INSIDE, OUT OF SIGHT!    12/87
--Get OFF of the STREETS!                 DO 2385
--The No-More-Sudden-Discipleship Revolution!

         1. THINGS ARE REALLY TIGHTENING UP IN MANY OF OUR FOREIGN FIELDS TODAY. Even in countries where they supposedly have not had much bad publicity or serious persecution, but are perhaps only beginning to have a LITTLE trouble on the streets, I suggest that they get OFF the streets & go strictly into INSIDE witnessing where they can get away with it.--Door-to-door, office-to-office, store-tostore, restaurant-to-restaurant--in all of which cases their children can still busk, but not quite so publicly.
         2. IF THE CHILDREN SING & CAN SING WELL IN THE LOCAL LANGUAGE, FINE, THEY CAN SING IN THOSE HOMES, OFFICES, STORES, RESTAURANTS, ALL THOSE PLACES, where they can get the attention of the people & they have a captive audience!--Not standing out on the street yelling their heads off to a bunch of people who aren't even listening & wouldn't even let you know if they did listen, who are busy & in a hurry & just passing by! Out on the streets you're not only wasting your time, but risking detection & trouble!
         3. THIS IS AN EMERGENCY NOTICE TO GO OUT TO OUR ENTIRE FAMILY RIGHT NOW: GET OFF THE STREETS! Get out of the parks! Parks are too public also. And if you want to stay in your foreign field & litness, tapeness, witness, whatever, do it INSIDE! In the cold North, now is a very good time to do this anyway, during the cold months of Winter. We've already found this out in the cold countries of Europe, that one of the best places in the World to go litnessing or witnessing or whatever is in an apartment house indoors where you can go from apartment to apartment. (Unless YOUR streets are STILL warm & safe.)
         4. YOU CAN GO AS THE LORD LEADS YOU TO APARTMENTS OR TO HOMES. You can knock & be nice & sweet & present your literature & your tapes like any door-to-door salesman, ask if they would like to have a copy, or if they would like to listen to the tape etc. Of course, you have got to know enough of the local language to do that. If you don't know the language yet, you could present a little card explaining what you're there for.
         5. FRANKLY, THE WAY THINGS ARE TIGHTENING UP ALL OVER THE WORLD, I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS POLICY FOR ALMOST EVERYWHERE! I am still convinced that street litnessing is the LEAST effective & the LEAST fruitful of all our methods of outreach! I have been convinced of that ever since I was in the Soul Clinic, because all you're doing is standing there passing out a few tracts to you don't know who, or know what their reaction is or what! They usually don't even have time to give you any reaction.
         6. SEE, AS LONG AS YOU'RE ON PRIVATE PROPERTY, THAT'S THE OWNER'S BUSINESS! But the cities & the authorities can get you on PUBLIC property because that is THEIR business. The cops cannot arrest you on private property unless the owner complains.-And for God's sake, certainly none of our people would be foolish enough to insist on witnessing on private property at the owner's objection! "Agree with thine adversary quickly, whilst thou art in the way with him!"--Mat.5:25. You first of all knock & ask if they're interested or want it, & if they slam the door in your face, well, they don't want the books!
         7. IF YOU'RE JUST PASSING BY THROUGH THE NEIGHBOURHOOD & THEN YOU GO INTO SOMEBODY'S HOUSE, FOR ALL THEY KNOW, EVEN IF THEY SEE YOU, THEY FIGURE MAYBE YOU KNOW THE PEOPLE. Unless you're doing it right in full sight of the police & they see you coming out of one house & going into the next one, they won't even know that you're going house-to-house. So just try to keep out of sight of any officials or police & they won't even know you're there, much less what you're up to!

THE DAYS OF STREET WITNESSING ARE OVER!

