Whew! That's a relief. Making sense of that is just about as futile as putting windshield wipers on a cat's butt.
True. But I'm starting to get the impression that either no one here now knows exactly or if they do there's not a lot of detail around it. I put a feeler out to someone who would, to see if they could explain it in 25 words or less and if they can't, then I'll post back here that indeed, those wipers are about as good as it's going to get.
True. But I'm starting to get the impression that either no one here now knows exactly or if they do there's not a lot of detail around it. I put a feeler out to someone who would, to see if they could explain it in 25 words or less and if they can't, then I'll post back here that indeed, those wipers are about as good as it's going to get.
Okay, okay........I'll give it a shot, but it might be more than 25 words.
As I remember it..........October 1995, martindale made the statement that "the word was over the world" on a corps night and then, had John Reynolds come forward. At that time, Reynolds was newly-installed on the Board of Trustees as Secretary-Treasurer. Don Wierwille's health was failing and Rosalie was stepping into the Vice President slot. And, Howard was replaced by Reynolds. Anywho........since Reynolds had been in the International Outreach Department for years (before a short stint as Region guy in Arkansas), martindale assigned him to come forward and give the "explanation."
Reynolds spent about 20 minutes adding all the necessary ministry jargon and Dr. Wierwille's vision of "word over the world." Citing some statistics, cities, countries, continents and filler-crapola........he rambled on. Did it make sense? No. But then, who ever in wierwille's ministry ever tried to explain this mission anyways?
Anywho.......after Reynolds finished, martindale stepped forward and commenced with the "new mission" of the prevailing word. Another hour and a half, the corps meeting was over. New slogans. New terminology. The lexicon of buzzwords that constantly changed in twi was refreshed......after ANOTHER corps night. Most likely.......martindale was laying the groundwork for his new class series: The Way of Abundance and Power. Out with the old, in with the new. Times were rapidly changing.
A day or so later.......some corps were dissenting. They strongly believed that Dr. Wierwille's vision of "word over the world" was NOT complete. These murmuring reached martindale's ears in a hurry........and those corps [2 or 3 couples] were purged. Dropped from Active Corps. Door slam !!
Message Received: You always know who rules over you by observing who it is that you are not allowed to question.
From my standpoint..........I had a full plate of responsibilities as a Limb Coordinator at the time and faxes pouring in daily. If someone wanted to tweak the "mission statement" of twi, then so be it. To me, it was martindale's attempt to polish the old marketing slogan with something else to make it shine. No reason to bunch my boxer shorts.
Okay, okay........I'll give it a shot, but it might be more than 25 words.
As I remember it..........October 1995, martindale made the statement that "the word was over the world" on a corps night and then, had John Reynolds come forward. At that time, Reynolds was newly-installed on the Board of Trustees as Secretary-Treasurer. Don Wierwille's health was failing and Rosalie was stepping into the Vice President slot. And, Howard was replaced by Reynolds. Anywho........since Reynolds had been in the International Outreach Department for years (before a short stint as Region guy in Arkansas), martindale assigned him to come forward and give the "explanation."
Reynolds spent about 20 minutes adding all the necessary ministry jargon and Dr. Wierwille's vision of "word over the world." Citing some statistics, cities, countries, continents and filler-crapola........he rambled on. Did it make sense? No. But then, who ever in wierwille's ministry ever tried to explain this mission anyways?
Anywho.......after Reynolds finished, martindale stepped forward and commenced with the "new mission" of the prevailing word. Another hour and a half, the corps meeting was over. New slogans. New terminology. The lexicon of buzzwords that constantly changed in twi was refreshed......after ANOTHER corps night. Most likely.......martindale was laying the groundwork for his new class series: The Way of Abundance and Power. Out with the old, in with the new. Times were rapidly changing.
A day or so later.......some corps were dissenting. They strongly believed that Dr. Wierwille's vision of "word over the world" was NOT complete. These murmuring reached martindale's ears in a hurry........and those corps [2 or 3 couples] were purged. Dropped from Active Corps. Door slam !!
Message Received: You always know who rules over you by observing who it is that you are not allowed to question.
From my standpoint..........I had a full plate of responsibilities as a Limb Coordinator at the time and faxes pouring in daily. If someone wanted to tweak the "mission statement" of twi, then so be it. To me, it was martindale's attempt to polish the old marketing slogan with something else to make it shine. No reason to bunch my boxer shorts.
A bit more on that can be found here, in one of martindale's explanations of it, from a staff meeting April 1, 1996.
The Prevailing Word in the Promised Land of the Household, or Promised Land of the Prevailing Word in the Household--I guess either way would work. That's been the way it's jelled in my soul in defining our overall vision, our goal. Like for years we worked with the Word Over the World concept in our thoughts and hearts, and it helped us make our decisions and prioritize our lives, and as we move into Generation II of The Way International Ministry of Research, Teaching, and Fellowship, there has to be ways to focus our thoughts and define it, both culturally and in language that communicates, as well as Biblically and spiritually. And it's just like we learned to understand it in Dr. Wierwille's ministry--we looked at the Word, we studied the Word, we adapted concepts and ideas and functions and programs to the times in which we lived; and did all we could to make the Word of God available and establish--to use military terminology --beachheads. As I said in the Book of Acts teachings, centers of reference, or spheres of influence in the culture, that would make available the Word of God.
This cannot be evaluated in a senses manner--only to a certain extent. If we worked for McDonalds, we'd pull out our map and see everywhere we had a restaurant, and we'd decide what gaps we have. It can't be looked at in that manner, because if you look at it in that manner, I don't think we could say the Word is over the world. I think sense-knowledge-wise that would be contradicted. Certainly there are many gaps on the maps. But I look at it in terms of the impact. Like I taught in the Book of Acts, expansion is defined numerically, geographically, and in sphere of influence. Now that means all three have to be considered as a unit in terms of what we would say the Word is over, or the Word is available to a section of the country or the world. And that sphere of influence is especially noteworthy in terms of energized ministries. And I believe I see that deeper than ever before indicated as such at times and over the years, because I know I've made the point that every section in the Book of Acts opens with an energized ministry functioning.
Of course, the reason you have energized ministries is for the perfecting of the saints. So that implies that there are active disciples in areas that are part of that sphere of influence. It isn't just to be an Elijah sitting in the wilderness by himself, or an Amos or Jeremiah--pretty much rejected, mourning the unbelief. But obviously there are to be disciples, pockets of believing, because the purpose of the ministries is first the perfecting of the saints.
But from that numerical and geographical setting, then the great key to the Word over the world is what I always call the "sphere of influence," or the impact of that Word in that part of the world. I think as we grew and learned, many times we thought of that impact in terms of cultural or senses impact. And we had to learn; we had to grow. We thought in terms of dominating the music business or dominating Nashville; at times we thought in terms of great works of art and literary pieces moving to world renown. Well, we learned over the years that that is not really what it meant and means, because that never happened. And indeed, in a lot of cases, it hurt the ministry more than helped it to pursue it in those categories, because people at times didn't stand; they couldn't handle the spiritual pressure; they copped out and broke down. So that isn't what it meant. Remember, Corps Principle #1 is "Acquire an in-depth spiritual perception and aware- ness" of the Word. Whether I understand everything going on in the world or not has relatively little significance. Only what the Word directs me to understand what's going on in the world. So it isn't a case of the Word dominating the culture. I think at times that's what we thought it meant. That's not what it meant, obviously and clearly, because that is certainly not the case in any stretch of the imagination.
Now, that the Word has had some positive effect on the unbelieving realm, I think it's logical to say, but to document that is very difficult, because we have very little interaction in the great realms of politics and government and military and the arts and culture. We've had believers in these fields, and just having an appreciation for the Word of God, the spirit of God, I think generally we can say, yes, we have had an effect on the senses realm. Maybe we've kept it from going as rotten and evil as it could have been if we hadn't been around. But that is not the point. The point is #1: That sphere of impact is available.
The old analogy of a stone hitting a lake that Dr. Wierwille would often use, where the concentric ripples of the waves would eventually reach the shore. To me, that's a good analogy of sphere of influence. And what you're always out to do is to make it available to those that hunger and thirst after righteousness. So therefore whether we could document it sense-knowledge-wise, which we can't, and even to look at it sense-knowledge-wise would cause me to doubt the revelation God gave me that the Word is over the world. Which I don't doubt, but I could see how the senses realm could cause you to doubt it because of the immensity of it and the sheer numbers of people, numbers of countries, numbers of dialects and cultures, which certainly cause you to doubt it if you looked at it from a business point of view or military point of view. So to me that's even more evidence to prove it has to be right.
