November 27, 2004
(ML #3514, GN 1102 )
FD/MM/FM November 2004
ML #194, Vol. 2 (excerpts of poem)
You can have your earthly treasures
Your silver and your gold,
You can live a life of a pleasure
Like a tale that's often told.
You can have flesh without measure
From your birth till you get old‚
But the Spirit, it's the Spirit
That can never yet be sold!
You can have your earthly pleasure
Your silver and your gold!
I prefer no earthly measure‚
And a life that ne'er grows old!
You can live a life of leisure
And have virtues that are sold,
But it's the Spirit, just the Spirit
That will never rot or mold!
ML #250:39, Vol.2
(Dad:) If you love the material world more than the spiritual‚ then it becomes a form of worship of the Creation more than the Creator, and God and His spiritual world refuse to take second place in your affections and your interests or even in the activities of your life. So, He says, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, all thy mind, all thy strength and all thy soul, and thy neighbor as thyself. He says they 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‚ and He desires your love and for you to love Him first of all, above all, and seek first His Kingdom! But then if you do, He's happy to add all these other things unto you, including every desire of your desirous little heart—as long as you delight yourself in Him!
ML #255:67, 95, 97-99, Vol.2
67. (Dad:) "For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap": If you sow the flesh and materialism and the pride of man, you'll reap the decay of the flesh‚ the destruction of materialism and the final humbling of man! Whereas, if you sow to the Spirit, you'll reap life Eternal! If you sow to the Spirit rather than to materialism‚ you'll sow that which can never be destroyed, the spiritual! If you sow unto the Lord, you will reap the ultimate glorification of God alone!
95. "A MAN'S LIFE CONSISTETH NOT IN THE ABUNDANCE OF THE THINGS WHICH HE POSSESSETH!" Living, the real thing‚ doesn't consist of things at all, because things cannot satisfy! They may temporarily satisfy the body but they can never satisfy the soul or the spirit of man which cries out to God its Father for the joy and happiness and the eternal fulfillment that only God can give and for which He created it to enjoy!
97. LOOK AT THE RICH!—THEY'RE THE MOST MISERABLE OF ALL MEN, AND YET THEY HAVE EVERYTHING THAT [people say] WILL SATISFY AND MAKE YOU HAPPY!—But they're not happy! The rich are the most miserable and the most unhappy people in the whole world‚ for they no longer even have hope of happiness in riches, because they've already arrived and they've already attained all these things—wealth, money, power, material possessions, things! But to their sorrow and dismay they have discovered that these things do not satisfy!
98. THE RICH FINALLY GOT EVERYTHING THEY WANTED, BUT NOTHING SATISFIED, AND SO THEY'RE LEFT IN THE UTTER DESPAIR OF THE SOUL AND THE UTTER POVERTY OF THE SPIRIT, and are indeed the poorest of all men, because all that they labored for and all that they lived for and all that they longed for and all they finally obtained failed to satisfy! As Lord Byron said, "I have quaffed every cup of pleasure, and drunk every drop of fame‚ and yet I die of thirst!" The rich and the famous and the powerful are the saddest of all‚ because they have attained all that the world has to offer, and obtained everything that materialism has to gain, and yet they die of thirst!
99. IF YOU THINK THINGS WILL SATISFY YOU‚ LOOK AROUND YOU!—Every advertisement is a lie! Every TV commercial is a deception! Every bit of political propaganda is another phony promise, because none of them are ever fulfilled and none of them ever satisfy, and the whole world cries for more and is never satiated, or is satiated and sick because it doesn't satisfy!
ML #320:53,54, Vol.3
(Dad:) WHEN YOU START GIVING THE TOOL MORE OF YOUR TIME and WORSHIPPING THE CREATION MORE THAN THE CREATOR, THEN GOD REALLY BECOMES FURIOUS! When you've forgotten what He gave it to you for and you've forgotten Him and His Word, which are most important of all, He's apt to turn right around and take it away from you! He'll destroy it, when it was intended to be used for good because you began to fall down and worship it like an idol!—It's become a god because you're putting this one thing first‚ whatever it is, instead of His Word!
SO WHAT HE USUALLY DOES IS DESTROY EVEN THE THING HE GAVE YOU TO USE, BECAUSE YOU'VE BEGUN TO WORSHIP IT MORE THAN HIM, the Creation more than the Creator! You've become more interested in things than the Thinker, God Himself!
ML #954-8:17, Vol.8
(Dad: ) WHATEVER THIS LIFE and THIS WORLD HAS TO OFFER, IT'S ONLY FOR A LITTLE WHILE! But salvation, souls, children and the service for the Lord are forever, they are eternal! "For this World passes away and the fashion thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever! For the things which are seen are temporal‚ and the things which are not seen are eternal." (1Jn.2:17; 2Cor.4:18.) Hallelujah! So "love not the World neither the things that are in the World, for he that loveth the World, the love of the Father is not in him." (1Jn.2:15.)