         8. AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, THE DAY OF STREET WITNESSING & LITNESSING IS PAST!--Including BUSKING on the streets & in the public parks! From now on my advice to you people worldwide is stay OUT of SIGHT! Stay out of sight & do your witnessing INDOORS--in stores, in cafs, in offices, in apartment buildings, in houses, wherever, but INside as much as possible, & OUT of sight! INside, OUT of sight! Maybe that would be a good title for this: "Inside, Out of Sight!"
         9. I THINK WE WOULD HAVE LASTED A WHOLE LOT LONGER IN A LOT OF COUNTRIES WE'VE ALREADY BEEN IN IF YOU'D HAVE FOLLOWED THAT RULE, & wouldn't have been so offensive to the public & the officials & the police!
         10. IT'S TIME TO STAY INSIDE, OUT OF SIGHT! It's outta sight, Man! Amen? And that way, we can also even go BACK into a lot of countries where they've already kicked us out, working very discreetly underground, INSIDE, OUT OF SIGHT, & can RESUME our ministries in many of those countries!
         11. YOU'RE GOING TO FIND OUT THAT IT'S FAR MORE EFFECTIVE & FRUITFUL, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO FOLLOW-UP! ONCE they have received you inside, usually they will invite you BACK again. So you have a real good friendly relationship, open heart, where you can go back again & sell another Poster, another Tape, sing another song, take another offering & win another soul or two, & feed & teach & win a few DISCIPLES for a change instead of just trying to up your Tape & Poster stats! You can do what really COUNTS, the kind of stats that really count with the LORD, & that's WITNESSING & SOUL-WINNING
         12. IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS OF THE HIPPIES WHEN THE HIPPIES WERE HANGING AROUND DAM SQUARE & A GOOD MANY OTHER PLACES with nothing better to do than stand there & listen to you--poor, lonely, heart-broken, fed-up, disgusted Hippies who were willing to listen to almost anything, anywhere from anybody--we got some results on the streets! But I think that day is PAST.
         13. BECAUSE WE'VE HAD SO MUCH TROUBLE ALONG THIS LINE, I THINK WE OUGHT TO ACTUALLY OUTRIGHT FORBID STREET CORNER WITNESSING, TAPENESSING, WHATEVER! It's just causing us too much TROUBLE! Even in countries where we've had long years of freedom it's beginning to tighten up & close down, & I think we just simply ought to QUIT it, period! I personally do NOT approve of it any more! It HAD its day, but its day is NOT NOW! We're too well-known, too badly bad-mouthed, & if we stay out IN sight in public & keep putting out our stuff, which is very familiar & well-known, we're going to have more trouble all the time!--Unless it's YOUR country & PERMITTED!
         14. MAYBE THE LORD HIMSELF IS PUTTING US OFF THE STREETS, KNOWING THAT OUR PERSONAL WITNESSING IS MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE! STREET witnessing is almost like MASS evangelism, & just about as meager in its RESULTS!
         15. IF YOU WOULD JUST GO INSIDE, IN PLACES WHERE THE OWNER, PROPRIETOR OR THE HOME OWNER RECEIVES YOU & IS FRIENDLY, & therefore shows that he LIKES what you're doing & ACCEPTS your products or accepts even the LORD, he's not apt to complain. And if they don't right away show a receptive attitude, then move on! But at least you're inside, out of sight, out of the cold, & much better protected. And there aren't near as many people seeing you or watching you--unless the cops are patrolling the hallways of the apartment building, which is not likely. You may get an occasional caretaker or somebody else who spots you--but you're still FAR safer than if you were OUTSIDE!
         16. I WOULD SAY WE CAN GO BACK TO THOSE PLACES WHERE WE'VE BEEN OFFICIALLY KICKED OUT, or driven out unofficially, & we can do a lot more & follow up a lot. We've got places where you have hundreds of contacts--names, addresses, all kinds of things, people who have supported us in the past, & we could once again be very fruitful there by just staying out of sight, off the streets with no big public meetings.
         17. I AM ABSOLUTELY AGAINST YOUR GOING ON THE STREETS ANY MORE AT ALL, ANYWHERE, WORLDWIDE! Because number one, it's not as FRUITFUL. Number two, it's not as SAFE. Don't we want safety? Don't we want to have a low-risk ministry? Or do we just want to get out there & cause trouble? OK! Then we want to stay INSIDE, OUT of SIGHT! And they'll be much more effective & fruitful & have better opportunities of follow-up. They can go back & sell'm ANOTHER Tape, ANOTHER Poster, or lead ANOTHER soul to the Lord, whatever--INSIDE, OUT OF SIGHT!--With the permission of the office manager or the store proprietor or the caf owner or the home owner or whatever. Now let's DO it! Let's stop this public witnessing which causes us so much trouble & has literally driven us out of countries!

