—2002 Study Month

CM/FM 3421 Compiled 8/02

"Revolutionary Discipleship!"
(ML #1965)

1. When Jesus walked by the seashore, He called to the fishermen who had just caught the biggest, most miraculous catch of their lives, "Come now and follow Me! That's the most fish you'll ever catch. You'll never catch any more than that; that's the ultimate!—So you might as well come with Me now, and I'll teach you how to catch something better!"

2. "And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon, called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And He saith unto them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men! And they straightway left their nets, and followed Him. And going on from thence‚ He saw other two brethren, James and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed Him!" (Mat.4:18-22).

3. They had such great faith that they just dropped everything, immediately forsook all and followed Jesus! How could they forsake their jobs and their own family and friends‚ without notice, to follow this strange Stranger and His motley crew?—Because He spoke the truth and they felt it was the very voice of God!—And because they must have wanted something better, something more than Papa and the business and the fish and the riches had given them.

4. It's a high privilege to be called by the Lord into His service, and when the time comes, it's urgent, and often He expects you to drop everything immediately! Time and time again, Jesus' acid test for His prospective disciples was if they were willing to forsake all, drop everything, leave it all behind and follow Him!—And not even look back, not regret the past and not wish they could go back. And today it's the same: One of God's first tests for every disciple is to see if he loves Him enough to put Him first by forsaking all immediately to follow Him now!

5. Jesus wouldn't even let them go back and say goodbye to their parents, much less bury their father! Now that may seem inhumane and unmerciful to some, and I've had unbelievers say, "That's horrible! What a monster, Jesus wouldn't even let the poor guy go back and tell his family goodbye!" Well, that was often one of their first and greatest tests, and this is why God still often brings division in families today.

6. Jesus said, "Think not that I am come to send peace on Earth: I came not to send peace‚ but a sword! For I am come to set a man at variance against his father‚ and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household! He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me!" (Mat.10:34-38).

7. One of the first tests for newly-called disciples is often the opposition of family and friends. God allows this to test your faith to see if you really mean business, to see if you really have faith and to see if you really love Him. Jesus doesn't want to divide families; He would rather they all be united in faith and service to Him.

8. If you can bring your family, friends, employer and employees with you to serve the Lord, fine! But quite obviously the fishermen's father was unwilling to leave his boat and the business and all those nice new fish and follow Jesus along with them, and we never really hear of him again! The father who stuck by the business vanished into obscurity and oblivion, whereas those stinking fishermen sons of his wandered off with a perfect stranger, and made history that has helped to save millions of souls for eternity!

9. Isn't it ridiculous now to compare those few fish, a boat, a business, and even one father and family, which all soon perished, with the millions of immortal souls who have been saved for eternity through the decision of those simple fishermen to put God first that day, drop everything, forsake all and follow Jesus? Now that we can see the results it's easy to know they made the right choice, despite their father's probable objections and the wrecking of his business!

10. Jesus said, "If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren‚ and sisters, yea, and his own life also‚ he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:26). In other words, if you don't love Jesus more than your own parents, more than your own fleshly family and relatives, you're not worthy to be His disciple! If you don't love the Lord and God's service more than your own parents, virtually hating them by comparison, then you cannot be His disciple!

11. Jesus Himself kept His Own mother standing outside one time and wouldn't even talk to her, preferring to stay with those who were doing the will of God: "While He yet talked to the people, behold, His mother and His brethren stood without, desiring to speak with Him. Then one said unto Him‚ Behold, Thy mother and Thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with Thee. But He answered and said unto him that told Him, Who is My mother? And who are My brethren? And He stretched forth His hand toward His disciples, and said, Behold My mother and My brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in Heaven, the same is My brother‚ and sister, and mother!" (Mat.12:46-50).

12. So it costs something to serve the Lord, and once you have chosen God and His way, He refuses to take second place to anything or anybody and will not let you put any other gods before Him—not your old job nor your old boss nor even your old family and friends!

13. After all, if God is worth serving at all‚ He's worth serving full time and all the way! He says, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart‚ and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.—And thy neighbor as thyself" (Mat. 22:37-40). He says these are the first and greatest of all the commandments in importance, and that you shall have no other gods before Him‚ for He is a jealous God (Exo.20:3-5). He desires your love and for you to love Him first of all‚ above all, and seek first His Kingdom!

14. You will never really learn to be a full-fledged servant of God, you will never know how to truly trust Him, and you will never revel in the fullness of the blessings of really living by faith, until you have forsaken all to follow Jesus! You will never know the fullness of the joy of serving God to the utmost until you really forsake all to follow Him!

15. But God will not normally override human will. He'll let you have your way and go your way if you don't want to do what He wants you to do. Jesus never forced anyone to follow Him, He only said, "Follow Me" and "Come and see"! He doesn't draft you; you have to volunteer. He said, "Pray the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into the harvest" (Mat.9:38). He'll be glad to send you if you're willing—but you have to be willing. He likes wholehearted volunteers, 100%ers, forsake-allers—total commitment!

16. After all‚ Jesus gave His all! He came and suffered and bled and died for you to save your soul, to save your life for eternity! So you should be willing to do anything for Him now‚ whatever He asks or tells you to do! If you're not willing now to turn around and lay your life down for Him, to turn around and live and fight and die for Jesus, Who was willing to suffer and die for you, then you're no disciple!

17. Jesus was willing to die for us to save us, and He wants us to be willing to die for Him to save others! He died for others‚ He died for us, so He expects us to be willing to do the same! "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).

18. You need to realize that you are no longer your own! "Know ye not that ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price!—With the precious blood of Christ!" (1Cor.6:19, 20; 1Pet.1:18,19). Jesus bought and paid for us, we're His property, we belong to Him now! You don't just belong to yourself anymore, you belong to the Lord, and you can't just do as you please!