ML #1332, DB 1
1. (Dad:) THE FINAL and CROWNING TEMPTATION THAT THE DEVIL OFFERED JESUS WAS "ALL THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD, and THE GLORY OF THEM." That's the most riches anybody had ever been offered—the whole World! The Devil said‚ "All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me." Jesus answered, "Get thee hence, Satan: For it is written‚ thou shalt worship the Lord Thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve!"—The worship of the riches of this life is Devil-worship! (Mat.4:8-10)
2. MATTHEW CHAPTER 6:19-34: "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 and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." He says don't bury your heart in those treasures, because those treasures will vanish away or get stolen, rust‚ corrupt or rot—along with your heart.—They'll corrupt your heart!
3. "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!" (Mt.6:24) Now what is Mammon?—Money‚ pure and simple. Mammon was literally the god of wealth, and if you serve money, then you're serving the Devil! But if you are just using a job as a means to an end, in order to serve the Lord, that's different!—Like one meat-packer in Chicago said, "Preaching the Gospel is my main business, but I pack pork to pay expenses!"
4. "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 even worry about the necessities of life! "Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"
5. "Behold the fowls of the air: For they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them. Are you not much better than they?" He says, "If I can feed the birds, don't you think I'm going to feed you?" "Consider the lilies of the field‚ how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin, and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."—"Look at the lilies: God makes them, God clothes'm‚ and they don't even work for it! So certainly God's going to take care of you!"
6. "Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is‚ and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought."—That means fretting, 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 seek."
7. That's ALL the WORLDLY people live for, that's all they care for, that's all they work for! They're slaves of things! You can be a slave of things! They can own you, instead of you owning them! You can be working for them, instead of them working for you!
8. It's not that there's anything wrong with money, riches or wealth. It all depends on whether you own the money, or the money owns you! It's your attitude toward it. It all depends on how the money is used: Whether the money or the wealth is using you, or whether you're using the wealth!
9. "BUT SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, and all these things shall be added unto you!" God's Kingdom is whatever the King reigns and rules over!—The Church!—It's souls‚ people‚ His people!—Not a building nor a denomination nor an organization!—It's the children of God.—They are His Kingdom!
10. So if you're going to seek first God's Kingdom, you're going to seek souls! You're going to witness!—Be a witness and a soul-winner yourself, or help others to witness and soul-win, right? You're going to help the Kingdom of God in some way.
11. "Seek FIRST"—means FOREMOST and ABOVE all!—Before everything else, above everything else, beyond everything else and more than anything else! It means working for God and others more than for yourself, more than for money, more than for riches, more than for pleasure, more than for health, more than for government‚ more than for anything else!
12. And what'll happen if you put Him and others first? He says, "All these things shall be added unto you!"—All these material things‚ which God's got plenty of! If you need it and have to have it, He'll give it to you! If you're putting His Kingdom first, then everything you want, everything you'd like to have and everything you need will be used for what?—To keep on putting His Kingdom first!—To keep on using it for His Kingdom!
13. BIBLE ECONOMICS IS UTTERLY CONTRARY TO THE ECONOMICS OF MAN. Man's economics says: Self-preservation is the first law of nature. The first law of man's carnal, evil, human, wicked nature is, "First, I'm going to take care of myself.—First, I'm going to get mine!"
14. What's GOD'S law of economics?—"He that would come after Me‚ let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For he that loseth his life for My sake and the Gospel's, shall save it; but he that saveth his life"—self-preservation—"the same shall lose it!" (Mk.8:34‚35) If you spend your life trying to save your life, you're going to lose it and lose eternity too! Spend your life losing your life for others—that's the secret of saving it!
15. "Take therefore no thought"—no worrying, doubtful thought—"for the morrow: For the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself." Don't worry about tomorrow! Tomorrow isn't here yet! Why worry about it? You've got enough to worry about today! "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof!" PTL!
ML #1963:17-21, 43-46, 50-51, 53‚ DB 8
17. 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!
18. 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)
19. 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!
20. 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)
21. 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!
43. 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!
44. MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT SLAVES TO THEIR CHURCHES OR TO THEIR FALSE ESTABLISHED RECOGNISED 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!
45. 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)
46. 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! "Worship yourself! Worship your possessions! Worship your things! Because once I've got you hooked on yourself and on your things and possessions—whether it's a mansion with a Cadillac in the U.S.A. or a thatched hut on the beach with nothing but a little outrigger canoe—then I've got you hooked," Satan says.
50. 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)
51. 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!
53. "Where your treasure is‚ there will your heart be also!" (Mat.6:21) Where's your treasure?
3114:28-30, Lifelines 24
28. (Mama:) The pull of materialism seems to be a lot stronger these days. As we draw closer to the End‚ the Enemy is tightening his grip on the world, and more than ever before, his evil materialistic spirit is permeating every aspect of life in the System. This spirit is manifested very strongly in the wealthier Western countries, and the U.S. in particular, but the Devil is doing his damnedest to corrupt the rest of the world too!
29. The Devil seems to be particularly targeting the youth through TV, movies, music, fashions, advertising, etc., and of course our kids are influenced by it as well.
