FORSAKING ALL!            DFO 314A        10/74

         1. ONCE YOU HAVE CHOSEN GOD & HIS WAY, HE REFUSES TO TAKE SECOND PLACE TO ANYTHING OR ANYBODY & will not let you put any other gods before Him--not your old job nor your old boss nor even your old family & friends! GOD is now your Boss & He has a NEW job for you & He WILL NOT WAIT, now that He has called you & you KNOW it. This is God's FIRST test for every disciple: To see if you love Him enough to put Him FIRST by FORSAKING ALL IMMEDIATELY to follow Him NOW!
         2. "SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD & HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS & ALL THESE OTHER THINGS SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU!"--MAT.6:33. God will not tolerate your putting anything else first before HIM & His WORK & human SOULS & their eternal Salvation! UNGODLY jobs & businesses & bosses & families can come or go to Hell where God is concerned, for He is only concerned about YOU & His WORK of saving OTHERS like you!
         3. THE FATHER WHO STUCK BY THE BUSINESS & THE REST OF THE FAMILY VANISHED INTO OBSCURITY & OBLIVION, whereas those stinking filthy fishermen sons of his wandered off with a perfect Stranger & made history that has helped save MILLIONS of souls for ETERNITY! Now that we can see the RESULTS it's easy to know they made the right choice despite their father's objections & the wrecking of his business!
         4. FOR BUSINESSES & BOSSES CAN GO TO HELL AS FAR AS GOD'S CONCERNED & where His Work of saving souls is concerned if businesses & bosses stand in the way! NOTHING is more important than God & His Work of love to save the youth of today, & ALL the ungodly businesses & bosses can go to Hell, where some are probably going anyway, rather than stand in the way of the Salvation of just ONE poor young lost soul--maybe even YOURS!
         5. SO THERE'S NO CHOICE AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED: God's a tough commanding officer when it comes to obedience in HIS Army, where NOTHING is more important than HIS War AGAINST death to SAVE lives! God's only time is NOW, or forget it! The guys who STALLED Him off never came back!--And their list is much longer than the list of FOLLOWERS!--"MANY are CALLED, but FEW are CHOSEN!" (Mat.22:14)--Because THEY'VE chosen to follow HIM above ALL! Which are YOU? Who & what are YOU going to put first? Why not ask the boss & the family to come along WITH you? They could follow just as well! Why not? If they're NOT willing, they don't DESERVE you nor your support! Which is more important: Saving THEM or the WORLD? The time is NOW! TOMORROW is TOO LATE!
         6. THE LORD SEEMS TO MAKE THE ENTRANCE EXAMS HARDEST OF ALL & they usually come all in ONE BIG BATCH so that everyone will know RIGHT AWAY if you've got what it takes, so you won't waste any more of our time.--What's the use of paying for a big long education if you're going to flunk in the end?
         7. SO WHEN I'M TELLING PEOPLE TO FORSAKE ALL, I CAN BE PRETTY HARD ON THEM SOMETIMES, for as you well know, I have never had any stomach for people who have NO GUTS & are WISHY-WASHY! The lukewarm make both God & me sick to our stomachs, & I have very little patience with the double-minded, the divided-hearted & cross-eyed waverers who can't make up their minds, but, as God says, "are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest"!--James 1:6. There is NO rest for the WAYWARD!
         8. THE INDIFFERENT, THE LUKEWARM, & THE SO-CALLED NEUTRAL ARE REALLY ENEMIES UNDER THE SKIN, since as Jesus said, If you're not FOR Me, you're AGAINST Me, & he that gathereth not WITH Me--gathering His sheep into the fold, labouring diligently to bring in the harvest--he that gathereth NOT, scattereth abroad. So if they're not working WITH us, they're AGAINST us. But watch out! This does not always mean that they have to be an actual MEMBER & have already forsaken ALL & are already following Him FULLTIME to be ONE of us.
         9. JESUS & HIS DISCIPLES HAD MANY UNDERCOVER FRIENDS, members of the System, the RULERS & the RICH, who were their FRIENDS, HELPERS & PROTECTORS, whom God had ordained for this ministry. You MUST remember this & not curse EVERYONE who does not IMMEDIATELY drop everything & join you. God may know that they would not make very good FULLTIME disciples, they would not be whole-hearted enough, sacrificial enough & enthusiastic enough to do a very good job as one of the INNER circle. But they're still FOR us as FRIENDS!
         10. YOU'RE RIGHT ABOUT REALLY SOCKIN' IT TO POTENTIAL REAL DISCIPLES who can TAKE it & have really GOT what it TAKES!--But JESUS knew the DIFFERENCE: He put the SCREWS on to show'm what it cost to be a REAL DISCIPLE--a FOLLOWER--a DOER--who could FORSAKE ALL & follow Him FULLTIME, even unto DEATH!
         11. BUT HE PUT THE OTHERS TO THE TEST TOO to see if they could MAKE it, as He didn't want any HALF-HEARTED, SOFT, WISHY-WASHY ones He couldn't TRUST or DEPEND on--& neither would YOU!
         12. SO FINALLY, AFTER THEY FAILED THE TEST, HE JUST LET'M GO BACK HOME & do the best they could as FRIENDS & tried not to UTTERLY discourage'm & make enemies out of them!
         13. WHERE WOULD THE ARMY BE WITHOUT FOOD & CLOTHING & AMMUNITION?--And the PEOPLE who just haven't got the GUTS to JOIN can still stay home & be FRIENDS & SUPPORTERS!--Amen?--Or where would the DISCIPLES have BEEN or STAYED or EATEN?--We need FRIENDS in the SYSTEM too!--Not ALL can be soldiers in the ARMY!--USE'M!
         14. THERE ARE MANY CONCENTRIC CIRCLES & DEGREES OF DISCIPLESHIP which must be recognised & appreciated & used. This includes KINGS & POLITICIANS & BUSINESSMEN & NOBLE WOMEN & INFLUENTIAL FRIENDS whom God MUST use to HELP, PROVIDE for & PROTECT you. So don't KNOCK'M, USE'M. But also, always keep an EYE on'm, & don't trust them TOO far or TOO close in to the inner circle or you may be sorry, as they are usually rather weak spiritually, confused theologically, & sometimes unreliable physically. It's a high privilege to be one of the TWELVE, or even one of the SEVENTY, & not EVERYONE attains to such discipleship.
         15. BUT FOR YOUR OWN INTIMATE DISCIPLES we are going to be STRICT, expect EVERYTHING, COMPLETE FORSAKING, 100% DEDICATION, ABSOLUTE LOYALTY & FULLTIME SERVICE. We are the HARD CORE, the SPEARHEAD, the AVANTE GARDE of this last great spiritual Revolution. We are the CADRE, the OFFICERS & the LEADERS of it!--And that requires 100% dedication!--DO or DIE!--Amen?