NO MORE SUDDEN DISCIPLESHIP!

         18. THE OTHER THING WHICH HAS CAUSED US THE MOST TROUBLE IS 10:36ERS!--And in MOST of those cases it could have been AVOIDED if they had just been more wise & not so foolish, & would have kept their hands off those people's children & not practically dragged them away from their parents and used almost the same tactics as the 10:36ers did!--If they would WAIT until they're SURE it's TIME! I am absolutely against this business of grabbing somebody out of the park or off the street & taking them straight home as "a new disciple!" They're NOT a disciple yet, you're not even sure of them at all!--And you're not at all sure what their RELATIVES will be like!
         19. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE A WHOLE LOT MORE CAUTIOUS ABOUT DISCIPLESHIP! I would say you're a lot safer to put'm on the CATACOMBS list for the first few weeks or months.--In some cases it's even been YEARS! And by the time they were old enough to come HOME with us, even their PARENTS had been won over by the kid's persistence & insistence & faithfulness & refusal to give up his faith! So the parents just finally threw up their hands & gave up & gave them written permission to come.
         20. BUT IN ALMOST EVERY CASE IN SOME OF THOSE COUNTRIES WHERE PARENTS RAISED A FUROR & WENT TO THE OFFICIALS, IT WAS DUE TO THE VERY RIDICULOUS & FOOLISH WAY THAT THE FAMILY HANDLED THE WHOLE SITUATION! Whereas even if they had GONE to the parents & EXPLAINED things, they might have gotten along better. But parents are afraid of the unknown, they're afraid of something new & strange. I must say, I think I'd almost agree with the parents at first if I hadn't known what my child was getting into!
         21. SO THAT'S ANOTHER VERY TOUCHY AREA, & THAT IS, "WHAT TO DO WITH THIS NEW CONVERT?"-Especially if they're UNDERAGE or still in college or even have a good job, how SOON should you bring them HOME? Well, I suggest you TEST'M awhile first. A lot of our problems have been caused by new converts that they took straight home & into a shocking situation in which the converts themselves were absolutely shocked & scared off & went straight to their folks & told them wild tales, which THEY told to the POLICE & the authorities & the Home got raided & the people got run out!
         22. MOST OF THOSE PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY A LACK OF WISDOM, A LACK OF PATIENCE & A LACK OF TIME. They needed to give the thing more time, they needed to keep them on the dropped-in list, catacombers, for whatever length of time it took!-Even if it took YEARS before they were ready & before their parents were ready. We've had a LOT of people who lasted that long, MANY! Many, many, many of our people were catacombers for several YEARS before their parents allowed them to join. At least that gives the parents a little more time to get used to the idea.
         23. WE USED TO USE THAT VERSE, OF COURSE, "THEY IMMEDIATELY FORSOOK ALL & FOLLOWED HIM," & SAID THAT'S THE WAY IT OUGHT TO BE DONE. I have even said it myself. But I would say right NOW, in THIS day & age, the way things are TODAY, they had better NOT forsake all, much less IMMEDIATELY, but WAIT & TEST them & TRY them out! If in spite of time & parental opposition & every other obstacle to test them & their faith, they still hang on as catacombers & they still come & visit & they're still participating in meetings, & you have time to really test them to see if they've got the real stuff, you're a whole lot safer in the long run!
         24. SO AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, THERE SHOULD BE NO MORE OF THIS SUDDEN DISCIPLESHIP! They need to take time to be time-tested, to be Family-tested, with time for their parents to get acquainted & used to the idea, to see that their child is determined, is not going to GIVE UP, until the parents finally GIVE IN!