30. The Enemy is not just trying to corrupt and pollute the kids of the world, but he's particularly targeting our kids, because he knows how important they are‚ and that they are our future! He sees what solid witnesses and disciples many of our first batch of JETTs and teens—now YAs and SGAs—have grown into, and he's determined with everything that's in him to stop any more of our JETTs and teens from becoming dedicated soldiers for the Lord! He's waging a do-or-die war to try to get our kids so turned off or tripped off that by the time they're old enough, they'll want to leave the Family; or if they stay, they'll be weak and unmotivated and won't pose much of a threat to his evil kingdom.
ML #3125:139, Lifelines 24
139. (Mama: ) Just like your parents had to rebel against the System of their day and drop out, you have to rebel and drop out of the pull of materialism and evil of your day! In the Letter "Dropouts," Dad said, "God has no grandchildren! There's no such thing as second-generation Christians! Every new generation either has to drop out or cop out—one or the other; bring forth new buds, or die on the vine and become dead!" (ML #42:5). What will you do?
ML #3186:19–20, 25-29, 31–34, 36-38, 43-48, 62-73, GN 791
In the title above, "trinkets" doesn't just refer to material things, nor do the terms "toys" and "gadgets," which the Lord uses later in this Letter. As He goes on to explain‚ it's any of the unnecessary spiritual or physical baggage that weighs you down and holds you back from serving Him 100 percent. It could be things such as a worldly attitude‚ selfish ways, a lust for material comfort, a thirst for System knowledge, or anything else that keeps you from putting your whole heart into the mission field.
Of course, these "trinkets" can certainly include physical things as well: Music, clothes, electronic gadgets or equipment, etc. Rich western fields have many things available that are either nonexistent‚ scarce or very expensive on the field. As you start gathering things you think you'll need on the mission field, sometimes the needs have a tendency to grow and grow as you get more and more stuff, until you've got so much you can hardly think of moving anymore!
So don't let any spiritual or physical trinkets take hold in your life! Trash all the trinkets, and take up your cross and follow Him fully!
19. (Dad:) In order to be a missionary or even a disciple, for that matter‚ there are certain requirements that I've made throughout the years, but more importantly, there are certain guidelines that the Lord's given for those who want to be His disciples. He said, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (Luk.9:23). Now that seems pretty clear to me that if you want to follow the Lord and be useful to Him and His Kingdom, you're going to have to forsake yourself and follow hard after the Lord. That could mean forsaking some hankering for the world that you have. It could mean forsaking some worldly attitude that's become a part of your way of thinking. It could mean forsaking some of your selfish ways. It could mean forsaking some of your worldly trips.
20. Now this is a prerequisite for anyone who wants to be His disciple: The Lord said thousands of years ago that if we want to come after Him, then we have to deny ourselves and our own fleshly desires and wants, and take up our cross daily and follow Him!
25. The Lord said, "If any man"—and that means any man or woman can fulfill this requirement—"will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." Then He goes on to give a warning: "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it." And then a promise: "But whosoever will lose his life for My sake and the Gospel's‚ the same shall save it." That's a pretty powerful verse if you think about what it means‚ and what it means to you if you apply it to your life!
26. The Lord is saying that if you try to save your life by holding on to the weights and burdens and System influences and attitudes, if you're not willing to cast off the burdens of your problems, if you're not willing to yield and obey in certain areas of your life, if you're trying to save your life and enjoy the pleasures of sin for a time, you'll lose your life—it's plain and clear! Well, one thing's for sure, you'll lose your life and usefulness to the Lord.
27. If you're not willing to forsake the things that He's asking you to forsake, if you're not willing to yield the things in your life and heart that He's asking you to yield, if you're not willing to obey when He calls you to go out into a place that you know not, then how are you going to receive the promise?
28. Will you be one whose last words will be, "If I only had"? "If I had only forsaken my trinkets and toys of the world! If I had only forsaken my selfish desires. If I had only forsaken my lust for material comfort. If I had only forsaken my desire for System knowledge. If I had only learned to live together with others. If I had only taken up the challenge to be a missionary for Jesus!" Will you be one who only saw the promises of God from afar off? Or will you be one who is persuaded of them and embraces them?
29. The promises of God are without repentance, and what He has promised, He is able and willing to perform in your life. He is not a God that lies or that breaks His vows and promises. He promised that if you'll lose your life for Him and the Gospel—by laying down your life in order to spread the Good News throughout the world in these Last Days—then you'll save your life! The Lord will not only preserve your life, but He'll give you joy unspeakable and happiness over and above what you've ever imagined possible!
31. If you aren't willing to strip yourself of your false cover-ups, your layers and layers of unnecessary clothing and gadgets, then you're not going to be of much use to the Lord anywhere, let alone on the mission field. In fact‚ anyone who stubbornly clings to the things of this world and refuses to yield certain parts of their life to the Lord is not going to last in this Kingdom of the Family very long.
32. Time is getting shorter, folks! How many times do I have to tell you this before you're going to take me seriously? How many times does the Lord have to tell you that time is short before you start acting like you believe Him? There's coming a time real soon when everyone is going to have to toe the line and give their all to Jesus. Even the world is going to have to humbly submit to the Lord soon enough, so it's going to happen‚ beloved. It's going to happen!
