WE'RE ONE OF A KIND!
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--By Maria
Maria #156 DO 2770
1. From all that we've heard and read and even seen in the news, there is a lot of activity going on right now with different churches and Christian groups all over the world. At first glance, it could sort of look like System Christianity is really something; it appears to be alive and well and thriving! Big revivals and renewed interest in religion are taking place in the U.S., Britain, Eastern Europe, Brazil, Africa, China and all over the place!
2. Family members who see all of this sort of thing may wonder about it, since Dad has blasted the churches so much for their do-nothing churchianity. Well, for one thing, this big revival of renewed activity among so many churches has happened just recently, it's only in the last few years that a lot of these church people have awakened out of their lethargy. I believe that part of the reason for it is because where "sin doth abound, grace doth much more abound" (Rom.5:20). The world has become so wicked, is getting so bad, the Devil has been having such a heyday, it has awakened a lot of the Christians from their lethargy and gotten them stirred up to at least do something for the Lord.
3. But despite all this renewed activity, all of the churches in the U.S. put together only have about 40,000 full-time foreign missionaries worldwide, and it seems the vast majority of these 40,000 do social work rather than evangelize! So few have chosen to make preaching the Gospel in all the world their career! So in proportion, we have many many more! For the entire U.S., a country of 250 million people, to only have 40,000 full-time foreign missionaries is quite shameful!--Especially when you consider that they're one of the richest countries on Earth, and are supposed to be the most Christian and missionary-minded.
4. Nevertheless, I think we need to be honest and say, "Yes, some of the Christians are doing something now, thank God!"--But we also need to point out how little it is and how lacking they are and also how most of them absolutely fail to relate to the rest of the world.
Showing Our Kids the Difference Between the Churches and Us!
5. (Fam: From the few things I've seen, my feeling is that the church at its best is still much much worse off than the Family at its worst! A church systemite is a church systemite. "They draw nigh to Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And by their traditions they make the Word of God of none effect" [Mat.15:6-9]. Even when what they say sounds good, they never seem to have any lasting fruit to back it up. And I think our adults understand that, but I think maybe our kids might need more of an explanation.)
6. If any of our young people are overly impressed with what all of these other Christians are doing, my message to them would be, "Look, there is quite a bit of church activity nowadays, and there are a lot of different church ministries, and if you'd rather work with the churches who are fighting and demonstrating against abortion, or you'd rather work with the refugees, or you'd rather work with the migrant workers or who knows what, if you want to join those churchy groups, you can. But the thing is, you were born into this Family, and this is what God has called you to. Just the fact that you were born into the Family couldn't be any better proof that God wants you where you are.
7. "And though we may be small, we're a special, elite, highly honored, privileged group who may not have much of the world's recognition or credit, but God has said wonderful things about us! And if you'll just hang on, if you'll stick to it, if you'll stay where you are and labor for the Lord where He has placed you, then He is going to do great things with you and for you, and He will reward you wonderfully!
8. "But if you forsake the `high calling of God in Christ Jesus' which He has given you by placing you in this Family (Phil. 3:14), and you choose to go the route of the compromising churchy Christians, you'll probably have to get a System job, which will take up almost all of your time and energy, as is the case with almost all church Christians. They have to spend much more of their time slaving away at their System jobs than the little bit of time that they're able to spend doing anything for the Lord."
9. In some places, that's what you kids are going to encounter--a lot of church Christians and groups and programs, many of which will appear on the surface to be very active and on the attack! So I really think that this is something that we need to face, just like we've faced a lot of other things with you. We don't need to try to hide the facts from you; we'd much rather try to get any questions you may have and answer them. I think it's best to address this sort of thing with you.
10. You're probably going to be out witnessing DTD, for example, and you're going to be meeting lots of Christians who are going to be extolling all the virtues of their particular church or denomination, "Oh, I go to so-and-so church, and we're doing this and we're accomplishing that, and we just had a huge healing service and there were all kinds of miracles, etc." Or you're going to open the newspaper and see big ads for church rallies and things like that.
11. I don't think the churches and their ministries hold much appeal for our adults at all. And for our kids it probably won't have much appeal either, but it's one of those things that I think we should address so it doesn't allow the Enemy to get any of his doubts in.
12. I just feel that after all that Dad has said against the church system for many years now, all that he has said about what they aren't doing, now that some of them are doing something, now that a few of them are active and showing themselves to be alive, we need to address it. We don't want our kids to doubt Dad and think, "How could Dad be saying this?--These Christians are doing something and a lot of it is good!" By addressing it, it will make them even more convinced that they're in the right place and that they're doing the right thing and that the church system just isn't where it's at!--In spite of how great some of it may be looking now.