But again, the believing of it is your heart in the Word of God, and your humility to the Word, and your humility to what God has energized in our heart in the household to present and share and teach. I think as you are humble to that, God can keep teaching you to see that. Because it really has very little to do with its impact on culture--that's only secondary--the unbelieving culture. It's just like Israel: even when Israel was a nation, a political, geographical, ethnic, genetic country, their impact on the rest of the world was always second or third in importance. The importance was the purity within their ranks; the purity within their walls; the purity of the Word. Then, to the rest of the world they would be a delightsome land, a nation of priests, a blessed land-- "what nation is any other that has a god that cares for them like God cares for you"--statements like Moses made.
At times we see in the Word they would be intimidated in a good way by the strength of the believers and leave them alone, but as far as large-scale adapting of Israelite practices spiritually, you didn't see that. The Canaanites, Moabites stayed idolatrous. The Amorites, Amalekites stayed as evil and dastardly as they ever were. The Philistines, who might have been the closest companions to Israel through David's day, never adapted anything. At times they'd respect them. At times they'd come through and clean their clock. It just depended on what was available to them. You didn't see any large-scale change of mind and cultures that Israel had contact with. Egyptian--are you kidding? About the closest was Nebuchadnezzar who at times showed real humility to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Cyrus and Artaxerxes who allowed Ezra and Nehemiah to rebuild first the Temple then the walls then the city. They showed respect for God's people. Maybe there would even be an element of believing in some of these unique, rare men--like the Pharaoh who allowed Joseph to move to such a position of influence and power. But these were individuals who had a heart tender to truth. And I believe they will be rewarded in the judgments in the future. To what extent only God knows. I don't understand it all. I know there's a resurrection of the just and unjust; I believe those noted in the Word who helped God's people are going to be rewarded for it, because God is so just. Just like people who are kind to us and help us in our day, God will not forget that. Even in this life their lives are blessed when they are kind to The Way Ministry and help us in what we do and help us do the things we need to do to make the Word of God available.
I think it's a continual growth and learning, and certainly one of the great ways to express what it means, the Promised Land of the Prevailing Word in the Household, is certainly the spiritual quality of life. That more and more can be appreciated and enjoyed by the believers of the household and disciples, and more and more God gets the glory and praise for within the house- hold. It's His joy to bless His people. And within the household, that purity and that sanctified living is most important. And the majority of what we call the household of God are functioning disciples. That minority would be those that we are giving the opportunity to become functioning disciples. And that's the only way you're going to build the true quality of life, is not allowing it to become laced and contaminated with spiritual leprosy. Even the Church Epistles are very adamant--get on or get off. They are very adamant. Grace and mercy are for those that humble themselves. Grace and mercy are not to be used as a club and a lever against the faithful. But that's definitely what the accuser does. People that chronically fail, that are chronically hard- hearted, chronically unwilling to change their minds and habits--first in their practical life as I've taught, then it becomes doctrinal, (as Dr. Wierwille taught and I think I've embellished and expanded and explained) that the greatest attacks are in the practical realm.
Isn't it something that the ones that need to change the most many times are the most indignant when you reprove them--most adamant, on a soapbox. More and more they don't stay long on that soapbox because we are learning to have the courage--at least some of us--to mark and avoid and separate and confront them and tell them to leave. We are learning what righteousness means. It means the guts to take a stand against evil and not let the accuser make you think you're wrong because you're running off the damned lepers. And yet still we have too many people that refuse to believe that that's the love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation. You want to believe that the love of God or for God in the renewed mind in manifestation means you tolerate everything, and that's a lie. And it's a doctrine of the devil-spirit realm, and you ain't going into the Promised Land. That mind set will eliminate you from the joy of the experiential reality of the quality of life that awaits us when and if the Word really prevails in the household. It's private interpretation; it's reading in your opinions of what love means; it's not reading what the Word actually says. I for years have shown you references from every Church Epistle that tell us to separate, mark and avoid, withdraw from every brother that walketh disorderly; so I'm sure some believe that and practice that, and still some in the depth of your heart, you don't really believe it. You think that love and grace and mercy mean you're supposed to tolerate everything. That's exactly how the devil spirits nearly took this ministry over, (which we're still cleaning out,) with that lack of resolve to the truth, that private interpretation of what the scripture says, that vague, general mind set about what Jesus Christ really wanted. And yet people refuse to see scriptures where Jesus Christ confronts Simon. Jesus withdrew himself from those men at times when they were not up to levels, even his best men; and Jesus Christ had very, very few people left from all the thousands and thousands that he taught and ministered to and healed. He had only about 120 who wanted to be recognized as his followers after his ascension. He would be considered a resounding failure in our contemporary world. We've got more people left on our mailing list than he had on his.
I still think some of you feel bad about the lack of numbers and you almost feel insulted or feel disgraced. And you're just not thinking spiritually. You have a carnal mind that's enmity against God. And we've got to get that out of the leadership of The Way Ministry. And we're working on that as you know. I don't tolerate it. I confront it. And those that back me up confront it also. And we cannot have that kind of mind set in any way working at our Root Locales because it's pure contamination. The Root Locales are not spiritual infirmaries for spiritual winos and deadbeats and drunks that need to have radical overhauls in their lives and minds. It cannot be that in any way. People that need help, if they want help, can go to Twig and see if they can put up with that spiritual pressure. People that want help have no business living here. You come here to serve, you come here to give, you come here with commitment, fully persuaded mind set, and that obviously has to be the key for our whole Way Corps household, that functioning house- hold, our Way Disciples, and eventually, all our Twig coordinators; although I'm sure there's still a lot to do there that we just haven't had time to get to.
But the quality of life enhanced and dominant is what we're talking about in the Prevailing Word. And Galatians 5:22 is a simple way to put it. "But the fruit of the Spirit"--remember that's usage 5, the gift in manifestation. "Is love"--that's that love for God. That first and foremost dominates. That the Word of God holds regnancy in our minds. Everything else is secondary--whether it comes from family, friend, culture--the Word of God holds regnancy. It prevails, it dominates. And as I've worked this "prevail" concept over the years, to me it indicates permeate, saturate, dominate. When the Word is prevailing, it's at that level. When the Word prevails, it's hardly ever even a registering of temptation, if any. It's hardly an itch, that you'd even think about not doing what the Word says, even if your closest friend tells you in a subtle way. Or even if family, a relative or something--it's ludicrous that anyone would think they could get me to not do the Word of God in contrast to their opinion. I've been through all that. It's a joke to think they could somehow bribe me with the horizontal so that I would not do the vertical. That's one way of putting what "prevailing" means. If you're still tempted to consider it, the Word does not prevail. It has not permeated, saturated, and dominated.
I said to the Corps at that Corps Night in Texas, if you're still sitting there doubting the sagacity of our decisions and doubting the words I say, even things I just said about what Word over the world did not mean--it did not mean those things once we learned and grew. If it did, we would be running the Nashville business. We would have dominating novelists writing the top sellers of the day. We would have believers making all the hot movies in Hollywood. All the Jews would be kissing our butt out there. That does not happen and is not going to happen. There could be rare, exceptional situations. Never put a lid on what God can do. But, for instance, Joseph was a very rare scenario. Joseph became a dominant man in a foreign culture, but look at the spiritual reason. It was to save the Christline. The adversary would have wiped out the twelve tribes and their progeny through the famine if he hadn't have been elevated to that position in Egypt. He saved Jacob and the sons, including Judah out of whom Jesus Christ came. That's the reason Joseph moved to the top, understand? There would be a reason.
And for the most part, I don't see many reasons why we should have to have dominant people in positions of influence in the country. For one thing, it's so evil I don't know what difference it would make. It's almost a miracle day by day that we have the freedom to live that we have, and I think that more depends on the solidarity and the purity and the strength of the household that we can control, and not those things we have no control over. And it's very difficult to measure what kind of impact our ministry has had on the senses realm. I don't know how to document that, except in vague notions, unless God would show me something I could pinpoint. Maybe the rage now in some places for people to get out of debt, maybe that does have something to do with our teaching. I could make the connection on a general basis, but I'm not sure specifically how to document that. I don't have time to worry about that kind of thing too much. We have too many concerns keeping what we can control clean, and you can't worry about what you can't control.