33. The Lord is giving you a head start now by requiring a greater level of dedication from you. He's giving you an easy way out by allowing you to buckle under and toe the line and forsake the weights that are holding you down right now before the tough days of the End begin.
34. He wants you to forsake the weights and any problems, hang-ups, attitudes, worldly ways‚ or areas of unyieldedness that are holding you down. He wants you to take stock of your life and prayerfully consider which areas you need to grow in and be strengthened in, and what areas of your life you need to change in, because He wants to give you a head start. He wants you to take off the weights so that you can begin running with ease now, without the things that hold you down and hinder you.
36. The Lord has made a call for everyone to be missionaries, and not just missionaries, but His disciples. The call is to be followers of Jesus , not followers of the world. The goal is to be followers of the Word, not followers of our own selves. The goal is to be a disciple, and whatever it takes for you to be a sold-out follower of Jesus‚ then that's what you need to do!
37. The steps to becoming a dedicated follower of Jesus once again will be different for everyone. For some of you there will be more steps to take than others. For some the steps will be a little more difficult than for others. But I'm telling you, there are steps for everyone to take. No one is exempt, and everyone needs to take a good, hard look at their individual lives and make the changes necessary to be a disciple, to be a missionary. But although the steps may be different in each individual's life, the promises that the Lord has given still hold true and will still be fulfilled in you.
38. Sure‚ the life of a disciple, the life of a missionary, is not an easy one. I'm the first to admit that! But I'm also eager to add that you'll never regret living a life of sacrifice. What you gain in return is so much more weighty, so much more glorious, so much more rewarding than anything you ever gave up, that it almost makes you ashamed that you ever flinched about having to give something up for the Lord.
43. I just wanted to let you know about your rewards in Heaven, so that when the Lord asks you to give a part of your life to Him, or when He asks you to forsake some ungodly influence in your life, or when He asks you to be a missionary and forsake the things that are holding you down and holding you back‚ you'll be willing to say yes to Him, just in plain thanks and appreciation for the greatest gift that one could give anyone—the gift of eternal life! We should be willing to give our full heart, our full lives, and our full time to Him just for that one awesome gift of eternal life. But it doesn't stop there—He gives and gives and gives again!
44. I'll tell you what, you are no fool to give a life that you cannot keep in order to gain a life that you cannot lose! You've got only one life and it will soon be past; only what's done for the Lord and others will last. All of the times that we live for ourselves‚ all of the times that we wallow in the mire of the System‚ all of the times that we feast on earthly pleasures will vanish into oblivion. The only things in your lives that will stand the test of time, the only things that you'll be able to bring with you into the Next Life will be the things you gave to the Lord, the things you did for Him, the souls you brought with you, and the battles you won.
45. If you're going to give your life to Jesus, then why not go all the way? He went all the way to the cross for you. He bled and died for you! He came to this ungodly Earth and He took upon Himself the form of a man and walked this dusty road called life all because of you. He was touched with the feeling of your infirmities. He was persecuted and got weary of sacrifice‚ but He did it for you—just you. He did it out of love for you—just you.
46. Will you take up the cross that He's given to you, and only you? Will you walk this dusty road of life even if you're weary of sacrifice‚ out of love for your Lord and Lover Who gave His life for you? Will you pick up the cross of dying to yourself and carry it, just like He carried His cross up to Calvary for you? You have only one life to live for Jesus, and this life on Earth is slowly coming to a close. This life, this world and all that it has to offer, will soon be no more, and all that you'll have left will be the memories of your life for Jesus, your life as His disciple, your life as His missionary, and the fruits thereof in the form of His spiritual and physical children.
47. It's such a small thing to give up the things that are holding you down and hindering your usefulness to the Lord, when you look at things this way. To think that the Lord is going to honor you when He comes in the glory of the clouds of Heaven, if you're not ashamed to be called His and His alone and come out from among the world and be separate! But if you choose to be counted with the world and you're ashamed of Him and His Words in this adulterous and sinful generation, then the Lord's going to be ashamed of you when He comes in the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory.
48. You have only one life, and only what's done for Jesus and for lost souls will last! Make your life count and make an investment by being a 110% disciple and missionary for Jesus! It will last forever and you'll never regret giving your life to the One Who gave His whole life for you. I love you! (End of message.)
62. (Jesus: ) You're never going to make a truly great and useful missionary unless you yield your all to Me. If you have to bring suitcases full of toys that will distract you and My children on the field‚ then don't even hop on the plane. Who are you kidding, anyway? Do you think I'm blind? No, I'm not blind. I see and I know everything. I know your heart and I know what you're capable of doing and being.
63. If you're willing to give your all, to throw off the chains of bondage that surround you, if you're willing to throw away the toys and gadgets of the Evil One, if you're willing to fight your addictions and get "sober," then there's no limit to what I can do with you! There's no limit to what I can do with a man or woman that has yielded their all completely to Me. There's no limit to what I can do with a man or woman that comes to Me with open arms, a clean heart, and empty bags for Me to fill.