         25. I'M ABSOLUTELY PERSUADED THAT THAT'S ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS SITUATIONS WE GET INTO--THIS SUDDEN, ON-THE-SPOT DISCIPLESHIP! It causes us nothing but grief & problems, in one case even getting hundreds of people kicked out of one country! So I want'm to STOP it!
         26. (MARIA: WELL, I AGREE THAT BEFORE THEY ACTUALLY DROP OUT, YES, THEY SHOULD BE TESTED FOR QUITE AWHILE. But what about them coming to the Home & seeing the Family SAMPLE?) Oh, THAT they can do IMMEDIATELY! They can come THAT DAY when they get SAVED!--VISIT the Home & see the Family & attend the meeting or have fellowship, but NOT instantly moving IN! (Maria: Marianne's Home had a LOT of cases like that, & she just kept them coming over for months & months until they finally wanted to join so much you could hardly keep them from it!)--Exactly, that's what I'm talking about!
         27. PERHAPS YOU'LL FEEL YOU NEED TO HAVE A FEW MEETINGS ELSEWHERE WITH THEM FIRST TO BE SURE YOU WANT THEM VISITING YOUR HOME, that they are going to be serious about the Lord, & not just a trick of the Enemy to waste your time. They can COME that day & EVERY day as far as FELLOWSHIPPING is concerned, but I just don't think it's wise to insist on IMMEDIATE FORSAKE-ALLS, immediate DROP-OUTS! It's caused us too much trouble, & from now on I think we ought to give'm TIME & really TEST'M to see if they really mean BUSINESS! Just let them come, fellowship, listen, learn & read, but don't insist they DROP OUT right off the BAT, till they almost BEG to join.
         28. THEN YOU CAN SAY, "WELL, WHAT ABOUT YOUR PARENTS?--And what about your BOSS at the job? You're going to get a lot of persecution! How much trouble is it going to cause you & us? Sit down & count the COST to make sure you're able to FINISH the job before you try it!"--Luke 14:28-30. That would almost eliminate one of the greatest causes of troubles that we've had!
         29. SO LET'S INSIST ON A TIME PERIOD, A TESTING PERIOD! Of course, the time period might vary with some, it depends on the individual case & the situation. But I would say we certainly should not allow anyone to actually MOVE IN & JOIN until every facet of their case is studied, investigated & tested, to see if it is really TIME for them to join.
         30. MAKE SURE THAT THE TIME PERIOD IS APPROPRIATE FOR THE CASE, & THAT IT'S NOT GOING TO CAUSE A LOT OF TROUBLE, & result in not only having that one Home closed up & forced to flee, but the whole FAMILY in that whole COUNTRY! It's been terrible! Nearly every time that happened it's been over some fool's foolishness & lack of wisdom that's caused the trouble in just ONE case, which brought on the parents, who brought on the cops & brought on the officials & brought on the EXPULSION!
         31. I JUST WANT TO ABSOLUTELY INSIST THAT THESE CASES BE TIME-TESTED, & THAT NOBODY JUST DROPS OUT IMMEDIATELY & COMES HOME TO MOVE IN THE SAME DAY! Of course, there could always be exceptions if you find out that maybe he has no relatives, no mother & father, no boss, no school, nothing, he's an orphan & totally unconnected. But even then it could be dangerous because it may be such a shock for him to suddenly start living in our Family that he'd go report us to the authorities himself!
         32. I JUST DON'T BELIEVE IN THIS SUDDEN BELIEVISM OR SUDDEN DISCIPLESHIP! It may have worked in Jesus' day, but it doesn't work today! This is not the same day at all, it's the day of the ANTICHRIST, it's the day of SECRET believers, it's the day of UNDERGROUND operation!--And we have got to watch our Ps & Qs & be very careful & very prayerful & play it safe, lest we lose the whole thing, WHOLE COUNTRIES over our haste with ONE little disciple due to our lack of wisdom!

