TO WHOM WILL YOU GO? DO 1966 Compiled 3/84
--WHERE to serve the Lord!
1. I SEARCHED FOR 40 YEARS TRYING TO FIND THE TRUE RELIGION, trying to find people who lived like Jesus & His Disciples & His early followers, but I couldn't find them! I looked in the churches, where they were supposed to be, but I found no one like them there.--No one who had forsaken all to follow Jesus!
2. I WENT FROM CHURCH TO CHURCH & DENOMINATION TO DENOMINATION, & was even ordained a minister three times by three different organisations.--But I never found a church or fellowship or religious group that suited me. I never found any doctrines like mine, except in the Bible, & I never found any churches that were really following the Bible or doing what Jesus said to do!
3. I REMEMBER DISCUSSING WITH DIFFERENT RELIGIOUS LEADERS HOW THE EARLY CHURCH ROCKED THE WORLD by sharing all things, dropping out of the System, having all things common & forsaking all in order to unite & go into all the World to preach the Gospel--& that they all did it, not just the preachers! And I used to suggest that possibly we today could also get the job done faster if the whole Church would give all, but they always replied, "Yes, but that was a different day & it didn't last.--And besides, it just wouldn't be possible in this modern day & age!"
4. THEY TOLD ME THAT WE JUST COULDN'T ALL LIVE TOGETHER COOPERATIVELY BECAUSE THE CHURCH HADN'T DONE IT FOR 2,000 YEARS! They told me we couldn't win souls without a Bible College theological education! They told me we couldn't lead & feed God's flocks without seminary degrees! They told me we couldn't live by faith!--We'd starve to death! They told me we couldn't spend all of our time just praying, praising, studying, witnessing & working for Jesus!--It was simply unheard of! They told me we couldn't send young, uneducated missionaries to foreign fields by faith!--It just isn't done nowadays! They told me we couldn't close up our churches & move everyone to the fields!--The entire Church System would collapse & go to pieces!
5. BUT I STILL INSISTED THAT I'D LIKE TO SEE SOMEBODY AT LEAST TRY IT, & would thrillingly theorise about what might happen if they did! What I wanted to see them do was become like the early little bands of Christians who met & lived together in their own homes, & not only worshipped the Lord in Spirit & studied His Word avidly, but also spent most of their time out witnessing, sharing the love of God with others, winning souls to Jesus & "adding to the Church daily such as should be saved." (Acts 2:47)--New, alive, on-fire members to their little Christian families, setting the whole World on fire with the Love of God!
6. I FINALLY WOUND UP TRYING THIS MYSELF, IN MY OWN HOME WITH SOME OF THE OLDER GENERATION OF CHRISTIANS, BUT THEY WERE SO CHURCHY, church-indoctrinated & church-oriented that I could never really blast them far enough away from their former churchianity habits, rituals & "traditions of men" (Mark 7:6-9, 13) to really get them into orbit for the Lord.--They were just too old & set in their churchy ways & too hard to change, "old bottles" that would always burst whenever I tried to pour in such "new wine" & revolutionary doctrine! (See Luke 5:37-39.)
7. NOBODY REALLY WANTED TO WHOLE-HEARTEDLY TRY IT UNTIL I FOUND SOME YOUNG NEW BOTTLES AMONGST THE DISCONTENTED YOUTH OF AMERICA IN THE LATE 60s. The hippies, the dropouts & dregs of society were the only ones willing to try it, because they'd tried everything else & knew nothing else worked!--They could see that by their parents & their old churches & the awful American System that they were sick of & fed-up with!
8. WE SOCKED IT TO THESE TRUTH-HUNGRY YOUTH, THESE OUTCASTS OF SOCIETY, WITH GOD'S MESSAGE & they readily received it, eager to know His Words & follow His ways! We refused to believe that God was dead or even sick, & exploded out of the narrow confines of limited churchianity into an outright, upright, out-of-sight Revolution for Jesus! It was God's time to "pour out His Spirit upon all flesh" (Joel 2:28), the hippies & youth of America included, & His Spirit moved their hearts to accept Jesus as their Saviour & to follow Him & tell others everywhere about His Love!
