HomeARC ML 3132
Why Witness? Maria #391 5/97 DO/TS 3132
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My dear loved ones,
1. I love each of you so much! I'm so proud of you for how you daily give your lives in service to the Lord. You sacrifice so much to give His love to others. And even though it's tough sometimes, you keep going, you keep persevering, you keep fighting and striving toward the goal. You're just terrific!
2. I can't think of anyone else in the world that I would rather be working with to accomplish the Lord's commission to reach the ends of the Earth with the Gospel. You're doing it! You're out there getting the job done, struggling through thick and thin, overcoming personal problems, financial difficulties, persecution, and all the attacks of the Enemy. You keep forging ahead to win the lost, to give them a true sample of God's love and a chance to receive His gift of Salvation.
3. I admire each of you who are out there on the front lines beating the pavement day after day, looking for those who are receptive and needy. As Dad has said, you witnessers are at the top of God's list!--And you're at the top of mine, too!
4. Even in our Family, as wonderful as it is, I know you've found that life can sometimes be pretty difficult with so many battles--in our personal lives, our Homes, our support, our outreach. But when you think about what the Lord has in store for us and what He has promised, it's exciting and thrilling! "They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever!" (Dan.12:3). And we know that "the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us" (Rom.8:18). Thank the Lord for giving us such a wonderful future to look forward to!
5. So if you sometimes feel a little down and discouraged, try to look beyond today to the Lord's precious promises and the priceless rewards He has promised you for doing your best for Him. One day you'll hear Him say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant," and that will make it worth it all!
6. Perhaps one of the most exciting parts of our reward in Heaven will be to see the thousands of people whom we personally had a part in bringing the wonderful joy and peace of life eternal with our Lord of love! Just imagine their faces smiling and thanking you for changing their lives through your faithfulness to give them the message of Jesus' love. What a day that will be!
7. As Dad has often said, the full results of our witness are largely unknown and unseen to us. Only once we're in Heaven will we truly realize the great effect that we had on the lives of those we touched, whether it was just planting a seed in the form of a kind word, a tract, a little witness, or whether it was reaping fruit in the form of praying with them to receive the Lord. In Heaven it will be so much fun to be able to find out exactly how far each witness went. We'll probably even be able to watch how the events unfolded on our 3D communicators! What a thrill!
Why This GN?
8. As the title denotes, this Letter is about witnessing--and more specifically, is it really so important that we witness? Maybe this seems obvious, but I know some of you have had some questions about this. We've taken them to the Lord for His answers, so I'm sure you'll be very interested in what He and Dad had to say!
9. As a little introduction, I'd like to share with you a message the Lord gave when I asked Him whether now was the time to work on getting this Letter done and out to you, or whether I should work on Letters on some other pressing topics which the Lord had given counsel on and which I had a burden to write you about. The Lord has poured out so much and it's all so important, and I want to get it all out as quickly as possible. Thank the Lord, He's helping us to get out more than ever before. However, it's just not humanly possible to do it all at once, so I regularly have to come before the Lord to ask Him what the priorities are and what is most needed.
10. Besides this Letter on witnessing, I was burdened to pass on to you counsel the Lord has given on topics such as System jobs, worldliness, young people who leave the Family, etc. So I asked the Lord what to work on first, and this is what He said. I'm including it because the Lord gives some very important counsel for all of you on how investing your time, effort and energy in witnessing means you won't have to worry so much about some of life's other problems.
11. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:)} If people in the Family don't have a vision to witness, if they don't have a vision to get out and win souls, to give My Words to the lost, if they've lost that motivation and that drive, then they've lost their reason for being in the Family. They've lost their reason for living for Me, and they're then much more likely to take a System job, get into worldliness, or backslide.
12. But if they're sold-out, if they're witnessing, if they're giving it all they've got, if they have a love for the lost and their heart is broken for them, if they want to do nothing else but get out My Words and they understand the importance of it and how much responsibility rests on them to preach the Gospel, then they'll be much less interested in these other things, and they'll be less of a problem.
13. They won't have time to get a System job, because they'll be so busy witnessing! They won't be interested in spending a lot of time on worldly pursuits, because they'll be so busy witnessing! They'll be busy sharpening their swords in order to be able to better minister to those whom they meet. They'll want to get in the Word in order to feed themselves, so that they can feed others. Their main goal in life will be to feed the hungry, to feed the lost, instead of following their own selfish pursuits, which is what worldliness is.
14. Worldliness is selfishness; it's thinking of yourself, trying to please yourself, and doing what you think is going to make you happy. But Godliness is trying to make others happy--both your brothers and sisters and the lost. It's giving your life for them, giving them My love, giving them My Spirit. So the best way to fight worldliness is with unselfishness, giving to others, pouring out.
15. The Enemy is trying to attack our people and get them to stop witnessing. He's using System jobs as a way to prevent them from having that much time to witness, to weaken their effectiveness and their efficiency. He's using worldliness to get their minds and hearts on themselves instead of on others, so that they lose the vision and the desire to make the necessary sacrifices to get out and witness. And of course he's tempting them to backslide altogether, so that they will completely forfeit their usefulness as far as a full-time witness. These are all attacks on their service for Me, because he knows how important it is for them to pour out My Words. So strengthen them in their conviction to witness.
16. The Enemy has gotten in with some doubts, some confusion, some misunderstanding, because some people have not understood some of the messages that were given from beyond. Perhaps they were not explained clearly enough, and those from beyond who gave their messages should have made things a little clearer. But these messages were directed to the general public; they were directed to those who do not know Me, who do not know My Words, for whom things need to be explained a little bit differently than for the Family. But some people in the Family--some young people in particular, and older ones as well--are being deceived into wondering whether it's not so important to witness now, to really sacrifice and lay down their lives to feed the sheep, because they think that even if they don't witness to them, they'll get a chance in the next life. This is an attack of the Enemy in order to weaken their convictions, in order to destroy their zeal!
17. Strengthen their conviction! Strengthen their zeal! Help them to see that the witnessing fervor and the vision of being missionaries is what has kept this Family alive. This is the spirit of your Father David, for he was a true missionary and a true witness. For that purpose he gave his life, and for that purpose he encouraged you to give your lives.
18. With so many things going on in Family Homes, it can be easy for them to get their minds and hearts off of the goal. They get so busy just trying to keep the Home running and taking care of all the things that are involved with that.--And all of these are important. But it's easy to lose sight of the end result, of the goal, of the purpose for all this, which is to reach the lost.
19. So encourage them. Strengthen their convictions, and this will be a great stepping stone, a great step in the right direction toward these other issues. For if they're witnessing, if they're pouring out, if they're feeding the hungry, if they're feeding the lost, they'll be much stronger against the Enemy's attacks, lies, and attempts to get them to backslide or to get them off track. Feed them My Words, and they shall strengthen them and give life unto them. (End of message from Jesus.)
20. {\b \i (Mama:) }This is a bit of a sideline, but I'd like to clarify a small point about System jobs in the above prophecy. The Lord explains that if folks don't have a vision to witness, then they've lost their reason for living for the Lord, and they're much more likely to get a System job. The Lord is specifically referring here to those who have taken a System job when they could be witnessing instead and supporting themselves through their outreach, or who are locked into a System job that takes up most of their time and leaves them very little time and strength to do their main job of preaching the Gospel. The Lord is not referring to those who have to get a job for visa purposes, or in order to remain in the country they're in, or who He has specifically led to get a job as a witness or for some specific reason, such as to support others so they can get out witnessing full-time.
21. While the Lord does not generally encourage us to get System jobs--and Dad discouraged it in the Letters as well--there are instances where it is His will for you to get a job, or where it is necessary for visa purposes or other reasons. More counsel on this subject will be coming out in a future GN, Lord willing, but the main point is that you should pray and ask the Lord whether He wants you to take a System job before you do. And if you do get a System job, remember that your main job is still to witness and preach the Gospel.
22. If you've got a System job and you find that it doesn't leave you or the others in your Home much time for witnessing and you're basically just surviving, then you should pray and re-evaluate your priorities. Make sure you're doing what the Lord wants you to do and that you're in the center of His will. God bless you!
Why Witness?
23. In the above prophecy, the Lord makes mention of some messages from beyond that have caused some questions and misunderstandings among some Family members. Let me explain. Since the messages for the Who Said They're Dead book were published in the GN last year, I've received letters from a number of Family members asking the following question:
24. If folks can get saved in the next world (which some of those whose messages were published in the Who Said They're Dead GNs profess happened to them, such as Albert Einstein), then does it make any difference whether they get saved on Earth or in the next life? And if it doesn't make any difference, then why bother trying to get them saved while on Earth? Why not just let them go to their grave, and then when they die they'll get a chance to hear then? It will be easier for them to believe anyway, since they'll have visible proof of the spirit world and won't even have to take it by faith any more!
25. In a letter from a dear YA on the mission field, he explained that while he enjoyed witnessing and getting people saved, he found his soul-winning zeal to be a little dampened by the thought that regardless of whether he got people saved on Earth or not, they'd get a chance in the next life anyway. He explained that while you know that you'll get rewards in Heaven for sacrifices you make to win souls here, and that is some incentive, it's not as much incentive as knowing that with each person you pray with to receive the Lord, you're saving their soul from hellfire and damnation. This boy even wondered whether it was worth it for some of our missionaries to make the sacrifices they do, if in the end people will get a chance anyway.