I heard them say that on the Masters yesterday. Greg Norman is lapping the field now. One of the announcers said every guy's just got to go out there and shoot his best. He can't control how good Greg Norman's going to play. He can only control what he does. And that's all you can do. Otherwise you drive yourself crazy. I thought now there's an apt analogy of our function in this world. I can't worry about things I have no control over. The RC, Protestant, Ecumenical travesties going on; the dismantling of our military; the building up of the Red Chinese military machine--again we're heading toward a showdown. I almost think a showdown would be good. It would shock our nation back into some awareness that we've got to get some strength back in our military. But if the adversary could stumble someplace and jump too soon with the Chinese stuff, that's where the real military threat is coming from now. From what I've read, they've hired all the former USSR nuclear geniuses and they're helping them build their nuclear arsenal. It makes a lot of sense to me. The adversary just keeps funneling them one way or the other.
"But the fruit of the spirit"--the gift in manifestation-- "is love, joy." That inside job, joy. We're never going to get to the place that there are no problems, but there's definitely a difference between gut-wrenching anxiety and just taking on problems with that inner peace and that joy on the inside. I'd like to see more of the second one.
"Peace" is the third listed, which is complete. And remember the Word says "righteousness and peace have kissed one another." There is no genuine peace of God unless there is righteous thinking and righteous conduct. There is no genuine peace. It's counterfeit, a fabrication, a grit- your-teeth-and-hope-so, a religious peace. And eventually it's a spirit possession, where the spirits numb a person's mind and then they label it peace. But it's really a devil spirit just causing apathy and unconcern about things that we should be alarmed about. That's how the spirits counterfeit peace. Then people call it the peace of God. Sure, they call it the peace of God! They read the Bible, they call it that, but their unrighteous thinking and their unrighteous practices have opened them up to devil-spirit infiltration; and that would be the last guy to ever admit he has trouble. The Word of God says so. They know not what takes them over; it says that in Isaiah. Dr. Wierwille taught it to us. The one possessed doesn't know it. How would he know it? He's so blinded in that category of his mind. I explained in the Advanced Class that the bad habits have so grooved his mental patterns, grooved the chemical, physical properties of his mind, that a spirit just slips in underneath a bad habit. Because the bad habit has become so habit, and Biblical people have to justify their bad habits with scriptures, and then that spirit's right in there and they're out of control. Now sometimes the spirits make mistakes and they go overboard, and then it freaks the person and they wake up; but they're good; they've been at it for thousands of years. And they pretty much know how to stay quiet, and then at the right times tweak the right buttons to exercise control. No wonder discerning of spirits is listed seventh in I Corinthians 12, which is the listing of the importance of the manifestations in the household, remember. And it's the discerning of spirits that really keeps things on any divine, spiritual maturity or tending towards perfection.
But it all starts with practical error--slothfulness, lack of disciplined thinking--and then it moves into lack of disciplined conduct. Righteousness and peace have to kiss one another--they have to touch, full share. They have to fully share, fully communicate. There is no peace of God without righteous thinking and righteous living--none. And righteousness is not just a sonship right to be used as a club against anyone that wants to confront you. That is evil. That is a devilish practice, which has been used many times. I suppose at some times you'll see it's still used by people: "I'm righteous; leave me alone." You're righteous, shut the f--- up and do something about it. Show me you're righteous. By their fruits they're known, not by sonship rights. Everybody's got them--what do you do with them? Too long that has been used as a club and an excuse, and the devil spirits hide behind that. So you don't back down. I'm talking about when someone is wrong and you've got the goods on them and you show them the Word of God.
Many times the most hard-hearted will be the most indignant when reproved--chronically speaking, over a period of time. Again we had an example this past week of someone who's been taught and taught and taught, and finally removed themselves from the household. And now they're all bold and adamant. I get a phone call from the wife two nights ago, adamantly wanting to speak to Rev. Martindale to give me the facts on why they left the ministry. What do I want those for? I've already evaluated it spiritually and told you at lunch the other day what happened. I gave you enough. Now she's bold and adamant. She hadn't wanted to talk to me since I've known her. I've tried to get her bold and adamant about the Word of God for a couple of decades. Now she's bold and adamant. Tell me how genuine that is. I've tried to get her to stand for God and speak up and be a true leader like she has the ability to be for years. She never wanted to do it. She wanted to be a house mouse or something. Now she wants to lecture me about how wrong I am. Where's that confidence coming from? Not the God I love and worship. You have to understand something about the spiritual conflict that is waged.
For these things to prevail, it means the conditions necessary for love, joy, peace, longsuffering to prevail, are dominant among the majority of the household. That's what I mean. The majority of your functioning household has to be disciples. Then you always have an element of raising up those that hunger and thirst and want the Word, and they have a period of learning. Not just our children, but other people we reach out to and give the opportunity to see the delightsome land of the Promised Land of the Prevailing Word in the Household functioning. And there's always that element. But you have to have enough disciples, with the Word prevailing and dominating where nothing takes precedence over it, in order to maintain that wonderful spiritual equilibrium that makes life worth living. And even more important than that, that honors and blesses the God Who's waited for centuries for somebody to figure this out and do it for longer than a year and a half. The first century church didn't last too long in the true, vital functioning of a genuine, vital household of God. Since Pentecost, there is very little success to look at. At times in the Old Testament you see periods where Israel was just so strong. When they functioned under the judge--one period was 80 years; one period 40 years; another one 20--it sort of got less and less. At least for periods the people lined it up, walked the chalk, and the committed dominated and God's people were a delightsome land and lived abundantly. And God was honored to see that His Word was being lived and worked and He was getting the glory by the quality of life people lived, as well as their conscious recognition. And that's what you're after. That's why "love" is first. That is first a love for God. And the only way to show a love for God and to have a love for God is to obey the Word of God.
Then longsuffering is fourth, indicative of what we do need within the discipleship household. We need longsuffering to give people an opportunity to grow. We need longsuffering to continue to teach and teach until something really finally does click for people. And again that's something you can't hardly make a definitive statement about. How long do we keep teaching people they ought to tithe and abundantly share? I guess that's relative to every circumstance. Some people have just rejected it so often I don't think they hear it at all. It's just a matter of time before they're outside the walls. I read a letter I just sent to Howard yesterday or the day before where a former Corps couple had gotten themselves in debt, and they had responded to the admonitions and they just bought a beautiful new house on a straight cash basis. They owe nothing. They shared some of the details they went through--the ways the world tried to subtly get them to go in debt. They decided if they sold one of their extra cars and their camper then they'd have enough money to buy the house. Sometimes the most obvious isn't obvious until you get in a position where you have to think outside the context that you've lived in. I thought that was intriguing. They said they still have believers come up to them with excuses. That's like Acts 17: "We will hear thee again of this matter."
In the Old Testament, God tells Israel--we're talking about longsuffering, but look at Numbers 14. One reason I wanted to take the three weeks off is first I believe the Father put it on my heart, because it's not anything I walk around thinking about. Then I began to think through some of the profit: it would give us a rest from running the top-notch meetings and all the preparation required on many of us. Really, the whole Staff is on call of course, at least by Sunday, and many of us are working all week long, every week, toward these Sundays. But I also wanted to just sit down with the Staff and really give you the opportunity to think something through. We share a lot of depth at meals and I think that's great. I love it and I ain't going to stop it, but I think there's still some things that you can't really communicate with kids crawling all over you and knives and forks in front of you and thinking about what you're getting ready to go do next. I just felt we needed some focus time. You got to focus your mind to learn in depth. Usually you have to set your own environment and life and make up your own mind and set your learning environment like at your homes and offices where you can think in depth. Because if you can't think in depth and reason through a lot of variables, you can't become an in-depth spiritual man or woman. You have to think in depth. The Word of God is a thick book. The most demanding logic in life is required to think this thing through. If you can read, you can think in depth. I don't care about your educational background. What Word over the world, the Pre- vailing Word in the Household means--you got to think this stuff through. It doesn't just hit you over the head because you speak in tongues. You got to think. Anyone can speak in tongues. That doesn't prove anything. A false teaching over the years was people thought that if all they did was speak in tongues, go to meetings, then they were living righteously. Dr. Wierwille never taught that. He said the Word, the Word, and nothing but the Word! But human beings are always looking for a slothful way out.
