PERSONAL VISITS! DO 143 12/71

REBELLION AGAINST LEADERSHIP--HOW TO DEAL WITH IT!

         1. INSUBORDINATION & REBELLION AGAINST LEADERSHIP CANNOT BE COUNTENANCED IN ANY MAN'S ARMY, regardless of who the leadership are & what the problem is! Regardless of what mistakes your leadership have made & how many bawlings out they have received for them, if they continue to be left in charge by their overseers, then you continue to owe them your allegiance, respect & obedience. "To obey is better than sacrifice & to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft & stubbornness is as iniquity & idolatry!"-1Sam.15:22,23.
         2. WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES, INCLUDING YOU & ME, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE QUIT RECOGNISING EACH OTHER'S POSITION & DULY CONSTITUTED AUTHORITY. As they used to tell us in the Army, "You're not saluting the man, but the uniform he wears, the position & authority he wears & the government he represents. "Honour to whom honour is due"!--Rom.13:7. To resist their authority & defy the orders of your officers is insubordination, mutiny & insurrection against the King & the Kingdom they represent & who put them there! See thou do it not!
         3. AS ONE OF MY FIRST UNDEROFFICERS TOLD ME ONCE LONG AGO, "I THINK YOU'RE WRONG, BUT YOU'RE STILL THE BOSS, so I'll do what you say!" If reasoning, discussion & prayer with your leaders in love cannot change their minds about something you don't agree on, then you are still obligated to obey them whether you like it or not. Otherwise you are breaking the chain of cooperation, which is anarchy & will bring chaos!
         4. YOUR LEADERS HAVE MADE SOME MISTAKES IN THE PAST, BUT SO HAVE YOU--& I DIDN'T THROW YOU OUT! You're still my children & we must still work together for His Kingdom & try to learn to do better next time, even by our mistakes. We have scolded them for some of these mistakes, but this does not give you any excuse for defying their authority as your shepherds.
         5. ANY ONE OF YOU LEADERS WHO DOES NOT WANT TO WORK UNDER YOUR OVERSEERS OR COOPERATE WITH THEM IS FREE TO REQUEST A TRANSFER to some other Area, where possible, but as long as you remain in that Area, you are obligated to give them your full cooperation. Any one of you who has defied their authority, particularly publicly, must publicly apologise to the leader you defied, even if you choose to leave, as they still represent the Lord & His leadership. Remember that whatsoever ye do in word or in deed, you're to do all to the glory of God, not as unto Man, but as unto the Lord. If you cannot do this there, I suggest you transfer.
         6. ALTHOUGH IF YOU CAN'T RESPECT & OBEY YOUR LEADERS IN ONE AREA, HOW CAN WE EXPECT YOU TO DO SO IN ANOTHER? I would therefore suggest, in fact, heartily recommend, that in order to help solve your problem & that of other under-leaders elsewhere, that you be given the team of your choice, with whatever you need to launch out by faith on your own & start your own Home where you can be the boss & have the full responsibility & know what it's like to truly have to be a leader & a responsible shepherd with the constant care of all your sheep.
         7. HOWEVER, IF YOU HAVE NOT YET LEARNED HOW TO BE A FOLLOWER, I DOUBT IF YOU'LL MAKE MUCH OF A LEADER. It's one thing to ride the back of your leaders, letting them bear all the load & get all the blame, while you're resting on their faith & the broad shoulders of their responsibility in running the Home, but it's another thing to have to get out there on your own faith with your own Home with all the responsibility of serious decisions, housing, support, protection, organisation etc., with nobody else to lean on but the Lord, getting very little of the credit & most of the blame!
         8. I THINK THIS WOULD BE VERY GOOD FOR YOU, & SOME OF YOU HAVE BEEN AROUND LONG ENOUGH that it's time you were on your own, leading your own Home on your own faith! So I suggest you do it now if at all possible! Discuss it with your leaders & work out the details. If there is already an opening in some other city--fine! If not, in some climates you could camp out until you've pioneered your own, & our prayers & love will go with you as you learn to live by faith--& not riding on somebody else's back while digging your spurs into them!
         9. WHOEVER, THEREFORE, HAS CHALLENGED THE LEADER'S SUPERVISION should be dealt with immediately, reprimanded before all, apologise, confess, repent & seek forgiveness & manifestly acknowledge the error of their ways. If the leaders choose to forgive them & the offending parties wish to remain under their supervision in that Area, they may be kept on probation there, if they so desire! Otherwise, let them request a transfer or start a new Home!