13. (Fam: I think we could have our kids read, "Jesus People? --Or Revolution!" [ML #148]. That would be a good pow-wow that could be pretty easily adapted, putting the modern evangelical movement of today in place of the Jesus People of yesterday. "But what is behind that front and long hair?"--Or in this case, the churches' somewhat radical stances against some things. It's still the same old lukewarm church!)
The Churches Still Refuse to Give All!
14. Yes, because let's face it, they're still not giving their whole lives; they're just giving a little. Well, the Lord will take what you give Him and He'll use whatever you give in whatever way you want to give it. But what the churches are giving is still too little and too late, and it's so sickening, really, because most of them are so wishy-washy and they're so selfish!
15. (Fam: I would venture to say that the appeal that such church groups might have to some of our kids would not so much be that those churches are doing more for the Lord than the Family is, but that these System Christians are supposedly serving the Lord and driving around in their own fancy cars at the same time.) Yes, our kids could get the idea from them that, "You can serve the Lord without having to give up everything and forsake all. Look, we're serving the Lord, and we don't have to work at it nearly as hard as you do! You don't have to go out witnessing all the time! And you don't have to live under all those rules. You can have your own little house and your own little private family and you can do your own little thing.--Just like we do! And you can still accomplish something for the Lord!" Of course, they don't tell you how difficult it is to be a slave to a full-time System job or education. And even if they wanted to, they wouldn't have time to serve the Lord full-time.
16. Even though some of these churchy Christians are finally starting to wake up and do something for the Lord, when you consider how many of them there are, the millions upon millions of church members there are, then you begin to realize that the vast majority of them are still doing nothing!--And that everything Dad has said about the churchianity system is as true today as it ever was!
17. But at least some of them are now starting to do something, which is a lot better than what most of them have been doing, which is nothing! And because of their sheer numbers, their activities--whether protesting and fighting the abortion clinics, helping the homeless, passing out tracts, televangelism, holding prayer rallies, or whatever--are starting to have some impact and effect on the world.--And you're probably going to either see or hear about them.
The Churches' Collective Results, and Our Per Capita Results!
18. Dad has often said that our Family is accomplishing more than any other religious group in the whole world, and that's absolutely true! Dad has also made it clear that the way we're accomplishing more than anyone else in the whole world is per capita. Per person we're accomplishing more than other Christians. And as an organization, we're certainly doing more than any other organization in the world of our size.
19. But if you would take all the rest of the Christians in the world, all of the millions upon millions of them together, of course they can't help but be doing more collectively than we, as a very small organization, are doing. We are just a tiny little group in comparison to all of them, almost like the "voice of one crying in the wilderness" (Mat.3:3). But thank the Lord, the world has heard our voice, and the voice of the Lord through our message! And they will continue to hear it even more loudly as time goes on, if we are faithful to fulfill the commission the Lord has given us! Praise the Lord!
Big Differences Between Our Ministry and the Church's!
20. However, our ministry is much different than the ministry of the rest of the Christians. No matter how much some of them may be doing, the Lord has given us a very special ministry of preaching the Endtime message and of showing the world the wonders of the world to come in the Lord's Heavenly Kingdom on Earth! In fact, the Lord specifically told Dad that He had reserved that ministry for us! (ML #1578:13,14).
21. Of course, we have a great advantage over all of the other Christians because God has blessed us with a prophet, His man who gets fresh messages and leadings and revelations from the Lord for us today! We've got the Words of David to feed on and be strengthened by, and to pass on to the world, giving them God's views on all kinds of subjects, and warning them of the coming judgments of God, as well as to prepare them for and inspire them with the wonders and beauties of Heaven!
22. Although most of these other Christians believe that Jesus is coming soon, their idea of "soon" is subject to quite a bit of interpretation! Some of them think 20 years, some 30 years, some think much later than that. They don't seem to put it anywhere near as close as we do, neither do they act like it's anywhere near as close as we act, neither do they push it like we do! Some of them believe it, but that's not their main message by any means. And most of them certainly don't live as if they expect the Lord to come back soon!
23. Our message is not only about the Endtime, that Jesus is coming back soon, but our message is also one of practice and of sample. Our sample is our message in some ways. There are very few other Christians in the world who are living together communally and trying to obey and forsake all, have "all things in common."--Very few people. I don't know of any who do it the way we do! I know that there are isolated people here and there who try it, but I don't know of any other entire group or organization that does that.
24. Even in years past, when different missionaries tried to band together and live communally on the mission field for the sake of winning the lost, there was usually such serious dissension and disunity among them that their efforts were thwarted. (See "Great Men and Women of God," Part One, page 17-19 about William Carey and the Serampore mission station.)
