From Mama and Peter

CM/FM 3454 6/03

1. (Jesus speaking:) My dear Family in Brazil‚ I know you've been waiting to know of the punishment that you are to receive as wayward children. It is with heaviness of heart that I deliver these words of chastisement, and I assure you that it is because I love you and I have your best interests at heart.

2. I have spoken many times over the years of the changes I ask of those who wish to follow Me closely, those who wish to be called My disciples, those who bear the name of the band of David. I have been longsuffering. I have called and I have called. But you would not.

3. Now‚ as I warned, there will be a withdrawing of My blessings in your life. There will be a cost to you personally. There will be loss that you will feel and changes that will affect your lives in a way that you are not able to ignore or push aside. As I have foretold, I will now take upon Myself the role of the disciplinarian, the stern father figure, the shepherd with rod in hand, through the chastisement of these losses and the withdrawing of My blessings.

4. It is with great sadness and heaviness of heart that I withhold from you My Word‚ the treasures of the spirit that could be yours‚ that were destined to be yours, had you obeyed. It is with tears of pity that I must now shut up toward your land the vaults of Heaven, the presses of the New Wine, the greatest wealth on Earth, in an effort to teach you appreciation, respect, reverence‚ and awareness of the precious golden Words of truth that you have had in such abundance, but you have not cherished, but have instead pushed aside, buried, rejected, spat upon, spoken evil of and discarded in favor of the sirens of the System.

5. There are other sides to this punishment, My Brazilian Family, and each one will affect you in a different way. Each one is for a specific purpose in My effort to cleanse you, to bring you back to Me, and to teach you the ways of discipleship. But this withholding of My Word, that which should be your most prized and guarded possession on Earth, is breaking My heart. This, My loves, is a last resort. This, My poor lost sheep, is the chastisement of a father whose tears will wash your hearts‚ your minds, and spirits, if you will only receive this as My lashes of love and compassion.

6. Those who will receive will be saved. Those who will reject will be lost. Your future is clearly in your hands. You alone can determine which way you will go. (End of message from Jesus.)

7. Due to the Brazilian Family's ongoing disobedience‚ rebelliousness, and division, in spite of numerous warnings, the following blessings will be withdrawn:

1) All Charter members and Fellow members in Brazil will lose their discipleship status beginning June 1. This period of probation will continue through November 30, 2003, after which there will be a nationwide reevaluation, and it will be determined over the course of several months who will be reinstated to full Family membership and at what classification.

From June 1 until you are notified of your new status (which will be sometime toward the end of 2003 or in the first part of 2004), you who aspire to regain your CM status are to concentrate on being or becoming a disciple of Jesus, as per the instruction in the "Conviction vs. Compromise" series and the Love Charter. You who aspire to regain your FM status must abide by the Statement for Fellow Members.

The only exceptions to this loss of discipleship status will be the COs.

2) During this period the Family in Brazil will forfeit the right to read new publications and to receive other productions from WS, unless such things are directly related to this discipline (such as reading lists‚ instructions for prayer and fast days, GNs related to your field, etc.).

Beginning June 1, the CM and FM Family in Brazil will suffer the withdrawal of all WS publications and productions. This means there will be:

—No GNs and no other adult publications.

—No children's or teen's publications.

—No new music CDs.

—No new books.

—The new publications and audio sections on the MO site will be blocked.

The one exception to this will be new GP distribution tools.

3) The board structure will no longer be in service in Brazil beginning June 1. All board members, including VSs, will be dismissed. After November 30‚ when the reevaluation process is completed, the COs will begin to rebuild the board structure with members who have been reinstated as Charter members. Do not expect the board structure to be up and running again before the second quarter of 2004.

4) All Family members in Brazil will retain their right of mobility to change Homes within the country. However, their right of mobility to change countries has been suspended until they have passed through the six months of chastisement, have been reevaluated, and have been reinstated to whatever level of membership they qualify for.

5) You will need to turn in your Home's HER fund.

8. Each Family member in Brazil, whether Charter member or Fellow member, will be required to do the following during the period of June 1 to November 30:

1) Send in a monthly TRF.

2) Tithe: Those wishing to qualify for reinstatement to CM status must tithe their full 14% (that's 10% tithe to WS‚ plus 1% FAF, and 3% Common Pot gifts); those wishing to qualify for reinstatement to FM status must tithe 10% to WS or $50 minimum if your income is less than $500 US.

3) Fast worldly input for the duration of the chastisement period, from the time you see the videos but not later than June 1‚ until November 30. The fast will include the following: movies, TV, alcohol, System music (including instrumentals and Latin music), computer games, novels, Internet browsing (except for business purposes)‚ and parties. (The COs in Brazil will also partake of this fast of worldly input.)

4) Refrain from going on ex-member Web sites, and avoid fellowship with those who talk against the Word, who tear down your faith and weaken you spiritually, whether they be former members, friends‚ or others.

5) Study any assigned reading lists that will come either from WS or from the COs that reside in Brazil.

