I've given the children of David; if you have so little pride in the work and lifestyle and sample of the Family; if you can so easily hide your faith and deny your association with the Family; if you're so worried that you're going to blow away your churchy contacts; if you're compromising for gain so much that you can't even let people know you're part of the Family or use the Family tools or promote Activated, then you might as well not even be in the Family! You should have enough conviction to drop out of the Family and join some organization that you aren't afraid to at least say the name of! For Heaven's sake and your own personal testimony, if you can't bear to be a part of the Family openly, then you shouldn't try to be a part secretly!
The privilege of reading the GNs that you receive as a tithing member of the Family can't be that important to you, and they certainly can't be making much difference in your life if you're so compromised that you won't even let your association with the Family be known. As I said in earlier times, “I would that you were hot or cold, but because you are lukewarm I will spew you out of My mouth!” It's time to decide. Are you hot?--Or cold? Quit being lukewarm! (End of message from Jesus.) (ML #3364:134-145, GN 960).
An Evil Demon of Poverty, Failure,
Ruin, and Destruction of Your Faith!
158. The Lord has recently brought to Peter's and my attention some key instruction and insight that will make a very big difference in your personal happiness and the overall fruitfulness of your work. This truth has the potential to change your lives, give a spiritual jumpstart to your outreach ministry, and to help you, your Home and your children to be a better sample, all of which is crucial to winning the world. If you're bored and uninspired, if your vision is dead and you're going nowhere, if your personal sample is not good, if your children are slovenly and ill–mannered, if your Home is unkempt‚ if you are not good stewards of the things the Lord supplies, all this will affect your ministry, your witness‚ your fruitfulness, and your ability to win labor leaders, and you won't have what it takes to fulfill the Lord's vision to expand the Family with new full–time disciples and outside members. This next message is a key‚ if you will believe it, accept the truth, see the need to change, humble yourself to admit where you're lacking, and then fight in the spirit.
159. (Jesus speaking:) The first step is recognizing the need to change. I am a wealthy Husband; in fact, no one surpasses Me in that area. All the riches of Heaven are given to Me, and as My Bride, you have a right to any of those riches that you need and that will help you to better fulfill My will. The only thing that limits what you receive is your faith.
160. Granted‚ I have said in My Word that you must be willing to abound and abase. That is true, and there are times when you must be willing to sacrifice for Me and give up all the comforts of life, if necessary, in order to better fulfill My will. You have passed that test. You have forsaken all for Me, and I see that you are willing to forgo the earthly comforts if necessary. Thank you for that demonstration of love.
161. However, now it is time for you to forsake something else, which will probably be even harder for some of you. It's time to forsake your pride‚ and forsake your idea of the way things should be done, and let Me open your mind to the way things really should be.
162. This is the first step. Stop now and pray that I will open your minds and hearts to receive My Words and that you will be able to instantly see in the spirit how they apply to your situation. Pray for faith, that these seeds of truth will not be immediately choked out by the doubts and fears and the “it can't be done” spirit that the Enemy is eager to place upon you, and that he has so far kept you in bondage to. Call on the power of the keys of the Kingdom against Pan and his tricks of the mind, and against pride, which would make you sensitive and unable to receive this counsel in My Spirit.
163. My loves‚ the situation is this: I am not able to lead you to the sheep I would like you to minister to in many cases, because you and your folds are not ready to receive them. Some of you appear unhappy, visionless, slothful, and unsuccessful--when in reality the riches of the spirit that you have in your possession are beyond compare! You are not walking in the boldness of your commission to be My ambassadors. Your children are not the samples they should be, and your own deportment and lifestyle are not causing others to envy what you have in Me and to want to be like you and have their children be like your children. Even My sheep, those who are very hungry, look on the outward appearance, and your outward appearance causes them to wonder about you, or even causes contempt in some cases! My loves, this cannot continue. It cannot continue one more day.
164. I realize all that goes on in each of your Homes and daily lives. I know that there are many emergencies, many difficulties, many times when you are stretched. You probably feel that you've been doing well just to survive at this level. But that is where your thinking needs to be adjusted. It is not acceptable for you to continue surviving at this level. The Family is moving into a new stage of growth, and if you want to be a part of it, you must be willing to raise your physical standard (which is your overall sample), along with the spiritual.
165. There are many forces that fight against you in the spirit. You have been delivered of the evil Selvegion, who sought to divide and destroy you. While you were entertaining Selvegion, you could not receive My full blessings, and that is one reason that you got into this state. Lethargy also had you bound in his grasp, and he also drew you down, down, down in your standard and what you came to expect even from Me, your Husband. Pan also played a part; and even Bacchus, with his tentacles of addiction, convinced you that this is the way it would always be, that there is no hope of climbing out of it.
