DON'T PULL YOUR PUNCHES!         DO 2411  1/88
--It's JAPAN'S LAST CHANCE!--So Sock It to'm!
--A Vital WITNESSING LESSON for ALL!

WINSOME WITNESSING & FACTS ABOUT BUDDHISM!

         1. FOR GOD'S SAKE, WHEN YOU'RE WITNESSING TO CATHOLICS OR BUDDHISTS OR ANYBODY, DON'T BE AGAINST THEIR RELIGION WHATEVER YOU DO! That's one of the main points of witnessing to other religions. Try to find as many points that you AGREE on as possible: "Yes, Buddha was a good man, he was really trying to find the Truth & he was really thinking & meditating & trying to find the facts of life & what life was all about." He did have a lot of good rules & there are a lot of good things about Buddhism. The only thing is, he never expected people to worship him as a god, people going to shrines & worshipping Buddha. He was just a man, he never claimed to be a god. He was just a great teacher, a philosopher, & he was preaching a code of ethics, & most of it is good ethics. Confucius too.

"WHAT'S BUDDHA DONE FOR YOU LATELY?"

         2. SO YOU CAN BE FRANK ABOUT THEIR RELIGION. I wouldn't attack it if you can help it, but if they insist on being dogmatic & pugnacious & say, "Oh my religion is blah blah!", just ask them questions, questions they can't answer.
         3. YOU CAN SAY: "WHAT'S BUDDHISM DONE FOR YOU LATELY? Has Buddha answered any of your prayers lately? Did he bless your business? How's your relations with your wife? We've got Someone Who's ALIVE & LIVING & can answer all your prayers & problems & come into your life & heart!"--If they don't understand "heart," say "into your LIFE"--"And be a FRIEND to you! He's the Son of the GREAT Spirit, the GOOD Spirit, the GOOD God Who will help you & be a Friend & a Helper & a Saviour & guarantee you're going to Heaven when you die!"

DON'T PULL YOUR PUNCHES!

         4. IT'S PRETTY SIMPLE REALLY, THEY JUST HAVEN'T GOT IT! They haven't got ANYTHING! Why be ashamed to give'm what YOU'VE got? You've GOT something & they KNOW it & they can TELL it & they can FEEL it & they can SEE it! Why be ashamed of it? Why pull your punches? Why throw the fight? Sock it to'm! Tell'm! Don't be ashamed of JESUS!
         5. THAT'S WHY THE LORD SAID, "HE THAT IS ASHAMED OF ME BEFORE THIS WICKED & ADULTEROUS GENERATION, I'LL BE ASHAMED OF YOU BEFORE THE FATHER & all the Holy Angels!"--Mk.8:38. He didn't say you'd be LOST. How could you be before the Father & the Holy Angels if you weren't saved? He said He'd be ASHAMED of you! "Some raised to everlasting shame & contempt!"--Dan.12:2.
         6. WE CAN'T BE ASHAMED OF JESUS! JESUS is what we're all about! JESUS is what we're here for! JESUS is why we sacrificed our lives & gave away everything & gave up everything & forsook-all & came to all these crazy countries with their crazy languages & their crazy traditions, etc. And they ARE crazy, let's face it! But we certainly wouldn't have done all that we've done merely for ourselves. I can't see what PERSONAL advantage there is for our people in being in such countries! It's a sacrifice! Why were you willing to give up everything? Some have given up mates, children, everything! What are you there for? You're on a MISSION, you're there for a PURPOSE, you're trying to help OTHERS!
         7. HOW COULD YOU BE ASHAMED OF HIM? How can you pull your punches? If you pull your punches you're going to throw the fight. If you know anything about boxing, when they want to cheat, these Mafia & whatnot arrange to get one of the boxers to definitely throw the fight by pulling his punches & losing & not winning, & then they bet all their money on the other guy! It's guaranteed he's going to win because they prearranged it between the two boxers & the two managers & the two sponsors & all their backers who's to win this fight, so they can put their money on the OTHER guy & win millions! Of course it's illegal, it's against boxing laws, regulations & everything else. But they do it, it happens all the time.
         8. IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO? Just because somebody says, "We don't want to offend people, we don't knock'm out, we take it easy on'm & we pull our punches & we're ashamed to say too much about Jesus so we can be sure that THEY win the fight so it won't offend them. We get along better that way."--That's just exactly what the Devil wants you to do!
         9. AND FRANKLY, IF THOSE PEOPLE KEEP ON INSISTING ON THAT & IF OUR HOSTS THERE DON'T WANT US TO DO WHAT WE'RE THERE TO DO, to preach Jesus, to give'm Jesus, then they're trying to persuade us to pull our punches & throw the fight so that their CLUB can win, their PATRONS can win & not have to yield, give up or surrender to JESUS.--So the DEVIL can win!
         10. THAT'S THE DEVIL'S MESSAGE: "NOW DON'T PUSH TOO HARD, DON'T GO TOO FAR!" I grant you there's a matter of wisdom & tact & custom & being wise & all that, but it's very UNwise to not push JESUS or to be ashamed of mentioning JESUS or Christ or that you love the LORD! You don't have to say you're CHRISTIANS, Christians have a bad reputation, a bad name. You're not trying to win'm to a RELIGION, Christianity, that's got a bad name too. You're not pushing anybody but JESUS!
         11. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH JESUS? Tell me, what is it you don't like about Jesus? What did HE do to offend you? What has HE done? What has He EVER done except go about everywhere doing good & trying to deliver everybody that was oppressed of the Devil!"--Acts 10:38.
         12. WE HAVE COME TO PREACH JESUS, & if we're not going to preach JESUS, we might as well LEAVE & GO! Forget the whole business, let those Hosts drown in their own stew & their inability to pay their taxes & not use us as some kind of an excuse! I mean it!