19. My goodness, when Jesus did all that He did for us, of course we owe Him everything! Of course we should forsake all and follow Him and try to win as many others as we can! My Lord, you should certainly be willing to die for somebody who saves your life! That's why His Word says, "I beseech you that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1). It's only our "reasonable service" to try to give our lives back to Jesus, seeing that He gave His for us!

20. That's the least that He can expect of our lives and our salvations! He died to save us, why should we not die to save others? In fact‚ the apostle says, "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1John 3:16).

21. Jesus Himself said‚ "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit!" (John 12:24). And if we will go out and "die daily" for the Lord in His service (1Cor.15:31), we will bring forth much fruit—more Christians like ourselves to preach the Gospel to more of the lost and win them to the Lord also‚ that He may have much more fruit!

22. The Lord intended for every Christian to bear fruit like Himself—other Christians! As with any kind of fruit—if you plant an apple, you get a whole tree full of apples, or a mango, you get a tree full of mangoes! Every Christian was intended to bury his life in the soil of God's service and sacrifice, to lay down his life and take up his cross and follow Jesus and bear fruit—more Christians like himself!

23. "And He said to them all, if any man will come after Me, let him deny himself‚ and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for My sake, the same shall save it. For herein is My Father glorified‚ that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples!" (Luke 9:23,24; John 15:8).

24. Such fruitful, all-out‚ sold–out, wholehearted, forsake-all, wildly willing workers who'll "die daily" for Jesus and others are few and far between! Have you got the guts to be one? He says, "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart‚ so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver" (2Cor.9:7). Are you willing to "cheerfully give" your all to Jesus?

25. "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple!" (Luke 14:33). A disciple is one who follows the teachings of Jesus Christ, Who said, "Forsake all, come follow Me and I will make you fishers of men!" So if you're not forsaking all and following Him and fishing for men, how could you be called a disciple? If you want to follow Jesus one hundred percent, you've got to forsake all and preach the Gospel!—Or you can't be His disciple!

26. Even so-called "success" is a great defeat when it's a success in this world and takes you away from God's work! The Devil's success is a defeat for the Lord! So "seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and all these (other) things shall be added unto you!" (Mat.6:33). If you put God's Kingdom first‚ He'll take care of you, no matter what!

27. Throughout many years of service we have found that the minute we started obeying and working for God, He has never failed to do His part, He has always blessed! God has never ever deserted us or left us without our needs. In fact, He has abundantly heaped more than our needs upon us as long as we faithfully serve Him and do His will and preach His Gospel and faithfully witness to others! His Word says, "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil.4:19, 1Cor. 9:14).

28. Jesus even said, "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on." Don't worry about whether you're going to have anything to eat or enough to wear. He says that you're not even to worry about the necessities of life! "Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" (Mat.6:25).

29. "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them."—The birds don't reap and store up for the future! "Are you not much better than they?" (Mat.6:26). "If I feed the birds, don't you think I'm going to feed you?" Don't you think He's more concerned about you?

30. "Therefore take no thought"—that means fretting, worried, anxious thought. Don't worry about, "What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles"—the world—"seek" (Mat.6:31). That's all the worldly people live for, that's all they work for! They're slaves of things! "For your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things" (Mat.6:32).

31. But "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you!" (Mat.6:33). Put God's Kingdom first! Just obey the Lord and He'll do all the rest! Drop your "nets," follow Jesus, do His work, witness, win souls, go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature! Take care of God's business and He'll take care of you!—Because that is His business‚ taking care of you!

32. Besides, His work is the greatest work in the world and gives the greatest happiness‚ 'cause you're working for the best Boss in the world Who gives more than any other Boss could ever give! He'll make you a hundred times happier, He'll give you a hundred times more friends, a hundred times more love, a hundred times more joy, a hundred times more everything, praise God!—Jesus said so!

33. "And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children‚ or lands, for My Name's sake‚ shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life!" (Mat.19:29). If you give all to Him, He will give you back one hundredfold in this life—and in the world to come, life eternal! All this and Heaven too! Give all and you're going to get back not a mere hundred percent, not just what you gave, but you're going to get back an hundredfold‚ a hundred times one hundred percent, or 10,000%! PTL!

34. You'll never be sorry if you give your life to Jesus! He can and wants to use you to give the answer, His love and salvation‚ to others, if you will "endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, and entangle yourself not in the affairs of this world, that you may please Him Who hath chosen you to be a soldier!" (2Tim.2:3‚4). But if you don't, you will lose the reward and another will take your crown, the reward that God had intended for you, because God's going to get the job done somehow, with somebody!

35. So "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation" that might lead you astray from the straight and narrow way which leads to the highest crown and greatest reward! (Mat.26:41). The true followers, the true disciples‚ those willing to forsake all and truly follow His teachings and obey His Words, are always few. For "strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it; but wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth unto destruction, and many there be which go in thereat!" (Mat.7:13,14).

36. If you choose God's way, when you see Jesus and the results you're going to know it was worth it all! Giving your life to His service is an eternal investment that will pay dividends in Heaven and souls for ever and ever and ever! You'll never be sorry; you'll always be glad throughout all eternity that you gave your life to His service! Then you'll hear His "Well done, good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!" (Mat.25:23).—Forever!—With all the souls you helped love into His Kingdom eternally!

37. So what will you do with your life? What are you doing with your life? Jesus said, "You're either for Me or against Me!" (Luke 11:23). You can't be on the fence!—It's too uncomfortable and dangerous and impossible! Sooner or later you'll fall for one or the other, either for Jesus or the Devil's System! "Ye cannot serve two masters!" (Mat.6:24). Who will yours be?—Jesus?—Or the System?

38. May God help you to serve the Lord! "Choose this day whom you will serve! If God be God, then serve Him!" (Joshua 24:15; 1Kings 18:21). Don't be like the rich young ruler, whom Jesus told to "forsake all, give to the poor‚ and come follow Me" (Mat.19:21)‚ but he went back sorrowful because of the riches of this life, considering them of more value than the riches of Christ and the riches in souls.