Years ago, when we were in that whole political realm, people acted as if all you had to do is pray for your country and vote, and God will take care of the rest. What a bogus piece of advice that is. Vote? What does that mean? All it is is a ballot of clowns no matter which one you vote for. What difference does it make most of the time? You think that has an impact? It's ok to vote, but that's not what is keeping our nation free. Who are you voting for? A bunch of idiots all cut from the same egotistical, selfish cloth. The love of money. That's why Dr. Wierwille said why is it that a guy like Jesse Helms can raise 10 million dollars to campaign for a $50,000 a year job. It didn't make any sense to him. It's a pretty bogus imbalance. It's still a good example.
Numbers 14: At what point does God just shut it off? At what point is that mercy no longer available, therefore the functioning in the household no longer available? In the Word, it's 10 times with Israel. Not saying that's the way it is always, but it certainly was measured and God took an account.
Numbers 14:20: "And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word." Once Moses interceded, stood in the gap for Israel.
"But as truly as I live." I'd say that's an oath.
God says: "all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice."
Bullinger's Bible documents the ten major places where the people rebelled. So God counts them. God keeps an account. And I guarantee He's got an account of everybody in our day also. The only way your book is clean is if you honestly confess your broken fellowship. Then He remembers it no more. So your slate is clean except for reward account. But for those that have turned their back on the Word of God and walked away, who have not genuinely confessed their broken fellowship--sometimes they hit with this: "Where's the love and forgiveness in The Way Ministry?" I would respond with this: "Where's your confession of broken fellowship?" That's the issue here. Where is your honest recognition of you missing the mark? Remember, the Word confess is homologos, same word. Where is your honest willingness to get back to the Word, then you'll see your love and forgiveness, not until then. Well, you might see love, but they won't interpret it as love. It will be in terms of confrontation. It is very loving, though. It takes a lot of work. It takes a heck of a lot more work to confront people than to turn your back and walk away. It takes a heck of a lot more love to stay on people. Ask any parent. To ignore it is a counterfeit love; very religious and it just opens the doors for the spirit realm again.
Ten times God put up with them. Now this is when the door comes down like an anvil on them ever getting into the Promised Land.
"Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:
But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit [or heart] with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.
(Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me."
In my heart, if this thing works the way it's supposed to, and I believe it is to the best of our ability to this day, when us Trustees get together and we make a decision before God, whether it's something to teach or to implement in the practical realm, those that murmur against that in their minds and at times even among themselves, God says they're murmuring against Me. So those that are not persuaded on the present truth are murmuring against God, and eventually that contamination has to be flushed and eliminated. To get people to humble themselves: all the elaborate ways I raise the volume of my voice; all the elaborate ways I try to teach the records of the Word to get people's attention. Some just continue to reject it. I think at times people have allowed the adversary to manipulate their minds to think that it's their sonship right to disagree with the functioning ministers in the Body. And that's a lie. If that's true, you show me the Word that backs that up. Now if the ministers in the Body are wrong, then you should be able to prove that from the Word and then there is a decent and in order basis to handle that in the household. But obviously, I don't believe we're wrong. We live day by day. We certainly could make a mistake. But certainly in our hearts we are not wrong in our allegiances and loyalties to want to do God's best.
I'm more aware than any of you how a wrong decision can be made. Even though you want to do what's right you can get tricked by a lot of things. But when your heart is there and you love God and want to do what's right, He gets you through it. Like Luke stuck with Paul and that was the thing to do even when Paul went to Jerusalem. Everyone else forsook him toward the end of his life, most of them. People think it's their sonship right to argue. They don't look at it as arguing with the Word, but it is. They are arguing with the presentation of that Word or the implementation of it. Now to have honest questions, that's life. There's a big difference. That's why we as leaders often bend over double backwards to explain the decision, especially to you who implement it from Headquarters and our Root Locales and our leadership, our Corps. You know how we do that. We just did that at Trustee Heart Time. We explained background on how we've gotten to conclusions on things and why we're emphasizing, for instance, why our young people should go to college. We spent a very measured period of time on that. I talked about Dr. Wierwille, I talked about my own upbringing. I just elaborated on it. I talked about Moses learned in the ways of the Egyptians. I explained it from multi-angles; covered every base the best I could. I covered it from the point of some people not having that desire and that's fine, and I even covered a lot of our Corps today that never went to college but came in the Corps. I covered for them by saying the Corps experience has taught them what the four years of college would have provided. I'm not saying all of us Corps now that are in our 40s, 50s, and everything else should necessarily go back to college if we haven't been. I covered every base, you under- stand? So those would cover honest questions that come up.
But belligerence and adamancy and just the knee-jerk reaction in a person's mind to immediately argue, that's sin. And if that's where your mind is, you better change or you better go. And that's exactly why you see people recently are still going. They've hidden that adamancy and hidden that mental debate they always had with us, and they learned that from Chris Geer and they're still doing what he said they should do: argue with everything. He basically gave people the right to think evil of the leadership in The Way Ministry. I know, I stood against the brunt of that for 2 1/2 years, where I couldn't even stand up and make the simplest announcement in the lunchroom without feeling the attacks and thinking evil coming at me. It continued until we started cleaning, but it has certainly lessened where you can stand up in front of a group and have somewhat of an environment of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, faithfulness, on down the line; where you can really communicate and teach something. Although no man is big enough mentally to register exactly what is going on, but in the inner man, I know when I'm being fought. I know when the Word of God is being hardened against. To the best of my ability, that's why I respond with such spiritual rage at times when it might not be evident to a group or why. Because God knows and He works in me, and He is the Heart Searcher, and He is not fooled. And I work for Him.
And it is never meant to make the faithful or the righteous, those that are doing their best, to feel guilty. I think that's a temptation at times and you have to watch that. But I have to confront things that are still lepers in the household, or the seeds of spiritual leprosy. Many times I find out about it later--weeks and months later, where somebody has been harboring an attitude that's finally flushed. And I know why, when people have finally admitted it and wanted help, I realized why I hadn't been hitting that issue as much or hadn't hit it in the last Corps Night or so. But you don't always see that. But the inner man registers that. But for those that are doing their utmost, I imagine it's like I was with Dr. Wierwille, if he was yelling about something, I would check myself, but if I knew I was doing my best in that category, I wouldn't sit there and condemn myself. I wouldn't let the accuser get to me. I don't have time to sit with everybody in the Way Corps household individually every week, or the Staff. So for those that are doing certain things right, there's obviously learning in the confrontation because it's never just yelling; I'm always teaching. There's teaching in it, logic in it, explanation in it, Biblical records, contemporary illustrations, learning if you're there listening to learn--you're seeing how the adversary and the spirits are infiltrating with that kind of stuff. So there's always a profit to it.