25. Some missionary organizations have tried communal living in their small way, but it's not one of their main foundations and they don't emphasize it very much, and therefore it's too difficult for them to put it into practice.--And as a result, even their missionary work itself often crumbles and fails.
26. Another major difference between us and almost all the other Christian groups and missionaries is the way we train our children. Churchy missionaries frequently use the need to teach, train and care for their children as an excuse to neglect or abandon their mission fields and the calling the Lord has given them to witness to and win others. Whereas we don't look on our children as a liability to our ministering to others, but as a tremendous asset! Our children play a very important part in our ministry and in our witnessing, probably more than the children of any other religion, any other group in the world!
27. So I would say those are a few of the main differences in our ministry: Our emphasis on the Endtime message, our preaching and showing the world about Heaven, and our sample of full-time forsake-all service and Acts 2:44-45 communal living, which is something that hardly any other Christians do. I think those are some of the main things that make us different from the majority of other Christians.
28. Of course, another very major difference between us and almost all of the other Christians is that we operate and flourish completely outside of the church system.--And this is undoubtedly one of the main reasons that the Lord raised us up in the first place. Our very existence is a strong witness to the world that the church system just isn't necessary! We have proven that loving Jesus and living for the Lord does not have to be equated with being churchy and bound to the church system and all of its traditions and so much that is shallow and hypocritical. We show the world that people can live for Jesus outside of the church system.
29. Another notable difference between us and the churches is our simplicity. Dad has always taught us to put the "doorknob" down low enough that the simplest babe in Christ can understand the message of God's love and Salvation. This simplicity is reflected in our posters and Letters, our personal witnessing, our songs, and in just about everything we do!
30. And speaking of our songs, we are probably the most musical bunch of missionaries there ever was! As a group, I'm sure we actively use more music outside of Homes and churches on the streets and in the parks and wherever we can witness than any other church or denomination! And we probably have a higher percentage of people who play guitar and sing and use music in their ministry than any religious organization in the world! PTL!
Family Members Faced with So Much Christian Activity!
31. Dad's absolutely right when he said we've done more than any other religious organization. We have, per person. And even as a small organization, number for number, we've done more than any other organization of our size in the world. So I think it's good to make this clear, because I have a feeling that a lot of our TRF Supporters--and even our DO members in the U.S.--are going to be faced with this.
32. They may see Christian preachers on TV, and some of them are impressive! The problem is that most of their followers and congregations could certainly be doing a whole lot more for the Lord. The majority of them are only too happy to pay the preachers to do all the preaching for them, so they don't have to personally witness or try to win others themselves. And the preachers promote this. Like Dad has often said, most church pastors don't believe in "Go ye," but "Pay me!"--Pay the preacher to do the witnessing for the whole congregation!
33. Also, it's too bad most of these preachers and evangelists concentrate so much on their own country. Think of all the evangelists that are reaching the same people over and over and over, when there are all the unreached in the rest of the world that they could be concentrating on! It's too bad they don't work more elsewhere!
The Key to "Fruit that Remains" and Winning Disciples: Forsaking All!
34. I've been impressed with some of the Christian authors and writers and articles and books that we've been researching. A lot of them really have the right message and it's sometimes sort of made me feel like, "Wow, the Lord's speaking to them too!" I'm impressed by Pat Robertson, I'm impressed by Billy Graham. But the problem with them is that even though the Lord speaks to them and tells them the right things and they may preach it, they haven't really persuaded very many other people to follow them to do the same things and to really commit their lives to full-time service for the Lord.
35. I think one of their problems is that they just don't think it's anybody else's job to win souls. They seem to have somehow gotten the idea that only the big preachers like themselves have that commission, and no one else does. They don't at all seem to promote or preach that others should be active full-time soul-winners. They might promote a little soul-winning on the side, if you can manage to fit it into or around your normal System job, but they sure don't encourage others to make soul-winning and witnessing their full-time job! Many of them even have universities where they promote "higher education" and years and years of secular study and learning, with the Bible and witnessing only included in their curriculum as a sideline.
36. So even though a lot of their teachings are good and right, many of them preach the right thing, teach the right thing, but they're just one voice and they haven't borne fruit, "fruit that remains" (Jn.15:16), probably because they haven't really been willing to forsake all and fully live it themselves, or put the right emphasis on winning souls, and challenging and teaching others to win souls and to give up all else to lead others to Salvation.