EXCESSES IN THE FLESH--PREVENTION & CURE!

         10. ANOTHER VERY SERIOUS SITUATION IS A SPIRIT OF REVELRY & PARTYING, even to the point of overindulgence in wine & some other things to the point that it seems to us that some of you have been more interested in pleasing the flesh & enjoying all things that are yours in Christ Jesus more than you have been concerned about the Lord's Kingdom, His sheep or lost souls--your responsibilities & duties as leaders, & even causing some of the weaker brethren to stumble! This is intolerable disorderly conduct!
         11. SOME OF YOU SEEM TO HAVE FORGOTTEN WHAT YOU JOINED THE ARMY FOR, & I would suggest that like the man who got so busy fixing watches, that you be sent to the front lines where the fighting is hot, the opposition rough & you won't have the time to do anything but battle with the Enemy, instead of with yourself & your fellow leaders! You seem to have forgotten that you are to SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD, & THEN all these other things will be added unto you! But if you start putting other things first, you are sure to hurt the Kingdom & your own position in it!
         12. SO I WOULD SUGGEST THAT ANY LEADERS OR PERSONNEL CAUGHT SO DOING & INDULGING IN SUCH EXCESSES BE SEVERELY REPRIMANDED, & if the offense is serious enough, perhaps even be removed from their position & sent back for further training. If they have hurt their influence in their present Home to such an extent that they can no longer be useful there, it would probably be better to transfer them to some other Home & demote them to some position of lesser responsibility until they learn their lesson--that we did not join this Army to play games, but to fight a War, which we intend to win not by selfindulgence but by self-sacrifice!
         13. SUCH PEOPLE NEED TO STUDY THE SCRIPTURES AGAIN WHICH WE GAVE RECENTLY IN THE HEADING OF "LOOKING UNTO JESUS", PARTICULARLY ROMANS 14! Any such offenders ought to have to memorise some of these passages on the subject! We're beginning to wonder if some of you really care about evangelising the youth of the World or are you just here to enjoy communal life & indulge in special fellowship! Your lack of wisdom along these lines has even caused some of the younger ones to stumble.
         14. YOU'D ALL BETTER FORGET YOUR LITTLE PLEASURE TRIPS & GET BUSY WORKING FOR THE LORD & the salvation of lost youth & the intensive training of your troops for the battles ahead or you're going to go down as a casualty because of your own weaknesses in displeasing God & losing His blessing! Amen?
         15. LET'S GET BACK TO WORK AT WHAT WE JOINED THE ARMY FOR! This is another reason why we need to break up these big Homes where too many people are riding comfortably along on someone else's faith! Get'm out there on the firing line on a road team or pioneering a new little Home, & that'll get them so desperate with God & so busy with His Work & so occupied with caring for His Sheep that they won't have time for any of this foolishness!
         16. THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS GOD COULD GIVE US IF WE COULD BE TRUSTED WITH THEM! But if you can't be trusted as a good steward with a ministry, a responsibility, a Message, a method, money, health, popularity, power or freedom etc., God's apt to take these things away from you entirely until you learn your lesson! Salvation is your right & you can demand it, but the special privileges of His service & these other things are a privilege, a blessing & a reward & can be withdrawn from you at any time by the Lord if you are abusing it, instead of using it for His Glory! So beware!
         17. SIN IN THE CAMP CAN CAUSE THE LORD TO WITHDRAW HIS PROVISION, FRUITFULNESS & PROTECTION & result in serious defeats! If you do not repent quickly, come back to your First Love & repeat your first works, He can remove your candlestick from its place, even cut you off from the land of the living & from the fellowship of your brethren! Better to get rid of one rotten apple than have it cause the whole barrelfull to spoil! And the Lord will do it if you don't watch out!
         18. NO WONDER SOME OF YOU HOMES ARE HAVING SO MUCH TROUBLE, financial difficulties & suffering inroads of the Enemy! God cannot protect you, prosper or bless you when you are out of His Will & running around outside of the secret place & from under His shadow--His Wings--& His Fortress of perfect fellowship with Him! When you do this, you can no longer claim the protection & defenses of Psalm 91 & He may even let you fall a prey to the Enemy, like Lot, because you're playing around with fire & living so close to Enemy territory! You'd better read some of the warnings He gave the churches in Revelation, Chapters 2 & 3! There's still time! Repent! Go thou & sin no more, lest a worse thing befall thee!