26. I was of course convinced from what the Bible tells us, and from what Dad has always taught, that it is very important for us to witness and do our best to get people saved on Earth, and there was no question in my mind that the sacrifices we make to fulfill that commission do make a difference and are worth it. In fact, we explained all this in "Not Willing That Any Should Perish!" (ML #3042, GN 671). Even if the only reason for witnessing was to give people the Lord's love and peace and an opportunity to establish a personal relationship with their loving Savior while in this life, that in itself would be more than sufficient motive for giving our all to get people saved now rather than waiting until they die and perhaps get it then.
27. However, I thought it would be good to bring these questions to the Lord and ask Him to explain further the importance of our witness here on Earth and why, even though folks may get a chance in the next life if they didn't get one here (as Dad made clear in "Salvation in the Spirit World," ML #1476), we still need to do our best to try to get them saved now. The Lord sent Dad with an answer for this YA and for all of you who may have similar questions, and here's what he had to say. It's a pretty long message, but full of interesting and very relevant counsel you won't want to miss! I added subheadings to make it easier to retain each point being made.
Witnessing Is Our Commission!
28. {\b \i (Dad speaking:)} I love you, Son! Thank you for your questions. They're good, honest, legitimate questions, and I can see how you would have questions like this--especially when you have to go out there day after day, laboring and working hard in the fields to reach souls and bring the harvest in.
29. Good witnessing always pays! Good witnessing will never be wasted, and it pays off in many, many, many ways. It will pay now, while you are still there on Earth, and it will also pay later when you get Here. All around, you just can never lose if you witness!
30. You've asked some good questions, but you've gotta remember that there are so many ins and outs, whys and wherefores, reasons for this and reasons for that. There are many things that the Lord knows that you don't know. There are many things the Lord knows that I don't know! But our job is just to do what He said to do, what He told us personally to do.
31. He said, "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." That's our commission! That's your commission. When you think about it, it's really not our job to question that, is it? It's just our job to obey. Now don't get me wrong. I don't blame you for asking, and I don't want you to be discouraged for asking. In fact, I'm real proud of you for asking. I'm glad you brought up this question, because as you said, there are lots of others who are wondering the same thing. And I can understand this, especially when now you're hearing all these testimonies of people who have passed over to this side, like dear old Albert! Ha! Yep, Einstein and I have had some good conversations up Here. It's been very enlightening.
32. But be careful that you don't compare, because you just can't compare yourselves with some of these other cases. You see, each person is accountable before God to do what God told them to do, or to obey what God is calling them to do with their life, and each case will be handled accordingly. One thing I can tell you for sure--and you already know this--God is a just God. He is fair and square. There really are no shortcuts to Heaven or shortcuts to advancement up Here. The only shortcut is Jesus! The only way to make things easier is to live for Jesus. And the best thing anyone can do during their time on Earth is to live for Him and tell others about Him.
33. But I can understand how hearing some of these testimonies from people who have met the Lord after they passed on to this side brings up these questions in your mind. I can certainly understand why some of you would ask this. If you can get saved up in Heaven, why worry about it so much down there? Maybe you're thinking you can sort of lighten up in your witness, and maybe you don't even have to enter into different countries or places where the conditions are a little more difficult and the sacrifices are great, because if they don't hear the Gospel there, well, it will eventually come around to them.
34. This question has been asked down through the centuries, believe it or not! And let me tell you something now, it is a natural tendency of human nature to want the best of both worlds!--To live loosely on Earth below, and still enjoy the benefits of Heaven later.
35. But for a Christian to think, "Why should I go through all this hard work at great risk and great discomfort, just to go reach the lost out there in Siberia, or in the middle of the jungle, or out in boonie-land, when they can still get saved anyhow when they get to Heaven?" Well, I'll tell you why. The best reason why is simply because Jesus said to! He said, "Even as the Father sent Me, so send I you." He knows best and He knows what He's doing, and why it's best for people to get saved while there on Earth.
Getting Saved in the Afterlife Is a Last Resort!
36. Don't forget that the Lord sees the full 360-degree spectrum of things, and He wouldn't ask this of you if it wasn't for a good reason. If everybody could just arrive in Heaven and get saved Here, why do you think Jesus had to come to Earth in the first place and die for mankind? Just think, even Jesus came down to the mission field of Earth to preach the Gospel! Do you think He would have had to make all the sacrifices that He did if it didn't make a difference? Of course He wants people to get saved as soon as they can. He wants them to get saved while there on Earth. He knows best and this is simply what He wants.
37. Just because you hear a few testimonies from some of the folks who He has had great mercy on, that doesn't mean the Lord wants you all to go the other way and lighten up on your witness, or think you don't have to work as hard on winning souls.
38. There are a lot of good reasons to keep preaching the Gospel. Timing for one thing. Why wait to get saved when you can have it now? And how are they going to hear the Gospel if you don't take it to them? They can start learning to love the Lord and have His blessings in their lives here and now.
39. You need to realize that for these people who didn't get saved until they arrived up Here, this was a last resort. It wasn't necessarily the Lord's highest or best will. It's been a manifestation of His great grace and mercy. And those who have had the opportunity to tell their testimony or to speak to the world are telling people the way not to go most of the time. They're saying, "Learn a lesson from me! Don't do what I did! Do it this way instead. Do it Jesus' way."
40. The Lord wants you to do all you can right now to win as many as you can to His Kingdom! If you miss God's golden opportunity right now to tell that soul about Jesus, they miss out on a lot, and others miss out or have to wait. Oh, they have to wait so long! Others may have to wait because of all the progress that was not made, because someone else wasn't reached earlier or sooner.
Witnessing and Rewards!
41. We witness for the Lord because we love Him, first of all. Not just for rewards, but because we love Him and we want to give His love to others. Don't you want to do your best for Jesus? That should be your motivation, your incentive. The love of Jesus should be the driving force deep in your soul to go out there and win souls for Him. And like I always said, if you don't feel like going out there and winning souls, just get out there and try it and you'll get a burden real quick! When you're faced with needy situation after needy situation, that will give you a burden to win souls! Why would anybody want to make someone wait when they can find the solution to their pain and problems right now?
42. You asked about rewards. The rewards are an "extra." That's right! But they sure are a nice "extra," let me tell you! There's a real fine line there, and it's a little hard to explain to you because you have no idea what the rewards are. You can't see clearly through the veil yet, and you just have to take it by faith. Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it even entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love Him--and for those who work for Him, and those who obey Him. You've had little glimpses here and there, but you are far from knowing or grasping the true reality of it.
43. You don't witness just for rewards. Your main motive to win souls is because you love Jesus, and you want to show Him how much you love Him by obeying and doing what He asked you to do. That is your main motive--the love of Christ that constrains you. But let's be honest. Many people obey and do what He says because there are rewards, and that is not altogether a bad incentive.
44. What's wrong with rewards? The Lord talks plenty about rewards. Look it up and see. He talks about your sure reward and your good reward, and says that your work will be rewarded. He promised that great is your reward in Heaven.
45. Why do you think He told you all that? Even in His living Word today, He keeps talking plenty about rewards, because He knows you all need a little encouragement, a little incentive. The Lord rewards you because He loves you, and He wants to see you happy. He tells you about the promise of the greater things to come as an encouragement. He knows it helps you to keep going, to keep holding on, to keep trusting Him, to keep your eyes on the goal and not give up, so you can keep forging ahead and winning those souls into Heaven, because some day great will be your reward in Heaven!
46. So even if some of you feel like you're working just for the rewards you're going to get in the end, well, that's okay! The Lord says lots in His Word about rewards--for a reason! He wants you to know there are great rewards in store; otherwise He wouldn't have told you. He knows this will be a great incentive, so that's just fine. There's nothing wrong with looking forward, looking ahead to the reward. This should inspire you and spur you on to win those souls!
47. All the patriarchs looked ahead to the rewards. They looked for a city afar off that had foundations not of this world, whose builder and maker was God (Heb.11:10,13). They looked ahead to the goal, to the promise, and that promise was full of great rewards. The laborer is worthy of his hire (Luke 10:7). There are oodles of promises in the Bible on this! So I would say that the incentive of knowing you have great rewards waiting is okay. And these are pretty high stakes.
48. The subject of rewards is a pretty big one that could be a whole study on its own. But suffice it to say that even if your incentive to go out there and witness and win souls was merely because of rewards alone, well, that would certainly be better than just sitting back and going about other things and leaving all the poor lost souls who have never heard about Jesus to fend for themselves, or to let them wait until they get over Here to this side to hear about Salvation. Some things, kids, you just can't see clearly right now. But I can tell you this: It's worth it! It's worth it all, every single bit of it!
Verses on Rewards
Psa. 58:11a: Verily there is a reward for the righteous.
Jer.32:19b: Thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
Dan.12:3: They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
Mat.5:12a: Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in Heaven.
Mat.16:27: The Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works.
Mat.25:21: His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Luke 18:29,30: And He said unto them, Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the Kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the World to come, life everlasting.
1Cor.2:9: But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him.
1Cor.3:11-15: For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
1Cor.9:17: If I [EDITED: "preach the Gospel"] willingly, I have a reward.
Gal.6:7b: Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
2Tim.4:7,8: I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.
Heb.6:10a: God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have showed toward His Name.
1Peter 5:4: When the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
Rev.2:7b: To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Rev.2:10b: Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Rev.2:17b,26: To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. And he that overcometh, and keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations.
Rev.3:21: To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.
Rev.11:18: And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that Thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Thy Name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the Earth.
Rev.22:12: Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
(See also: 2Chr.15:7; Mat.10:42; 1Cor. 3:8; 1Cor.15:19; Eph.6:8; Rev.3:5,11-12.)