9. UNLIKE THE OLDER CHURCHY SYSTEMITES, THESE KIDS WERE YOUNG ENOUGH IN SPIRIT TO SIMPLY BELIEVE & ACCEPT GOD'S MESSAGE FROM THE GOSPELS & APPLY IT TO THEIR LIVES TODAY! And as a result of their faith & obedience to His Word, from our humble beginnings of one tiny Family ministering in that first little lowly Club of hippies in Huntington Beach, California, we have now grown into a mighty army of the Lord, reaching hundreds of millions around the globe with the Message of His Love!
10. AFTER ALL, WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN'S EXCUSE FOR LIVING? What is our excuse for existence? What are we here for? Is the primary purpose of a Christian's existence just to get saved?--To become a self-satisfied church-goer?--No! If the whole purpose of your existence was to simply get saved, then why didn't the Lord just take you home to Heaven the minute you received Jesus?--You'd have no more troubles or problems then, so why not? Why did the Lord let you live on?--To save others!
11. THE FIRST & PRIMARY MINISTRY OF EACH ONE OF US IS TO REACH THE LOST, THE PEOPLE WHO NEED GOD'S MESSAGE! Jesus said, "As My Father hath sent Me, so send I you." (John 20:21)--And He still says this to His disciples, His followers of today, calling them to give their lives daily in loving concern & care for others, to share His heart & Love with those who are seeking for "the Way, the Truth, & the Life." (John 14:6) He came to love the World & He calls us to do likewise in every facet of life, to give His Love & Salvation to others.
12. THE LAST QUESTION THAT JESUS ASKED HIS DISCIPLES WAS, "LOVEST THOU ME?" They said, "Well of course, Lord, You know we love You!" He said, "Then feed My sheep!" (John 21:15-17) The greatest job we have to do if we truly love Him is to feed His sheep, to "go into all the World & preach the Gospel to every creature!" (Mark 16:15)
13. JESUS INTENDED & CALLED FOR ALL OF HIS CHILDREN TO OBEY THIS COMMAND!--Every one!--All of you! He said, "I have chosen you & ordained you to go & bring forth fruit! Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit." (John 15:16,8) This is the main duty of every Christian: To witness, to be a testimony, to preach the Gospel of Jesus' Love!
14. AND THAT'S WHAT WE IN OUR PARTICULAR FAMILY ARE IN THIS BUSINESS FOR!: To preach the Truth of His Word & reach the World with the Gospel of God's Love! This is our job!--The greatest work in the World!--To witness the Words of God, to preach the Gospel, to tell folks about God's Love, to show them the Love of Jesus!
15. WE FIRMLY BELIEVE IN WORKING FOR JESUS & TELLING OTHERS ABOUT HIM! We can't just keep it to ourselves, it's impossible to hide the Love of God & the Truth of Jesus! If you believe it, if you have Him & His Love in your heart, you'll show it, you'll tell others & you'll try to share it with them! And that's the most wonderful experience you can ever have: To find the Love of Jesus & pass it on to others!--That's the Love of God!
16. THIS IS WHAT OUR ENTIRE MOVEMENT, OUR ENTIRE FAMILY, IS BUILT ON--THE WORD OF GOD & OUR FAITHFULNESS IN PROCLAIMING IT! We have obeyed the Lord's command to "go into all the World & preach the Gospel"--not build buildings & acquire properties, as most denominations have done! This has saved us from the getting bogged down with things & has kept us on the move for the Lord, busy in field after field, able to quickly pack up & move on whenever necessity & the Lord's work requires & to seize advantage of every opportunity of service, fruitfully harvesting & moving on to greater & better fields of billions of souls throughout the Earth!
17. UNLIKE THE CHURCHES, WE BELIEVE THAT ALL WE NEED TO DO IS TO HEED JESUS' CALL TO "GO OUT INTO THE HIGHWAYS & THE BY-WAYS & THE HEDGES & COMPEL THEM TO COME IN!" (Luke 14:23)--To witness to them where they are!--To go out where the lost are to be found & give them His Love & His Good News of the Gospel of Salvation in Jesus!--Without the hindrance of buildings or great denominations or any of the trappings of the modern Churchianity System.--But with simple faith, simple salvation & a simple Gospel for simple people to simply believe & receive & be saved. Then they too can simply serve Him to the best of their ability, witnessing throughout all the World!
