NO MORE VISITING HOURS!           DO 2422          3/88
--The Best Ability Is Availability!

         (A talk on the Japan School, with vital lessons for all!:)

         1. PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW THAT THEY ARE WELCOME AT ANY TIME! The idea of having only one hour a day to visit that School is just almost ridiculous! If that School is there for any purpose at all, it's not just for the education of our children, it is to be a WITNESS & a TESTIMONY! Most of our kids have had enough education already to last them for the rest of their lives, they know what it's all about! Now what Home & what one of us only has certain times when we are willing to be a witness confined to one hour a day?
         2. THE VISITORS DON'T HAVE TO INTERRUPT THE KIDS' SCHOOLING, I think they'd even appreciate it more if they'd see school in progress! If they want to advertise a PROGRAM time, "Special Program Open to the Public" at such-&-such an hour, fine, but to just VISIT the School, they'd just as soon see it as it actually IS, in OPERATION! The visitors can poke their heads into the classroom for a moment. It doesn't take the kids any time to applaud & bow & maybe even sing a little song! It's good practice for them! That's what they're there for!
         3. IF THEY ARE THERE FOR ANYTHING AT ALL, IT'S TO BE A WITNESS! And if they've only got one hour a day to witness, God help us! I know it's a bother, of course it's a bother, it's always a bother to witness, it's always a lot of work to witness, but that is what we are HERE for! Now if that School is not there to witness, what is it there for?
         4. HOW CAN THEY BAR ANYBODY THAT COMES THERE & WANTS TO SEE IT AT ANY TIME OF DAY! Are they a witness or not? Are they there to witness or not? Are they there to win hearts or not? What office hours does GOD keep? What time does He tell you to pray when He's only open for business one hour a day? If they're not there to make that School a WITNESS to EVERYBODY, anybody, ALL the time, EVERY time, I don't know what they're there for!
         5. I MEAN, THEY USED TO GO OUT ALL DAY LONG PASSING OUT LITERATURE & WITNESSING to people, what's the matter with them now? Have we got something new to supplant WITNESSING? Have we got something better now than WITNESSING? What are they THERE for if they're not open to ANYBODY ALL THE TIME to talk to them in love about the Lord & show them the love of those children!
         6. IF THE GREETER SEES SOMEBODY driving along the road who curiously stops to read their sign, he should dash out & say, "What can we do for you? Would you like to come in?" So they pull in, & the minute they pull their car in like they're going to accept the invitation, beep beep, out comes the P.R. man or girl, & they are the TOUR GUIDE from then on!
         7. THEY'RE ON DUTY ANY HOUR! That's what they're on duty for. It doesn't take anybody else's time, it doesn't take anybody else away from the work, that IS their work! This is our most important work we have to do, & if we've only got one hour a day to do it, God help us!
         8. I'M SORRY, I'M AGAINST VISITING HOURS, UNLESS THEY'RE ALL HOURS! I don't care if visitors even come at night if somebody's still awake! I know a fellow who made his church famous that way, my Mother's old boyfriend John, Rev. John Wells was his name. He started his church in a land of so many churches you could hardly drive by one block without passing a church, the San Fernando Valley, the dormitory of Hollywood & Los Angeles, where all kinds of movie stars & rich people lived. These were people who HAD everything, had SEEN everything, were satiated up to here with religion, churches, everything!
         9. HE STARTED A LITTLE CHURCH, JUST A TINY LITTLE THING. It looked just like almost any church, except it looked like a little old-fashioned country church, & he called it "The Little Brown Church in the Valley." Well, there are all kinds of churches, all kinds of names, so what was different about HIS church?
         10. --THE DOORS WERE NEVER SHUT! 24 HOURS A DAY there were candles lit inside, quiet, plain wooden cushioned pews, an altar down at the front where they could kneel in front of this beautiful picture of Jesus, open 24 hours a day! And everybody knew that he slept right there behind the altar, that any time they wanted to come in, he would wake up & would help them!
         11. IT WAS IN THE PAPER, IT BECAME FAMOUS! People just STREAMED there! And on Sundays, at regular service times, they were packed out! They used to be standing outside, big crowds around trying to hear what was going on, & he had loudspeakers outside, all because he was willing to be open 24 hours a day & on call like a doctor! He said a pastor ought to be like a doctor, on call any time somebody needs him!
         12. HE COULD TELL TALES & STORIES about the people that came in there in the middle of the night ready to commit suicide or murder somebody, drug addicts & all kinds of folks, & he was ready to pray for them right then & there! A man, by himself, no wife, no helper! He just made himself available to people in need 24 hours a day & they knew that church was always open, they could go in there & pray any time & even seek his help & counsel any time of the day or night! He wasn't anything phenomenal, he wasn't handsome, he wasn't extra smart, he was just AVAILABLE! The BEST ability is AVAILABILITY!
         13. BIG MOVIE STARS who wouldn't darken the door of an ordinary church became members & the place was packed with celebrities, movie stars, all kinds of famous people! Even famous criminal gang leaders, Mafia & whatnot, came & got saved there, because here was a man who meant BUSINESS! He was there to give his LIFE for people & to HELP people! (Weeps)
         14. WHAT ARE THEY THERE FOR IF THEY'RE NOT WILLING TO SACRIFICE & WORK & GIVE THEIR LIVES FOR THOSE PEOPLE? If they're not willing, they might as well go home! Of course it's hard work! Of course it's a sacrifice! Of course it's a strain! But that's what we're here for! We are missionaries here to SAVE people, & we have to give OUR lives to save THEM! Now are we going to do it or not?