64. If you come to Me saying, "Nothing in my hands I bring‚ simply to Thy cross I cling," I'll fill your hands with all of the desires of your heart and will take you to heights of freedom you've never known before! I have lost sheep all over the world who are crying out to Me day and night, seeking freedom, seeking answers. You have the answers at your fingertips! Are you going to receive this freedom for yourself and then go on to new worlds and pass it on to others? The only Bible I have is you, the one bound in shoe leather.
65. I plead with you to cast aside all that is of this world, and receive the things of My spirit world. I implore you to shun the pleasures of sin, and esteem My riches greater than all of these fake trinkets of so-called happiness. If you do what I'm asking, it will be the beginning of a life in service to Me and My sheep that will bring eternal benefits into your heart and life.
66. If you aren't willing to forsake the addictions you have, if you aren't willing to break the chains of the System in your own life, then at least have the courage to keep your vices to yourself rather than pulling others down with you. If you want to go to the mission field, you're going to have to forsake all, otherwise you might as well not even go. You'll do more damage than good if you're not there with your whole heart and giving it your all.
67. It's the front lines out there! You're not going to be able to dodge the bombs, missiles and bullets of the Enemy if you're weighed down with unnecessary gadgets, chains, and heavy equipment. If you want to be able to survive out there, to run with ease and to help the work instead of hindering it‚ then you've just got to forsake all! That's the bottom line. That's the long and the short of it. If not, for Heaven's sake, don't go! You'll only end up getting yourself and others wounded, causing casualties, and slowing down My army.
68. There are places of service for those who aren't willing to give all. But if you're going to be a part of My Endtime army, then you're just going to have to give up your vices and the things which hold you back. Since when did you see soldiers on the front lines with backpacks full of goods that they don't need to fight the war? They carry guns and bullets, not boom boxes and piles of System music. They dress in uniforms, not cool clothes of their own choice, lest they be mistaken for civilians, or even the enemy. They live a simple life and carry only what they need to fight the battles and win the war. All else is set aside for the good of their country, and even for their own survival.
69. Soldiers are asked to put on a uniform and leave everything behind—things, family‚ friends, lovers—and go and fight the war! And so it is with you, My children. I need soldiers out on the battlefield who put on the uniform of My Spirit and forsake all the gadgets of this world. I need those who are willing to set aside the material goods and comforts and even their own desires so that they may fulfill My desires. It's the only way we're going to win this war.
70. I need every one of you! There's a position, a station, a uniform‚ and a special mission for each of you! Each of you can be a front-liner if you've got the guts and the courage to do it. It may be a forsaking at first, but afterwards you'll wonder how you ever thought you needed your toys in the first place! After all, we're in a war and we don't have room for System toys and other such sundry items. They'll weigh us down‚ hamper us, and hinder our ability to fight to our optimum capacity.
71. We're going on! This war is going to be won with or without you! Like I said‚ it's My desire that each of you takes part and plays the role that I'm asking you to play, because I know the joy that the victories will bring to your life. The greatest joy and happiness comes after the victory is won, but there is also great joy to be found in fighting, if you relish it and desire to do nothing else.
72. I only have volunteers in My army. But if you're going to volunteer, you're going to have to abide by the rules that I've laid out, cast aside extra added baggage, and fight with Me! Those that do, those that go out on the front lines, to the mission fields‚ to the high mountains‚ will never be disappointed. Those who go forth to conquer will not look back with remorse over the past, but will find satisfaction in being more than conquerors!
73. Will your last words be, "If I only had"? Or will they be, "I don't regret that I did, and I never will!" (End of message from Jesus.)
ML #3233:17-19, 21-25, 30, 34, 36, 38, 42‚ 54, 57-59, 61-62, GN 836
17. (Dad:) Talk about the land of the flesh and the flesh pots of Egypt—the Americans live in the flesh and for the flesh! ... On top of it, it's the land of indulgence! It's the land of "do your own thing," "to each his own," "eat, drink and be merry," "do it your own way, go your own way, think your own way." It's the "I did it my way" society. You just can't live in that kind of environment without getting dirty unless you stay mighty close to the Lord, and to do that you've got to get sanctified on a daily basis.
18. Our folks who are in these countries like the U.S. need to realize this and do all they can to press in to the Spirit of God‚ lest they too fall by the wayside. Unless they're sanctified on a daily basis, it creeps in. You begin to notice it here and there by the fruit. People's attitudes show it, and selfishness and hardness begins to creep in.
19. Some of these problems folks are having in the U.S. right now are symptoms. Murmuring and doubting, envy and jealousy, every man for himself—isn't that the very spirit of the U.S. System? It's a strong pull and the anti-Christ spirit is rampant there, so our folks who are called to stay there need to be on guard. They need to do all they can to go on an all-out attack against the anti–Christ spirit that prevails there.
21. As you know, the Devil is fighting hard right now in every way, but the reality of this is not sinking through some of our folks' thick skulls. They're forgetting what they joined the army for and the urgency of the battle we're in. Their eyes are blinded—some through the deceitfulness of riches‚ others through the lust of the eyes and through pride. It's almost impossible not to be affected by it in the U.S.‚ where the pull is so strong. Unless our folks there stay mighty close to the Lord and His Spirit, always acknowledging Him and asking Him to lead every moment of the day, they're going to be pulled down.