STEALING--BORROWING WITHOUT PERMISSION--PREVENTION & CURE!

         19. ANOTHER ABUSE OF YOUR SO-CALLED FREEDOM, WHICH I MUST CAUTION YOU ABOUT, is the perverted idea that some of you seem to have about having all things in common. We believe in voluntary sharing, not compulsory sharing! If you choose to voluntarily share your pen or Bible or guitar or some item of clothing with someone who needs it, this is genuine Christian love, unselfishness & self-sacrifice! But snatching a brother's pen or other materials which have been given to him for his use--snatching it when he's not looking & doesn't know who got it, & even borrowing without returning, is just plain theft or stealing, including borrowing without permission!
         20. WE ARE NOT LIKE THE COMMUNISTS WHO SAY, "WHAT'S YOURS IS MINE & I'M GOING TO TAKE IT AWAY from you at the point of a gun!" But we are Christians--the Children of God, who say, "What's mine is yours & I want to share it with you"! But taking anything from anywhere or anyone without the owners' knowledge or permission is just plain stealing, forbidden by the Lord! We have even had some potential disciples go back because of your lack of love along this line!
         21. CONTRARY TO WHAT SOME OF OUR ENEMIES HAVE REPORTED OF US, WE DO NOT TEACH, MUCH LESS PRACTICE that you can do anything in the Name of Jesus as long as it's for the Lord! It's still stealing, no matter what you call it, if you took it or kept it without the owner's permission! If you need it & haven't got one & you know your brother doesn't need it, then humbly ask him personally if you can borrow it, use it, take it or keep it--but don't steal it!
         22. WE KICKED A GUY OUT OF ONE OF OUR FIRST HOMES ONCE FOR STEALING A JAR OF PEANUT BUTTER, for which he refused to repent & which he denied & hid under his bed & which we only found by forcible search! We told him if he would confess it, repent & produce it, we would forgive him, but if we had to search his stuff to find it without his help, he would be cut off from amongst his brethren--& he was! I understand this has become very common in some Homes, contrary to our earlier hard line against such practices! Brethren, these things ought not so to be!
         23. IF ANYTHING IS MISSING IN YOUR HOME & NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW WHERE IT IS, & no one confesses that he has it, if you have to stop everything with fasting & prayer & a diligent search until you find it, you should do so! First give them a chance to confess & produce it, but if they refuse to do so, search everyone on the premises & all of their things thoroughly until you find it, & deal with the thief accordingly!
         24. IT IS ALSO EVERY MEMBER'S DUTY TO REPORT ANY SUCH THEFT OR VIOLATION OF ANY OTHER RULES BY ANY OTHER MEMBER! Otherwise, you yourself are an accessory to the crime & also guilty! When the item has been found & the culprit exposed, he should be severely disciplined, confess & repent or be dismissed from the Home until he does!
         25. THIS ALSO INCLUDES ANY SO-CALLED "SPOILING OF THE SYSTEM" ON THE OUTSIDE, without the System's permission! God's Word says that we are to provide all things honest toward them that are without, that the ministry be not blamed (2Cor.6:3;8:21), & so that you do not bring reproach on the cause of Christ as well as the Family!
         26. THIS ALSO INCLUDES YOUR FAILURE TO RETURN BORROWED ITEMS WITHIN THE SPECIFIED & PROMISED TIME & your failure to pay bills or debts that you rightfully owe! You are to owe no man anything, save to love him. This also includes, of course, wife or husband stealing! God's Word say, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his ass," or even HER ass. It's still stealing, Brother or Sister--So stop it! Now! Remember, love worketh no ill to his neighbour! "How canst thou contrive evil against thy neighbour, seeing that he thinketh that he dwelleth safely by thee?"--Pro.3:29. "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself!"--Mat.22:39.

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family