6) Have personal prayer of deliverance with your Home members. (The Homes will be responsible to organize a time for all Home members to have this prayer of deliverance. This must happen before the national prayer and fast day.)

7) Make things right with those people you have bitterness and oughts against, and seek forgiveness from those you've hurt, gossiped about, or been a bad sample to, etc. Apologize as needed. This goes for parents to children‚ teens to parents, older brothers and sisters to younger siblings, adults to young people, young people to adults, FGAs to FGAs, young people to young people‚ etc.

8) Parents, explain the situation to your JETTs and children. Lord willing, a how-to guide will be sent to you from the COs.

9) Participate in the national prayer and fast day. (The date will be announced by the COs.)

10) Teach your sheep—your contacts, friends, relatives‚ Active members, or supporters—the Words of David in the form of publications produced by WS. Promote the Activated program. Refrain from teaching material from System Christian books.

11) Actively witness.

12) Comply with any mandatory forms of personal or Home reporting that might be generated by the COs in Brazil.

9. Those who were previously Charter members or Charter member Homes who wish to return to discipleship as Charter members will be required to:

—Obey the Love Charter and Fundamental Family Rules, and strive to be a full-time disciple according to the "Conviction vs. Compromise" series.

—Live the Word Revolution and fulfill the required minimum hours of Word as per the Letter "What Is Jesus Worth to You?" (ML #3433, GN 1016).

—Hold Home teamwork elections on June 15, and a vote of confirmation on September 15.

—Get right with the Lord regarding any unconfessed sin or Charter infractions.

—Refrain from having sex with outsiders and those who were Fellow members.

10. Further information regarding the fast of worldly input:

—This fast of movies and computer games will apply to CM and FM children and teens. Teens and children may watch documentaries or educational videos pertaining to their scholastics. Children under 12 may play educational computer games, but no entertainment-only computer games.

—Bible movies will be allowed for all. (A list of acceptable movies will be provided, but you should ask the Lord about each movie you watch. That means hearing from the Lord in prophecy.)

—Members may watch 30 minutes of news each day, or read the newspaper for 30 minutes‚ but not the sports news, either on TV or in the paper.

—Fellowships and get–togethers are allowed, as long as they involve not more than four Homes. (That's fellowships and get-togethers that are not parties.)

—The COs can organize fellowships and get–togethers of more than four Homes, or they can appoint others to do so, but you cannot do it on your own.

—Birthday parties will be allowed for children and JETTs.

—The fast of worldly input will be lifted on November 30.

11. Rules regarding sex during the chastisement period:

—Those who were Charter members are not allowed to have sex with outsiders. However, they may continue to share with other Charter members who have lost their discipleship status. They may not, however, share with those who were Fellow members who have lost their discipleship, or with outsiders.

—If when you were a Charter member you were undergoing a time of partial excommunication due to a sexual (or other) infraction of the Charter, you will still need to abide by the PE guidelines until the end of your sentence.

12. Other points of explanation:

—Disobedience to or not fulfilling these requirements will jeopardize your reinstatement to Family discipleship.

—This discipline applies to the FM Family as well. While FM Family members are not expected to live the same lifestyle as Charter members, this judgment is due to the spiritual state the entire Family in Brazil has fallen into. It is not a result of the differences in lifestyle that are allowed between the CM and FM Family. (In other words‚ you FM Family members are not being put under this punishment because you're not living CM; it's because you have the same spiritual sins—the bitterness, the disunity, etc. That's the reason. It's not just a difference in lifestyle, but it's because of spiritual sins.)

—All Family members are expected to comply with their financial obligations, such as credit payments to the BSC‚ making up your tool funds, Home loans‚ outside obligations, etc.

—Your sheep, friends, and Active members will need an explanation of what is happening. There will be an official letter of explanation which the COs will take care of getting to you, and you will be obligated to pass it on to your Active members or anyone who is close enough to you and your family that they will notice that something is going on and will be wondering about it.

—The CVC will continue to offer services to the Family in Brazil during the time of chastisement.

—You will not receive new publications from WS. You are also not allowed to read such publications if sent to you via another source, such as email from your friends. And you certainly are not supposed to go soliciting such emails, asking people, "Oh, can you write me and send me the new GNs?"

—If the HER of a CM Home is not intact when it is turned in, the members of that Home will have three months to reimburse their HER in full‚ or risk forfeiting the option of returning to the Family as Charter members at the end of the probationary period.

—Beginning December 1, those who have applied for reinstatement for Family membership and discipleship will begin to receive CM/FM publications from WS again, even though the final decision on their reinstatement is still pending. If you are reinstated (after being reevaluated), you will continue to receive either CM/FM or CM and CM/FM publications, depending on your status.

—Because the field will be in a time of change and upheaval, young people under the age of 18 must be in the care of a guardian whom their parents decide upon, or living with their parents.

—The personal shepherding that you would have received from the VSs has been withdrawn; it is time for each of you to receive your personal shepherding from the Lord and the Word. The COs are not taking the place of the VSs.