22. The Devil's trying hard to hinder our people and slow them down, or even bring them to a deadlock. He knows he can't have them—they're saved—but he's slipping them a Mickey (an alcoholic beverage that is secretly altered to stupefy‚ render unconscious, or otherwise incapacitate the person who drinks it). He's trying to get in with compromise, carnal-mindedness, and the ways of the world. Of course he has to make it look acceptable and believable, even fun and exciting.
23. He'll try any way he can to hinder our folks‚ to stop them, and to get them to give up. Or even worse, to make it seem like they're not really giving up or failing the Lord, but only "broadening their horizons," just "being a little flexible," "getting a balance," "lightening up," and "enjoying life a little." All the while they don't even notice that the walls of their spiritual strength are in danger and crumbling all around them!
24. It's very subtle for those who are in the forest. It creeps up on'm and they don't even realize it's happening. There's nothing wrong with enjoying life in itself‚ but which life do you want to enjoy—the life of Christ and all His joy and love and ecstasies, or the life of the world with all its confusion, woes, and pain? All that glitters is not gold!
25. This temptation with worldliness is a plot orchestrated by Satan and his ilk to slow our folks down, if not bring them to a final halt and render them useless. It's a clever way to fight our folks, to get in with a hankering for the world. The Devil tries to get in and knock them for a loop with ways of shallowness, foolishness, carnal-mindedness and compromise with the System.
30. The only way our folks are going to be able to stay on track and stay dropped out is to stay mighty close to the Lord, pumped full of the Word‚ and in tune with the Lord and the whispers that all their helpers are sending down. They can be in the world but not of the world.
34. Our people must arm themselves with the Word and the Spirit! They've got to stay so full of the Word and the Spirit that there won't be much chance to get tripped off.
36. Worldliness is to be full of the world and worldly ways. Who in Heaven's name wants that? We are dropped out of the world! For God's sake, who wants to go back to the world? It has nothing to offer but death! As the apostle said, "to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." Who wants death?
38. You know what worldliness is? Worldliness is being bound—it's not liberty! Worldliness is not freedom! … Worldliness is being all bound up within the boundaries of man. Worldliness is being limited within the narrow confines of man's own puny little finite mind. And freedom? What is free in man's world? Nothing! Poor, pitiful, fleshly man is not free. They're only bound slaves, chained by the conformity they've wrought with their own hands.
42. You want to know how far our folks can go in being worldly? Not one iota! If it means thinking like the world and wallowing in the filth of the world and getting their minds and hearts away from the Lord and His truth and His ways, forget it! For goodness sake, for Heaven's sake, and for the sake of lost souls, why would we want our folks to go the way of the rest of the world? Why do we want to give them leeway? We are to be in the world but not of the world! The Family is different!
54. It's a day to shed the weights—to lay aside the things hindering them from grasping this new day and the New Wine and the thrills of Spirit He has for them! And this will not be possible for those who want to hold on to the world.
57. You cannot serve God and mammon—and the day of forced choice is upon the entire world now. It's going to be forced because there will be no sitting on the fence then. Those who are setting their affection on the things above right now are going to be the ones who will stand strong in that day, because they will already have that connection. They're going to be the super–dupers of the End!
58. The ones who are giving their all right now to serving the Lord with all their hearts and minds and souls are going to be strong and do exploits! They're going to have the power and the wisdom and the strength to instruct many, because they'll have their minds and hearts in Heaven. They're going to live right through things that those who have fallen to worldliness and worldly ways will not be able to stand.
59. It's coming; there's no way out! Will you be a super-duper? Don't submerse yourselves in fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness—reprove them, beloved! Come out from among them, dear Family!
61. You need to remember you're strangers in a strange land, that this world is not your home. My goodness, to think of all the Lord gives you and has for you and has in store for you—you ought to be laughing and almost sneering at worldly ways and practices!
62. We're going on to a brighter day and we're free, free, free! Phooey on the false lies of Satan! Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty—and we have it! Are you with me? We have total and complete liberty—total freedom from the bondage of the world and its worldly ways into complete liberty and freedom of life through love. That's the only freedom there is! You cannot serve God and mammon. Which will you serve? (End of message.)
ML #3363:110–111, 117-119, 122, 124-125, GN 959
(Comments from COs and VSs: )
110. A tendency I'm noticing more and more is people getting jobs in order to buy cars, computers, or other gadgets they feel are important to have. In order to buy these things, they work out an agreement with the Home, but many times the fruits in their personal lives aren't so positive—such as becoming more independent or selfish‚ or working on the periphery of the Family, or losing the vision to live by faith, and continuing to work even after they have acquired what they wanted, etc. It also foments a spirit of comparison and creates distinctions between the haves and have-nots, those who have their own cars, etc., and those who are simple missionaries, content with such things as they have.
111. In the Charter member contract, point O says: "I hereby agree to commit my resources, time, energy‚ knowledge, gifts and talents towards reaching the agreed-upon goals of the Home in which I reside and the goals of the Family at large." If the majority of the members of a Home are committing most of their time and energy to System jobs, with some witnessing on the side, it seems this fits in more with an FM level of commitment and not a CM one.