39. But be like Moses‚ who forsook Egypt! He looked beyond this world because he saw Jesus and had an eye on eternity and its great rewards! "For he counted the riches of Christ greater than the riches of all Egypt!" (Heb.11:26).—The greatest and most powerful and richest nation on the face of the Earth in that day, of which he could have been Pharaoh, couldn't compare to Christ!

40. "He counted the riches of Christ greater than the riches of this world, because he had respect unto the recompense of the reward"—far greater than all the riches of this whole world combined and all of its selfish pleasures and selfish interests! TYJ! So "he chose to suffer affliction with the children of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of this life for a season" (Heb.11:25).

41. "Only one life, 'twill soon be past! Only what's done for Christ will last!" What are you doing? For whom? Will it last forever for Jesus and others? "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose!" Do it now! Now may be your last chance to serve Him and help others! Don't waste another day! Tomorrow may be too late! Don't delay! Do it today! (ML #1965:1, 3-4, 6, 9-17, 30-40, 42-43, 45, 51-59, 63-64, 69-72, DB8)

"Revolution!—For Jesus!"
(ML #1963)

42. Jesus Christ was a revolutionary! He was not a reformist! He attacked the System of His day!—Not the Roman government, that was ordained of God, but He attacked tooth and tong in no uncertain terms the false religious system and its advocates and participants and leaders. If you don't believe it‚ just read the Bible! (See Mat.23!)

43. Likewise, we today are not mere reformists trying to improve or patch up the old, decrepit, false Systems of man! We are a Revolution!—For Jesus! And a real, red-hot, genuine revolution is not merely for something, but against something also!

44. It's not a revolution if you're not against anything! Because if you're not against anything‚ it means you like things the way they are and you don't want things to change—and that's no revolution! But because we really love Jesus Christ, we therefore hate the God-damned, anti-Christ Systems of this world with everything in us! The Bible says, "Ye that love the Lord‚ hate evil!" and King David prayed, "Through Thy precepts I get understanding, therefore I hate every false way!" (Psa.97:10; 119:104).

45. Therefore, we in our worldwide Revolution for Jesus have declared war of the spirit against the System's Godless schools‚ Christless churches and heartless Mammon! Like Jesus, "Who was manifested that He might destroy the works of the Devil" (1John 3:8), we are rebels against these anti-Christ institutions of man and the Devil and are rebels for the truth, rebels for the true naked Word of God!

46. Now‚ when we say we're at war with the System, what do we mean? What are we talking about? A lot of people automatically assume that the System means the government. Well, we are not against the government. In fact, God's Word tells us that "the powers that be" are allowed to rule by God and that we are to try our best to live peaceably with them, "rendering unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's," etc.—providing they don't interfere too much or forbid our service to God (Romans 13; Mat.22:21).

47. But the Bible speaks a lot about the rest of the System—against the System! It just doesn't happen to use that word, but instead it calls it "the world": "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes‚ and the pride of life, is not of the Father‚ but is of the world!" (1John 2:15,16).

48. He even admonishes His children, "Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God!" (James 4:4). Why is God so against this world and its Systems?—Because they are against Him! In fact‚ not only are they against Him, but they are of the Devil! Satan himself, the rebellious, defiant, fallen archangel and archenemy of God and of all that is true and good, is the lord and the father and the god of this world!

49. The Bible's account of the temptation of Jesus makes this evident. The final and crowning temptation that the Devil offered Jesus was what? "And the Devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, showed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the Devil said unto Him, All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me: and to whomsoever I will I give it! If Thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be Thine!" (Luke 4:5–7).

50. That was more riches and power than anybody had ever been offered—the whole world! But what did Jesus answer? "Get thee hence, Satan: For it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve!" (Luke 4:8).

51. Being as subtle and as diabolically clever as he is, the Devil has designed and helped man to create an elaborate System whereby he deceives, seduces and enslaves the souls of men! He has so twisted and warped most people's sense of values that their entire idea of righteousness and goals worth attaining in this life is totally the opposite of God's idea!—Which means, if you truly "hunger and thirst after righteousness" (Mat.5:6), God's real righteousness, and you really want the truth, you have to be willing to let go of any and all preconceived false ideas or concepts that you have been taught or have accepted as truth.

52. It is always necessary to "root out, pull down, destroy and throw down" the old in order "to build and to plant" the new; there just isn't room for both! (Jer.1:10). Delusion must be destroyed in order to build a firm foundation of truth! "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the Heavens are higher than the Earth‚ so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isa.55:8,9).

53. The Enemy's means of getting people away from God and His way is to get them to "walk according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air‚ the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph.2:2).—Which, of course, is the opposite of the course, or way, that God wants us to go!

54. Jesus commanded, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon Earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Mat.6:19–21). Jesus also warned, "Take heed, and beware of covetousness. For a man's life is not made up of the abundance of the things which he possesses!" (Luke 12:15).

55. So the Devil's entire message and approach is just the opposite: "Store up for yourself riches on Earth! Forget about an afterlife! Strive to make money and get rich!—For without 'things' you'll never be happy!"—An idea which is all glossed up and portrayed as something very good and commendable and essential if you ever hope to be "a success" in this world!

56. As in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, the first thing that Satan has to convince you of is that God's plan is the wrong plan and that his, Satan's plan, is the right plan: "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die if ye eat of the Tree of Knowledge: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat" (Gen.3:4-6).

57. John outlined these same three temptations when he told us to "Love not the world: For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes‚ and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world!" (1John 2:15,16). And so it is with the Devil's materialistic, anti-Christ System! Materialism looks good, tastes good, and is to be desired to make one wise—the pride of life! And just as Eve fell for the bait, bit into it and died spiritually, so partaking of the Devil's delusions of this world will kill you!