THE SELF-RIGHTEOUS JAPANESE!

         13. MY MOTHER USED TO SAY THE SELF-RIGHTEOUS CHURCH PEOPLE ARE THE HARDEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD TO GET SAVED!--Because they think they don't NEED it, they think they're already saved, they think they're good & they don't need what you're preaching. They don't really have to depend on Jesus. They believe in Jesus, sure, of course, they're Christians, but they're WORKING their way to Heaven through their OWN self-righteous works & good works & going to church every Sunday & giving to the preacher & all the rest.--And from all I hear of the Japanese, they're exactly like'm!
         14. "WHAT DO WE NEED WITH YOU?" THEY WANT TO KNOW. "What do we need with JESUS? We're doing all right, we're doing fine! We're the richest nation on Earth, the biggest creditor, have the most economic power & we're doing great! What are YOU here for? WE don't need any help!"
         15. BUT YOU CAN PROVE TO THEM THAT THEY DO NEED HELP!--When they start pouring out their hearts to you & reveal that they're NOT satisfied & it hasn't fulfilled the void & they are NOT getting what they need, they're NOT happy, their riches haven't satisfied them, they're still having problems with their teenage kids, they're not going the way they wanted them to go, they're still having problems with their wives or husbands & they're not happy & all their wealth hasn't brought them what they thought it was going to bring them, let's face it.
         16. THEY'RE JUST AS MISERABLE AS ANYBODY ELSE, ONLY THEY'RE WORSE!--They have the insulation of self-righteousness & it's hard to get through that thick skin! "I'm okay, I'm not a sinner, what do I need YOU for?" Well, whether you're going to make them admit they're sinners or not, you've got to show them that they have a NEED!--That they're not saving themselves & they're not making it & they're not happy. "What you need is JESUS! That's what it's all about. HE'S what it's all about!"

AN OPEN DOOR IN JAPAN, OUR HOSTS' MOTIVES

         17. YOU'VE GOT THE GOODS! Don't be afraid to show'm off! Don't be afraid to DELIVER the goods, give'm a sample! We've got nothing to be ashamed of! We're not ashamed of Jesus, He's what it's all about! Who made our kids like this?--Not our Hosts, not us, not the School, but JESUS!