Everything Works Together to Fulfill God's Plan!
49. Now here is another good reason: If you don't go out there and win those souls now, many people wouldn't make progress. Maybe you can look at it this way: If people don't get saved now, they will have to eventually, but everything could get awfully backed up. Progress wouldn't be made if everyone just sat back and waited until the final hour. If sincere Christians all just sat back and said, "Well, why go witness now when people can get saved later?" so many things would be hindered and slowed down. All of creation--everything He made and how it fits together--is so intricate, so detailed. The machinery of the universe is really quite something, and it all fits together like an intricate machine or clock. It all works together, and is well-oiled by His Spirit.
50. One thing affects another thing. I guess you could say it's a little bit like dominoes: one thing triggers another. Every time a step is missed there on Earth, every time somebody fails to do their part, to meet the need, to be in the right place at the right time, it slows down the work of God. God's plan will not be foiled; His plan is going to win out in the end, but you can slow down the work of God by not being in the right place at the right time. Whatever people don't learn there, they will eventually have to learn over Here. So if you don't win the souls you are supposed to win there, it slows down the process.
51. When you get Here and you see the great things He has in store for you, then you will understand why. Then you will understand the importance and the magnitude of it, why you wouldn't want to make anybody wait another day, another hour, another minute, not even one more breath, before they find the glories and reality that He has for them! Why make people wait when they can be delivered from the hell on Earth that so many live in right now? That in itself should be your prime motivating factor to go out there and win the lost.
People Need Jesus Now and in the Last Days!
52. If you're tempted to think that some of these people who need to be saved don't really have such a difficult life right now, or maybe they don't even seem that needy or desperate, let me tell you, the world is heading into its darkest night real fast! Night is falling fast, and it's going to be a mighty dark night, and all the world is going to see it and feel it! There is no escaping the dark night that is falling right now; it's going to cover the whole Earth.
53. The people who are living right now but are not saved yet, even those who seem like their lives are not all that bad, not all that intolerable, even those who seem like maybe it wouldn't be so bad if they had to wait till they get to Heaven to be saved--let me tell you, they are all going to need Jesus real bad, like never before, in the soon-coming days ahead! You who are living right now, today, are about to see drastic changes, the most drastic changes the world has ever known, as you enter into the Last Days of the Earth!
54. People everywhere are going to need Jesus then to be able to survive, and this in itself is reason enough to work like mad to give'm Jesus. This in itself should be enough motive for every child of God to work like everything depended on work, to give'm the Gospel, to work the works of Him Who has sent you while it is still day, for the night is coming when no man can work!
55. Why make them wait one more day? When you win a soul, dear Family, it's important to remember what that one soul can do! That one soul has the capability and the possibility of winning more souls--souls that you might never see while there on Earth, lives that will be changed that you might never realize or know about until you get to Heaven! So many things will be missed, slowed down or retarded, all because you didn't want to go out there and win that soul.
56. It all works together. It's all fitly joined together, and it's important that you do your part. There is a great plan, a great design, and there are so many facets to it, so many things that you don't see right now. But believe me, there is a good reason for it all!
57. (Mama: One point that Dad didn't go into detail about, perhaps because it's so obvious, is that people need Jesus now just to make it through life! Jesus not only wants to save them for eternity, but He wants to save them for this life. He wants to make their present lives so much happier and more meaningful by giving them a living, loving relationship with Himself. Knowing Jesus is the key to life's problems, and that starts with Salvation.)
Catching Up in Heaven!
58. {\b \i (Dad continues:)} Many things hinge on the individual's own choice. Take Richard Nixon, for example. He's a perfect example. He cried out to Jesus as a young boy, and that's when he got saved. He cried out with a believing heart as a young child, and that was his key, his ticket to Heaven. But as you know, sad to say, he didn't live much for the Lord while he was on Earth, and he even turned his back on the Lord.
59. There are many people like him who prayed at one point in life. They cried out to Jesus for Salvation, and then they turned around and forgot all about Him for the rest of their life. Until one day, they wake up in Heaven and their whole life is laid before them, and they see all the things that they could have done that they didn't do. Then they're faced with it--that lamenting stage of, "If I only had!"
60. Many times it's not just lamenting "If I only had," but like Nixon, they have to relive, they have to feel the pain of those who suffered because of their actions, or they have to feel the remorse of those who failed because of them, because of how they lived their lives. Believe me, no one would wish for this. As you know, some, although saved, will live in everlasting shame. This is a great price to pay.
61. Many of us up Here are trying to help people down there see the Lord's mercy, His love and grace, which far surpass the wildest dreams and imaginations of man. The Lord is merciful and His love does reign supreme, but at the same time you must remember that it's not an altogether pretty picture--the backtracking that people have to do, the making up for lost time. It's not easy at all. The Lord's grace carries them, but if any of them had to do it over again, they would choose to do it differently.
62. Even this reason alone makes it worth it. It's very much worth it to get people saved while you can. Why wait another day, another hour, another second? The best thing you can do is do all you can do right now, and trust God for the rest. Get out there and win the lost at any cost, and trust God for the results.
What Witnessing Does for You!
63. Witnessing isn't only to win the soul. I've got news for you! Witnessing has so many advantages and does you a Heaven of a lot of good at the same time! First of all, if you obey and go out there to witness, it brings down the blessings of God. Don't you want God's full blessings in your life? It also encourages you and keeps you alive and moving spiritually!
64. Witnessing puts spark and fervor in your life and gives you a reason to live! It gives meaning to life. If you are out there winning souls and disciples, and teaching and training those whom the Lord lays on your heart, those whom He shows you that you are supposed to take care of--your own personal disciples--all this in itself is reason enough to keep at it, because then you know you are ushering in the Kingdom of God. You are winning souls and making disciples of all nations as you bring about His will and His Kingdom on Earth.
65. If you just stopped winning souls right now and pulled back and said, "Well, why do it now when they can get saved in Heaven?" you would soon find that there is not much else to live for! You would soon reap the results of selfish living, simply because that is not how the Lord designed it, and that is not the way He intended it to be. Think of all the lessons you learn when you are out there winning souls--so many lessons that help you to grow and to progress.
66. Winning souls is your motivation for going out there; but the Lord is wise, because along with it, He knows that winning souls and going out there is going to teach you a lot. Your faith will grow! You learn precious lessons on faith, on obedience, on trust, on patience, on love, and a whole lot more. Isn't that what it's all about?--Growing together, loving together, learning the ways of the Lord together, progressing, going forward! You're either going forward or going backwards; there's no standing still. And for a true Christian who knows and loves Jesus to sit back and say, "Well, why get'm saved now when they can get saved in Heaven?" that is really going backwards! There's no standing still in a Christian's life.
67. Son, this is a trick of the Devil! It's a trick of the Enemy, because he knows if he can get sincere Christians to do nothing, then he is able to make headway. This is one of his old tricks. He can't keep you from getting saved, but if he can keep you from being an on-fire witness and winning others into the Kingdom, if he can get you to be a lukewarm Christian, then he's making headway. That's one of his greatest wiles--wait awhile! That ol' Devil says, "What's the hurry? You have plenty of time! After all, they can still get saved in Heaven, and you won't have to risk your life to boot! So what's the big deal?"
Why Wait for the Afterlife?
68. Well, I'll tell you what the big deal is: God has a plan! He has a purpose for each person's life, and He has a timetable. He has a reason. He simply told us to go out and win the lost at any cost and He would bless. And His highest and His best is to get'm saved now, so they can grow and progress and get on with living, really living, and knowing Jesus and progressing for Him--going forward in the Kingdom of God! This is what the Lord wants; this is what He prefers.
69. Yes, the Lord does have mercy on some of these folks up Here who either got saved after they passed on to the spirit world, or who were finally able to progress and start living for the Lord once they arrived Here, even though they didn't do much on Earth. They are finally able to grow and progress now. But they missed out. They have to start over again at square one, or in some cases at square two, or square three. Everybody's at a different level and everybody progresses at a different rate or a different speed. But why settle for second best, or third best, or fourth best, when you can have the best? Why settle for less, when you can have more of God's good blessings and abundance in your life?
70. The Lord knows, and each one will be rewarded accordingly. If some never hear the Gospel until they get Here and they hear about Jesus for the very first time, well, the Lord knows that. As you know, He is going to take into consideration the fact that they never had a chance. He is a fair and just God and it all comes out in the end. But that doesn't nullify the fact that those of you who know the truth are responsible! The Lord is requiring it of you, and He expects you who have the message to obey and get out there and give it to others.
It's Your Responsibility!
71. For you who know the truth and know you should do the right thing, but don't do it, it's a different story. Read it in your Bible: "To him that knoweth to do good (in this case to witness), and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (James 4:17).
72. Sure, there are lots of those who do hear, and they don't do their best for Jesus while they are there on Earth. And just as the Lord takes into consideration those who never hear, and He makes compensation for them, He also takes note of those who know the truth and know His command and choose to brush it aside or put it off. These too will be "rewarded" accordingly--according to what they didn't do for Him, because they had the truth and they chose to ignore it. He rewards according to what you know and what you do with it.
73. So the best thing that you can do, and that the Family can do, is your very best for Jesus. You have heard. You know the truth, and you know what He wants you to do. You have not chosen Him, but He has chosen you, and He has ordained you to go and bring forth much fruit (John 15:8,16). All God's children who have heard know what God's will is for them, because it is written. That is God's highest for you, and for the whole Family--to go out there and win the lost at any cost. This is what He has ordained you to do, this is what He wants you to do, and this is just the way it is.