58. And just as the "Tree of Knowledge" was the first temptation in the Garden of Eden, so today it is still one of the first big temptations the Devil uses and that's what man still strives for: to "know it all!" And of course this is almost the major stress of today's materialistic society—education and knowledge—total education their way! "The more education you have‚ the bigger job you can get, the more money you can make‚ the more things you can buy, and the happier and more 'successful' you will be!"

59. The Devil got ahold of the right part of the System to really destroy the kids, and in some places, like the U.S.A., he's got the public school system just where he wants it! Prayer is forbidden, God is outlawed, the Bible's banned and religion's illegal.—Except, of course, their ridiculous, false religion of evolution‚ which is perfectly legal. In fact, it's the religion of the public educational system, which shows how modern education is designed by the Devil to undermine faith in God and the Bible and encourage faith in man and his wisdom and science instead—the worship of man as opposed to the worship of God! (Rom.1:22,23).

60. Most universities and colleges, and even seminaries and Bible schools, are run by men who don't know the answers any more than the poor students they're supposed to be teaching. They, as Jesus said‚ are "blind leaders of the blind," and He said they're both going to fall into the ditch! (Mat.15:14). That's why the world is in the ditch today, because its leadership is blind—blind shepherds leading blind sheep, and they're all falling into the ditch of perdition together!

61. It's pitiful how ignorant this generation is! They have abandoned God and forsaken the Lord, Who is the source of all wisdom and all knowledge that is good, helpful and useful. They think they are becoming smarter and more scientific, but they are actually becoming dumber and more ignorant in the things that really count! "In the Last Days, they shall be ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth!" (2Tim.3:7).

62. "What wisdom is in them?"—None!—Nothing!—Because if you haven't got God and you don't have His Word, there's no purpose in living, no reason for existence, no goal, no solution, and life isn't even worth living! The whole modern anti-Christ system of education has taken on the attitude that there are no absolutes! That's their whole principle: There are no absolutes! Nothing is certain, nothing is sure!

63. To abandon the Ruler they had to throw away all the rules, and the result is total anarchy! To abandon the One Who gives the orders they had to abandon order, and the result is total chaos! To get rid of God they had to get rid of the absolutes—the right and the wrong and the meaning and reason for things—and the result is total insanity, madness, confusion! …

64. The god of most of the world is money, things, materialism!—Home, car, television, or even a thatched hut and canoe!—The things which they possess! God's Word says that you are the servant of whoever or whatever you work for and obey (Rom.6:16). If you're working for money, you're money's servant! So modern materialism and commercialism is the major worship and religion of the world! It is the religion to which most people today belong, the church of the great god Mammon, or material things, which they attend daily and worship at least 8, 10, 12, 14 or 16 hours a day!

65. Most people are not slaves to their churches or to their false established recognized religious systems—their greatest slavery is to the god that the Bible calls "Mammon," the god of money, wealth and material things. They are slaves to the god of materialism!

66. Materialism is the major religion of the world, and although most people worship the things they can see, there are actually wicked spiritual forces behind this idolatry! God's Word says that there are "principalities, powers and rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places‚" that men are either warring against or being deceived by (Eph.6:12).

67. So what is the main false religion that the Devil has used to distract mankind and to turn him from worshipping and knowing the true God?—He has caused them to make a god of themselves and of their wealth and power and possessions. Anything but worship God! Anything but worship Jesus Christ!

68. The Lord warns His children not to get tangled up with Babylon, this great whore of Mammon worship and materialism, calling them to‚ "Come out of her, My people‚ that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues!" (Rev.18:4). But her hold is so strong on the souls of men, and "the deceitfulness of riches," as Jesus called it, is such a strong, addictive delusion, that even most so-called "Christians" today, those who claim to believe in Jesus and His Words‚ still slave away eight hours a day or more for the great god Mammon and not for God! (Mat.13:22).

69. Jesus Christ Himself said, "No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. YE CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MAMMON!" (Mat.6:24). According to the dictionary, "Mammon" literally means "material wealth," money and material things. So Jesus was saying that you can't serve God and work for material things at the same time—you cannot work for both! You'll wind up working for either one or the other!

70. Sad to say, the vast majority of even the so-called people of God, the ones who are supposed to believe the Bible and know and love and serve Jesus, are deceived and stuck in Babylon‚ tied down to a Mammon-serving job just like the rest of the world!

71. Have you "come out of her"? Or are you a slave to the false gods of this world? "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also!" (Mat.6:21). Where's your treasure? Do you love this world and the things of this world? If so, the love of God is not in you! (1John 2:15). But if you don't love this world and are sick of its empty materialism, monotonous Mammon worship and selfish soul-slavery and are seeking better‚ more lasting, meaningful and eternal values in life‚ then maybe you're one of us!—God's children, who love Him and want to seek first His Kingdom, love Him first and share His love with others! (ML #1963:1-4, 7-11, 14-15, 17-22, 25-26, 33–34, 36, 43-46, 50-53‚ DB8)

"Be Ye Separate!" (ML #3363)

72. Just to preach the Gospel or even be a missionary is not that different; that's the surface emphasis of most churches and preachers. There are plenty of evangelists who are preaching Jesus and getting people saved. Some churches and church members do too, and they even preach a pretty good message. But what we're talking about is the church system as a whole, where in some large denominations such as the Southern Baptists (with 15 million members), 95 percent of their members never witness and tell a soul about Jesus! And they and many others spend billions of dollars on their church buildings and church system that could have gone to helping the lost.

73. I know some churches do have some good people who are trying to be different and who do some very good things to help the world, especially the smaller cell churches or house churches. But let's talk about the church system as a whole. How many pastors, evangelists‚ missionaries or church members are living communally in love and unity, sharing all things? How many don't lead selfish, private lives, being just as materialistic as the society around them? How many are trusting the Lord completely to supply their needs? How many of them tell their congregations and the world the truth that they need to hear, not just what they want to hear? How many enjoy the full freedom of the Law of Love?