         15. HAVE THEY GOT PEOPLE THERE WHO ARE WILLING TO RISK THEIR STRENGTH & THEIR TIME TO RECEIVE THOSE VISITORS when they get there & witness to them & win them to the Lord?--Or are we only open for business one hour a day? Well, if that's so, I don't want to have another thing to do with that outfit, NOTHING, if they're only going to be open for witnessing one hour a day! I want that sign they have out in front of the School to be TRUE, "Open--Come in!", any hour of the day or night, come in NOW!--Not 11 to 12, but NOW!-And somebody out there watching for them every minute to go out & grab them & drag them in, & somebody to guide them & finally really WITNESS to them after they've seen the proof!
         16. OUR KIDS ARE THE PROOF THAT IT WORKS! We've got something they haven't got, that they NEED, & they'll WANT after they see it, & it's the ideal time to talk to them about why, Who & how! There will never be a better time than that FIRST time. The LORD always gets HIS say in FIRST, then the damn Devil tries to stick HIS foot in! So if you don't make some progress that first time, you probably never will!
         17. MOST PEOPLE RECEIVE THE LORD THE FIRST TIME they really have that tremendous appeal of the Spirit! If they reject that time, it's easier to reject every time afterwards & they keep putting it off. How about you? That's the time you got the first real impression & felt the first real pull. I'd venture to say most of our people received the Lord that first time they were approached, the first time they were appealed to. Jesus' disciples did. But every time they reject, it's easier to do it again.
         18. THERE'S NO BETTER TIME TO GIVE THEM JESUS than after they take a tour of that School! If they're not ready for it THEN, I doubt if they'll EVER be ready for it! So what is the School for? What are they there for? Are they there just to show off their better society, their model of Heaven, their School of the Future, blah blah?
         19. WE ARE HERE TO SHOW OFF LOVE, & LOVE IS GOD, & GOD IS JESUS, & JESUS IS SALVATION, & they are SOULS who NEED Him, & THAT is what we're there for! And either we are going to be a WITNESS or let's QUIT! And we are going to be a witness every hour of the day or night or let's quit!--If we're not willing to give up a little strength, a little time, a little free time! My God, those people need to be willing to give ALL their time, night & day, working HARD to try to make that School what it OUGHT to be & the witness it COULD be!
         20. SO AS FAR AS I CAN SEE, IT'S NUTS TO THOSE VISITING HOURS! They can advertise a special onehour Program at a certain special time that's most convenient for them, & that's fine. Almost anybody can take one hour of the day just to see a special program of the kids etc., & if they don't have time, show'm a video! But there's nothing like the real flesh-&-blood witness with the power of the Spirit right there in all those little lives! Then they know they're not something just CANNED, but something FRESH!
         21. THEY'RE GOING TO COME INTO THAT SCHOOL & THEY'RE NOT GOING TO GET CANNED MEAT LIKE THEY DO IN CHURCHES, they're going to get the FRESH thing, so fresh it's ALIVE, right on the spot, even if we have to kill OURSELVES to give it! Amen? Are those people there for that or not? Are they willing to put up that sign & live up to it & mean it & do it & have Greeters out there all day long from getup to bedtime?
         22. MY LORD, WHAT CAN THEY EXPECT? They don't even have to go out & find them & get them! The Lord is sending them to US, the least we can do is get out there & stop them as they pass by!--With a handful of brochures! Give them several, "Invite your friends, bring your family! If you can't come in now, come in later!" Are they going to do it or not?
         23. NO VISITING HOURS! They don't have to advertise that, they just have to live up to that sign: "Come In Now!" Let me tell you, any salesman knows that there's only one time to make a sale, & that's when the people are in the mood. You've got to either nail them THEN or forget it! You usually have ONE chance to sell them while they're in the mood, while they're curious, while they want to see it! They need to trot out their products! If they're not willing to trot them OUT, at least the people can come IN and watch them trot. They don't have to interrupt their schooling, put on a program or anything! They've got a perpetual program all the time!
         24. WHAT IS OUR PROGRAM, ANYHOW? What IS it? (Family: Our life.) Yes, our LIFE is our program, showing what? (Family: Love.) LOVE, that's our program! And no matter what we're doing, having class or anything, we are showing Love! If we show ANYTHING we're showing LOVE! And Love is GOD, & God is JESUS! PTL! Are we going to do it? Are you willing to do it?
         25. THEY NEED TO ORGANISE THOSE GREETERS & TOUR GUIDES, P.R. people, actually Soul-Winners, the people who are really going to talk to them about the Lord & try to win their hearts. PTL! Are they going to do it or not? Are they willing to do it or not? Are they willing to be witnesses there or not?--24 hours a day!--Door open all the time! That's another sign they need: "Open, Come In!"--Right on the front door in big letters, just in case the Greeter doesn't get there fast enough to tell'm!
         26. WE USED TO HAVE A GREETER'S CLASS at TSC to teach those people what to say & how to do it & how to welcome people etc.! Maybe we ought to call those P.R. people WINNERS!--GREETERS & WINNERS!--And God help us, I hope no losers! And if we're willing to sacrifice like that, we WON'T be losers, we'll be WINNERS, & that place will become famous for its Love & its happiness & its sweetness & its testimony, its helpfulness, willing to help & counsel people any hour of the day or night!--Like Pastor John at the Little Brown Church in the Valley!
         27. I'M SORRY IF THIS WILL MAKE THINGS HARDER FOR THEM, but Jesus said, "I have come that you may have LIFE, & have it more ABUNDANTLY!"--John 10:10.--And the way to do it is to get out there & GIVE them life! PTL! Lord bless & keep them & give them strength for this battle! It's a wonderful battle, a Love-battle! Our job is making love, winning souls! What better job could you have than that?
         28. ALL RIGHT, PTL! ARE YOU SOLD? Are you willing to be a witness any hour of the day or night? Forget about visiting hours! EVERY hour is visiting hour!--Amen?

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family