18. AS A RESULT OF OUR OBEDIENCE TO HIS WORD, GOD HAS "GIVEN US THE HEATHEN FOR OUR INHERITANCE" (Psa.2:8) in over 100 countries as we preach the Gospel in 40 languages throughout the World! We have mass-witnessed the Gospel to billions, & litnessed the Gospel through literature to hundreds of millions, & personally won over five million to Jesus Christ in the brief few years of our existence, just 16 years now since we first began giving God's Love to the hippies in that tiny little storefront mission on the main street of Huntington Beach, California!
19. WE HAVE NOW GROWN FROM MY OWN LITTLE FAMILY OF MERELY SIX, & FROM OUR LITTLE HIPPIE FAMILY IN THE CLUB OF ABOUT 50, TO OVER 12,000 IN OVER 100 COUNTRIES ON EVERY CONTINENT THROUGHOUT THE WORLD!--Who have all received Jesus & won multitudes more to Christ, saving millions who would have otherwise been lost. God has prospered & blessed us & I believe we now have the greatest witness & are winning more souls than any other group our size in the whole World, with more publications & more radio programs & all the rest!--Glory to God!
20. IT'S NOT THAT OUR NUMBERS ARE SO GREAT, IN FACT WE'RE ONE OF THE SMALLEST RELIGIOUS GROUPS IN THE WORLD! But we are militant, active & on the attack for the Lord! We get around a lot more than most Church members, we preach more than most Church members, we distribute tons more Gospel than most Church members, we win multitudes more souls than most Church members & we get much more publicity than most Church members or other groups!
21. WE ARE LIKE GOD'S ELITE TROOPS, HIS AVANT-GARDE, fewer in number than the regular army, but stronger in Spirit! We are a Family of dedicated Christian soldiers who have spread into many countries throughout the World, bound together only by Love. We are required to give more, to love more, to share more, but our lives overflow with joy & our satisfaction knows no bounds & our happiness knows no equal.
22. MOST CHRISTIANS TODAY ARE LIKE THE REGULAR ARMY, who don't really work very hard or serve very much. They don't leave their families or give up much or share. In fact, most of them live pretty selfishly! But they're still Christians, they still believe in Jesus & they do love Him a little bit.
23. BUT BESIDES THE REGULAR ARMY THERE ARE ALSO THE SPECIAL TROOPS, those who are completely, 100% dedicated, fulltime soldiers. These are very loyal, very faithful men & women who are willing to forsake everything else to serve their country, to be in the Special Forces--very select & very special. The rest of the Army don't give up nearly as much as these Special Troops. They only spend a little time in the Army & then they go back home.
24. OF COURSE YOU DON'T HAVE TO GIVE UP EVERYTHING TO BE SAVED OR TO BE A CHRISTIAN OR TO GO TO HEAVEN. All Christians are in the Army of the Lord & most of them love Jesus a little bit & believe in Jesus a little bit, & that's all they need to go to Heaven.--They're saved, if they believe in Jesus Christ, & for them that's enough.
25. BUT FOR US, THAT IS NOT ENOUGH! We want to forsake everything, we want to give everything, we want to give our whole lives to the Lord! Jesus didn't say you have to forsake all & preach the Gospel.--He only said that if you do forsake all for Him, you could be His disciple & He would bless you very very much & you'd receive a great special reward for such special service!
26. A DISCIPLE IS BETTER THAN A MERE BELIEVER. A believer is just in the regular Army, but a disciple is in the Special Troops!--He forsakes everything & walks with Jesus, follows Jesus & lives with Jesus!--This is the difference! But you don't have to be in the Special Troops, you can just be in the regular Army if that's what you want. You can be a 5% Christian or a 10% Christian like most of the Army, the Church people.--Or you can be a 100% Christian & belong completely to Jesus Christ!