You are free to write the COs at the following email address (provided to the Family in Brazil). Please understand, however‚ that the COs cannot possibly personally shepherd such a huge flock. We have made it clear to the COs that they are not obligated to acknowledge or respond to the letters they receive from you. They will read your letters, and they will pray for you. Don't expect to have personal time or personal shepherding with the COs or to meet with them personally. If the Lord shows the COs that they need to give someone personal shepherding in whatever way, that's fine, but such a service would need to be as a result of their own initiative, according to what the Lord shows them.

13. Further information regarding the loss of right of mobility outside of Brazil:

—Those who were previously Charter members who do wish to leave Brazil may do so, but they will need to receive clearance and they would automatically become FM. They would not be able to begin their process of re–entering the CM Family someplace else until January 1 of 2004.

—Fellow members who leave the field of Brazil during this time of chastisement would automatically lose their FM status.

—There may be a few valid exceptions, but these would be rare and they will be judged by the COs. (So you would need to apply.)

—Anyone needing to take a visa trip during the probation period must return to Brazil or that person will automatically be reclassified to FM. If they are unable to return to Brazil due to legal reasons or other unavoidable circumstances‚ they must counsel with the Brazil COs.

—This restriction remains in place until you have been reevaluated and reinstated to Family membership.

14. (Jesus speaking:) My dear children, I'm sorry to have to give you this chastisement‚ because I know it hurts you. I love you‚ and I don't rejoice to see you cry at the news of this punishment. It is stern. It costs. It is not just the "bark," it's the "bite" as well, and each of you will really feel this "bite." But that's the way it has to be, so that you get the point, so that you see the error of your ways, and so that you are able to make the complete turnaround, the metanoia.

15. The judgment I have meted out to you is just, but because you are not used to expecting or receiving punishment for your disobediences, it seems extreme and even harsh. The fact that these punishments will be in place for so many months will be a test for all of you. It will try your faith to feel the heat of My hand in your life. You will feel that it's too much to bear, too long, too strict, and that you can't make it. But you can, My loves. You can take hold of the keys and come through the purging of this fire cleansed and purified, if you will take this chastisement in faith and humility, admitting that you deserve it and that you're thankful to receive My correction and the consequences that your actions have warranted.

16. How can you be thankful about this? How can you feel happy? It may seem to you that I'm yanking out all the fun in your life, and not least, the treasures of My New Wine, which you will miss greatly. It's true, your disobediences have resulted in great loss for you, and you will feel this loss for many months. But great gain can come out of this purging and this withdrawal of My blessings if you desperately call out to Me to give you the right attitude and the right perspective. If you rebuke and resist the Devil and his attacks on your faith‚ you can actually go from strength to strength during this time.

17. If your heart is right with Me and you are committed to making it and obeying Me and My Words 100%, you can make more progress during these months than during any other period of your life. This very low place that you are being brought to can provide you with wings to lift you to greater heights than ever, if you will obey My instruction and stay within the boundaries that I have set. You can find true happiness of the spirit like you have not known during this time. You can regain the joy and simple faith you have lost in recent times. You can reap untold benefits from having My hand tightly around you, squeezing you, bringing forth the beauty from the ashes, the perfume from the flower, the honey from the honeycomb.

18. This chastisement is the firm squeeze of My love for you, and if you can accept it, you will bring forth beauty for ashes, which is what I long to see in the land of Brazil. (End of message from Jesus.)

19. (Peter prays for the Family in Brazil:) Jesus, thank You for Your Words of promise of greater things, of going through the purge and of coming out white and clean and clear and pure as Your disciples.

20. Sweet Love, we believe the brethren here are very sorry that they have sinned, that they have disappointed You, that they have failed. We're sorry that You had to spank them. But, Lord, we're not sorry for the spanking, because we know they need it and deserve it. We know that if they will yield and fight for the victory, they will come out new creatures, new disciples, a truly strong Family—perhaps the strongest part of the Family that will have ever existed‚ because they will be here for You, totally and completely.

21. Please, sweet Love, help each one now. I claim the keys of change, the keys of desperation, the keys of victory‚ the keys of faith for each one as they go through this period of time. Strengthen them, sweet Love. Bless them. Help them not to lose faith. Help them to realize that even though they are not getting the fresh New Wine that is just bottled today, they still have vats and vats of wine in their lit libraries. All they have to do is go look at that lit library and see that they are so blessed; there is so much to read, there is so much instruction, there is so much feeding that they need to work on applying in their life. And when they come through this time, they will receive what they have missed.

22. Please help each one to have faith, to have courage, to choose the high road, even though it's the harder road—to choose the high road of discipleship, the high road of full faith‚ the high road of service for You. Please help each one, and please help them to know that You love them, and that Mama and I love them very, very dearly, and we look forward to the days when we can throw open the doors to the discipleship Family and say, "Welcome back! Welcome home!"

Copyright © 2003 by The Family

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