74. He has given you a commission. He has set it before you, and it's up to each of you to decide. When you get Here you will understand clearly, but let me tell you, you won't regret doing your best for Jesus while there. "Only one life, 'twill soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last!" Think about that. That's what is gonna last up Here--what you did for Jesus while there. The Lord has His reasons. He puts each person in the position where He knows they fit best, and He judges each one according to their own life and their own work and their own merits, and you just can't compare.
75. Please, kids, don't fall into that trap. You simply can't compare one life with another. So be smart and don't even try. Just do what He told you to do and trust Him for the rest, and you will never regret it. Never.
76. Don't fall for the wiles of the Devil--especially his biggest wile of "wait awhile"--when he tempts you to think, "Is it really worth it? Can we really afford to make all this sacrifice to win souls?" Let me tell you, you should be asking yourself, "Can I afford not to?" Good witnessing always pays! Besides winning that soul and having the satisfaction of knowing that you're going to meet that soul in Heaven and they're going to be that much more advanced than had they waited to get saved up Here, or grow up Here--besides all this, you are also going to reap in benefits right there--in blessings, in fruitfulness, in faith, and in the satisfaction of knowing that you're doing His highest and His best. This you cannot put a price on. This makes it worth it all!
77. So you ask, does it really make a difference? You bet it makes a difference--a big difference, all around, in blessings, in fruitfulness, in every way!
78. If the Lord had His way, each soul would be saved and progressing right now! Just as He is not willing that any should perish, He is also anxious. Oh, I hear some of those bottles cracking right now, saying, "Come on, Dad, you mean to tell me the Lord gets anxious?" Well, yes, even the Lord gets a little anxious! Because He loves each soul so much--each person, each living human being--and He wants each one reclaimed for Him. Yes, if the Lord had His way, He wouldn't wait another moment. He loves each individual that much.
79. So come on, there's lots to do! There are lots of souls to win, lots of disciples to teach and train, and lots of blessings to reap and gain along the way! You've got a big job ahead, and it doesn't end when you get over Here. Didn't He say He would make us teachers in the Millennium? Well, whoever you don't win and teach while there, you just might have to take care of when you get over Here. If they don't learn there, they will have to learn Here. So why not make the job easier? Why not get started now?
80. So are you with me? Keep on winning and loving them into the Kingdom, and you will never regret it! Great is your reward in Heaven! Hallelujah! I love you, kids! You're doing a great job, so keep at it. Are you ready to win that soul? Ready to go in your stockin' feet, though ya keep getting thinner with the less ya eat? Goodbye Ma, goodbye Pa, goodbye loved ones and your ol' hee-haw; I'm a brave pioneer! Praise the Lord! Bring them in, bring them in, bring them in from the fields of sin! You'll never regret it. "Only one life, 'twill soon be past; only what's done for Jesus will last." I love you!--Dad. (End of message from Dad.)
Summary of Dad's Message
81. {\b \i (Mama:) }That was quite a message, wasn't it? Dad really knows how to tell it like it is! I don't feel like I have to add much to that, since what Dad said was all very clear, and you're used to hearing it from him. But since there were so many good answers in there, I thought it would be good to capsulize them into point form for your easy review.
82. If you're wondering why it's still so important for us to witness and win souls if people who don't get a chance here will get one in the next life, here are some good reasons:
* For starters, you don't need to know why! All you need to know is that the Lord has sent you to preach the Gospel and bring others into His Kingdom. And He must have a pretty good reason for asking you to be so zealous about it, or He wouldn't have emphasized it so much throughout the New Testament!
* The Devil is trying to stop you fromwitnessing in any way he can! The idea of "why bother to get people saved now when they can get saved later" is an attack of the Enemy in order to hinder the Lord's work! Don't let the Devil slow you down!
* While the Lord hasn't given us all the details on what difference it makes on whether people get saved here on Earth or in the spirit world, we do know that there is a difference. Because if people could just get saved when they die, then why would Jesus have needed to come to Earth and die for us anyway, and why would He ask us to believe on Him by faith? And why did Jesus spend nearly His entire ministry on Earth either witnessing Himself or teaching His disciples to witness? Why did He even have disciples?
* Why should we make people wait until they reach the next life to have a chance to receive the Lord, when we can give it to them now? The Lord may allow them a special dispensation of mercy and a chance to get saved in the next world if they didn't have sufficient opportunity here, but His highest will is for them to get saved now in this Age of Grace.
* If you fail to do your part, God's plan will be delayed and others will suffer, because everything works together and one thing affects the other.
* When we get to Heaven, we'll finally understand completely just how important it was for us to witness to each person the Lord put in our way. We don't know all the reasons now, but we will then.
* If you win that one soul to the Lord, they'll then be able to touch other lives with the Lord's love and possibly even win more souls. There's a chain reaction of love that is waiting to be sparked by your witness!
* People need Jesus now to be able to make it through the dark days ahead and resist the Antichrist's rule and the Mark of the Beast!
* What people don't learn now, on Earth, they'll have to catch up on in Heaven. Give them a head start now!
* If you didn't witness, your life would have little meaning. You would soon be living selfishly for yourself, and would miss the many blessings that God gives you as a result of your service to Him!
* Jesus gave His life for us and pours out His love and blessings on us daily. Shouldn't we do all we can to witness and win others to His Kingdom just out of love and appreciation for Him, because we want to do what He has asked us to do?
* The Lord has great rewards for those who win many souls--beyond what you can imagine!
* Not only does witnessing bring rewards in Heaven, but you reap benefits right here and now--in blessings, in fruitfulness, in faith, and in the satisfaction of knowing that you are doing the Lord's highest and best.
* If you don't get someone saved now, they will miss out on a lot here on Earth and possibly in the next life also, and as a result, others will too!--And the Lord will hold you responsible for not at least giving them the choice of whether to receive Him or not!
The Mysteries of the Spirit World!
83. I'd like to interject something here that's a little off the subject of witnessing, but which I thought you'd be interested in. When a couple of our proofreaders were reading an advance copy of this GN, they had some questions in relation to some of the things Dad shared in the preceding prophecy about Salvation in the spirit world. Their questions were regarding when people get a chance to get saved in the spirit world, how this ties in with Purgatory and Paradise, who gets to go where, etc. These were deep theological questions, so we asked Dad whether we should try to address them in this GN, and whether he had anything to share with us on the subject. I'm including part of what Dad said here, in case some of you had similar questions when reading Dad's message above.
84. {\b \i (Dad speaking:)} The spirit world is so far beyond what the human mind can understand that it's often difficult to put it into words. It's difficult to explain exactly what happens or what the process is, because it's not in the flesh, it's in the spirit. Only once you are in the spirit and you pass on to the other side can you fully understand how it all works and the vastness of the Lord's love and mercy and how He operates; who gets to be saved when, whether they can get saved before they enter the Heavenly City or after they enter the Heavenly City, or whether they first have to go to Purgatory or Paradise or Hell or whatever.
85. There are a lot of factors involved, and it's only in the realm of the spirit that you can fully understand and grasp these things. If you try to understand it in the flesh, in your own carnal mind, you can't. You get confused, and it doesn't seem to make sense. It's as if you tried to understand with your mind the concept of there not being any time in Heaven. You can't really understand it because it doesn't really make any sense in the flesh.
86. That's why Jesus kept it real simple in the Bible, and that's why He said that He had many things to say to His followers that they were not yet able to bear. Some of those, of course, He has revealed to us since then. He showed me a lot of things when I was there on Earth, and He's showing you even more, but a lot of it you won't be able to understand until you get to Heaven. There are some mysteries of the spirit world that can't be explained with the tongues of men, so you might have to wait until you get to the other side to be able to fully comprehend some of these things.
87. Of course, you are understanding more about the spirit all the time, but there are limits to what you can understand with the human mind. That's why you're going to be liberated from that and have a new body and a new mind up Here where you can understand so much more. Thank God! You'll still retain everything you have there, but you'll be able to expand it, and so many things that didn't make sense to you on Earth will make sense to you then. Praise the Lord!
88. The Lord has revealed quite a bit to you already and He wants to reveal more, little by little. Through the testimonies you've been getting from the departed saints, He's already been showing you a little more. He's been giving you small glimpses because you're not able to receive the whole thing just yet.
89. Some of these things are better left as a mystery. After all, if you knew everything about Heaven before you got Here, then it wouldn't be so much fun when you arrived. Half of the fun of getting to Heaven is going to be learning all the things you didn't know, and understanding all the things that you couldn't figure out on Earth--things which you didn't know how they operated or what they were like. That's one of the thrills of Heaven and one of the things that makes it worth looking forward to! (End of message from Dad.)
Believing by Faith vs. Believing by Sight!
90. Back to the main topic at hand: We know there is a difference of some kind between getting saved now or in the spirit world, because those who receive Jesus now on Earth receive Him by faith, whereas those in the next life will not need the same degree of faith, since the spirit world will be visible.
91. When Jesus rose from the dead and Thomas didn't believe He was risen until he saw Him, Jesus said, "Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed" (John 20:29). Dad explains this further in the following quote. Here he's talking about the people who live on into the Millennium, who are obviously not saved or they would have gone to Heaven in the Rapture. Those who survive into the Millennium, much like those who die without an opportunity to receive the Lord, won't be saved by faith, but rather by sight, since Christ's Kingdom will be evident to all. So what Dad says here could also be applied to those who get their chance in the spirit world:
92. "Jesus said, 'Thomas, God bless you for believing because you saw, but more blessed are those who having not seen, yet have believed!' You today are more blessed than they of the Millennium! You are more blessed because though having not seen, you have believed. But God is going to, in a sense, do for the world in the Millennium what He did for Thomas. The people today say: 'Show me!' OK, He's gonna show'm! And those who were honest about it and really meant it: 'Lord, if You'll show me, I'll believe it'--will believe! I believe it! I believe that the vast majority of the people then will believe.