74. It's these things that make the Family different. But compromise gradually roots out all the "differences" in order to make the Family just like everyone else. When that happens, it's death to the Revolution; it's the end of the Family as we know it.

75. The Family was originally a dropped-out, radical, iconoclastic, full-time discipleship revolution! We hated the System, because it enslaves men's souls. We were separate from the System, living according to the Bible. Those teachings of Jesus that are against the System are still just as much our code of ethics and behavior as ever, but are we still living them?! Are you still living them?!

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Rom.12:2).

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate‚ saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you (2Cor.6:17).

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? (2Cor.6:14).

No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please Him who hath chosen him to be a soldier (2Tim.2:4).

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world (1John 2:15-16).

If the world hate you‚ ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you (John 15:18-19).

76. The Family today looks very different than the band of radical, full-time, dedicated disciples we were in the past, and that's a problem. Of course, if you want to be just like all the other Christians in the world, it's not a problem. And even if you want to be a member of the Family in one of the outer circles, it's not a problem. But if you honestly want to be a full-time disciple, that means total dedication. That means being a follower of the teachings of Christ. That doesn't mean serving Mammon with most of your waking hours and then doing a little witnessing on the side, maybe, if you have time.

77. Yes, System jobs are allowed, but being allowed and being God's highest will are two very different things. Remember, the Charter states that jobs are allowed but that we do not recommend them. Since when does the fact that System jobs are not prohibited in the Charter override the preponderance of the teachings of the Bible? God has made it clear that if you're a disciple living by faith, investing your time in His work‚ you can expect Him and those to whom you minister to support you!

If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel (1Cor.9:11,14).

My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Phil.4:19).

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Mat.6:33).

There is that scattereth‚ and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself (Pro.11:24-25).

There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches (Pro.13:7).

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure‚ pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again (Luke 6:38).

He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will He pay him again (Pro.19:17).

But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully (2Cor.9:6).

Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days (Ecc.11:1).

And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you‚ There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands‚ for My sake, and the Gospel's, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life (Mark 10:29-30).

Provide neither gold, nor silver‚ nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat (Mat.10:9-10).

And He said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said‚ Nothing (Luke 22:35).

78. (Mama:) These are the Lord's promises and instructions from the Bible. Dad taught us from the beginning that if we're faithful to the Lord and His work, He will supply! Here are a few of the many quotes available in Dad's Letters:

Praise God for His faithfulness! All He needs is laborers, and He will do all the rest! As Luther used to say when his wife complained that he had too many people living at their house (about 25, not many compared to us, but a tidy little Colony!)—"Don't worry, Dear! For every additional mouth‚ God will provide!" And of course, He always does, praise His Name! He will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory, no matter what we need, or how many of us there are, or where we are, or who we are, as long as we're serving Him faithfully! Praise the Lord! (ML #112:1).

Why should we fiddle around with slaving for material things when the System's got plenty of it, and to spare! Let them be our slaves—not us theirs! Why should we let the seed be choked out by the cares of earning a living, when we can let the System do it for us? God always makes the System serve His servants‚ whenever it suits His purpose—if they have what He needs. "As using this world (or System), but not abusing it" (1Cor.7:31). (ML #27:19,20).

Watch out about compromise. Watch out about any compromise or pulling your punches for advantage, for finances, for protection‚ for safety, for anything. Be faithful to the message; be faithful to the method; be faithful to the Word; be faithful to the voice of God; be faithful to His Revolution, the particular ministry He's called you to—be loyal! (ML #T:78).

He has promised that, if you'll prove Him by trusting and obeying Him, He'll pour out such a blessing that there will not be room enough to hold it! He says, "Give and it shall be given unto you, pressed down, shaken together and running over!" "Seek ye first the Kingdom, and all these things shall be added!" If He has to drop the money out of Heaven to feed you, He'll do it, if you'll obey Him and get out the message‚ the Word!

Where God guides, He provides! With every need‚ God will supply! God will feed you, protect you, clothe you, and take care of you no matter what happens! God cannot only do it, He wants to do it! He's more willing to give than we are to receive! There's no limit to what God can supply. It's better than a salary, and God knows exactly what you need! (ML #692:28).

79. (Dad speaking: ) Come out from among her; be ye separate and touch not the unclean thing!

80. I've got news for you‚ folks! We have not changed when it comes to being separate from the world! And we never will change on that point, because the Lord wants us to be separate!

81. He says, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you" (2Cor.6:14-17).

82. I want to ask you a question. Does that job you're holding have you unequally yoked with unbelievers? Is it giving you fellowship with unrighteous people who don't believe in the Lord and who don't follow Him or want anything to do with Him? Do you have to compromise your faith to keep your job? When you wake up in the morning and get ready to go to that job, are you fulfilling your commission of going into all the world to preach the Gospel? If you're not‚ then it's time to check in with the Lord and see if your job is beginning to use you, instead of you using it for God's glory!

83. We, as God's called-out children, will never be at peace with the System; we'll never do it the System way. You walk a fine line when you take on a System job or are even self-employed with non-witnessing fundraising. It's very easy to get into serving Mammon, to develop a false balance.

84. Preaching the truth needs to be your priority, the thing you do the most! The job should just enable you to witness. Is that what you're doing with that System job you've got? Is that what you're accomplishing with that work you're doing to raise support? Is it just a means for funds, and is most of your time spent preaching the Gospel?

85. This chapter in Second Corinthians leaves you with a beautiful promise from the Lord. If you will come out of the System and stay separate from it and not get wrapped up in its traps, the Lord said He'll take care of you! "And I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty" (2Cor.6:18). And if He's going to be a father to you, and you are His sons and daughters, you can be sure He's going to take care of you! So stay separate! Don't let the world use you! Don't let that job use you! Come out from among them and be ye separate! (End of message from Dad.)

86. (Jesus speaking:) You cannot serve both Me and Mammon! You cannot work for Mammon without getting dirty, without weakening, without paying the consequences.

