SECOND EPISTLE TO PASTORS!                DO 48             2/71

TEACHING BABES THEORIES OR FACTS
         1. OUR PERSONAL THEORIES CAN LIE SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN GUESSES & FACTS! THEY ARE MERE GUESSWORK, our own personal opinion, & you don't have to believe them! We only suggest possible & alternative interpretations for difficult passages for which we have no clear Scriptural explanation, which are found little or nowhere in the Scripture! On these you can take your choice, it's merely a matter of opinion, & they are usually not of any earthshaking importance, but merely minor controversial details, not worth arguing over to the subverting of the hearers! I sometimes throw them out, like a little bomb, just to wake you up & shake you up with a minor explosion & make you think, to see if you're listening!
         2. FRANKLY, I'VE GOT A LOT OF THEORIES, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO SWALLOW THEM, & I DON'T HAVE TO SWALLOW YOURS, EITHER! We'll just accept each other's facts & try not to dwell too much on the theories! Babes may not be able to tell the difference, so we have to watch what we feed them & differentiate between the two! Babes have to take whatever you give them, until they're old enough to know the difference! So let's look out what we feed them & be sure to explain the difference between facts & fancy, truth & fiction, doctrine & theory! I have my own conviction & you're welcome to yours-but let's please not push these onto babes! Let's stick to the facts, basic fundamentals, essential doctrines, provable truths, & leave the guesswork to older brethren who can take it & not be upset by it! Milk is for babes, strong meat for men! God help us teachers to know the difference! Amen?
         3. I LIKE THE SHOCK TREATMENT! I like to shock people, challenge them, stir them up, arouse them, awaken them out of their lethargy, even cause them to explode over something I've said, at least get them to do something to spur them into action one way or the other, like I said about our songs--& I've done it a lot with you! It's risky, but sometimes it gets results--& you're one of them! Just be sure it's the truth! Be sure you're right, then go ahead! God can defend His Own reputation! Amen!

SECURITY FOR TOP LEADERSHIP
         4. I CAUTION YOU TO USE GREATER SECURITY FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP! No commander in his right mind risks his chiefs-ofstaff on the battlefront, if he can help it, except on the rarest occasion of dire emergency! You never knew me to go to the door or the gate without using several of you first as shock absorbers in-between & then it often proved that it was really unnecessary for me to go at all, to put in any kind of risky personal appearance! I believe it's time for our top leadership to begin practicing to stay underground as much as possible, unknown, unheard of, unseen & unmet, to avoid serious & dangerous personal confrontations, such as with Mt.10:36ers. If possible, they should not even know that you exist! You should run things from behind-the-scenes, as I have been doing for some time now, & should entrust these public personal appearances, public relations & confrontations to your chief executive officers & front men!
         5. ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO DO THIS IS TO SIMPLY NOT BE THERE ON THE SCENE at the battlefront, or at least, not known to be there, such as our incognito observers & reporters. Even more so, in the case of 10:36ers or perhaps even the Romans! You top leaders must be saved & protected for leadership, direction, teaching, decisions, inspiration, plans & guidance, but out of sight, known only to the faithful, seen only by the followers. Even every business executive worth his salt knows better than to expose himself to the general public, but has several offices & secretaries between him & the reception desk, so that his exact whereabouts is frequently unknown & can be made to be unknown by the many officers in-between! That is the job of the receptionists, secretaries & executive officers!
         6. NO RECEPTIONIST IN HER RIGHT MIND EVER PUTS YOU THROUGH IMMEDIATELY TO THE BOSS, EVEN ON THE TELEPHONE, unless she knows exactly who you are, what your business is & if it's necessary! The usual & acceptable stall procedures are these: "I'll see if he's in." Then she calls him on a private line, or steps into his office personally & finds out if he wants to see or talk to the caller or visitor! If not, she returns to the phone or her desk & politely, kindly & soothingly says, "I'm terribly sorry, but he's in a very important business meeting & cannot be disturbed at the moment! Can I help you?" Or, "I'm terribly sorry, but he's away on business! Can I be of assistance?" Or, "Could you please call back later?" Or, "Could we have your number, & let him call you?"--In other words, don't call us; we'll call you! Also, standard office procedure is to politely inquire, "Could you please tell us who you're with, or what is your company & what you would like to see him about, & I'll make a note of it?"