Like for the few that did stand, I'm sure there was great profit, and there it is recorded in the Word: it says you guys ain't going in. And He counted it, ten times. So that tells me God pays attention. It's not to the extent where if I have to confront somebody ten times, they're out. I'm not going to do that. But God pays attention--there's the lesson. And for them, ten was it. Ten was the completion of a cycle. It's a unit--ten commandments, this kind of thing. So ten was it. For our learning, it's more in the figurative significance, that at a certain point, in a certain cate- gory of your life, if you have continued to reject the Word of God, there is a certain point where that cycle is over with. And God just, in essence, turns His back because you have rejected it. And the household has to turn its back. Mark and avoid. And then because at times people continue to exist in the household even though they've crossed that line where they have chronically rejected the reproof and correction offered to them from multi points of view--whether it's me at lunch or a friend in the dorm or a tape you're listening to when it hits your heart again--God knows. He's the Searcher of hearts, isn't He? It's like Dr. Wierwille's great section in The Life-style of a Believer: the measure of your life is what do you think about when you don't have to? In the quietness of your own soul, most people just drift, daydream, fantasize. What do you do with your mind? There is a duty of disciplined thinking. That's indicative of your genuine love for God. God is Spirit. He's always there. He knows your thoughts. Do you care? Do you give a hoot to love Him with sound logic, to keep your mind and life in order? Do you care? Obviously, some people don't. Because then like Proverbs says, in a time of trouble, an unfaithful man is like a broken tooth and a foot out of joint. You don't see that in the easy times. You see it in the time of trouble. Which clearly indicates they have not controlled their thinking in the private moments of their life; they have not dedicated themselves to good, sound spiritual thinking to the end that when the time of trouble was there, they would respond. And as a leader, I'm responsible to see that and make appropriate decisions. Get the leprosy out, or the weakness that could lead to that spiritual leprosy. Leprosy is a good example because it has life of it's own, chewing up that physical body. Which is what devil spirit does in some phase in the household of God. They do nothing but deteriorate and tear down. They do in no way build up anything. Jesus Christ said that "the thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy," so there's no good thing that the infiltration of those spirits provides. Isn't that true that when they x-ray your teeth they can not only see cavities but also weakening areas? Spiritually, if there's a cavity, you got to get the rottenness out and fill it with the Word. But as a leader, if I see weaknesses that could lead to a cavity, then you want to start confronting, and if people will respond that part can be made healthy again. Get the old spiritual dental floss in there and start flipping the compost piles out of your head. We use spiritual x-ray, which is the Word. Within the Word, revelation, but it isn't like anybody's walking around reading anybody's mind, but there are times when definitely God lets you know. Like the couple I mentioned, I knew two weeks ago God told me they weren't going to stand. I prepared my heart for it; I was ready for it. It isn't like I thought about it every moment after that, I didn't. In fact, by God telling me that I could quit wondering about it. Just put my mind into what I had to do. But when the occasion hit, it hurt me, it always hurts. But it didn't shock me into numbness or inaction in a capacity where my mind didn't function properly.
Like yesterday, you know that situation happened in Ohio which has a widespread impact. And I was on the phone yesterday to the Panarellos and the Howes in a conference call, updating them on where I saw this thing was going next spiritually so they could be ready for the onslaughts and attacks that would be coming. They had already been involved in some confrontations and dis- cussions and they had reported to me on it, and I was thankful for that. I was grateful they'd gotten on it. Yesterday on the phone I gave them where I saw this thing was going. They were at their Advanced Class Grad weekend.
So He heard the murmurings of the children of Israel which they murmur against Me. It's like Acts 17. Remember Paul says of those that they searched the scriptures daily whether those things were so. But that wasn't a search out of adamancy or a critical attitude. It was a search of joy and thanksgiving and humility. They were so thrilled to hear the Word of God that Paul taught they wanted to make it their own. The word "search" there in Acts 17:11 is anakrin, which is to make right judgments, to divide properly and make proper value judgments. What they were doing was lining the values of their personal lives up with what the Word said that Paul had taught. That was "whether those things were so." It wasn't what happened years ago, where every time a person said something it was to be assaulted, adamantly and bitterly attacked. And it was called "honesty," or "not being a yes man." Where people have assumed in their mind that it's a sonship right to attack whatever a leader says. That's leprosy. That's contamination. Somewhere in the Word it says, "What? Did the Word of God come out from you? Shut up!"
And remember, I taught Numbers 12 where Miriam and Aaron murmured against Moses; they had obviously crossed the line. The name "Miriam" occurs 7 times. I said that was a perfect lesson, because Miriam was the instigator. When Aaron humbles himself, she stays hard-hearted. She's the one that gets leprosy physically and is put outside the camp for 7 days. But that of itself is not a complete lesson. She murmured, she led another guy into it, his weakness allowed him to be caught up in it, when the confrontation came, she did not humble herself, she got the conse- quences of it, was put outside the camp. But the key issue is, she did humble herself, they did wait on her, and she's back with the household as they move on. But she did spend 7 days out in netherland spiritually, isolated. I think that's an example of delivering someone over to Satan. Remember, Satan is indirect influences. What better way to explain delivering someone over to Satan than by their own treachery and their own unfaithfulness having to put them outside the protection of the household? Isn't that delivering someone over to Satan? I think it is. Now, their response to that will vary. In Timothy it says that they may learn not to blaspheme. So for some, they learn. And we've seen that. Some that we've put outside the household, it has really gotten their attention, and they have come back with genuine humility, and we'll see what happens. I don't want to be jaded and sarcastic about it; I want to give them the opportunity. We got a letter from one of those homo people thanking me for letting her take the Intermediate Class. So she's Corps Alumnus and she's proven herself clean the best we know, and she's going to be in the Intermediate Class. And she's come back. So for some, they learn not to blaspheme, but others, it's for the destruction of their flesh, which is their whole body/soul life, which it's up to the adversary how that happens, understand? It's his business now. Some of them will look to prosper, be abundant; they won't even miss being in the household of God. But there is imme- diate spiritual consequences. They get possessed, or those spirits come in seven more wicked, and they are more locked away from the light of the True God and more fooled than ever. Some show more immediate physical consequences. We've had some of the Corps die, ordained clergy, but for the most part it's like Saul: the spirit realm will use them as long as they can be used. That's why it's absolutely ludicrous to look at it from a senses point of view.
We had another report last week of a couple that used to be here on Staff. They were confronted and confronted and finally told to leave. They caused nothing but trouble on the field. Now they're outside the household. And now they're calling false ministers that used to be in The Way Ministry asking how they're doing. They are seeing if these people seem to be getting along and thinking of joining that group. Talk about a carnal mind that's enmity against God. They're just walking right into the trap with their eyes wide open. They're not believing a thing I've taught them over the years about how the spirit realm contaminates and how the Word guarantees it. One copped-out minister is making all kinds of money. So what? Does that impress you? Only from the point of view of what the spirit realm will do to cover itself--it impresses me there. But as if there's any truth there--there's not even an itch of a temptation. How could you even be tempted to think that? If you still are, the Word of God does not prevail in your mind, and you are teetering on disaster. This is not an open meeting. If you still wonder what it's like outside of The Way, if you're still playing with that idea or even considering what would I do if I left The Way Ministry, what are you doing?
Years ago, when Dr. Wierwille first got us going in the Corps, I remember the First Corps were all freaked out that Dr. Wierwille was going to throw them out of the ministry because he was setting the standards. He wasn't looking to throw anyone out. He wanted them to live the Word. But they were terrified that they would fail and be kicked out of the ministry. I learned how the adversary can do that to people. Rev. Moynihan sent me a letter from a guy that wrote and said, "We have no disagreement with where Rev. Martindale is taking the ministry. We just don't think we can live up to it anymore. Therefore we're leaving." That would be disobedience from another angle. They're not acting adamant; they're just saying they can't keep up with the quality of life we're expecting them to live, so they're leaving the household. Well, the consequences are the same. You go outside the walls of the city whether you're mad at how it's being orchestrated, or whether the standards are too high--you still get attacked by the wild beasts and the enemies outside the walls. So you can't let it happen from that point of view, either. That's where you got to grab your Reebok jock and pump up your balls and do it, man. [Laughter] In essence, all I'm saying is gird up the loins of your mind. How dare you say to God that you can't live at this level. That's treasonous also. You're calling Him a liar. Sure you can! Just get rid of your icons, your bad habits. Permeate yourself with the truth.
The Monday after Word in Business I was exercising down in the fitness room, and about ten feet away from me was Riddick Bowe, one of the two great heavyweight boxers in the world, him and Mike Tyson. A guy came in and climbed on the stair climber next to me and I didn't know him. He exercised and finished and he sticks his hand out and says, "I'd rather meet you than Riddick Bowe any day!" He was a believer that had been at the conference. One of the things he said, a simple statement, but it got me thinking of a lot of things: "Man, the abundance of the Word of God this year has just been incredible!" The Advanced Class Weekends, Sunday Nights, Way of Abundance and Power Classes--and I thought, that's right, it has been abundance, and yet still, it's not an overabundance. We still have people we have to eliminate from the household. And for some people, they're probably still hanging on because of that abundance. It takes an abun- dance of the Word of God to live. If that's the way God directs it, if He wants us to keep throwing classes at people every month until they get the idea that this is what it takes to live abundantly with their own discipline, then I'll keep throwing the classes at them every month. I got a lot of health and vitality most of the time. It takes an abundance of the truth to live abun- dantly. It takes a daily abundance of the truth, where you love it so much that's what you want to think about when you have time to think about it in the midst of your responsibilities. That's a requirement, not optional equipment. And as the world waxes worse and worse, we have to wax better and better or we lose. Whatever "good spirituality" was 10, 12, 15 years ago won't cut it today in my life. I would lose. I could not keep up with what I do and the challenges if I wasn't better with the Word and put more of the Word of God through my mind in a day than I did 10, 12 years ago. And it's not a time question, but more of a quality of thought, depth of thought. And what are you thinking about when you have time to put something through your mind on the Word of God? I can process more Word of God through my mind now than I could ever do before. I can get something done. This "ten" thing has answered so many things for me, and in about a two-minute period this morning I found that. And all of a sudden floods of understanding --it clicks. I can process more Word through my mind now than ever. That is progress; a way to explain and define "permeate, saturate, dominate."