27. OUR FAMILY IS A SPECIAL, DEDICATED BRANCH OF THE LORD'S ARMY, & TO BE A PART OF IT YOU HAVE TO SACRIFICE & GIVE UP EVERYTHING--100%--YOUR LIFE & EVERYTHING FOR THE LORD! People don't join us unless they really mean it & want to! From the very beginning we've insisted on complete forsaking, 100% dedication, absolute loyalty & fulltime service--& that's why we've got the dedicated disciples that we have today!--100%, all the way, forsake-all, dyed-in-the-wool soldiers who will give everything for Jesus Christ & will witness & win souls for the rest of their lives!
28. GOD'S WORD SAYS, "BY THEIR FRUITS SHALL YE KNOW THEM." (Mat.7:20) Our fruits are not only all the souls that have been won to Jesus & all those who have been reached with the Gospel, but also all those who have been changed, radically & definitely changed, their whole lifestyle changed, their whole lives completely different than they were before, 100% "new creatures in Christ Jesus" (2Cor.5:17) who have not just stopped smoking & drinking & have begun going to Church once a week, but have forsaken everything for Jesus--just like He said to do!
29. THEY'RE OUT RIGHT NOW PREACHING HIS WORD ON THE STREET CORNERS, in the parks, in the cafes & even in the clubs & bars where some lonely, broken-hearted people would never be reached otherwise!--In all kinds of places where Jesus would go if He were here in the flesh today. Of course some people, particularly a lot of churchy Christians, are shocked by some of our literature & our methods & our actions. But at least we're getting out the Gospel & no one can deny that it's bearing good fruit & getting lasting results!
30. WE'VE BEEN BLESSED OF THE LORD & HAVE GROWN VERY RAPIDLY, STEADILY & FIRMLY & I BELIEVE WE'RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK! We preach & emphasise the most important doctrines of all: Jesus & His Love & His Salvation!--And that's the main difference between us & some of these other non-conventional new religious groups or "cults" that have sprung up in recent years: We really know the Lord & are really following the Bible!--We know & love Jesus & are truly saved, born-again, filled with the Spirit & on-fire for the Lord, & our main goal is to preach Christ & spread His Gospel of Love throughout the World! PTL!
31. BUT BECAUSE WE ARE OBVIOUSLY NOT A PART OF THE HYPOCRITICAL, DO-NOTHING, LUKEWARM, ESTABLISHED CHURCHIANITY SYSTEM, the news media usually tends to lump us together with & classify us as just another one of the many strange new cults or sects. Well, of all those groups, including the established church, I believe we are the closest to the Lord & know the Lord best. We preach Jesus & do our best to live for Him. And even though we're the smallest of the groups with the least people, the least property, the least money & the least of almost everything, the anti-Christ, prejudiced media seems to hate us the most!
32. THERE'S NOT ONE OF THESE OTHER GROUPS THAT PREACHES CHRIST LIKE WE DO. There's not one of them that preaches Scripture like we do. There's not one of them that exposes the Scribes & the Pharisees & the hypocrites & the churches & the enemies of Christ like we do! And there's not one of them that preaches doom to America & the West like we do! We could say to these other groups what Jesus once said to some: "The World (System) cannot hate you, but Me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil!--For if I had not come & spoken unto them, they had not had sin; but now they have no cover for their sin!" (John 7:7; 15:22)
33. I DON'T KNOW OF ANY OTHERS WHO HAVE BEEN AS VOCAL & AS HONEST IN ATTACKING THE DEVIL'S SYSTEMS & false religions & Christless churches & hypocrites & false, selfish, rich governments like the United States & Western Europe & their corrupt economic & political systems! We are probably one of the most religiously, politically & economically anti-System oriented of all!
34. WE HAVE BEEN MORE LIKE THE ANCIENT PROPHETS OF GOD than any other of these small new religious groups--certainly more so than the big ones! Because we have cut & slashed & ripped right & left & torn right in where angels fear to tread! We have told the Truth & we have saturated the Earth with our doctrine!
35. WE SIMPLY SPEAK WHAT WE BELIEVE IS THE TRUTH IN THE WAY THAT WE FEEL IT SHOULD BE SAID, regardless of whether it is always easy to take or not. And though the Church System condemns us for what they think are our false doctrines of doom & sex etc., the messages of doom & sex have been right there in the Bible for millenniums! There's not a thing in the World new about them! I don't think there's anything new about sex, do you?--It started stark naked in the Garden with Adam & Eve! And I don't think there's anything new about doom!--Every prophet of God who ever lived preached doom to a wicked World!