         7. NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, SUMMON A LEADER TO THE PHONE, DOOR OR GATE, WITHOUT GETTING THE CALLER'S NAME & PURPOSE, so the boss can decide whether he wants to see him or not! Remember, you don't have to see anybody you don't want to. Some of you have been hassling with people you shouldn't even have to meet face-to-face! Most people are not going to bop some poor little defenseless girl over the bean with their purse, or throw a punch at her--but they probably will, if they can get their hands on you--the one they really blame for it all! So don't be a fool & stick your neck out & your chin out, just asking for trouble, by seeing trouble-makers face-to-face! Nehemiah didn't do it! He said, "Sorry, I'm doing a great work & I cannot come down," (Neh.6:3) when they tried to lure him off the wall into a position of vulnerability! Stop letting it happen to you! We can't afford to lose you! Let one of your men volunteer for suicide duty to spare you, as David's men did & many soldiers have throughout history! "No greater love hath any man than this!" (Jn.15:13) You've done it for me--now train others to do it for you! It's an absolute necessity for survival! Let them say, "I'm the leader"--not you!--Better to lose an arm or leg than the head! Think it over! Selah.
         8. IT IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU TO HAVE A SINGLE MOMENT OF PRIVACY OR REST & QUIET TO GET ALONE WITH GOD, when you are living so close to your workers, continually at their immediate beck & call for every little detail, with hardly a moment of peace! Only the sergeants & corporals sleep with the troops, seldom the lieutenants or majors, & whoever heard of a colonel or general, much less the chief-of-staff, quartering in enlisted men's barracks! You, too, need to get away as Jesus did, with only a few of His top men, sometimes only one or two or three, as well as Paul & his--alone, to the top of a mountain, or in a desert place!
         9. YOU CANNOT LIVE CONSTANTLY WITH THE MULTITUDE, who will never leave you alone, for the poor you have always with you & they are always in need, or you will find yourself without time to so much as eat or sleep--& no one can take that for long!
         10. NOT EVEN JESUS COULD STAND SUCH A MARATHON OF MINISTRATION, spending most of His time with only His most intimate disciples, & many times, even apart from them! The men in the Bible did it, Prophets did it, the leaders had to do it & every great man & woman of God I ever knew had to get away from the mob most of the time in order to get alone with God, be inspired, receive the revelation of His plans & be both spiritually & physically refreshed, as well as securely protected for their own health & safety, so they could survive themselves & be able to continue to minister in their most important tasks!
         11. I HAVE OFTEN TOLD YOU THAT A GOOD LEADER NEVER DOES ANYTHING SOMEONE ELSE CAN DO, that he should save himself for the major decisions & heavy burdens & responsibilities of leadership that only he can handle--the things no one else can do! Let your babes do the pick-&-shovel work, let your troops handle the hand-to-hand conflict, & your executive officers their immediate & direct supervision! Remove yourself as far as possible from the scene of the battle, not only for your own protection, but for the welfare of the Kingdom & the many who depend upon you!
         12. USE THE TELEPHONE, MESSENGERS, SECRETARIES & EXECUTIVE OFFICERS TO HANDLE THE DIRECT ADMINISTRATION & carrying out of orders, lest you become so involved in details & constant direct administration, petty problems, personnel questions, etc. that your officers will continually run to you for as long as you're handy when they should be learning to seek the Lord about some of these things themselves & learn some of the responsibility for which God is trying to train them to take your place--or their own, as the leader in some other field!
         13. USUALLY THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN DO THIS IS TO BECOME COMPLETELY & TOTALLY UNAVAILABLE, AT LEAST SOME OF THE TIME, if not a good deal of it, to force them to make decisions, find solutions, seek God & handle situations without you, so that you will be freed for the things they cannot do & so that they will be trained to someday be free to do the same!