87. I have called the children of David to serve Me. You cannot serve both Me and Mammon without paying a price. The price for serving two masters is steep, for you stand to lose your only hope of survival in the coming days. This threat is as a cancer festering from within. It is one that will grow and spread and eventually bring death and destruction if something is not done to stop it. I have called My CM Family out of the System. I call you to touch not the unclean thing. (End of message from Jesus) (ML #3363:4-6, 17-18, 54–60, 71-72‚ 75-78, 80, 82‚ 85, GN 959).

"Be True to the Revolution!"
(ML #3364)

88. One thing Peter and I will not do, and what Dad never did‚ is to let others convince us that we need to compromise or conform for the sake of support, comfort, or to look good in the eyes of man. We are revolutionaries. We are dropped out. We are prophets. Since when did the prophets of God give a convenient message that was accepted, so they could avoid rattling the masses or preserve the status quo? They didn't! And neither will Peter and I.

89. Some of you have very logical arguments as to why we should be more "reasonable" and why we need to tone things down and not be offensive. I imagine you've had a lot of practice preaching your arguments to your friends and even your converts. But I have news for you—we are not getting more mainstream or more acceptable if that means compromising the very important messages that the Lord has given us and expects us to be examples of. Again, this brings us back to the question of: Are we part of the established church system, along with the millions of others? Or are we God's chosen Endtime mouthpieces? I know what we as the Family should be, but what are we? What are you?

90. It's not like we can blend into society and be just like everyone else for now‚ for the next X number of years, and then when things get hot in the Endtime we'll just morph into a radical‚ disciplined, united army of disciples. It doesn't work like that. We will be what we are becoming! What we'll be tomorrow depends on the choices we're making today. Are we becoming those Endtime prophets and disciples, or are we becoming compromised, lukewarm church members? We have to make the decisions today that will enable the Lord to fulfill His promises! It's a day–by-day process. We're either walking the walk of the dropped-out army God has intended us to be, or we're heading back into the System.

91. If you are a Charter member, but you personally don't feel you can live the life of a full-time disciple anymore, that's okay. You can choose a different circle of membership within the overall Family, or another life altogether, outside of the Family. That's perfectly okay. But for those who choose to stay as Charter members, that means discipleship—as in following Jesus, living the Word, dropping out, not compromising for gain, living Acts 2:44 and 45, etc.

92. I hope that clears things up for those of you who seem to have gotten the wrong idea. Many think the Family has given up our early radical goals because we can't live like we used to anymore. That's wrong! That is precisely where we're headed—back to the purity that the Family has lost, back to the level of dedication that has been compromised!

93. That is the whole point: The Lord wants the Family to look a whole lot more like it used to as far as dedication, full-time service‚ unity, communal living, having all things in common, witnessing full-time, living by faith‚ home schooling our children, etc. We're the only ones doing it, and the Lord is determined to preserve that sample. In fact‚ the need to preserve that sample is the main reason the Lord will allow suffering, persecution, and more detractors to test and try you, so that all of you who need to will make some decisions—either to get right with Him and live as you should, or to find a life that is more suited to you, either in a different circle of the Family or in the System.

94. (Jesus speaking: ) The compromisers are those who think everything is fine with just the Bible and salvation. If everything were fine with just that, why would I still be talking today? If that were all that is needed today, why would I have raised up David and Maria? Why would I have even created the Family if all that were needed were the same messages the churches give? (End of message from Jesus.)

95. (Dad speaking:) This Family began as the Revolution for Jesus! We weren't church folks or namby–pamby spineless noodles for Jesus; we were radical, dropped-out revolutionaries who wanted to change the world for Jesus—and we still do! And you don't change the world by becoming just another church, just preaching Jesus and salvation. We started off by preaching the full Gospel, everything Jesus said, and not only preaching it, but living it full time.

96. That's what made us news around the world and why we hit the headlines in nation after nation! We were different, we were news, and the Lord's message made news! Even if the media sometimes twisted it and misrepresented us, nevertheless the Gospel was preached!

97. We weren't your normal meek and mild little Christians who drifted along, witnessing a little here or there when we had time—the silent majority, who have never made a sound, never changed a jot or a tittle, never sank so low or rose so high, never made a mark, never made any impression, so you never even knew they ever existed! We were fiery, fervent followers of Jesus, and still are. We don't believe in being conformed to the world but in being transformed! We believe in offering our bodies as a living sacrifice unto God, which is just our reasonable service after all the Lord has done for us!

98. You may say, "Well, Dad‚ those days of the Revolution for Jesus are sort of past now‚ aren't they? That was the sixties and seventies. Aren't we the Family now, and aren't we a little more mainstream, so shouldn't we have doctrines that are a little more mainstream?"

99. Let me ask you a question: What does the Family stand for? It's short for the Family of Love, a Family that was born in the white-hot fires of the FF Revolution! That's another revolution that changed tens of thousands of lives around the world and spread our message—God's message—further than we could have ever imagined! We don't FF anymore, but that's the revolution that gave us our present name, won multitudes of souls, and made God's love news in hundreds of news articles around the world!

100. Now we witness the Word instead of FFing‚ and that's a revolution too, because it's not just the Old Wine of the Bible; it also includes all the New Wine the Lord has given us over the years. As we've obeyed His Word to the best of our ability, He's given us revelation after revelation, showing us what His Word really meant, from our earliest days up to the present.

101. He's shown us the best way to reach the world is to live together in unity, having all things in common‚ and distributing our belongings to each man or woman as they have need. He's shown us that He meant it literally when He said we should love Him with all our hearts and our neighbors as ourselves, and that all the law hangs on these two commandments—His Law of Love! He's shown us that we can live this Law of Love in every way, even sexually, for you who are of age. He's shown us that we are literally the Bride of Christ, and that He's our Husband, and we can love Him intimately. He's shown us that we really are in the Last Days, and that time is short and we need to redeem it and do His work while we still can! He's given us the keys of the Kingdom and is teaching us how to use them to harness the greatest power in the universe!