93. "Maybe they'll receive Him then as their personal Savior and have faith in His blood and then believe, even as we do today, because they have seen! But they're not going to be as blessed as us! Maybe they'll still get in, but down in the basement somewhere or the lower levels. You are going to be more blessed, because you, though having not seen, yet have believed!" (ML #1450:138,139,144).
94. {\b \i (Mama:)} We don't know exactly how "more blessed" those who get saved by faith are than those who get saved by sight in the next world, or who live on into the Millennium and get saved there. In the above message from the spirit world Dad didn't give us the specifics, so maybe it's not for us to know now. But whatever that extra blessing may be--and it may be a pretty significant one--wouldn't you want to give everyone you can a chance to get it by giving them an opportunity to get saved by faith in the Age of Grace? If you don't, the Lord will hold you responsible for them having missed that opportunity!
95. We know that the Lord holds us responsible for those who we don't witness to, because the Bible clearly states in Ezekiel 3:17-19 that "if you warn not the wicked and he turn not from his wickedness [DELETED] he shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at your hand." Most church preachers teach that that means they're going to go to Hell. However, we know from the messages from those who have passed on, as well as from the Lord Himself in His message on "sufficient opportunity" (ML #3042, GN 671), that if they did not get a first chance to get saved here, they'll get one in the next life. However, their blood will still be on your hands in some way for not having witnessed to them. They won't be as blessed because they won't have had to believe by faith, and the Lord will hold you accountable if you had the chance to witness to them but didn't. Dad explained this in the Letters when he said:
96. "We don't understand some of these things or just exactly what they mean, but He says if you don't 'warn the wicked of his wicked way, his blood will I require at thine hand' (Eze.3:18). What does that mean? God is going to hold you guilty of his blood, or his punishment or whatever it is. In other words, if you had a chance to warn him and you didn't warn him, God is going to hold you guilty! In some way you are going to suffer for that, even though you're saved. Think of that!
97. "Somehow or another you could lose some kind of reward or some kind of glory. 'They that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars,' but some shall be raised to everlasting shame and contempt! (Dan.12:2,3). Well, of course the preachers preach that that's in Hell, but I don't think it would be near as bad or as hard to be ashamed in Hell with all the rest of the sinners as it would be to be walking around up in Heaven amongst the other Christians who shine as the stars and have lovely crowns of life and all kinds of rewards to show that they were faithful; and you're walking around with no glory, no crown, no nothing, to show that you were a disobedient, unfaithful steward that didn't do your job!
98. "What an everlasting shame and contempt that will be--which sounds to me like most of the church and most of the Christians that I've ever met, who are not doing their job and not witnessing and not trying to reach the world! I mean there are just oodles and oodles of Scriptures on it" (ML #1441:18-19, 21-23).
Salvation in the Next Life: When Does It Come?
99. {\b \i (Mama:) }The difference between getting saved now and getting saved in the next life is still somewhat of a mystery, and there are many things we don't understand. But from another message the Lord gave, which I'll include below, He indicates that not everyone necessarily gets their chance to get saved and go to Heaven immediately upon their death. In Albert Einstein's message from beyond (in the "Who Said They're Dead" GNs), he said that he got his chance as soon as he died. However, it appears that it's not like that for everyone, and some people first have to suffer some of the consequences of their actions on Earth before they are ready to be offered Salvation.
100. The following excerpts are from a message the Lord gave after I asked Him about a prophecy one of our Family members had sent me, which they received from Mao Tse Tung*. In the message Mao indicated that he was not yet in the Heavenly City, but he did talk about the pleasures and enjoyment of the world beyond. I wondered how this could be so, when in other prophecies the Lord had said that these leaders who had caused so many people to suffer would themselves have to suffer for their actions in the next world.
101. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:) }Look and behold the wonders and mysteries of the spirit realm.'[DELETED] You ask, "How can it be that he talks of pleasure and enjoyment when it seems he should be suffering?" I will tell you. He has suffered. He has suffered greatly for his actions, his decisions, the path of life that he chose. He has suffered great agony of heart to see what it has made of the country which he loved so much. He thought he was doing the right thing, and in his ignorance did proclaim that which he thought would be a help to this great nation.
102. Yet, when he passed on out of the Earth life and into the realm of the spirit, that is when he discovered how wrong he had been. And, oh, how he suffered! How his heart ached and pained for the grief he had brought upon his people. This man, Mao, has not yet received My full gift of love, for he does not feel worthy. And so he has not yet entered into full fellowship with Me. He remains outside, in the dark places, for that is where he feels he belongs. He has felt so much pain, and seen so much of the pain and the suffering that he inflicted on his people, that now he wants them to know how they can be free.
103. And what if I say that I have had mercy on this one? He has suffered. He has suffered greatly. Yet why are you surprised that I would also bestow My love upon him? For he is one of My children, as much as all the Chinese are. Yes, he did yield to Satan, the prince of this world, while he was on Earth, and that is why he is not with Me in the Heavenly City at this moment--although he could be if he accepted My free gift of Salvation. But he is not yet ready for this. Yet he is still My child, and I still love him.
104. This one has repented, here in the spirit realm, of all that he has done. So his suffering has come to an end--although he still suffers in seeing what great anguish of spirit still rests upon his beloved countrymen, and he beseeches Me daily that I will pour great power and anointing and burdens on the hearts of those who would bring the truth into his country. (End of excerpts of message from Jesus.)
105. {\b \i (Mama:)} What a beautiful picture of the Lord's mercy and forgiveness! Even so, we wondered whether we should drop this prophecy about Mao before publishing this GN, since it might be too difficult for some of you to understand how the Lord could be offering him a chance for Salvation in the spirit world when he committed such horrific crimes against his people. So we brought it before the Lord, and this is what He said:
106. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:)} This one, Mao, has greatly sinned, but great has also been his repentance upon seeing the error of his way. In his heart he sought to help his countrymen--to help the poor and the peasants from whence he came, to help those who were oppressed by the rich, the educated, the intellectuals--but he did not turn to Me for his methods but was swayed by the teachings of the Enemy, and thereby caused much damage.
107. He did some good, but he also did much damage. Nevertheless, he has had a great repentance, and because in his heart he wanted to do the right thing, I have forgiven him. He has suffered for his sins and he will yet suffer a while, but I will forgive him and I will give him an opportunity. My love is without end. It is boundless, and I do not turn My back upon those who repent.
108. My Family must likewise forgive. They must understand that it is never too late for people to repent, to change, to undo the damage that they have done. Though they may have to suffer for their mistakes, yet they are never too late for My forgiveness. If they do not outright reject it, they are never too late. My Family must be more understanding, more loving. They must be willing to forgive those who fall, those who are weaker, even those who hurt others because of wrong decisions that they make, but who then have a great repentance once they see the error of their ways. Even more so, they must forgive all those who commit small faults and errors, not out of malice, but out of the sinfulness of man's heart.
109. And if I have forgiven this one, who has done much evil yet has repented, should not they also forgive those who have committed much less injury? I reveal these things unto you so you may know and understand the greatness of My wisdom and My forgiveness, so My Family may understand that even as I forgave King David, who had a man killed that he might take his wife, yet repented greatly, and even as I have forgiven Mao, though thousands died as a result of his policies, yet great was his repentance and great has been his suffering, so must they do likewise unto the least of their brethren.
110. For this reason have I given and inspired this message, that it may be a sample unto them, that they may be convicted to do likewise--that they may strive to show My love more greatly, more fully, with more understanding for one another. (End of message from Jesus.)
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Mao Tse Tung (also known as Mao Zedong), was the principal founder of the communist People's Republic of China. A primary school teacher and son of a poor peasant, he was elected chairman of the Chinese Communist Party in 1934. After helping to organize, fight and win a long and bloody civil war with the ruling Kuomintang (known as the "Nationalists"), Mao was made chairman of the new communist People's Republic of China in 1949.
Once in power, Mao encountered resistance from moderates and intellectuals in the Communist Party who favored a more rational approach to government rather than true communist ideology. In 1966 Mao initiated the disastrous "Cultural Revolution." It was an attempt to eradicate the remains of so-called bourgeois ideas and customs and to recapture the revolutionary zeal of early Chinese communism. Students calling themselves Red Guards, joined by groups of workers, peasants, and demobilized soldiers, took to the streets in pro-Maoist violent demonstrations. They made intellectuals, bureaucrats, party officials, and urban workers their chief targets. The government and central party structure was destroyed, schools were closed, and the economy disrupted. Thousands died, many more fled the country, and many more were sent to the countryside to work as peasants. In some areas rebellion deteriorated into anarchy. The Revolution was put to a stop by the Chinese Army in 1969.
While the moderates gained influence, Mao continued as the unchallenged leader of China until his death in 1976. His writings and politics were studied and revered in China and many Third World countries.
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111. {\b \i (Mama:) }Following is a small portion of a message from the Lord, received over a year ago, that confirms the above point. In this message, the Lord mentions that those who take their own lives won't be judged harshly. Please remember that here the Lord is talking about the unsaved who have not had a chance to know Him on Earth. He is not talking about the saved Christians, who know that they should leave the timing of their death in His hands and not end their lives prematurely.
112. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:) }Have I not said in My Word that they who knew not their master's will shall be beaten with few stripes? Even so it is with these who know Me not. I do not hold them as accountable, for they know Me not. They know not even unto whom to turn, for they have been deceived by false religions. They have been deceived by false teachings. They have not had My voice spoken unto them. So I hold them not accountable, even as I hold them not accountable for not knowing Me, for it was not of their own doing. It was not due to their own rejection. Therefore, whether they come before their time, or whether they come in their time, these shall have an opportunity to receive Me in the next life.
113. For some, that opportunity comes sooner than for others. It does not always come as soon as they die. Some have to suffer the consequences of their lives for a little while before they are given the opportunity to come unto Me. And of those who take their lives, some may have to suffer the consequences for a little longer than they otherwise would have, had they lived out their lives. But I do not judge them harshly. For after they have paid for their sins for a little while, then do I present them with My Salvation. Those who accept it are freely given entrance into My Kingdom. (End of message from Jesus.)
114. {\b \i (Mama:) }If you knew that if you didn't win a certain person to the Lord and get them saved now, not only would they live the rest of their life without knowing and having a personal relationship with the Lord, but they also might not get a chance to receive Him for some time after they die because of the wrong choices they made on Earth, wouldn't you want to do all you could to get them saved now?
The Consequences of Not Winning a Soul!
115. Not only that, but consider this: If, for example, you'd had the opportunity to witness to Mao Tse Tung when he was a young man and could have gotten him saved then, imagine the choices he might have made as a result of being saved, and the difference it could have made to China! If you had brushed it aside because you felt that it wasn't that important since he would get his chance in the next life anyway if you didn't give him one here, wouldn't you feel partly to blame for the horrors that Mao later unleashed on the Chinese people as a result of not having the Lord and therefore yielding to the Enemy?
116. Maybe that's part of the "shame and contempt" and the "blood on their hands" that some Christians are going to have to bear.--Not only what happened to that person on Earth because they didn't get the witness, but also how others suffered the consequences of their actions as a result of their not having the Lord.
117. In the message from Dad that I included earlier, he says, "So many things will be missed, slowed down or retarded, all because you didn't want to go out there and win that soul. It all works together. It's all fitly joined together, and it's important that you do your part." The Lord has commissioned you to go out and win souls to Him, and if you don't do it, who knows what the consequences might be, and the lives that might suffer as a result--not only in this life, but even perhaps in the life to come! It's not something to be taken lightly!
118. The Lord is counting on you to do your part so that He can do His part! And when you don't, it's like a piece of the puzzle is missing, and the Lord's plan is delayed. It's not defeated, but it is delayed, and people can suffer as a result. And just like these world leaders who go to Heaven sometimes have to see or relive the consequences of their actions in the lives of others, perhaps we will have to not only see the good results of our witness and the fruit it bore in people's lives, as part of our reward, but will also have to see the negative repercussions in the lives of others because we failed to witness and win them to the Lord when He brought them across our path. Lord help us not to fail Him, or them!
Message from Beyond About Salvation in the Spirit World!
119. Along the lines of the above message about Mao, here are excerpts from another message that a Family member in Eastern Europe received from someone who died as a drug addict and then got saved in the spirit world. The following personal testimony was directed to the unsaved, with a message of Salvation, but it also highlights, as Dad explained above, the importance of people receiving the Lord as soon as possible in this life, and how they have to catch up in the next life if they don't:
120. {\b \i (Departed spirit speaking:)} A life of deprivation, of vice and of misery is pretty much what life amounted to for me in the last years of my existence on Earth, when I was still on your side of reality, when my sick and broken body was still stumbling around the gutters of a big city, like many youth today. The drugs had pretty much taken away any strength I'd had and I was just walking around like a zombie, like the "living dead," not really knowing where I was going to get my next meal, nor where I would find a roof over my head the next night.
121. Oh, how many times I cried, curled up in a little hole in the dark corner of a dirty street, or in the basement of an old building, wishing that someone would understand how I felt, how miserably sad I was, and how I wished to be able to die and end it all.
122. But now that I'm physically dead, I've finally met the only One Who could really understand me, the only One Who loved me enough to give His Own life on Earth for me, the only One Who was down there with me all the time, but I was too blind to recognize His presence. He was there all the time. He understood the pain and the anguish that I felt, how lonely and how sick I was. Yet nobody else cared. Nobody else had enough love to stop and talk with me, to listen to my heartcry, to put a hand on my shoulder and tell me that they understood.
123. He tried to get through to me. He tried to tell me that He loved me. Back in the early '70s, I remember some other young hippies like me who told me about Him. I remember those "Jesus freaks" (that's what we called them) who used to come to our rock concerts and gatherings to distribute free food and play their happy songs on their guitars. I sort of liked them, as they seemed like nice people who really cared, but it wasn't "cool" to hang around with them, and the peer pressure was so strong that you didn't really want to be seen with them by others who would mock you and make fun of you. I think that's the main reason that some of us avoided getting close to them, and sort of stayed out of the circle, just watching from outside, from afar.
124. So I joined my friends in laughing at them and mocking them, although in my heart I didn't really agree with my friends, and I thought that those "Jesus freaks," those "Children of God," were nice people who cared enough to do something nice for us, to bring us food, to play music and do skits for us, and go the extra mile to show us God's love.
125. Oh, how I wish that I would have prayed with them! How I wish that I would have followed them right there and then and joined their efforts to bring others love and happiness! Because from then on my life went downhill and I ended up being killed by an overdose of heroin on the street, lying in the mud next to some garbage cans.
126. Then I was finally able to leave my old sick body behind and fly out of it. I was met by some of these former "Children of God" who had by then also departed from the physical world. They came to meet me once again to give me a final chance to receive Jesus' love. This time there were no friends to mock me, and even if there had been, I wouldn't have cared, because after all those years of misery and suffering, I was desperate enough and ready to receive God's love and forgiveness.
127. And oh, how much I needed to be forgiven for! My greatest sin had been to reject the chance which had been given me at that rock concert to receive the Lord, but Jesus was merciful enough to give me another chance to receive Him. Now that I had paid on Earth for that horrible sin with a life of misery and pain, He sent me these two "angels," these two departed souls, to meet me and once again ask me if I would take Jesus, and this time I did!
128. Yes, I took Jesus, and He forgave me! He received me and relieved me of all the pain and the sorrow. He wiped away my tears--the tears that I cried when I accepted His loving embrace, and the tears that I cried afterwards when I was taken to have a look at the pain that I had caused others on Earth. I had to feel the agony of those who had suffered because of me, as a lesson.
129. There have been so many other lessons that I have learned since then, because since I have been Here in Heaven, I've been having to attend some kind of a school for re-education. (I have to call it a school, because that's the only way that you can understand it--although it's not really a school like those on Earth. It's not a school where you get bored listening to a teacher who doesn't have a clue of what's going on in your heart and mind.)
130. Here, things are handled very differently from the way things are handled down on Earth, and you learn a lot by getting to experience the way you made others feel. The main lessons that are being taught to those of us who didn't get a chance to learn them while on Earth--those who didn't get saved early enough to live a Christian life on Earth--are the basic lessons of love that you Christians are being taught there!
131. We are sort of in what you would call a Heavenly kindergarten, where we learn all the basics of loving others and putting others first. The only way to really be happy Here in Heaven is to put others first and think about their happiness, not your own! There's no room for selfishness and thinking about yourself Here, as you really aren't allowed to fully enjoy Heaven while you still have a selfish attitude. So those of us who hadn't learned those basic lessons of love while down on Earth are now having to attend this school Here in sort of a waiting hall, an entrance area of Heaven, and will not be allowed to go on to the next room or area until we have learned these lessons and can therefore cause no harm to others who have already left behind their selfish self, and live in Heavenly bliss.
132. You may think this is strange, but if you stop to think about all those of us who got Here by a pure act of God's love and mercy, who were given a chance to receive His Son after we had died, and therefore while alive never had a chance to learn what real love is all about, then you will realize that there are multitudes of us who got Here this way. We now have to learn from A to Z! But we are thankful and happy for this chance, and we are all really applying ourselves to learn these lessons, because we have seen the happiness of those who have been allowed to go on to the next level. We all want to get there and get to enjoy all the things that we aren't allowed to yet!
133. You don't have to wait until you die to get Here--just take Jesus and you will have "Here" right there in your heart! You will then be able to start a new life of love and learn those basic lessons of love while you're still there, so that by the time you actually die and get Here, you will not have to attend this Heavenly kindergarten, and you'll be able to right away enter all the areas of Heaven where we spiritual preschoolers are longing to go!
134. I hope you will listen to what I'm telling you, so that you won't have to go through a life of misery and pain to find out that I was right! You will eventually find out that I'm right once you die, but why wait until then? Why not give Jesus a chance while you're still alive, so that He can change your life and give you the love, peace and joy that your heart longs for? He will give these to you as gifts and you won't have to struggle to find them! (End of message excerpts from departed spirit.)
135. {\b \i (Mama:) }If it wasn't so important that people get the witness and get saved here on Earth, then why would all of these departed spirits who speak from beyond--some of whom got saved after they died--emphatically beg people to receive Jesus now rather than wait until they die? If it didn't matter much anyway, then why would they make such a big deal about it? Obviously it does matter very much, and the Lord is depending on us to rescue these poor souls from their emptiness and sadness in this life and to give them a head start in the next life!