         18. WHY ARE YOU SO HAPPY THERE IN THE CLUB? How can you be so happy & content & smiling & radiant? They can FEEL the Spirit, they can SEE it on your faces! "You've got something we haven't got! What IS it you've got?" It's JESUS! That's the Answer, just that simple!
         19. IF YOU'RE GOING TO TRY TO HIDE YOUR LIGHT UNDER A BUSHEL or try to smother your candle just because your Hosts are afraid that it might offend them & say, "No, you're pushing too hard & this offends some people!"--The people who are offended by it are the ones who NEED to get driven away! So what!
         20. IF YOUR HOSTS ARE NOT WILLING TO MAKE SOME SACRIFICES & lose some customers, then they shouldn't be in this business!--If they're trying to please everybody. "Beware when all men think well of you!"--Luke 6:26. You can't be menpleasers & please God at the same time!
         21. "OF COURSE YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE SOME CUSTOMERS WHO DON'T WANT TO BE PREACHED AT, & if you are afraid to lose some customers--afraid you're going to lose some MONEY, that's the point-afraid you might lose a little business through allowing the preaching of the Gospel there, allowing people to get saved, then you're in the wrong business!--You're in it for MONEY & you're not in it for the LORD! You're in it for CASH & you're not in it for CHRIST! You're in it for EXPENSES & you're not in it for SOULS! You've got the wrong MOTIVE!"
         22. THEY JUST THOUGHT IT MIGHT DO THEIR BUSINESS A LITTLE BIT MORE GOOD TO HAVE YOU PRETTY GIRLS AROUND & keep their customers happy. Well, you're going to make SOME of them VERY happy, you're bound to, but somebody's going to be OFFENDED! And the OFFENDED ones are usually the LOUDEST ones & make the most NOISE, because they're full of the DEVIL & he doesn't want you there & he doesn't want you doing that! Of COURSE you're going to have some offended! "They that live GODLY in Christ Jesus shall suffer PERSECUTION!"--2Tim.3:12.
         23. BUT AT LEAST YOU'LL HAVE THE SATISFACTION OF KNOWING YOU TRIED, YOU DID WHAT WAS RIGHT! You can say, "Lord, I obeyed YOU & I preached YOU & I gave them LOVE & I TRIED to get'm saved, & even if they shut us out & reject us & throw us out & reject YOU, we did our part & we did what we were supposed to do! We went there to save Japan!--If Japan doesn't want to be saved, then let'm go to Hell!" That's the facts!
         24. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE GOING TO SAVE JAPAN OR NOT, FRANKLY! Considering how tough they are, how hard some of them are, it doesn't look like you're going to save ALL of Japan--& it's not likely, the majority are usually wrong--but you're getting SOME! And even those few precious souls that you're saving, they are PRICELESS! You'll be so thankful when you see them in Heaven, it'll be worth it all! Even if they were only one, two or three you got at the clubs, it's worth it all!
         25. EVEN IF JAPAN REJECTS YOU, EVEN IF YOUR HOSTS REJECT YOU, AT LEAST YOU WILL HAVE TRIED & you will have done what you were SUPPOSED to do! What ARE we supposed to do? "Go ye into all the World & preach the Gospel to every creature!"--Mk.16:15. We will have come into another part of the World & tried to preach the Gospel to THEM!
         26. THE LORD DIDN'T SAY, "GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD & SAVE EVERYBODY!" That's something you can't do! Their Salvation in that respect depends on THEM & their DECISION. You can't make'm make it. That's individual choice. Their Salvation in that case depends on THEIR decision!--YOU can't make it FOR'M!

FORGET CHURCHY TERMS!