102. So we're still a Revolution for Jesus—not some sort of reformation or revival, much less a church service for Jesus! God has called us out of the church system to work full time for Him, to believe fully in His Word, and to give our hundred percent to living it and preaching it. That's revolutionary, and that's what's kept us from drifting back into the System and becoming just another ho-hum‚ do-nothing church, even one that might have thousands of members.

103. We're different‚ and that's why we can accomplish so much, and why people are attracted to our message. We're different‚ and that's why we must remain dropped out rather than settling back into the mire and morass of the mainstream along with the flotsam and jetsam of "normality." We're different because we're God's new Church, His new Bride, not His old Church!

104. Now I know it's hard being different sometimes‚ and we get some bad publicity and persecution for it. But if we didn't, I'd be worried! After all, Jesus said He's chosen you out of the world, so the world often hates you, just as it hated Him. Well, thank God the world isn't your friend, because that would be enmity with God. If you find yourself wanting to become the friend of the world, you may be on your way to becoming the enemy of God. That which is highly esteemed among men is abomination to God. That's God's Word and warning—pretty revolutionary, huh?

105. There's a lot in the Word that's revolutionary‚ and we believe in it and follow it and do it, and people know we do. People who know the Family at all should know that we stand for all-out‚ full-time dedication to Jesus. They may not always agree with what we do and say, but they know what we stand for, and if we weren't willing to stand up for our beliefs, they'd figure we didn't believe in them very strongly—and that they weren't really worth believing in the first place!

106. Not only that, but the Lord Himself would be ashamed of us, because we're ashamed of His Word, the truth He's given us over the years. He was willing to give everything for you, to live and die for you, and yet you're ashamed of His Word and don't want to preach it or stand up for it because it's a little controversial and sometimes people are stumbled by it.

107. Well‚ let me tell you, if you're not willing to preach His Word—all of His Word—the Lord will see to it that it gets preached anyway, even if He has to find someone else to do so! I'm not saying that you should run down the streets proclaiming that you're the bride of Christ or start talking about the sexual aspects of the Law of Love with the next passer-by. But if you're ashamed of these doctrines or want to sort of sweep them under the carpet with your long-term friends and contacts and even new disciples, you can be sure that "there is nothing hid that shall not be revealed." The truth will come out, whether it's in the form of a news article, slander from your enemies, a comment from someone else who's known you a long time, etc. Then how will you feel for having tried to cover it up, and how will your friends, contacts, or new disciples feel about you?

108. The words the Lord has given us over the years are His words‚ and they're what make us the Family we are. In your efforts to make us look more presentable or attractive or to sort of modernize the Family, watch out that you don't weaken the structure. Remember "Builders Beware!" When you start carrying out the bags of grain for some reason—any of our doctrines that you feel are maybe a little controversial, a bit too radical, inconvenient, things that need toning down or tossing out or whatever—then you're in trouble! Those words, those bags of grain, are what keep the building on its foundation—steady, stable, sturdy and strong! Builders beware!

109. It would do some of you good to dig into those bags of grain that keep us on a firm foundation and remind yourself of what's in there! When's the last time you read "Dropouts" or "God's Explosions" or even looked through "Revolution for Jesus" in the MOP? You're wondering why we can't be a little more conventional and "normal" in our life and outreach? When's the last time you read "Did God Make a Mistake?" or "Jesus People?—Or Revolution!" or dozens of other Letters along the same lines! Those Letters have not been superseded by the Charter. The Charter is built on the Word, and they're the Word too!

110. And you know what? Most of the Letters I just mentioned are GP, along with hundreds of other early Letters. I not only told the Family what God had shown us, but I told the world, and the youth of the world loved it, and so did many of the public! The Letters went like hotcakes, and you still meet people who remember you and your message from those days. They write you at your e–mail address; they see your Web site, and they're just thrilled that the Family is still around, still going‚ still witnessing the same things!

111. So I was faithful to preach and to live what God showed me. I was faithful to the message and the Man, the Son of God, and that's what started the Family. Will you be faithful too? Will you keep going for Jesus, bold and brave and unafraid, committed to His Word, His truth, His message? I hope you will. I pray you will. You don't want to miss His "Well done‚ good and faithful servant‚" nor His standing to receive you at His throne, telling His Father and all the angels of Heaven that, "This is one of My faithful witnesses who loves Me and was not ashamed of My Word. Come, dear bride, and inherit the Kingdom that I have prepared for you from the foundation of the world!" Hallelujah! (End of message from Dad.)

112. (Mama:) Thank God for Dad's faithfulness to preach and teach and live the full Word of God! That's why we have a Family, why millions upon millions of people have heard about Jesus, and why 25 million of them have received Him and will live forever with us in Heaven! Here are a few quotes from some of those Letters that Dad mentioned:

History is a record of nothing but dropouts—because they're the only ones that made news! There was nothing new about the rest of the people—the System robots who followed the party line—the conformists and conventionalists that nobody ever heard of! It was the nonconformists, unconventionalists, individualists‚ iconoclasts‚ rejects, and dropouts who really made history! You'd better believe it! So if you want to make history, just be a dropout! If you want to sink into the oblivion of the forgotten man, conform to the System! ("Dropouts IV," ML #34:22-23).

To Hell with the proper way! The proper way is of man! The unexpected and the improper, the unconventional and untraditional, the unorthodox and unceremonious, contrary to man's natural expectation—this is the way God usually works! "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the Earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts!" (Isa.55:8, 9). Who can know the mind of the Lord‚ and who can show Him anything?

Who the hell do you think you are, anyway, to tell God what to do and how to do it? God knows His business and it's none of your business how He does it! So quit trying to tell Him how He ought to do it! "Now, Lord, You must do it this way or that way, so we'll be accepted and people will understand." … Just trust God that He knows what He's doing! "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart: and lean not unto thy own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him‚ and He shall direct thy paths" (Pro.3:5,6). ("Did God Make a Mistake?" ML #35:13-15.)