136. One little point about the above message: At first reading, it may sound like this boy got a second chance to receive the Lord, since he rejected his first chance when he was apparently witnessed to at a rock concert in the '70s. However, we know from what the Lord has said that people don't get a second chance in the next life to receive Him if they had "sufficient opportunity" to do so on Earth. So apparently in the case of this boy, the Lord must have judged that when he was originally witnessed to, it wasn't a "sufficient opportunity," and therefore gave him another chance upon entering the spirit world.
137. (In some Letters Dad has talked about the possibility of universal reconciliation, whereby even those who have rejected their chance for Salvation and have gone to Hell--or Purgatory--are finally redeemed and perhaps allowed into Heaven or onto the New Earth after they have suffered sufficiently for their sins. To some that may seem like a second chance, in contradiction of what the Lord has said about only one chance. However, in reality universal reconciliation is not a second chance for Salvation--that is, receiving Jesus' forgiveness of their sins through His death on the cross--since they had to suffer and atone for their own sins in Hell.)
You Have No Idea How Far Your Love Goes!
138. This reminds me of a beautiful testimony of another drug addict, a poor homeless young man who Gabe and Amy (from our Home) witnessed to a number of times in one of the places we used to live. They would sometimes see this boy begging on the street, and besides helping him with food and other material essentials, they also witnessed to him about the Lord. He eventually got saved, and as a result of Gabe and Amy's witness, he began studying the Bible and made a lot of progress in his efforts to kick the drug habit and start a new life.
139. It wasn't long, however, before this boy found out he had an advanced case of AIDS. The Lord in His mercy took him Home shortly thereafter rather than allowing him to continue to suffer and struggle on Earth. Gabe and Amy were able to encourage him and help him during this difficult time, and shortly after his death, the Lord allowed this young man to speak with a message of appreciation. I'm including this because it's a clear example of how far-reaching our witness is, even when it seems that maybe we aren't getting tangible results. There's so much that goes on in the spirit in people's hearts and lives that we can't see. I'm sure if we could, it would give us more conviction to not miss any opportunity to give the Lord's love to those He places in our path!
140. {\b \i (Departed young man speaking:)} Hello, dear Gabe and Amy and all of my wonderful Family there. I love you! Yes, the Lord did give me permission to speak to you, although this will be short because I'm new at this and a little nervous.
141. I wanted you to know that it was worth it all. My life on Earth was so miserable and sad, but I wouldn't trade it for anything, because it brought me to that day when I met you, and if I hadn't had such a hard time before that, I might have missed my golden opportunity. I wouldn't have known how much I needed you and your love, and how much I needed precious Jesus.
142. So all I can say is, you have no idea how far your love has gone! It's brought me all the way to Heaven, safe in the arms of Jesus! I just wanted to take this time to thank you, dear Amy and Gabe, and all those there who took their time to stop by on the street and encourage me, to pat me on the arm and bring me food, tell me you're praying for me, and of course, to give me Jesus.
143. I have a lot to learn Here, but the one thing I have learned is how important the Lord's message of love is, and how important you are, all of you in the Family who have representatives on the street, who go out every day and give the Lord's Words and His love to those in need. I can't begin to tell you how many hearts and lives you're saving and changing. So please don't stop! Please keep going and keep loving them with His love. The rewards are worth it all, and your reward is very big.
144. You have a great blessing awaiting you Here in your Heavenly Home, and you won't be sorry that you kept on going one more day. Look how happy I am that I kept on, and I hung on until that day that I met you. I thought many times of taking my own life. I was so down and out. But I'm so glad that somehow I kept on. I knew there must be something better, and you showed me that something better--the love of Jesus! So, I love you, and I'll keep loving you, and I'll keep learning all the Lord has for me Here.
145. I hope--it's my heart's desire--that I can help you in return. So you might one day find that I am able to return all that you've given to me in the form of help from the spirit world. Okay, I love you. This is your dear friend signing off. Love and kisses to you all! (End of message from departed young man.)
Bringing People to the Point of Decision
146. {\b \i (Mama:) }Well, I think all that should be enough to convince you, if you weren't already convinced, of how important your witness is and what a difference it makes--in your life, in the lives of those you witness to, and in the lives of others that they will have an effect on from then on! And even if some people reject the witness, at least they had a chance to receive it. You fulfilled the Lord's plan in preaching the Gospel and bringing them to the point of decision, and they made their choice.
147. As Dad has taught us, the Lord put man on Earth to make a choice between good and evil, and part of that choice is whether to receive the Lord or not. The Lord has given man the power to make that choice for himself and, in a sense, decide his own future, and it's our job to make that choice available to them through our witness. Some will reject it, but even then we're accomplishing the Lord's will in bringing them to the point of decision. As Dad has said many times, our job isn't necessarily to win them, as the Holy Spirit will do that, but our job is just to witness and give them the opportunity to make the right choice.
Bring Heaven to Earth!
148. I'd like to share some more messages from the Lord and Dad on the subject of witnessing, which I believe will be a help and encouragement to you. I'm sure there are times when you're feeling a little battle-weary and you need an extra boost in the spirit to keep going out day after day, struggling through tiredness, bad weather, physical afflictions, spiritual attacks of the Enemy, financial pressures, and rejection from some of the very ones you are trying to give the most precious gift they could ever receive. It's tough, and maybe there are times when you wonder if it's worth it all. Maybe you'd rather just go to Heaven and begin your life of joy and happiness now, and just help from the spirit world, like others from our Family who have passed on.
149. I can understand why you would feel like that sometimes, and I think we all get a little "weary in well doing" at some point or another. At those times it's good to stop and take time to hear from the Lord. Ask Him to speak to you and renew your vision for the importance of your ministry on Earth, and to encourage you to keep "dying daily" for Him.
150. Following are excerpts of one such message that I think will be a help to you if you've battled with such thoughts. It was received after we prayed and asked the Lord for a message for a teen girl who was battling with her ministry on Earth and wishing that she was in Heaven instead. The Lord sent Kristina (one of the Austin girls) to speak with a message that applies to all of you!
151. {\b \i (Kristina speaking:) }With the carnal mind it's really hard to understand some things about Heaven while you're still on Earth, so it's hard to explain. Because it is true that, yes, things are different Here. There are challenges, there are things to learn, there are things to do, there are bigger jobs.
152. Of course, we have more power, but just because you come Here doesn't mean you're, presto, home free! It's not that way. You've still got lots to learn once you get up Here, but don't worry; it's a happy process. And if you would come Here before your time or before it was the Lord's will, thinking you could leave all your problems behind and that you'd be lots happier and that everything would be perfect, well, it's much the same as thinking that going to a new Home will solve all your problems.
153. The greatest happiness is being where the Lord wants you to be, when He wants you to be there, and doing what He wants you to do! If you're doing that, no matter where you are, whether you're in the spirit and Here with us, or whether you're in the flesh--if you're in the Lord's will, that's where Heaven is at!
154. I know you'd like to go to Heaven, and that would be your heart's desire. I know that's what you would like. But what the Lord would like is for you to bring Heaven to Earth! It's easy for people to go to Heaven, but the hard thing is to bring Heaven to Earth--and that's really the most important. That's what it's all about! That's the goal--bringing Heaven to Earth. That's why the Lord needs Heaven's girls and boys, and He wants you!
155. He has chosen you and anointed you to be one of Heaven's girls, to bring Heaven to Earth, to bring His love to others, to be a sample on Earth of what Heaven is like, through you. Our time is past to be Heaven's girls. We're in Heaven, so we can't be Heaven's girls like you can. Although we have the glory of being in Heaven and all that, only you can be a Heaven's girl!
156. So be His Heaven's girl and be Heaven's love. Shine bright! Be His star! Be His light twinkling in the dark night--His star of love to lead and guide others. For they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament forever and ever. Lift up your face and shine for Jesus! Let His love and light shine from your face and your countenance, your eyes and your smile. Let it shine from your heart and burn brightly for Him on Earth, so that you'll be able to shine Here, too.
157. So don't feel left out. You're really in! You're in on the Endtime, you're in when you're in the Family and you're in His Book! (End of message from Kristina.)
158. In her message above, Kristina talks about how when we get to Heaven there are still going to be challenges and lessons, and we're not going to just be "home free." I wondered if this might cause some of you to be discouraged, thinking, "I'm really looking forward to an end of the trials and battles I've had on Earth! Does this mean that we're still going to experience the same in Heaven, but just to a lesser degree?" So I asked Dad about it, and here's what he had to say. I'm sure it will encourage you!
159. {\b \i (Dad speaking:) }As I've said before in the Letters, once you get to Heaven it's not the end of your learning process. In fact, in some ways it's just the beginning. There are going to be lots of things to learn and lots of challenges, and you'll even have to learn lessons too. Not only will you have more things to learn from a mental point of view, but in your personal life as well. And these sometimes involve some "trials" or challenges.
160. But I wouldn't equate them with the trials that you have there on Earth! For one thing, you won't have the Enemy fighting you any more up Here. And you'll be so enveloped in the Lord's love that learning these lessons will be a lot easier. It will be more like going to school and learning the lessons the teacher teaches you. It's sometimes difficult, it's sometimes a bit of a test or a challenge, but it's not a trial or a sorrow in the same way as the battles you experience there on Earth.
161. As I've said, you're not going to be just sitting around on a cloud playing a harp. You have lots to learn in order to become the leaders that the Lord wants you to be, the leaders of the Millennium and of other planets and universes that the Lord is going to need you to help evangelize and help Him run. But it's not going to be a painful or sorrowful process like it is down on Earth; it's going to be a joyous one. It won't be discouraging in any way, because up Here there is only joy and happiness and love, just like the Lord promised. Praise the Lord! Isn't that wonderful? You have so much to look forward to! (End of message from Dad.)