36. SO THEY CALL US A "RELIGION OF SEX & DOOM"! Well, hallelujah! I'm not ashamed to preach either one!--They've both been around since Creation & since the beginning! We're just a little bit more honest about them than most religions, that's all! I can find every one of our pet doctrines & beliefs & practices right in the Bible & prove'm to you, PTL!
37. MAYBE THIS IS ONE REASON THE LORD HAS BLESSED US, BECAUSE WE'VE COME RIGHT OUT IN THE OPEN & REALLY SOCKED IT TO THE ANTI-CHRIST FORCES & SYSTEMS OF THIS WORLD & EXPOSED'M!--We've been fighting'm & exposing'm now for years! We've been honest, we've been truthful, we've come out in the open & called a spade a spade & apparently the Lord has been pleased! The Lord's prospered us, blessed us, increased us & spread us out all over the World to where we're doing more now than ever!
38. WE'RE ONE OF THE FEW VOICES THAT IS REALLY RAISED FOR THE TRUTH, "the voice of one crying in the wilderness"! (Mat.3:3)--Looks like we're only one in the wilderness compared with the millions! But with God on our side we're a majority, praise God!--We're bound to win because we're telling the Truth & we're doing God's work, & "if God be for us, who could be against us"? (Rom.8:31) Praise God!
39. WE HAVE TOLD THE TRUTH & THE DEVIL HATES IT & he hates to be exposed & he hates to have his people exposed! Therefore we have received our fair share of persecution, as did Jesus & all of His prophets throughout the ages, for "all that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, for the servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted Me"--Jesus said--"they will also persecute you!" (2Tim.3:12; Mat.10:24,25; John 15:20)
40. BUT THEIR ATTACKS UPON US HAVE ONLY INCREASED OUR FIRE & FERVOUR! Their lies about us have only raised up new friends in our defense! The furious controversies they have aroused over us have only served to publicise our message the more! Hallelujah! "He causeth the wrath of man to praise Him! And all things are working together for our good because we love Him & He loves us!" (Psa.76:10; Rom.8:28)
41. WE HAVE REACHED & INFLUENCED MORE PEOPLE WITH THE TRUTH THAN ALMOST ANY GROUP IN HISTORY!--And we have won a lot of young disciples with this Truth! And we're still marching, still growing, still going further, still evangelising more, still winning more & still spreading the Truth more & more every day!
42. TILL WE ARE TODAY THE MOST RADICAL, REVOLUTIONARY, ON-FIRE, FASTEST-GROWING, SOUL-SAVING MISSIONARY GROUP IN THE WORLD, PRAISE GOD!--Not mere Church members, but on-fire missionaries & soul-winners for the Lord! I honestly believe that we are the most active, the most effective & the most fruitful witnesses on God's Earth today!--Getting far more results than any other group our size in the World!
43. OUR FAMILY IS CONTINUING TO MARCH ON, CONQUERING NEW FIELDS FOR THE LORD AS WE STICK TOGETHER, united in doctrine & fellowship & communication. Each one of us is like a little tiny candle, a little light, but when we are all together, working together & burning together, we give out a lot of light & a lot of heat!--And the World has seen us burn! For "a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid!" (Mat.5:14)
44. THIS IS ONE OF THE NICEST THINGS ABOUT OUR FAMILY: OUR UNITY & TEAMWORK. We have found that it is tremendously helpful & strengthening to all live together, watching over each other, taking care of each other, supporting & encouraging each other in the faith & having real fellowship together. We know it's good & that it works because we have really grown this way.
45. WE LIVE TOGETHER LIKE A TRIBE LIKE THE PATRIARCHS DID, like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses & the early disciples of Christ. We are a tribe, we are a nation, we are a people, & we're much stronger this way because we all love & help each other. Our Heavenly Homes also provide the ideal environment for newborn--or newly born-again--children of God, spiritual babes in Christ, who can't very well take care of themselves & really need spiritual parents & older brothers & sisters to protect & feed & help them grow into strong, mature disciples who can not only stand on their own, but strengthen & lead others also!