         14. AS LONG AS YOU ARE THERE WITHIN REACH, THEY WON'T DO A THING WITHOUT YOU! But look what has happened since I left you! You have gotten along as well, if not better, without my immediately available presence! Time solves so many problems, a few minutes, a few hours, a few days & we find that God has solved it without our help! Give God a chance! Give Him time! Wait on the Lord!
         15. THIS IS ONE REASON WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT YOU DO NOT COME FACE-TO-FACE WITH THE ENEMY AT THE DROP OF A HAT! Try to create buffers of personnel, time & distance between you & the opposition, particularly unfriendly callers! Out of sight, out of mind, & familiarity breeds contempt! As in every man's army & even in the early days of the Soul Clinic, we found it to be unwise, & even dangerous, for officers to fraternise too closely with the troops, much less your enemies!
         16. YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO OFFEND! As with children, you don't always have to say "No"! Your officers can tell them, "Maybe" or "Later" or "Not now" or "We'll think about it" or "We'll have to pray about it". You don't always have to give people an answer on the spot, or make an immediate decision! If you don't know what to do, be honest & humble & admit it, & say, "I'm sorry, but I don't know!" That's one of the best answers in the world! You can answer every question there is--"I don't know," or, "You'll have to ask someone else," or, "Sorry, that's not my department," or, "The man that handles that isn't in today." That's why major leaders never have a listed telephone number!
         17. ONE OF THE BEST WAYS THAT I KNOW OF TO DO THIS IS BY REMOVING YOURSELF FROM DIRECT CONTACT, even by removing yourself from the vicinity, separating yourself by actual distance, as David did, who then fled to Gath, so that Saul "sought no more again for him!" Out of sight, out of mind!
         18. OUR TOP LEADERS MUST SEEK PLACES OF REFUGE NOW & retire from the scene of action as much as possible, to restful retreats where they can get their work done, & let their lieutenants carry on the immediate care of the troops, until they too are ready for the same & have trained someone to take their place!
         19. YOU MUST DISAPPEAR AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE FROM THE PUBLIC EYE to parts unknown, even though it only be a few miles, & a short phone call, away! It must be away! Someone else must be left in charge, a public relations man who can meet the public for you & make all minor decisions!--To all intents & purposes, ostensibly known as the leader of the work! The public must not even know that you exist, or at least, that you have faded from the scene, they know not where nor when!
         20. AND THOUGH YOUR RETREAT MAY EVEN BE NEARBY, IT MUST NOT BE KNOWN TO ANYONE but your most intimate, necessary associates! This is the way we began this work; this is what I am doing; & this is the only way that you will be able to carry on effectively; & this is the way it has always had to be done in any other organisation of this size, with a staff of hundreds, many locations & large responsibilities, especially considering the serious nature of our work!
         21. LET SOMEONE ELSE BE YOUR FRONT MAN TO SUPERVISE THE ABOVE-GROUND OPERATION UNDER YOUR LONG-DISTANCE SUPERVISION, while you work on the writing, translating, publishing, classes, reports & what not. Pretty soon you will find that the whole work will not collapse without you, that God will continue to help the little ones to carry on in your absence, everybody will get used to the idea & everybody will be better off! You'll be as near as the telephone--be sure you have one! You've got to do it, to preserve your sanity & your health & your spiritual life as a leader!
         22. MY MOTHER USED TO DO THIS FREQUENTLY--IT WAS THE ONLY WAY SHE COULD GET HER WORK DONE! It's the only way you're going to survive & the only way the work is going to survive! We need you! You must be protected! The problems of leadership are so large, their burdens so heavy, that they must be relieved of all else, if possible. We have to do it to protect the work!

TRAINING LEADERS BY TRUSTING THEM
         23. WE ALSO SEEM TO BE GETTING DISCIPLES FASTER THAN WE ARE DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP TO TRAIN THEM! It seems there's a tendency toward a generation gap between the older brothers & the newborn babes! Brethren, this ought not to be so! We are either not trusting those who have been with us for a long time with sufficient responsibility to assume positions of leadership, or we're not getting the right material! I doubt the latter, for I believe God is giving us what we need! I think perhaps we're not pushing them along fast enough, or having enough faith in them, or in God for the results!