LEARN THE LANGUAGE--OR ELSE!

         33. OUR PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN IN NON-ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES FOR YEARS NOW should certainly speak enough of the local languages to be able to WITNESS! How else are they going to be able to explain to the people Who God is, Who Jesus is, or even show them that they're sinners! (Maria: They probably give them the lit, I suppose.) That still isn't speaking the local language!
         34. I ALMOST FEEL LIKE SENDING EVERYBODY HOME WHO HAS BEEN IN THESE DIFFERENT FIELDS FOR SUCH A LONG TIME BUT STILL CAN'T SPEAK THE LOCAL LANGUAGES! But in order to give them all a little grace, I suggest we give them a ONE-YEAR GRACE PERIOD in which they seriously study & LEARN THE LANGUAGE at least enough to WITNESS fairly well. If they CAN'T or WON'T do that, then they should get out of those fields & go HOME, or go to some OTHER country where they can witness in their mother tongue!

WANTED: PRODUCTIVE & FRUITFUL WORKERS!

         35. THOSE WHO ARE LOSING THEIR VISAS IN SOME COUNTRIES SHOULD CONSIDER STAYING IN OTHER COUNTRIES, EVEN THOSE THAT WE'VE BEEN KICKED OUT OF IN THE PAST! They could NOW stay & continue in an UNDERCOVER ministry, INSIDE, OUT OF SIGHT!
         36. I DON'T REALLY THINK THAT ANYBODY OUGHT TO STAY IN SOME OF THOSE DIFFICULT FOREIGN FIELDS EXCEPT THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE LEARNED THE LANGUAGE & THEREFORE ARE A VALUABLE ASSET TO THE WORK, because they KNOW THE LANGUAGE & can WITNESS in it & WIN SOULS in it! Such people are pretty priceless & I think they ought to try to stick it out as much as possible! But the ones who DON'T need to be there, who are not really NEEDED, who are apt to even become a BURDEN, they should be weeded out!
         37. BUT IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO HAVE A LIST OF ALL THE HIGH-PERFORMERS WHO ARE REALLY FRUITFUL WORKERS, just like they do in any factory or country.--What's their efficiency? What's their productivity record, their support record? Have they already gone through all their supply of literature without buying any more & gone through all their emergency funds too & are now on the brink of starvation?--Or are they FRUITFUL servants? Or are they in such bad shape that either they or their talents are going to have to be BURIED?
         38. IT'S JUST NOT A DAY FOR INEFFICIENT WORKERS! So let's find out who the PRODUCERS are, & those who are PRODUCTIVE & FRUITFUL & FINANCIALLY ABLE, who KNOW THE LANGUAGE etc. & can do the JOB without being problem cases or basket cases!
         39. PTL! TYL! IN SPITE OF EVERYTHING, WE'RE STILL SURVIVING! It may look like we're sinking sometimes, but like John Paul Jones, we just haven't begun to fight yet! PTL!
         40. WELL, LIKE I'VE ALWAYS SAID, I'D RATHER HAVE A GIDEON'S BAND OF 300 REAL FIGHTERS, than too many that are just a drag & a problem! Nothing's changed, we're just insisting that everybody APPLY what we have recommended all along, there's nothing new about it! PTL!
         41. P.S.: BUT DON'T GO TO THE OPPOSITE EXTREME BY STOPPING ALL YOUR LITNESSING, TAPENESSING, POSTERING & EVERYTHING! Any place where you think you can STILL get away with Postering & Tapenessing, you ought to still be doing it. Just because we've had a little scare here or there doesn't mean that EVERYBODY has to quit, boom! I think where you can still get away with public distribution you should, especially in free countries where it's not limited. You might get some persecution or have a little problem sometimes, but you ought to continue to exercise your freedoms & go ahead & distribute publicly. Try to strike a happy medium & go ahead & distribute where it's possible, where you can.

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family