Teamworking with the Spirit World!
162. Along the same lines, here are some excerpts of a message received from another of the Austin girls on a separate occasion, again emphasizing how important our witnessing on Earth is. Katrina also gives some amazing insight into how our witnessing interconnects with the job that our spirit helpers are doing, and how we're working together with them to win people to the Lord! How exciting!
163. {\b \i (Katrina speaking:) }You are being the biggest shiners and the most useful! So God bless you! In fact, this might blow your mind, but I've even had twinges of wishing that I could be there and be witnessing again! Can you believe it? It's not like it's a big trial or anything, because I'm really happy being over Here. But we can't go out witnessing like we used to, talking to people and winning souls. So when we see you guys witnessing and someone gets saved, it's such a rush!
164. Of course, we have other gifts and powers Here. We can influence people, and we help Jesus answer prayer, and we engineer and set things up. But to actually go out and witness like you can, well, that's something only you can do now, and we're helping you all we can!
165. So please don't feel useless, because [DELETED] well, you're all we've got! If you weren't there, we couldn't do anything! We can do all the planning and all the setting up and all the engineering and everything, but we can't do it without you. Unless you're at the right spot at the right time to witness to the right person, it kind of ties our hands.
166. So we depend on you. Otherwise, what we do is almost useless. We're teamworking! You can't do without us and we can't do without you.[DELETED] It's funny how everybody always wishes for something that they don't have. So for all you guys who wish you were Here, this poem is called "Stick with the Stuff":
If you wonder why you were left and we were taken,
It's not because you were forgotten or forsaken.
On Earth you're the best for the job ahead of you,
Not even angels can do what only you can do!
We, without you, can't really do that much,
That's why you have to stick with the stuff!
We do our best by planning and maneuvering,
But only you can "get'm in" by witnessing and winning.
So let's keep teamworking, just like we did before.
Do your part and pray; we'll open Heaven's door!
Whether Here or on Earth, or wherever you may be,
Sticking with the stuff is what makes Jesus happy!
\qr (End of message from Katrina.)
167. {\b \i (Mama:) }Just take a minute to think about this. Imagine the departed spirits, even some of our departed Family members, trying real hard to influence people and engineer things so that their paths cross with yours, so that you'll have the opportunity to witness to them. Maybe the spirit helpers know that someone is ready right then to receive the Lord, and if they could just get someone to witness to him (or her) and talk to him they'd be able to "get'm in."
168. So they work out a plan to set up an encounter with you, and then they pray and hope that you'll take time to pray and tune in to the Spirit so that they can give you a little check to witness to that person. Once you get the check in the spirit, they're praying and hoping that you'll heed it and stop and witness to this sheep. And when you do, they're jumping up and down and rejoicing, because it worked, and you and they are reaping the results in this person receiving the witness! What excitement that must be! All the angels in Heaven rejoice when a soul is saved! What a thrill!
169. On the other hand, imagine the disappointment they must feel when they go through all that trouble, and then you don't respond. Maybe you're in a hurry and you figure you don't have time to stop and witness to that person. Or you're preoccupied with some problems that you're having and aren't even stopping to pray or paying attention to the checks of the Spirit. Or maybe you're just plain lazy and don't want to be bothered with any "work" because it's not your "witnessing time." There could be many reasons why, and some may even seem legitimate, but the end result is the same--the person doesn't get the witness, and the hard work that your Heavenly teamworkers put into it was in vain.
170. Isn't it amazing to realize that your Heavenly helpers need you? Without you, their work is incomplete! Will you do your part so that they can do their part? Will you go out of your way to give the Lord's love to others in whatever way you can? Maybe you can't get everyone saved with each witness, but at least you can do your part. Sometimes people need to be witnessed to a few times and have a few seeds planted in their hearts before they're ready to actually receive the Lord. So that little witness that you give them may be a crucial part in the chain of events leading up to their eventual Salvation, and without which their chance of getting saved could be delayed or even thwarted altogether--at least on Earth!
171. What an awesome responsibility that is, but what a privilege it is to be in a position to give so much to others. We all have problems and bad days, but sometimes we become familiar with the Lord and our surroundings in the Family and we forget just how much we have and how much we receive from the Lord each day in many ways: a loving personal relationship with the Creator of the universe; His Words to us personally when we take time alone with Him; His written Word that He has poured out for years and continues to give us so bountifully; the love of our brothers and sisters; the satisfaction of knowing that what we're accomplishing will have eternal results in the lives of others. We are so blessed!
172. When you feel uninspired about witnessing, or that it's too big a sacrifice and too hard, tiring and humbling, take a few minutes to review all the things that you have as a result of knowing Jesus, the Word and the Family, which others in the world don't. I'm sure if you do, you'll get the vision to pour out His love on those who are thirsty and dying. Here is a touching and convicting message from the Lord along these lines that you can refer to when you don't feel like witnessing or are discouraged with your seeming lack of results.
The Lord's Word Kisses for a Dying Generation!
173. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:) }How beautiful are the kisses of love, the Words that pour forth from the lips of your Lover, to encourage and strengthen the faith of His Bride! Behold the flood, the volume of water which shall pour forth from your lips by My Spirit, that shall flow into the ears of the multitudes of parched and dry spirits longing for the water of life--My Words of instruction and comfort, My Words of light and hope in the midst of their gross darkness. For there are many that cry day and night unto Me. There are many who agonize in spirit, whose minds and hearts are tormented by fear and oppression, hatred and a lack of love and understanding. Daily they die, parched and dry, without the life and light of My Spirit.
174. These Words of life that I shall pour through you, this water of life that shall flow forth from your lips, shall first be a trickle that shall soon turn into a mighty stream, and then a mighty flood that shall flow out to refresh and bring life and light to many!
175. My water of life will seek the lowest places of the Earth, those places which are impoverished and destitute in spirit, those who are crying out in agony of spirit for their thirst to be quenched, for the longing of their hearts to be satisfied, for hope for their future, for a reason for their lives, and the light of truth to guide them in the midst of the darkness that surrounds them.
176. So fear not, My precious ones, to open your vessels, to let Me pour forth through you freely. Do not measure the waters, but open yourself wide in yieldedness and humility before Me, and I will pour forth through you in great abundance, more than you could ask or think! For I long to meet the needs of the hungry and destitute, and to answer the cry of those who cry day and night unto Me. My heart is broken for these, My unborn children. My heart weeps great tears of sorrow and compassion that flow and flow from My heart. They will pour forth from My heart through you, My channels, and out to those for whom My heart is broken.
177. You, My children of David, are strong and healthy and well fed, for you have been blessed abundantly through feeding on My Words. You are strong to bear the burden of the weak, to bear the burden of this great task of being the channels, the receptacles, the receivers of My Words, that you may pour forth the water of life to the many multitudes who are in desperate need of My Words, My message, and My love for them.
178. They are waiting to be kissed by My Words, and you are My lips to kiss them with these Words, which I will pour forth through you in an abundant flow. So suck and suck, My children! Suck and receive My seeds. And kiss and kiss, My children! Kiss them with My Words, the Words which I will pour forth through you, My yielded vessels, My open channels. Open wide unto Me, and let it flow and flow and flow in a mighty river of the life and Spirit and Words of God! (End of message from Jesus.)
179. {\b \i (Mama:) }What a beautiful picture! Will you help the Lord paint it and make it a reality? God bless those of you who are giving your all to reach the lost and laying down your lives daily for them--there is no higher calling than yours!
180. In the above message the Lord likens each of us to vessels who are pouring out His Words on the thirsty ground. This includes not only the written Words which you pour out in your literature distribution but also the Lord's living Words which you can receive for those whom you minister to. We've received many testimonies from Family members who have heard from the Lord for those whom they are witnessing to, and then given them the messages they received. In every case it's made a real difference in that person's life, encouraged them, instructed them, and brought them closer to Him. There's nothing like hearing the Lord's Words for you personally to increase your love for the Lord and make you want to have a closer relationship with Jesus. So be faithful to feed your sheep not only the written recorded Word, but also any personal Word that the Lord may have for them individually. You'll be thrilled with the results!
181. And don't forget, the Lord says that we're channels of His love, which means that in order to pour out, we have to first receive by spending time with Him and getting filled up with the seeds of His Word. A channel has nothing of itself, but is just an empty conduit. It can only pour out through one end what comes in the other end. So if you don't spend time receiving, you won't have anything to give.
The Lord's Plea to Save the Lost!
182. I'd like to let the Lord close this Letter by including a short message He gave some time ago in which He pleads with us to heed His call and give our all to save and feed those who are lost.
183. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:)} I plead with you, My Family, to continue to run the race and carry the torch of My message to those in the world who are dying spiritually without Me. Please do your best to reach them, to give them the hope of My message and to show them My love, to fill their aching and empty hearts so that they do not feel they have to take their own lives in order to find relief from their problems and from the strain of life. Please give them My love! Please don't fail them. They need you! You're the only link I have with them. You're the only ones I can depend on to faithfully go forth with My love and My message.
184. Tell them I love them! Tell them that I will help them if they will only turn to Me and receive Me. Be faithful, and you will never be sorry, for great will be your reward in Heaven for your faithfulness to reach out to the least and to the lowly and to the lost. Great will be your reward in Heaven! (End of message from Jesus.)
185. "Lovest thou Me? Feed My sheep" (John 21:15-17). God bless and keep you loving Him and feeding His sheep!
Love,
Mama
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family