*
117. It seems we have a fair number of very smart young people‚ mainly men, who have taught themselves quite a bit about computers and programming or Web work. Some of them have left the Family, but I've seen that some who remain in the Family are often still very money- and System-oriented, with a lot of talk and communications going on regarding how to get money by different computer-related jobs, or working on Web sites‚ or programming for different System companies. This sort of work is often accompanied by some anti-Family policy attitudes.
118. I received a note from one Home regarding some young men in such a situation there. The Home reported: "You often hear them together talking about their bank accounts, buying this or buying that, and it doesn't lend to the unity of spirit in the Home.—Especially when you seldom see those same people making an effort to come to devotions, but when it comes time to get up and head into town for business, they can be up and out as early as they wish." (End of excerpt from Home.)
119. It seems these young men are potential "supers," with the knowledge and money-making ability that others look up to, but often lack the "super-duper" convictions and attitudes of the spirit which really count and which our other young people should be looking up to.
*
122. It seems like everybody is struggling for finances so desperately, but again the individual Family member may be richer than 10 years ago. A while back it was enough if a Home had two vehicles; now if there are four families in a Home, they all need their own car. And they have to work for it themselves. Now there is less and less Home property and more and more personal property. "I own my double bed, the kids' beds, my cupboards, my desk with the desktop, some kitchen equipment, my car‚ etc. And if I move I take them all, because I worked so hard for them, and who knows what I'll have in the next Home. I have to secure myself somehow‚ right?" This is the way of thinking that goes around. (End of comments from COs and VSs.)
124. (Mama:) What's happening to the Family? Don't you wonder about that? What about communal living, having all things in common, from each according to his ability unto each according to his need‚ bearing one another's burdens?
125. Many of you have become almost totally focused on money. That's your main concern. Of course, I understand that you need money, and a lot of it! But a terrible worldly selfishness has snuck into our ranks‚ and it stinks! That's not the Family!
ML #3442:115-121, GN 1026
115. (Jesus:) The things that are seen are temporal. Learn to see them as such; to see them for what they really are—nothing! They are as dust, as the grass of the field that withers, that today is, but tomorrow is cast into the oven.
116. But the things that are not seen, these you must open your eyes to, and learn to see them as though they were real—for they are. They are true reality. These are the things that are eternal. These are the things of value. These are the things you should be striving for, living for, dying for.
117. Bringing it down to brass tacks‚ this means you seek to shed the things of this world that encumber your spirit. You must take care. There are many choices ahead of you, and only a few lead the way down that straight and narrow path. Many others, the majority of choices‚ are designed by the Enemy to lead you into a trap, and these traps are becoming more and more deadly, more and more vicious the further you go along.
118. The Enemy knows that this consecration, and the path I'm calling My children to follow, will make them vastly more powerful, and he fears this. So he musters all his forces, all his lures, any temptation he can think of to get you to take one of his paths—and he springs the trap much sooner than he might have before. This is what I mean when I say that the battles are becoming more intense.
119. You must take care to follow the choices of My will, and often the only way to find that choice in that moment is to look to Me. There are many options, even many good and acceptable things that can be done. But there's usually only one thing that is best, My highest will for that particular moment, and that's what you should strive to find and follow.
120. Yes‚ it will be a sacrifice; at least it will seem that way at first. But as you shed the choices of the flesh and become attuned to the choices of the spirit, you'll begin to realize that the rewards, the joy, the fulfillment and satisfaction of the spirit is so much greater than what those little worldly enticements promise but never give.
121. Your choices determine who and what you are. You can choose to be strong‚ just as you can choose to be weak in these areas. They're choices that are made one decision at a time. So look to Me, and with My help and the strength and resources of a full larder of Word time, prayer time, praise time, love time, and prophecy time behind you, you'll know just what to do, no matter what the Enemy might try to use to convince you otherwise. (End of message.)
ML #3453:37-40, GN 1038
37. (Dad:) There are many who have turned away from true loving and sacrificial giving, and have fallen into the trap of becoming entangled again with the affairs of this life. They have forgotten that they were called and chosen to be soldiers of the cross, not selfish members of a Christian society.
38. And unfortunately, their selfish samples have affected others around them, to where many Family members are afraid to live Acts 2:44-45 for fear that they will not be able to survive. If they give unselfishly themselves to those who are selfish, they are afraid that they will not receive anything in return‚ and therefore they begin to hold back, and on and on the cycle goes until they have become little different than the so-called Christians who do not follow the full counsel of the Word. (End of message.)
*A big problem with you young people (and others) is that you're focused on accumulating personal possessions. You've become selfish and self-centered, and you've lost the Acts 2:44-45 vision. You don't want to share. For example, you want a car. Not that having a car is bad in itself; it can be an asset, can save time, can be a blessing if you have children‚ etc. But the problem is that many of you have private projects going to raise money to buy not only your personal car, but your personal everything, and then you don't want to share. You've lost the vision to allow other people to use what you have. How is that different from how people in the world live?