37. So that's certainly another major difference between us and the majority of other Christians; most of them have System jobs and believe it's perfectly all right to spend most of their time and strength toiling away for Mammon, whereas we feel that "No man can serve two masters; ye cannot serve God and Mammon!" (Mat.6:24). We believe that, for the most part, we can be more effective in our work for the Lord if we don't get tied down with System jobs; although in very rare cases, a System job could be our work for the Lord, if we were able to witness fully and freely, winning souls and disciples.
38. It seems that this is a fundamental step that people have to take before they can really be following Him as genuine disciples who are able to inspire and challenge others to be disciples too. But the Lord's willing to take people where they're at and use them as much as He can, and some of them get good things on prayer and on faith and on love and on healing and so many things--even the state of the world and the signs of the end, etc. They have good Godly things to say, so God bless them for what they are doing. I don't think their route of service is as good as ours by any means, and it certainly isn't having the effect ours is having, and it isn't going as far as ours is going, and it usually isn't as simple as ours is, but thank the Lord that some of them are doing something!
39. Our Family could be very impressed with all the religion going on nowadays. But the bottom line is, although there are thousands of kids in these Bible colleges, and sure, they're sending out some missionaries, where are they? What are they doing? Why haven't we seen them in all the rest of the world? We've seen a few missionaries here and there, and most of them have been our enemies--like the Assemblies of God and the Alliance in Southeast Asia--but what are they really accomplishing? We sure don't see much. Why don't we run into them more? Why don't we see their results more if they're so strong on going into all the world? Some of them seem to spend so much time fighting us that they couldn't possibly have much time left for winning souls!
40. Just as Dad has always said, not very many of these dear Bible college students ever make it to the mission field! They usually get married and they settle down into a nice comfortable church in the U.S. That's what happens to the vast majority of them.--Only a measly 2% of Bible college students ever make it to the mission field--2%!
Uncommitted Part-time Christians!
41. These religious revivals really excite people and thrill them and make them sit up and take notice and think, "Wow, they really are doing something for the Lord! They're really on fire! These church people all have so much love, and they're all so sweet and so filled with the Spirit!" Well, as long as they can live in their own nice little homes and attend their church services and be thrilled with the ecstasies of the miracles and the tingling of the Holy Spirit and the vibrations as they praise the Lord, being fed with all these spiritual highs and even maybe doing a few miracles themselves, they're very loving.
42. But when their religion is put to the test of really serving Jesus, of really doing something for the Lord and leaving all that luxury and forsaking their fancy homes and their jobs and their selfish lives, going out on the street every day, even in the U.S., let alone foreign mission fields, and winning people to the Lord and just concentrating on getting people saved, I think they might have a different reaction and you might not see quite so much love and peace and everybody being so wonderful!
43. What are they accomplishing by sitting in those meetings and getting their own souls fed? They're not really going out and doing the job that Jesus said to do, it still comes down to that. Because while there may be a lot of Christian activity going on in the U.S., most of it is being done by just a few individuals via television, or a few healing evangelists. If you would add up all the Christians in the U.S. by number, and then you would take from that the number of people who are really serving the Lord full-time and really accomplishing something for the Lord, the number would be very infinitesimal, very very small compared to all the Christians who claim to be saved.
44. Of course, there are also quite a few little groups that are trying to witness a little and trying to do something nowadays, and there is a lot of Christian activity, but it's very partial, it's very part-time on the part of most of the people who are Christians. In fact, if they do any kind of soul-winning or Christian witness or service at all, it's usually very small compared to what they spend most of their time doing! They only give a very small part of their time to the Lord and His work. Almost all of them have secular jobs and support their family, although a few of them do try to witness and do some active Christian work on the side.
45. In the meantime, their kids are in System school being absolutely polluted, perverted, corrupted and contaminated! So one of their main ministries, their children--which is why the Lord gave them kids--is being neglected and they're letting them go down the drain while they pursue their secular careers and do a little here and there!
Don't Get Discouraged or Jealous About Other Christians' Ministries!
46. So I think some of our people could possibly be a little overwhelmed by all that talk of religion and all that religious activity. But we don't have to feel inferior or feel like, "Oh, we're not doing very much compared to all of this!
47. It's only natural to be somewhat impressed when you see or hear about a great healing campaign or you see someone getting a large group of Christians together and on fire, doing something for the Lord, especially if they're really fighting for the right, like those Christians who are fighting for the unborn babies, etc. In a way, it's a good thing to be impressed like that, but on the other hand, it's not good to be so impressed that you let yourself get discouraged and think, "Oh, they must be doing more than we are. Look at all the people who are getting healed or hearing the Gospel from their ministry!"