         24. HOW DO YOU EVER EXPECT TO MAKE LEADERS OF THEM IF YOU DON'T TRUST THEM, as I trusted you? I felt many of you were a real risk & some seemed to have no potential at all! Maybe I couldn't trust you, but at least I trusted God & that He knew what He was doing in giving you to me, & therefore He knew you'd make it--& He was right! You did! God gave you & He kept you! Maybe you need more faith in God to keep your new ones--or will God have to force us out, so you'll have to trust Him, like you did with the first teams across the country! I didn't know if any of you could make it! I just had to trust God to take care of you, that you were trying to obey Him, & therefore, He was bound to protect & provide--& He never failed, & seldom did you!
         25. EVEN YOUR MISTAKES WERE PART OF YOUR TRAINING, & He gets some of His greatest victories out of seeming defeats, victories of brokenness, humility & more utter dependence on Him, which you must have to be a leader! My Mother once asked the great evangelist, Paul Rader, "Why are the labourers always so few?" And he answered wisely, "I guess God can't break them fast enough." How true!
         26. GOD ONLY USES BROKEN MEN & WOMEN--NO OTHERS WILL DO! Others are too self-confident in their own flesh! God has to break them, melt them & mold them again in the hands of the Potter, to make them a better vessel, but He won't force it! The breaking depends upon you & your yieldedness & willingness to be made willing, total humility, which is synonymous with total love, so you're willing to go anywhere, anytime & do anything, for anybody & be nobody, to please Him & help others! Are you ready?--Or does God have to push you out, so He can push them in, or push them out, so He can use them, because you won't?
         27. HOW ELSE ARE THEY GOING TO LEARN, unless God takes them from you & puts them where they can--or you from them & puts them where you are! Think about it! We gave you a chance! What about them? Is God able? He never fails! How else are we going to be able to take advantage of the new doors & fields that God is opening, if we haven't the leadership, or we haven't trained them!
         28. ASK GOD TO PICK THEM OUT! HE WILL LEAD! Give them a chance! Push them out--& expect God to train them where you have failed! He won't fail, & they can't fail any more than they are now by not going! We have the labourers! Let's put them to work & heed not the objections of those who were hired first & have borne the heat of the day, that "It's not fair, that these are too young, they've not worked with us nearly long enough, as long as we have! Why should they receive equal honour?" You'd better note the Parable Jesus tells along this line in Matthew 20 & follow His example, because there's a big job to be done & we've got to get anybody we can get to do it! That's what we're here for! Let's start getting them out now!
         29. SEND THEM OUT BY FAITH, AS JESUS DID, & expect God to take care of them!--You all made it, every single time, without fail! God never failed! We gave you what we could-our blessing & the Word of God, & sent you out on His Own! And you came in, team by team, rejoicing at how the Lord had guided & provided!
         30. IS GOD DEAD NOW, THAT HE CAN'T DO IT AGAIN?--OR IS OUR FAITH DYING, so that we're afraid to send them? We sent some of you out with almost nothing--a car, a van, a little trailer & an old bus, a handful of inexperienced disciples, some of them as raw as the new recruits you're getting off the streets.--But you made it, because God helped you, because you're His children & He's your Father & He's bound to take care of you! He has never failed in one of His good promises! Is He the same today, or only yesterday & not forever? Can He do it again? Yea, & I say unto you that He will do it again, if you will but trust Him to care for His sheep! That's what I had to do with you! I just said, "Lord, I can't take care of them! They're Yours & You'll have to, & I know You will!"--And He did! And they that did know their God did exploits, & they that understood instructed many, & very few fell, thank God! Hallelujah! Are you ready? Let's go! The time is now!
         31. BUT DON'T SOME OF YOU TOP LEADERS MISUNDERSTAND ME & START TAKING OFF FOR PARTS UNKNOWN, so distant that you neglect home base, leaving it as weak & ineffective as you did before! We need you strong veterans at home to train the new! You've been there! Now send them! One or two veterans to a team for leaders should be enough, the rest can learn as they go, like Jesus' disciples, amen? Have faith in God!

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family