Peter: "Sure the Home has a car or two, but I've gotta have my car." "I've gotta have my computer." "I've gotta have my this, I've gotta have my that." "I've gotta have my little house, my little family, my little children‚ all my belongings."
That sounds like my parents, who are Systemites. It sounds like all the rest of the world. It sounds like selfish Christians to me, a little Christian society.
Well, we're not just some little Christian society; we're a Family—a Family of disciples. We're a discipleship society, and if you're not a disciple, then you don't belong. If your heart is in your TVs, your videos, your house, your car‚ your selfishness, and your "me, me, me," "gimme‚ gimme‚ gimme"—there's a whole world of people in the world like that! Go join'm!
39. (Jesus speaking:) Many of you think that living Acts 2:44–45 in this day and age is not possible. You're wrong. You feel the world has changed so much, the System is different now, and that even the makeup of the Family and the way it's operating and its traditions are different now, so you feel justified in having your own private families, homes, and belongings. You are departing from the spirit of discipleship and communal living, which is an integral part of My plan for revolutionary Endtime discipleship.
40. You're not meant to be straying further from ultimate discipleship and radical living; you're meant to be coming closer, being more dropped out, more pure. It's time for all your selfishness and cozy, independent living to change. It's time to get back to the basics of the Word—sacrifice, giving, sharing‚ having all things in common. Only through such giving of self to each other will you be united and the true testimony of My Endtime New Church. (End of message.)
ML #3490:44-50, GN 1074
How about shopping?
44. Q: What about shopping for things online?
45. A: (Jesus:) I'm not going to close the door on all online shopping completely, because there may be times when something is really needed for the sake of the work, and the best place to get it would be online. But I will say that many of you have become addicted to your gadgets, addicted in the sense of "keeping up with the latest," and always trying to find new and better deals. For you, it will be a tremendous blessing to completely stop looking for deals online. You'll have some withdrawals, but you'll make it through, and when this six months is over, things will be in a much better perspective. So if something comes up that is a legitimate need, that can't wait until after the six months without hindering the work, and your shepherds agree, and I show you that online is the best place to look, then you may proceed.
46. Q: What about shopping in general? Some people seem to be addicted to going to the mall and window shopping, for example.
47. A: (Jesus: ) For many of you, materialism has crept into your life in ways you don't even realize. The spirit of the renewal is a time of cleansing, coming apart from the ways and things of the world, and letting Me renew your perspective. Shopping is something that is necessary in some cases, but in other cases it has become too big an issue and has polluted your spirit with a desire for the things of the world. Some of you have developed a compulsion to buy or acquire new things. If that's you‚ it would do you good to have a complete break from that, if possible.
48. During this time of renewal, come to Me about your needs and ask Me what is the best way to get them. Ask Me about the amount of time you spend out in the world looking at and for things‚ and see if it's something that you should cut down on during this time. I know your spirit and your needs‚ and if you're open to Me, I'll give you good counsel and a good balance. I'll help you abide by the spirit of the renewal. Going to malls, for example, where you're surrounded by so much of the world, probably wouldn't be a good use of your free time. Going to some sort of open-air market or sale, in another example, might be a fun outing and excursion where you have opportunities to witness, and under the right conditions might be something I give you the go-ahead on. In each situation and instance I'll give you the counsel I know you need, if you're really open and yielded to Me.
What about selling things?
49. Q: What about selling things? I'm not referring to selling our Family tools, but to more personal ventures, such as selling in an online auction. There's also the case when a Home might need to sell their car, for example.
50. A: (Jesus: ) A lot depends on how urgent the need is, and whether or not I give you My go-ahead to invest the time during the renewal. You should counsel with Me and then with your shepherds. There will be times when it's very necessary and even urgent to engage in some sort of sale or commerce, whether online or in person. There will be other times when it could and should wait. And especially if you're someone who has become addicted to buying and selling, or materialism has become too much a part of your attitudes and mindset and life, you should try to avoid it completely during the renewal period‚ so that the cleansing in your life and heart will be complete.
4, Word Basics
A. Abandoning other pursuits to follow Jesus:
Mat.13:44Kingdom is like treasure hid in a field...selleth all that he hath and buyeth that field
Mat.13:45,46Found pearl of great price...sold all he had and bought it
Lk.14:33He...that forsaketh not all...cannot be My disciple
B. Forsaking the pursuit of material possessions:
Mat.6:19,20Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth
Mk.10:21Sell whatsoever thou hast...and take up cross and follow
Lk.12:15A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth
Acts 4:34‚35aPossessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices...and laid them down at apostles' feet
Phi.3:8Jesus...for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung
(See also Mat.19:22; Lk.12:33.)
C. Forsaking worldly and materialistic ambitions:
Mat.6:24Ye cannot serve God and mammon
Mk.4:19The cares of this world, and deceitfulness of riches...choke the Word...it becometh unfruitful
Mk.10:17-25[Jesus challenged the rich young ruler to forsake all]
Jn.6:27Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for
2Tim.2:4No man that warreth entangleth himself with...this life
Heb.12:1Lay aside every weight...let us run the race
(See also 2Cor.6:17)
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