We haven't gotten beyond verse 27, but boy, murmuring against the present truth is sin. It's not having an honest question where you want to understand something better. You can tell the difference. A belligerence is sin. That's cause for spiritual leprosy. That's a weak point on your x-ray.
I'm not sure but that the space of grace is over with that we've talked about from Nehemiah a few months ago--a space of grace for people to get their lives in order where we can move to the next plateau. I'm not so sure that's not over with. I think Placements we'll know. Obviously in certain cases it is, as they've proven themselves unworthy, and their fruit has proven evil and corrupt and putrid like in Ephesians. That's what "no corrupt communication" is--putrid fruit. But I believe we got to reach this point at some point. I don't think we can keep biding our time and treading water. In releasing The Way of Abundance and Power, I got to have Corps that I know are Corps and Staff that we know are Staff. Not to say there might not be some failures at times, but it should be more isolated. It shouldn't be in such patterns. And again, that's more of a spiritual evaluation than a numeric. Because when you have patterns of copout going on, it takes so much out us. It's just a kick in the gut. Spiritually, every time that happens it's such a recovery. You have to stay in top spiritual condition, which to me includes the physical and the mental obviously to withstand these hits. Like Dr. Wierwille used to say, you should be able to recover from any hit within a 24-hour period. Most of the time I don't need that long before I'm back up teaching, confronting, making decisions, dealing with things. But at times these things just numb you, they hit you so hard. It's like you have to initiate a healing process. You can't be there in the fast lane of the outreach of the ministry making good decisions because you've taken such a punch again.
That's a good example in sports. The quicker someone can recover from a blow, the better they are. In the Masters yesterday, Norman is leading and he comes to the 12th hole, which is the toughest par 3 in tournament golf. It's only 140 yards but it's treacherous. It looks like the area of a postage stamp with water in front and woods behind with a trap between the water and the front of the green. It's a hard green. It makes all the top pros' knees shake, especially on Saturday and Sunday when the tournament is on the line. Years ago, Tom Wyskoff was leading the Masters and comes to the 12th hole and makes a 9. He hit 4 balls in the water. Even the best players can turn into duffers on that hole. It's so visually intimidating besides being so difficult. So Greg Norman walks up there and hits his ball in the water. And that was a real critical turning point, because now you have to take a penalty stroke and lay it out and hit. So he's nervous, upset. He has at that time a 5-stroke lead but it could dissipate in one hole. But Norman hits a great approach to within 8 feet of the pin, and an 8-foot putt is still tough, especially at Augusta, which has the toughest greens in the world. He walks in there and knocks it right in the center of the cup. Talk about recovering from a blow--he got out of there with a bogie so he only loses one stroke. And the announcer, Ken Ventura, says "He feels like he just got a reprieve from jail there!" Sure enough, next hole he blasts his drive right down the middle. Hits it on two putts for a birdie. But his recovery from the blow was so quick, so immediate. And I think that's where we get. Some of these things we go through could knock people out for a week or two as far as emotionally, even physically. It does affect your physical body.
This "standing in the gap" stuff is not just poetic language. When you really stand in the gap between the adversary and hurting people that you're responsible for, it affects your physical body. So Corps Principle #3 is just as vital as Corps Principle #1, because if you break down on #3, there's nothing left to use in #1 or #2 or #5 or #4. When there's no other explanation, I'll wake up in the morning and be sore all over and it isn't from physical exercise or being out of shape, but because of the spiritual attacks that I've been standing against. It starts with the intensity of the mind required. Then the intensity of thought and all the chemicals that have to be energized throughout your whole body. It's all intertwined--body, soul, spirit. So the intensity of the concentration required to make good decisions, to recover from attack, to make sure I'm doing everything I can to protect our household from spiritual infiltration first; after that other types of hurt. If nothing else, the tenseness that it puts your body through is almost like pumping weights and running a 400-meter sprint. You just feel it the next day. Even top-conditioned athletes after their most intense competitions are sore. Spiritually, no one's ever taken the time to document what it puts your body through. So these admonitions to the Corps to get their bodies in control. Those who've copped out and are puffing cigarettes are saying I'm a Pharisee; ministry is legalistic because I've told people to quit smoking. Smoking has nothing to do with how spiritual you are until God makes it a commandment in the present truth of that day. The guidance in our day is to get our Corps in the best shape possible to stand and withstand the pressure to truly stand in the gap, that's why it's a commandment of the Lord. Not because you're righteous or unrighteous for smoking a cigarette. Then there's other things in the physical category we could require to help our people, but to me that was an obvious one. Especially after it was Dr. Wierwille himself who initiated the standard in the in-residence Corps. The criticism would have been even louder if I would have initiated it, who've never smoked. They'd blame my Southern Baptist background, etc.
Well, ten times He gave them and then the door shuts.
"Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you."
In other words, God heard every murmur, gripe, they made. Not just what they said, but what they did in their minds and how they let their minds go unchecked. We used to sing that song: "He is watching; do not dishonor Him." God knows your every thought. But most people don't care. They just go about their renegade business. Think it's their right to think like a savage.
"Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me."
Talking about longsuffering. The quality of life in the household certainly expressed in fruit of the spirit. Psalm 25:
"Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul." The only way to lift up your soul is your thought patterns. Soul life, breath life, is your heart, mind.
"O my God, I trust in thee: [he does think of God] let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me."
That's a concern certainly if you're in leadership. At times you're deeply concerned about that. Why is it the adversary still seems to be able to attack us? He can attack, but don't let him triumph over us. Don't let him win.
"Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.
Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.
Lead me in thy truth, and teach me." There's a man who has God on his mind.
Verse 9: "The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.
What man is he that [respects] the Lord? [only one way to respect the Lord--have to think about Him and do what the Word says] him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose."
Now it says in Psalm 10:
Verse 2: "The wicked in his pride doth persecute the [humble]: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth."
I get sick of hearing about these athletes "pursuing their dream." And they tell all these kids: "Don't forget your dream, pursue your dream." What a bunch of egotistical crap! Who cares about your dream? What's God's vision? What does God want? Your dream is all selfishness and ego. Tonya Hardy, who had that other girl assaulted, said "I have a dream, my Olympic dream." What a classic illustration of the egotism.
What's God's dream, vision, heart, purpose? That's what we care about, because we're here to honor Him. We were formed, made, and created to honor Him. In that is a life which is more than abundant. That's why the Word has to stay the passion of your soul, even when emotionally it isn't there, it still has to stay the passion of your logic at least. It's God's vision--the Promised Land of the Prevailing Word in the Household. Those that sinned those ten times were not allowed to go in. God had to wait for their carcasses to dump in the wilderness.
Verse 4: "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts."
Or as the literal reads in the margin: "or all his thoughts are there is no God." And for those who do not think the Word and line their judgments, values, and actions up with the Word, it's as if they are saying there is no God. That's what that is. The Word says "The fool has said in his heart, there is no God." For these people who've been in the household, even Corps that have not personally lined their thoughts, conduct up with the Word, it's as if they're saying in their heart there is no God, because they ignore the Word. God is not in their thoughts. They are worthless and fit for the dunghill. Once I'm over the hurt, I couldn't give two cents for their lives. Just potential thorns in the flesh.
I worked verse 3 and 4 about a month ago and wondered when I was going to get the opportunity to share them.
Verse 5: Because God is not in all his thoughts, "His ways are always grievous."
By their fruits they're known. Their actions are a direct extension of their thought life. Don't blame me if you screw up. It's your brain. It's we who take a stand who get attacked, as if we're unloving by pointing it out. That's counterfeit. So we got to fight the accuser off and if you know someone's taking a stand you ought to help, support him, back him up.
"Thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them." They just blow; they don't move.
"He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.
His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud...."
But the key is they don't think His Word and they pursue their own heart's desire--their selfish fantasies of success, or life--and that's all a lie, a contradiction of the Word of God and is out of alignment and harmony.
So we go back to Numbers:
Numbers 14:29: "Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; [this wilderness--pretty good] and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me." Adults were numbered to fight in the armies.
Numbers 14:30: "Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in [See, those who would grow up and be Joshua and Caleb's army.], and they shall know the land which ye have despised." They've despised it because they haven't obeyed the Word.
Numbers 14:32: "But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.
And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.
After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise [or what it means to alter my purpose, the consequences of it].
Deuteronomy 4. I believe this applies directly. If we want to move into what we're describing figuratively as the Promised Land of the Prevailing Word in the Household, what's the key to that? Moses tells them how they got themselves ready to go in. Remember Deuteronomy is in the 40th year. Written to those who are ready to go in. The others have died off.
Verse 1: "Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes [doctrines] and unto the judgments, [practices] which I teach you, [that's the root lamad, which "disciple" comes from] for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you."
Now stop a minute. So what's the whole key to them being able to go in and possess the land? Do the Word! Keep the commandments! That's why we have to be so strong, adamant. We that have had access to this Word so much, do the Word. We have to be strong in that. Or else we're not going to go in and claim the Promised Land of the Prevailing Word in the Household. It'll always be laced with weakness which always deteriorates strength. Because weakness is either laying the groundwork for or is a living spirit cause that deteriorates. It never leaves you alone; it attacks. Weakness is not passive. It is active. It attacks, eats, deteriorates. So it must be eliminated. The causes have to be taken out, just like the cavity in the tooth. You can't just ignore it. Pretty soon it takes your whole mouth and rots the bone system of your mouth out. Any weakness won't stop until it kills you. Like Dr. Wierwille taught, a splinter could kill you if the body wasn't focused to attack it. Any contamination in the physical body could lead to death if it isn't checked. That's why we're called the Body of Christ in I Corinthians 12. Any spirit contamination that is allowed to go unchecked can eventually cave the whole thing in. So there's no gray area here. We either do it or we lose it. We either stand for the truth, demand the truth so the majority of our household is sanctified and purified and functioning so then we do have the room, or the space of grace and mercy to bring up the young, immature; give them ample oppor- tunity to grow like we've had. But for the majority of us, we have to live at these levels. And we can't put up with that contamination. First it's a personal decision. But this is how even Israel was to prepare to go in and militarily conquer foreign lands--was to do the commandments. That was their greatest preparation.
I got a sweet letter from a teenage girl who was coming in the Family Corps asking what she could do to prepare. And do you have horses? I wrote her back yesterday and said the best thing you could do is love God and His Word. That allows you to adapt to anything. What I wrote was I'm glad to see you love God and His Word, because it was a beautiful letter. I sent the letter to Bev Mosqueda so she could answer her specific questions. I suggested to Bev that they have the Junior and Mini Corps write the incoming Junior and Mini Corps to encourage them and bless them. It was a sweet letter from this girl.
You know, "possess the land" means claim it. Take charge. It's yours. Use it. How do you prepare yourself to claim and use and take charge of what God's made available? Hearken unto the statutes and judgments that are taught you to do them that you may live and go in and claim what is yours to enjoy: the fruit of the spirit; the experiential reality of love, joy, peace, long- suffering, goodness, etc. But it's that decision to the truth, or are we going to be like a fool that acts like there is no God; and just refuse to personally and intimately line my own thoughts, judgments, decisions, opinions, emotions up with the Word of God.
About emotions and not letting them run you: We don't mean that it's wrong to have emotions. We mean that what becomes wrong is to allow that emotion to become a state of mind and then that state of mind colors and valances and sets the values to all your decisions. Then you're wrong. And that's so often what happens to people that become adamantly adamant when they're confronted. It shocks them because they've been so stupid. They might become embar- rassed because they're confronted in front of two or three or the Church. And so they take that attitude of shock and embarrassment and then they turn it into anger. And that becomes not just an emotion that they get hit with that they should deal with and get rid of before they make any decisions, but that becomes their mental state. And when an emotion becomes a chronic mental state, you're talking pretty much possession. Because the human mind and body is not made to maintain emotional states. Anger eventually dissipates. Circumstantial hilarity eventually dis- sipates. When an emotion becomes a state of mind, you're in deep doo doo by your own willingness. And they want to hang on to their hurt, anger, embarrassment as a state of mind--you got to have help to maintain that intensity, and that's spirit.
I read a letter yesterday from an Alumni Corps. She said she was initially angry and embarrassed when she went alumni, but as she thought it through, she realized she wasn't at that level of ability, and she's been more blessed than ever. Thanked me for allowing her the privilege to take the Intermediate Class. She could have let that anger and embarrassment become her mental state. Then she could have become indignant and cut herself off if the household is healthy. If unhealthy, that kind of thing is normal. I don't want that. God doesn't want that. I won't allow it. Every emotion should be fleeting.
Like two days ago, two boys called Tim "Wayfer," and Donna and I were so upset because he was so hurt. Boys, when they get pushed in a corner, that's what they resolve back to. We were so angry. I was ready to start a war. This happened Friday before the open house concert. I was ready to boycott the open house. But I cooled down and reasoned it through. It would have caused more harm than good. But emotionally, that's what I wanted to do. But there's no way you can win that way. Now if it was revelation I would do that. But I knew it was an emotional reaction. And God provided some wonderful things. Tim called one of the boys and they got it settled. And the boy backed off. Donna has again written a letter to the principal asking what else to do. And we gave some suggestions about recess time. That prejudice goes back years and you're not going to change it. We haven't had this come up in months. After Word in Business, people copped out, back went out on me, then this--it was really taxing. But I don't think it was much over 20 minutes and I was pretty much over it. Donna was over it--she immediately had to go to a meeting. That's what I mean by recovering from the blow. I went through my thoughts and reasoned it through. Now if God wants me to do something and I'm at peace and rest in my heart, then it's spiritual, and God will back us up. I want to do what's right. I don't want to stir up more hatred. I believe it happens to our kids because of who I am and who Donna is and the adversary will always pick there first. I don't like it; I hate it and despise it. At times I get very angry, but I vent my heart to God. I thought of II Corinthians 12. Paul thought the same way about the thorns in the flesh: "I besought you three times to kick their foot, Lord." God just says "My grace is sufficient for thee." It's a chronic state of the adversary's realm that there's going to be thorns in the flesh. Wednesday night I confronted the Corps that if you're afraid for your children, that's going to cop out your ministry; that's an idol. But these boys open up to spirits and the viciousness of the spirit realm works through them. So they need more supervision over these boys at recess. Told Donna to suggest sending out another high school kid to referee. It all started because they disputed a game call. The spirits have to start it somewhere. If you can keep from starting it, then you can avoid them being able to function. Everyone knows that age group argues. Certain age groups and genders are more vulnerable. So don't let it start.
So I felt guilty about not going to the open house. But Leah knows I make spiritual decisions. I knew if I went I would be tempted to start a ruckus. Donna suggested I stay home and she'd get Rosalie to go. That gave me some peace. I knew Tim and Leah understood. I knew it would hurt the ministry if I went. I asked Rev. Linder to stay close to Donna and Rosalie. I knew it would not be right--I can't fight my son's fight. I have to help spiritually so he would have an even playing field--an opportunity to stand. Because if I get involved it would become a feud and get out of control. But I was in a vulnerable position. So I was at peace. And I understood Leah really distinguished herself there. It was an anatomy of a decision in our lives. It was right I didn't go, because that little kid sat just ten feet away. If I'd been there, I would've fumed. I would've had to recover for a few more hours--it would've set me back.
I cannot be in a high state of emotional upheaval and be able to think in depth. You can't do that. That's why you got to get on stuff when it comes up so it doesn't fester to some soap opera emotional-type state. You have to get over negative emotions quickly. You got to use the positive emotions to think soundly. Remember Peter's emotional state of happiness almost led him to baptizing those people. But "then I remembered the words of the Lord Jesus," remember? Emotions always should be fleeting. Sometimes you'd like for them to last. If you're angry for a good reason, it feels good; happy, etc. Emotions are fleeting. Can't be in a state of emotional upheaval constantly or chronically, or you cannot think the Word, make sound spiritual decisions.