46. SO OUR TRIBAL, COMMUNAL, COOPERATIVE WAY OF LIFE, OUR LIVING TOGETHER IN LOVE, greatly increases our fellowship, strength, efficiency & the general happiness & well-being of the participants & their accomplishments. "One can chase a thousand, but two can put ten thousand to flight!" (Deut.32:30) In unity there is strength!
47. AFTER ALL, THIS IS HOW THE MOST EFFICIENT, OBEDIENT CHURCH THAT THE LORD EVER HAD DID IT! The Bible says that in the Early Church, "all that believed were together & had all things common, & sold their possessions & goods & parted them to all men as every man had need. Neither was there any among them that lacked, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, & distribution was made unto every man according as he had need." (Acts 2:44,45 & 4:34,35)--Such cooperative Christian Communism worked for them 2,000 years ago, & it's working just as well for us today! PTL!
48. OF COURSE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SERVE THE LORD WITH US!--But it's a wonderful privilege, & if God has chosen you for this particular movement, then you won't really be happy anywhere else. Besides, it's a lot easier in close fellowship with others, where you can rest on their faith for food & clothing, etc. at the beginning.
49. SO IF YOU REALLY WANT TO BE HAPPY, IF YOU WANT A LIFE THAT'S MEANINGFUL, if you want challenge, excitement & change, if you really want to love God & live for Him & make others happy, if you want to help God change wrecks of lives into wonderful, productive, happy, warm, glowing sons & daughters of God--this is it!
50. WE FEEL THAT THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE OUR FAMILY TO SERVE THE LORD! There is no life in all this World like living in God's Family!--It is the most wonderful life in the World! It's the way Jesus & the early Apostles lived, & it's the way Jesus intended for His family & His children to live.--In little Homes of Love & little Families of Love around the World.
51. WE'RE THE ONLY GROUP I KNOW OF IN THE WHOLE WORLD WHO ARE ACTUALLY LIVING LIKE JESUS & HIS DISCIPLES LIVED, who are not just talking about it, not just preaching it, but living it!--Living together in peace & in love & in joy & in witnessing & in Bible study & in prayer & in praise & in sharing!--A genuine, absolute & total change, "new creatures in Christ"! (2Cor.5:17)--An absolute Revolution for Jesus! Hallelujah!
52. "TO WHOM SHALL WE GO?--THOU ALONE HAST THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE", the disciples replied when Jesus asked them if they were going to quit following after He gave them some particularly hard-to-swallow "new wine" on one occasion. (John 6:68) Well, this is how many feel who come to our Family: They know there's no place else to go where they're really going to be spiritually fed, where they can have the same fellowship, the same Truth--there just isn't any other, there's no place else to go, I know of none.
53. THIS IS GOD'S REVOLUTION FOR THIS HOUR & THIS DAY!--This is it! If you know of any other Christian movement that is really following Christ's call to discipleship--forsaking all, not serving Mammon, going into all the World & preaching the Gospel to every creature--show'm to me!--I'd sure as Hell like to see'm! 'Cause I was looking for them for 40 years & never did find them! So the Lord finally used me to get the ball rolling myself, by the help & the grace of God & a Bible & some other on-fire revolutionaries who decided to try to do it like Jesus & His Disciples!
54. WE HAVE FORSAKEN ALL TO FOLLOW JESUS! We've become "fishers of men" & we're going into all the World, preaching the Gospel to every creature, making disciples of all nations, establishing new Homes of Love everywhere! Such a mighty move of the Church has not occurred since the first century!--Who hath heard of such a thing & where hath such a thing been done before? A Nation has exploded in a day & the fall-out is saturating the World with the Gospel! Hallelujah!
55. ARE YOU EXPLODING WITH US? Are you marching on with us to win the World?--Get on the move for God! We're really going places & seeing miracles! He's not dead & it can be done & we're doing it, by the power of His Spirit in obedience to His Word! Are you with us?--Then c'mon!--Cut loose & come in today!
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family