         27. SO WHY JAPAN?--IN WHAT SEEMS LIKE ALMOST OUR LAST GREAT DRIVE, OUR LAST GREAT EFFORT? God is leading the Family at this particular time to invade that particular field to try to crack almost the toughest nut that we have ever found, because of those self-righteous people who even try to convince themselves that they don't need anything, they have it all! They don't need anything, much less us or our religion or our Jesus!
         28. WE HAVE SUCH A HABIT OF USING RELIGIOUS TERMS, we've used them so long. We talk about Christians & Christianity, but that's a bad word to a lot of people! They don't have a very good opinion of church people or Christians or Christianity. They've gotten gypped by good Christians, they've been deceived by good Christians, they've been cheated by good church people! They've set a very bad example to them! Their attitude is, "If THAT'S Christianity, I don't want it!"
         29. SO WHAT YOU'VE GOT TO PROVE IS THAT YOU DON'T HAVE CHRISTIANITY! You're not a "Christian," you're not a church person! You've got to convince them that you're something DIFFERENT! You're not like other missionaries they've heard about, even maybe seen. You're not promoting CHURCHIANITY, you're not inviting them to your CHURCH, you're not trying to win them over to your RELIGION! You're not trying to make a so-called CHRISTIAN out of them!
         30. LET'S FORGET THOSE OLD THEOLOGICAL & CHURCHIANITY TERMS! You're not trying to change their religion! You're not trying to win them away from Buddhism! You don't have to change their religion--let GOD do that! And He WILL! You just give them JESUS, & if they take JESUS, HE'LL soon change their religion!
         31. SEE, IF THEY CAN NAIL YOU DOWN TO WHAT YOU ARE, that you belong to this church, that church, that religion, Jehovah's Witness, Seventh-day Adventist, Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, whatever, then they've got you all classified & they know everything you believe & then they can start shooting their missiles & their fiery darts at some of the things they don't agree with! Because now they know who you are, what you are, what you believe & they can nail you down!
         32. BUT I DOUBT IF ANYBODY EVER CAME TO THEM BEFORE & ASKED THEM NOT TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN, NOT TO ACCEPT CHRISTIANITY, BUT JUST TAKE JESUS! "What's wrong with Jesus? What have you got against Christ? What did He do that offends you?" Even most heathen, pagans, who know little or nothing about Christianity or Christ or whatever, they have heard about JESUS & they've heard that He went around trying to help people to do good.
         33. THEY KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT JESUS! Just ask them, "What has HE done that you don't like? What is it you don't like about JESUS? Why don't you love JESUS? Why don't you like HIM? Why not love HIM? He loves you & He wants to help you!" PTL!

WARN & SAVE JAPAN!

         34. ONE REASON GOD SENT YOU, THE FAMILY, TO JAPAN AS HE DID HIS PROPHETS OF OLD, IS TO WARN THE NATION OF ITS FAULTS!--Not only in Love, to try to get them saved, to save them from themselves & from their faults, but the next job of the Prophet is to warn the nations & the kings what is going to happen to them if they DON'T change their ways! And I think that's one of the main reasons God has sent our Family to Japan at this hour!--To TELL them, "If you guys don't start being willing to SHARE your affluence & your prosperity & your riches with the people of the World who NEED it, the whole System is going to collapse!"--Including sharing with the U.S.A., which is rapidly becoming one of the poorest countries in the World.
         35. THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE TO ABANDON THOSE TARIFF BARRIERS, & THAT WOULD HELP SAVE AMERICA & A LOT OF THE THIRD WORLDERS! Take the Philippines or Indonesia, for example, all the stuff they could produce cheap that could be sold in Japan, that will even benefit the Japanese workers & the Japanese labourers & the Japanese people as a whole by knocking their horrible ridiculous prices flat on their faces! It would be a great benefit to the REAL Japan!--Maybe not the government, although it would in the long run, they get the benefit, but it would benefit the PEOPLE of Japan & God would BLESS it! That's the BIGGEST way it would benefit the people of Japan!
         36. YOU ARE THERE TO SAVE JAPAN!--In more ways than one!--Spiritually, souls for Heaven, but God doesn't leave anything out. If He saves you SPIRITUALLY, He'll also save you PHYSICALLY, He'll also save you FINANCIALLY!--If they'd be willing to obey God & SHARE, & let down those selfish trade barriers, those RIDICULOUS barriers where the Japanese themselves are paying six times the price of rice on the World Market, their main staple!
         37. SO YOU'RE THERE TO SAVE JAPAN, & if they won't let you, then they're standing in God's way! He WANTS to save Japan. If they LET you, God will BLESS them for it. But if Japan WON'T let us, then Japan's standing in God's way & will suffer the consequences! t
         38. I REALLY BELIEVE THIS IS JAPAN'S LAST CHANCE! It's now up to Japan to save the World economy, & they could do it.--Just by abandoning those ridiculous trade barriers & allowing FREE trade throughout the World. Trade barriers are selfishness! Trade barriers are unfair! Trade barriers are robbing the poor! Countries like Japan are even robbing their OWN poor with trade barriers by their high prices for food!
         39. THIS IS THE WORLD'S LAST CHANCE BEFORE THE WHOLE SYSTEM CRASHES! If they want to postpone the inevitable end a little longer, they should obey God, share, give, trade!--And you're there to tell them that! That's part of your message! You ought to tell'm: "We LOVE you, we're here to SAVE you! We're here to save your SOUL so you can go to HEAVEN! We're here to save your SPIRIT & your BODY, but we're also here to save your FINANCES! If you'll take our financial advice, you can save yourselves! But you're headed for a crash!"
         40. THAT'S OUR MESSAGE TO JAPAN! MOST of all, "Love GOD, love JESUS, take Him as your Friend!-He'll help solve ALL your problems, personal problems, everything.--Your spirit, your family, your health, your wealth, whatever!" But preach this to the GOVERNMENT, preach this to the BUSINESSES: That they had better DO this to try to save the WORLD or they're all going to go down WITH it! That's that, period!