166. All of these things prevented you in the spirit, and contributed to the current poor state of many of your Homes. But those demons have been bound in My Name and with the power of the keys, and the condition that you now find yourselves in does not have to continue! You can break free of it!
167. I will reveal to you another spirit that has been hindering you that you must also rid yourselves of through the power of the keys, before you can fully be free to do My will in this area. His is the realm of poverty and beggary, slothfulness in matters of business. He is the arch-demon of failure and ruin.
168. This evil spirit attacks both those of the world and My children. He especially fights you, My Endtime brides. He seeks to convince those who could have the best that they should settle for second best. He screams lying vanities in order to convince those who are handicapped in some way or who suffer loss that they are ruined and that they should give up and accept the low state they are in. He uses your natural weaknesses and the difficult situations you find yourselves in and plays upon them, magnifying them. He also works hard to convince you that you are comfortable where you are, that what you have is okay, that you shouldn't have to work to change anything, that it won't work anyway, and why bother, because it's not really necessary. He fights your faith to provision; he clouds your outlook and vision for My supply and the possibilities I lay before you.
169. (Channel:) I'm seeing this demon that's shaped like a big weight, very broad and heavy on the bottom, with two sets of arms. With one set of arms he is pressing down on his prey, trying to keep them sinking lower and lower. Each time they sink lower he tries to make them very comfortable in their current position, so they won't want to climb out of it. And with the other set of arms he's shielding their eyes so that they can't look up, almost as if to convince them that there's nothing up there, or they shouldn't look up, it's too high for them.
170. He continues to push down on them, and then repositions things to make them comfortable in their current state. He is extremely heavy himself. His whole power is his weight and the weight he places on his victims. Each time they accept a lower standard or lower position, he loosens the weight a bit, trying to make them comfortable, and then slowly begins pushing again, until they are again sinking even lower.
171. In really bad cases, it seems that he has bitten his prey or drawn blood somehow, and they are bleeding and losing strength, thus having even less power to fight against him or pull themselves up.
172. (Jesus continues:) You must call on the power of the keys for deliverance, My loves. In My Name and in the name of the keys of the Kingdom, he will be forced to remove his hands from your eyes, and then you will be better able to see what I want to show you and the potential that surrounds you! Pray to be rid of him. Bind him in the spirit‚ and command that his own weight pull him far away from you. You will be free from his grip and you will instantly feel lighter in spirit, with more initiative and vision to move up to the new horizons that I have for you! Dedicate a time to praying against this demon now, without delay. (End of message from Jesus.)
Apotheon
173. (Mama:) In order to pray more knowledgeably, we came before our wonderful Husband again, asking Him to pull back the veil of the spirit world so we could see even more clearly the face of this‚ yet another of our enemies--one of Satan's minions and arch-demons who is fighting us, His Endtime brides. Another channel prayed specifically for the Lord to reveal this demon's name. We need to be able to rebuke him by name so that he can be driven far from us and all of our Homes worldwide. We knew that the Lord had revealed this information about this demon for a very good reason and purpose, so we could fight‚ defeat him, and rebuke him and his hold on our Family. Here is more insight.
174. (Channel:) I'm not sure if this is of significance, and it's really creepy, but right now I'm feeling this incredible wave of cold run through my body, almost like it's chilling me to the bone. And along with this I feel like I'm suffocating, and like parts of my body are becoming numb, paralyzed, and almost like the faith to even receive anything is being sucked out of me. That's the closest thing I can say to describe what I'm feeling. This is unusual, because normally I see things, but this time I'm not seeing anything, but rather I'm experiencing it physically with these sensations and feelings of extreme cold, suffocation, and like faith is being drained out of me.
175. Now those sensations are leaving, and the name Apollyon is coming to me. But that's not this demon's name‚ because I know that Apollyon is actually a Greek name for Satan. But I'm getting the feeling that somehow Apollyon is very closely linked to this demon--that this arch–demon must work alongside and very closely with Satan, as a demon at one of his highest levels.
176. Now the name Apollyon is morphing and changing into another name, and it's very clear now--it's Apotheon. That's it! Apotheon is the name of this arch-demon! (Pronounced Ah–PAH–thee-on, with the accent on the second syllable.)
177. Dear Jesus, thank You for revealing this demon's name to us! Please explain clearly what I've just experienced and received, and if You have anything more to tell us about this demon‚ Apotheon, and his dominion and powers.
178. (Jesus speaking:) Apollyon, or Satan, is the Great Destroyer, and this demon, Apotheon, works alongside him within one of the highest echelons and domains of netherworld power and importance--that of destroying faith. He goes about the earth to and fro amongst the children of men weakening and undermining faith, courage, and hope; seeking always to press down, to push down, to oppress, to cover the eyes of those who would turn them upward toward Me where there is light, hope, and growth, and where there is always forward movement. He seeks to suffocate and weigh down man's spirit and will to fight on, to rise above circumstances and conditions; thus his domain is one of poverty, failure, and ruin.