113. (Mama:) Here's a real classic‚ one of my favorites‚ which, by the way, was printed in 1973 and classified GP—that is, for the general public!

Jesus Himself said He had to pour His very New Wine into very new bottles who could expand their receptivity sufficiently to take it‚ accommodate it‚ and even rejoice in it, for it spoke their language and helped Him to reach the drunks and the harlots and the publicans and sinners and the radical young zealots with whom He associated. It also proved He was not part of the System and was not bound by its conventions, inhibitions and prejudices. …

A revolution is a total break with the traditions of man and his churches and his preconceived ideas about God and misconceptions of morality. We have turned completely around and are going a different direction, no longer man's way but God's way, and we are free to enjoy to the full the beauties and wonders of His creation with all of its pleasures, which He Himself created for our enjoyment.

This is no day for the weak and the fearful and those who are unable to bear the many more things that God now has to say to us in these Last Days when He must tell us the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help us God!

I'm sorry, but the Revolution did not begin with our trying to please people and giving them only what they were able to believe and accept. … If you are not young enough in spirit, pliable enough, resilient enough, and elastic enough to expand your vision and faith to accommodate this New Wine of the Lord, you will certainly be unable to take what's coming, and your vessel now shaken will be truly shattered! …

If naked truth bothers you, you are definitely an old bottle and had better avoid the crash! But if you can accommodate this New Wine without asking why or trying to analyze its ingredients, God has such thrills and intoxication of the Spirit in store for you that you will be glad you drank it without question, and you'll be whisked off into a world which you never dreamed existed‚ where you'll enjoy the very wonders of total intimacy with a sexy, naked God Himself in a wild orgy of the Spirit as His totally surrendered Bride!

Otherwise‚ you're like the old church, an old bottle, cracked, broken‚ useless, and doomed to abandonment and oblivion! May God help you to know where you belong!

P.S. Remember the warning Jesus gave to some: "I would that ye were hot or cold, but because ye are lukewarm, I will spew you out of My mouth!" Halfway, half–hearted, half-baked disciples make God sick at His stomach! Please don't be one of them! It were better that you had never heard the truth than to have heard and gone back! God says, "My soul abhorreth him that turneth back!" Cut loose and come on! (From "Come on, Ma, Burn Your Bra!" ML #286:3-5, 13, 14, 18, 23, 24, 27.)

114. (Mama: ) And the Family hasn't changed in being a Revolution for Jesus, even though Dad has passed on. We still believe in the Word, all of it, and that inevitably makes us different. As I said several years ago‚ right after Dad's Heavenly Homegoing: "We can never be only a missionary organization doing relief work and 'Consider the Poor' ministries. We are believers in sex, prophets of the End, portrayers of Heaven, separatists from the world, destroyers of darkness, and fighters for the truth! And in all these, beloved, we are preachers of the Gospel and lovers and winners of souls. And it is because of all of these other things that we are the successful missionary organization we are today" ("Why We 'Preached Sex' in the Press Release Announcing Dad's Homegoing!" ML #2957:13‚ Lifelines 21).

(ML #3364:16-18, 32–34, 66, 85-104, GN 960).

OPTIONAL READING

"The Revolutionary Rules" (ML #S)

115. The radical teachings and tactics of us Christian revolutionaries are from our Revolutionary Handbook, the Bible, and the greatest of all Revolutionaries, Jesus Christ, and His 12 bearded militants: "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature!" "Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in!" "Sell all that thou hast and give to the poor and come follow Me!" "He that forsaketh not all that he hath cannot be My disciple!" "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you!" "Warn the wicked of his wicked way, to save his life!" "All that believed were together and had all things common!" "And they continued steadfastly in the Apostle's doctrine and fellowship‚ and in breaking of bread, and prayers." "And daily in the temple and in every house‚ they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ!"—The Bible.

116. We believe that "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus), that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish‚ but have everlasting life." "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." "There is none righteous, no, not one." "All we like sheep have gone astray, but the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us." "For by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us." "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." "And ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto Me."—The Bible.

117. The qualifications of a Christian revolutionary must therefore be very rigid. He "must be born again," a "new creature‚" "transformed by the renewing of his mind" and "not conformed to this world." He must "know that he has eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" and believe that he "must confess Him before men," "forsake all" and "go into all the world to preach the Gospel" to "make disciples of all nations" to follow Christ. He must be willing to "endure hardness, as a good soldier, not entangling himself with the affairs of this world, that he may please Him that hath called him to be a soldier." He must gladly suffer affliction and persecution, as "all who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer," and "rejoice, for so persecuted they the prophets." "Having food and clothing he must therewith be content‚" "eating what is set before him, giving thanks," remembering Jesus "had nowhere to lay His head." He must be free of debts‚ payments, and family or legal obligations—"Owe no man anything, save to love him." Any under 16 must have written permission from a parent. Health is important, too! The weak or handicapped may find this life too rigorous! We are soldiers of the cross!—The Bible.

118. The discipline of Jesus' revolutionaries must be absolute "obedience to them that have the rule over them‚ for they care for your souls, as they that must themselves give account." "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do‚ do it with all thy might"—duties, study, witnessing, sharing‚ prayer, praising, sacrificing, accepting joyfully suffering, persecution, and even martyrdom! "As unto the Lord, and not unto man," "all for the glory of God," for "they that shall not work, shall not eat!" "Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." "To love God, and our neighbor as ourselves—is all the law."—The Bible. (ML #S:5-8, Vol.1)

119. Those who wish to look over an in–depth compilation of Scriptures on the Family's doctrines may also want to review the following:

"Our Statement of Faith"

"Discipleship" (Word Basics, pgs.207-213)

"The Christian's Relationship to Worldly Society" (Word Basics‚ pgs.214-222)

Copyright © 2002 by The Family

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