REACHING THE TOP IN JAPAN!

         41. AND YOU FAMILY IN JAPAN ARE GOING TO HAVE TO TURN THE TABLES COMPLETELY AROUND! It was fine in the good old free days when you could hit the streets & publicly witness all you wanted to, but things are changing. We've already had problems along this line & we're going to have to start doing it other ways. I can certainly see, & Mama certainly sees, the hand of God in it. Because you have NOT been reaching the people you SHOULD have reached.
         42. YOU HAVE NOT BEEN REACHING THE CAPTAINS OF BUSINESS & INDUSTRY & THE RULERS OF JAPAN to try to save the country & the World! You've just been getting out on the streets begging & peddling & saving YOURSELVES in a sense. You're not reaching the right people, it hasn't done it. Only a handful of the top have really been reached who really have influence & can influence even the government & other businessmen & people who count & can have influence, decision-makers who can have some kind of WEIGHT to try to make the Japanese change their ways, as well as be helpers & supporters & defenders.
         43. SO YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO BACK TO ENGLISH TEACHING, hostessing, a lot of things which can help support the Family, with more emphasis on DFing instead of FFing. If you go at it with the right motive & the right tactics & the right way, to really have the right influence & teach the right things, you could be a TREMENDOUS blessing, as well as get the SUPPORT you need there!
         44. BUT YOU'VE JUST TAKEN THE EASY WAY, THE PENNY-ANTE WAY: "Well, we don't have enough money to pay the rent, let's go out quick & have a real binge on getting out Tapes & Posters today so we can pay the rent!" That's NOT the right motive! That's a necessity, but if you'd been getting through to the right people all this time, you wouldn't have to do that. Like this one lady they wrote us about, they were sorry they were being delayed from getting out, they wanted to go out & get the rent that day, but they finally yielded to the Lord & let one team stay home & talk to HER & SHE gave them 100,000 Yen ($800) to pay the rent!
         45. INSTEAD OF GOING OUT LIKE BEGGARS & JUST PEDDLING & BEGGING & MAKING A NUISANCE OF YOURSELVES on the streets as far as the Japanese are concerned & the police, you could be reaching people like that! And not only get some people that really are important & really count in the right way, but be able to make DISCIPLES! Not just passing converts or street converts, but REAL DISCIPLES who can not only become real disciples, but be helpers, supporters, defenders! But you haven't been doing it. You've taken the easy way.
         46. BUT THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO HAVE TO BE DONE THERE BECAUSE THE OTHER SOURCES ARE CLOSING! You're going to HAVE to do it!--And there are tremendous potentials & opportunities available there for that! They're begging for hostesses & native English teachers! There's a tremendous need for it, a market for it, if you want to put it that way, by which you can earn your living as well as witness!
         47. I TOLD YOU THIS YEARS AGO! I said the time is going to come when things are going to be so closed you're going to have to get a JOB & rely totally on PERSONAL witnessing! (See No.750.) That's what it's coming to right NOW, especially in JAPAN & a lot of other fields where you can't just be out on the corner in the streets witnessing! They've told us it's even hard for you to go house-to-house in Japan because of the intercoms, hard to go to offices because everybody's so busy!
         48. SO YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO FIND WHAT CHANNELS THERE ARE THAT YOU CAN USE TO REACH PEOPLE!--Clubs are one, the School's another, teaching English is another!--Any way you can to manage to keep on witnessing & survive! So, why not? I think the days of street witnessing are coming to an end & ALREADY have come to an end in many countries. You're just going to have to DO it some other way, that's all!
         49. LORD BLESS THEM & HELP THEM TO CONTINUE AS LONG AS YOU WANT THEM TO & as long as it's possible, that we can continue to help Japan as much as we can to be the final possibility of saving the World economy, to stave off the End a little longer, for a little more witnessing & a little more saving!


Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family