179. Many amongst those who know Me not fall prey to his powers and suffocating weight, but with a vengeance and diabolical mission--and as Satan's personal apostle--does he seek after My Endtime brides with an unrivaled evil intent.
180. This one is Satan's own evil, negative power and parallel to the power I give you to rise above and look unto Me. What I allowed you to experience in the physical are indications and reflections of Apotheon's spiritual powers and domain.
181. His grip is like unto that of a python--suffocating and paralyzing. His bite is like unto that of a snake, which drains the very life, blood, and faith out of his victims. He seeks to paralyze people's faith, so there is no movement, no forward motion, no vision, no desire or ability to rise above or change things for the better, no desire to fulfill My plan or perfect will. The coldness you experienced is indicative of what happens when Apotheon's weight is heavy upon you and your faith is slowly drained from you--you lose your fire, your heat, and your drive, because faith fuels your fire!
182. This one's power is akin to that of lethargy, but his domain and dominion goes beyond even that of lethargy, because he strikes at the core--the heart and spirit of man-–where faith abides. His power and poison are particularly devastating and life-threatening, striking even My Own, My Endtime brides.
183. The antidote to drive this demon far from you?–-Exposure, rebuking him by name, calling upon the power of the keys‚ and militantly going on the attack through feeding and fueling your faith with My Word‚ obeying My Word, putting on My mind‚ and putting your faith into action! (End of message from Jesus.)
184. (Mama:) As soon as I heard this evil one's name, the word “apathy” came to my mind. Apathy is defined as “lack of enthusiasm or energy, lack of interest in anything, or the absence of any wish to do anything.” When asking the Lord if this word has to do with Apotheon, He said:
185. (Jesus speaking:) Yes, this evil spirit is definitely the power behind the depression of spirit that is apathy. He takes credit for the very sad, hopeless state of man when he is apathetic. When man has no drive, no energy, no vision, no hope of change, no initiative to take action and make things better for himself or others; when he becomes past feeling, to the point of being dead in spirit and mind, without any forward movement, paralyzed in complacency, this is the work of Apotheon. (End of message from Jesus.)
186. (Mama:) Obviously this is a very important truth that will have a huge impact on your life, the fruit you bear, your financial state and living standard, the thoughts you entertain, your vision to accomplish great things for the Lord, and the initiative you have to make that vision a reality. If your ministry for the Lord is going nowhere, if you're overwhelmed with discouragement‚ if you feel your life is ruined and your future work for the Lord seems hopeless, lifeless, dead and boring, if you live in constant physical need and lack, then it's time to recognize the evil work of Apotheon and to fight him!
187. Get rid of his influence! Stir yourself up in the spirit and get mad at the Devil's evil works! He has no place in your life or Home, so rebuke and bind him in the power of the keys. And then go on to obey the Lord. Be a doer of the Word, and don't open even the tiniest door for this evil demon to return!
If You're Feeling Skeptical….
188. Maybe some of you think all this talk of demons is a hoax or overdone or exaggerated. Maybe you're starting to feel like lethargy, Selvegion‚ Pan, Bacchus and now Apotheon are made-up figments of someone's imagination, which make for good dramatic reading. That is a lie. The Enemy wants you to think that; he wants you to pooh-pooh these revelations and not take them seriously, because his greatest effectiveness is in being hidden‚ in people blowing off the Lord's warnings and thinking it's just a sham or fakery of some kind.
189. If you're feeling skeptical right now, or if you've grown familiar with these revelations of the spirit beings that are fighting the Family, then ask the Lord to open your eyes. It's foolishness to take this lightly and to minimize the power these evil demons can have over your life. They have no power if you rebuke them in Jesus' Name and the power of the keys, but they have power enough to make your life miserable if you ignore their existence or decide it's no big deal.
190. It is a big deal! Just look around you at the millions of people who are wallowing in ruin, poverty, and total despair, with no hope of improvement, no determination to make things better, no will to even try. That's the work of Apotheon and his evil agents. It's real, but it's up to you to believe it and act on the truth the Lord has shown.
Call on the Keys!
191. I know that those of you who are serious about your service for the Lord will get down in desperate prayer to rid your life, thoughts, Home and work of every evil influence from this powerful demon. He has no power before Jesus and the keys of the Kingdom, so get rid of him once and for all! Take time now to pray desperately together to rebuke and bind him!
192. Here are some key promises you can claim against him.
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193. Through the power of the keys, dominion over every evil spirit of Hell is granted to the children of David. Focus on the keys now, and in the power of those mighty keys turned to swords cut loose the grip of Apotheon and command that he be doomed, and by reason of his own weight, he will fall far from you.