48. I think we should just thank the Lord that some of the churches are beginning to wake up! Remember, it's the Endtime, and where sin doth abound, grace is also abounding, which is why there are real revivals going on in a lot of different countries right now, and a lot of people are really coming to know the Lord. We shouldn't belittle or demean that, but neither should we be jealous of it or get discouraged about it.
Our Special Calling and Unique Ministry!
49. If you are ever tempted to feel down or discouraged because some of these System Christians' ministries seem more accepted or popular, and they seem to be accomplishing so much, then you need to remember that we've been called unto a very special ministry, and we're following the exceptional calling that the Lord has given us.--The "high calling of God in Christ Jesus" for you and me to be a part of this Family! We have a wonderful work for the Lord to do, and we should be happy and thankful for what He has given us. The Lord has said He regards us very highly, as a privileged and honored army of Endtime soldiers for Him. We have a very special place, close to His heart. (See "We Are It!" ML #2222, DB8, and "Our Family" in the MOP.)
50. For example, our ministry with the posters--especially our Endtime posters and our Heaven posters--has been a very special and unique one and has reached millions and millions of people and influenced the world in ways which we will never know in this life.--And I'm sure has influenced top officials and top world policy!--And I think we should continue the unique ministry the Lord has given us of presenting the Endtime message to people!--As well as the wonderful message He has given us about the world to come!
51. Our Acts 2:44-45 sample in our Homes is another very unique part of our work and ministry, and is something that we're way ahead of any of the other Christians in. It's difficult! But we're all learning to help one another and to love each other and live together unselfishly. Whereas most of those other poor Christians would never even think of living and cooperating with others like we do!
52. We're even learning to handle our kids on our own. In fact, we're becoming experts and specialists in childcare! Virtually all of our adults are involved in training our kids because most of our Homes pretty much revolve around our children!--From the tiny tots clear up to the teens and young adults. We're all learning to teach and train and communicate and relate to our children, helping them to grow up in a loving, secure and Godly atmosphere.
Communal Living and Sharing: The Real Test!
53. Most of the churchy Christians are living selfishly, trying to perfect themselves! If they're typically "good" Christians, most of their supposed religious service is spent in trying to make themselves perfect, trying to become more "holy" and loving and to have more of the fruits of the Spirit. But I'll tell you what would really test their religion is if they had to move in with four or five or six other families and live together, share everything together, and then we'd see how many fruits of the Spirit they have! That is the real test, when you're thrown in with people from different backgrounds and cultures with different likes and dislikes, with different habits, different languages, and all kinds of ages, shapes and sizes! Everything's different!
54. You have to all live together, you have to all conform to an army-type of lifestyle in order to cooperate to reach the lost and to be a living and loving sample that the Lord's love works!--To show that He can really unify people and give them love and harmony and true peace and cooperation together. You also have to all yield to the Home's leadership. Talk about making your religion work, that is the thing that tests you the most: Letting other people correct your kids, trying to straighten out misunderstandings that come up every day, trying to work together in every area, and counsel on every decision together! If you'd put those Christians together like that, they couldn't stand it! Not only are they not used to it, most wouldn't ever want to get used to it!
55. So ours is a unique ministry and preparation for what the Lord is trying to get us ready for. Maybe you'd consider it "perfecting ourselves" too, with all our emphasis on NWOs and all. In a way, I suppose it is, but we're doing it for a real purpose--to be more effective in our witness! We're doing it to show the world that God's plan of loving cooperation as outlined in the Book of Acts still works! And we're also doing it so we can be a more effective and economical team that can get out there and win souls and spend our full time on the job the Lord's given us.--Not just to tickle our spiritual pride. (Fam: Plus, we're getting prepared for the Tribulation and living by faith when there won't be any alternatives and there won't be any church you can go to, like Dad talked about in the "Endtime Whispering Vision" [ML #334].) Right, and we're preparing for the Millennium too, for teaching others and helping them to live together in love.
We Are Unique!--God's Special Endtime Army!
56. So we have a very unique job to do and a unique ministry, and we shouldn't feel like we're inferior after we find out about all the Christian activity going on in the U.S. and some of those other countries. We shouldn't feel like, "Boy, here we were under this illusion all the time that we were so great!" Well, we are so great, and we are doing something! We are God's special Endtime army!
57. But there are simply not enough of us that He could possibly work just with us, He has to have lots of others! He has to raise up others too to win the world in this last time when things are getting so evil! He has millions of other people and He's gotta use them too to some extent, as much as He can, as much as they will allow themselves to be used. So we should just be thankful that they're doing the job that they're doing, and not be jealous of them.--And thank the Lord for the job we have and the ministry He's given us! PTL!
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family