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194. The power of the keys will remove the hands of Apotheon from your eyes, and you will behold the vision that I, your mighty Husband and Deliverer, want to show you.
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195. Call on the keys of the Kingdom, claim their regenerative power, and you will be brought back to full health and life in spirit; you will have strength to rise up, in the name of your Savior and Healer.
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196. New hope, vision, determination and initiative are found in the power of the keys, My Word, and My love. Take hold of that power and you will rise above the Enemy's domain, for he is no match for Me.
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197. I will open your spiritual eyes and senses through the power of the keys turned to swords, and you will do battle against your enemies from the netherworld. You will rise victorious!
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198. Satan and all his minions are subject to the power of the keys of the Kingdom, My Word, and My love.
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199. The rulers of darkness cannot stand before the power of the keys of the Kingdom. Wield that power with faith and a fighting spirit, and you will find total freedom.
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200. Rebuke the Devil and his shadow, Apotheon, in the power of the keys, and you will defeat the rulers of darkness. Their influence will vanish, along with the manifestations of their power in your life.
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201. Abundant supply, victory, and progress will be yours as you face down and defeat Apotheon in the power of the keys, My Word, and My love.
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202. I will supply abundantly and miraculously for My brides who wage spiritual warfare against the rulers of darkness--Satan, Apotheon, Oplexicon, lethargy, the Selvegion, Pan, Bacchus, and others. Victory will be yours through the keys!
*
203. Call on the keys of the Kingdom and I will open the windows of Heaven to supply every need abundantly.
Deliverance, then Action!
204. (Mama:) In the preceding prophecy, the Lord said: “The antidote to drive Apotheon far from you is exposure, rebuking him by name, calling upon the power of the keys, and militantly going on the attack through feeding and fueling your faith with My Word, obeying My Word, putting on My mind, and putting your faith into action!”
205. This makes it clear that praying desperately against this evil demon is just the first step. One of our COs, when reading this GN before it was finalized, commented:
206. I certainly related to the symptoms of Apotheon's influence, as I've felt that quite a bit of late but didn't understand it. I especially felt myself being hit with skeptical thoughts about the various revelations of the spiritual world, demonic influences, etc. Of course, I believe the GNs, but those negative thoughts seemed to have increased over the months. So, as soon as I read that part in the Letter I stopped right away, got on my knees (I happened to have been reading in bed late one night, so didn't want to fall asleep in prayer!), and rebuked Apotheon and claimed all those wonderful keys promises. I felt a marked difference right away, and have continued to feel “lighter” and less plagued by doubtful, skeptical thoughts, PTL! (End of comment from CO.)
207. (Mama:) After this desperate prayer, there must be action. His mission is to destroy your faith. If you have been under his suffocating weight, you must now work to recover your faith. You can be instantly delivered from his grip and he has to flee as you cry out to the Lord and claim the power of the keys and the keys promises--but that doesn't mean your faith is immediately restored in full. You must work to build your faith. To do that you must read, study, memorize, and obey the Word. Put it into practice, live it, act on it. Focus on the power, not the obstacles!
208. As the Lord brought out in “Focus on the Power,” the key to focusing on the power is to obey immediately, to adopt a “do it now” policy. To stay delivered from Apotheon and to rid your life of his evil influence forever, you need to become a doer of the Word; you need to put on the Lord's mind so you can see things as He sees them, which will give you the impetus to change.
209. As you have time in the days and weeks to come, please ask the Lord to speak to you regarding the following questions:
1) How has Apotheon affected my life and Home specifically?
2) What safeguards do I personally need to adopt in my spiritual life and outlook that will prevent Apotheon having entrance to my life in the future?
210. Dear Family, Peter and I love you very much. Thank you for your willing spirits and your desire to follow the Lord in obedience and humility. We are calling on the power of the keys for you, and know that as you step forth to be doers of the Word, to put on the Lord's mind and harness the Heavenly thought power that is yours to claim, our generous, powerful Husband will provide your needs, open awesome doors, and make your witness very fruitful. God bless and keep you going strong for Him! We love you!
Much love, Mama
211. P.S. If you didn't stop while reading this Letter to rebuke and bind evil Apotheon, claiming the keys promises, then please do so now!
212. Also, please be sure to take the time as soon as possible to hear from the Lord about the various questions found in this GN. (See paragraphs 23, 71-72, 138 and 209 earlier.) Thank you!
Letter Links
Following are some references to Letters on finances, supply, and CTP work for your prayerful study and application:
* “Rags to Riches,” ML #211, Volume 2.
* “Consider the Poor,” ML #2755, Lifelines 20/DB 11.
* “God's Financial Blessings,” ML #2813, Lifelines 20/DB 11.
* “From Poverty to Plenty,” ML #2929, Lifelines 21/DB 12.
* “Mama's Memos No.7,” ML #3229, GN 830.
Copyright © 2002 by The Family
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