I had to admit it made perfect sense that the adversary would attack my son. He's so ....ed off that we kicked his foot at Word in Business. I taught so much depth of Word. We're sending those teachings out, we're running the Advanced Class Grad Weekends; he's got to be mad as hell. So it just makes sense he would attack through my children, who are the closest thing to my heart. I'd rather they take me on than attack my children or my wife. But they don't do that. So even as I'm angry, all these logical thoughts are there. That's an example of the Word prevailing. And the emotions were fleeting. I did not stay angry. But to get over the emotion before it was allowed to get into a danger zone of wrong decisions--that's what you have to protect against. That's what I mean when I say control your emotions, understand? It's not wrong to have them, be hurt, embarrassed, etc. But where does it go from there? You have to maintain a spiritual equilibrium, mental sobriety, and you can't live in a state of emotional upheaval. People try to live that way and they get contaminated. You can't do it at any level. Whether it's a positive or negative emotional state. You have to have the Word of God in your mind, which requires in-depth thinking. You cannot think in depth when you're in an agitated emotional state.
So the way they prepared themselves to go into the Promised Land was to hearken to the statutes and the judgments and do them and live them that they might claim what was rightfully theirs.
And let's just close with Galatians 5 again. So I got through about a tenth of what I'd prepared. We got room for more Staff Meetings.
Galatians 5:22: "But the fruit" indicates quality of life. And it's the fruit of the gift in manifestation. And the gift in manifestation has to work in a pure, sanctified mind set and heart. It can't be a carnal mind that's enmity against God if you expect the manifestations to work.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy [second], peace, [completeness] longsuffering [horizontal level], gentleness [by grace], goodness [sixth, and then] faith, [is faithfulness. Which is solidarity, steadfastness.]
That's the seventh one listed. That's what you have to expect in the household to have a genuine, divine perfection--faithfulness to hearken unto the statutes and judgments and do them.
And then "meekness" is the eighth one. Meekness is always a new beginning, no matter how you've messed up. There's two reactions to these confrontations: humility or indignancy, adamancy. There's no gray area. Which is ok with me. Let's find out who really wants to stand; who's really a disciple and who isn't.
Meekness and finally temperance, which is really intriguing. Temperance is self-control. That's the ninth one--finality, complete completeness, 3 x 3. The result of all this is self-control in all phases of life. The body holds the same relationship to reason as reason does to the spirit. That's what it means to go in and possess the land--manage it, control it, utilize it for what it's there for. The ninth fruit of the spirit--makes tremendous depth of sense here.
Then "against such there is no law." It means the Word of God is not violated. When these qualities of life are there based on the conditions we've talked about, no part of the Word has been violated. The Word does not stand against these qualities of life. You can't violate any aspect of the Word if you expect these nine qualities to function in your life. You have to do the Word to manifest these nine fruit of the spirit. I think it's the figure antimeria. It says it in the opposite way to add emphasis. People have used it as an excuse--just manifest the fruit and you don't need the law. Not what it means. It means to not manifest it is against the Word, the law, the standard. You have to do the truth to bring these things to pass.
LEAD 249 heads out next week. We'll believe for them to have as great a time as the first group. Ed, Paul, Corps listening: I know spiritually that we should not allow the Corps to hitchhike back from Gunnison. Things are too treacherous; stirred up too deeply; we have hurt the adversary so badly. It would be a breach of spiritual protection to hitchhike. Ed, I would recommend you do that map reading challenge.
Dr. Wierwille said the greatest reason to have the Corps hitchhike is all the witnessing they did. Well, the Word's over the world. And I'll guarantee you just because people could hitchhike did not guarantee they'd stand. So we are not sacrificing the integrity of LEAD in our day and time.
Okay, okay........I'll give it a shot, but it might be more than 25 words.
As I remember it..........October 1995, martindale made the statement that "the word was over the world" on a corps night and then, had John Reynolds come forward. At that time, Reynolds was newly-installed on the Board of Trustees as Secretary-Treasurer. Don Wierwille's health was failing and Rosalie was stepping into the Vice President slot. And, Howard was replaced by Reynolds. Anywho........since Reynolds had been in the International Outreach Department for years (before a short stint as Region guy in Arkansas), martindale assigned him to come forward and give the "explanation."
Reynolds spent about 20 minutes adding all the necessary ministry jargon and Dr. Wierwille's vision of "word over the world." Citing some statistics, cities, countries, continents and filler-crapola........he rambled on. Did it make sense? No. But then, who ever in wierwille's ministry ever tried to explain this mission anyways?
Anywho.......after Reynolds finished, martindale stepped forward and commenced with the "new mission" of the prevailing word. Another hour and a half, the corps meeting was over. New slogans. New terminology. The lexicon of buzzwords that constantly changed in twi was refreshed......after ANOTHER corps night. Most likely.......martindale was laying the groundwork for his new class series: The Way of Abundance and Power. Out with the old, in with the new. Times were rapidly changing.
A day or so later.......some corps were dissenting. They strongly believed that Dr. Wierwille's vision of "word over the world" was NOT complete. These murmuring reached martindale's ears in a hurry........and those corps [2 or 3 couples] were purged. Dropped from Active Corps. Door slam !!
Message Received: You always know who rules over you by observing who it is that you are not allowed to question.
From my standpoint..........I had a full plate of responsibilities as a Limb Coordinator at the time and faxes pouring in daily. If someone wanted to tweak the "mission statement" of twi, then so be it. To me, it was martindale's attempt to polish the old marketing slogan with something else to make it shine. No reason to bunch my boxer shorts.
1 hour ago, skyrider said:
Okay, okay........I'll give it a shot, but it might be more than 25 words.
As I remember it..........October 1995, martindale made the statement that "the word was over the world" on a corps night and then, had John Reynolds come forward. At that time, Reynolds was newly-installed on the Board of Trustees as Secretary-Treasurer. Don Wierwille's health was failing and Rosalie was stepping into the Vice President slot. And, Howard was replaced by Reynolds. Anywho........since Reynolds had been in the International Outreach Department for years (before a short stint as Region guy in Arkansas), martindale assigned him to come forward and give the "explanation."
Reynolds spent about 20 minutes adding all the necessary ministry jargon and Dr. Wierwille's vision of "word over the world." Citing some statistics, cities, countries, continents and filler-crapola........he rambled on. Did it make sense? No. But then, who ever in wierwille's ministry ever tried to explain this mission anyways?
Anywho.......after Reynolds finished, martindale stepped forward and commenced with the "new mission" of the prevailing word. Another hour and a half, the corps meeting was over. New slogans. New terminology. The lexicon of buzzwords that constantly changed in twi was refreshed......after ANOTHER corps night. Most likely.......martindale was laying the groundwork for his new class series: The Way of Abundance and Power. Out with the old, in with the new. Times were rapidly changing.
A day or so later.......some corps were dissenting. They strongly believed that Dr. Wierwille's vision of "word over the world" was NOT complete. These murmuring reached martindale's ears in a hurry........and those corps [2 or 3 couples] were purged. Dropped from Active Corps. Door slam !!
Message Received: You always know who rules over you by observing who it is that you are not allowed to question.
From my standpoint..........I had a full plate of responsibilities as a Limb Coordinator at the time and faxes pouring in daily. If someone wanted to tweak the "mission statement" of twi, then so be it. To me, it was martindale's attempt to polish the old marketing slogan with something else to make it shine. No reason to bunch my boxer shorts.
Thanks! That mirrors what I"ve heard before, the night Craig and Reynolds covered it. There's a bit of speed bump in the narrative but it may be that he moved from the old to the new so quickly - after gestating all the disruption and dissension in the Way Corps for so many years there. So he must have decided to move quickly and decisively, cut losses and keep it going. Thanks, I appreciate that.
"Word over the World" was something that was very clear to me, so we probably differ in how we're processing it all. From the earliest fellowships I went to in California in 1968, to the time I first met Donnie Fugit in California when he came out to visit with a few people from Kansas,, to going cross country in 1971 and visiting several locations where there were fellowships, to what I did with fellowship myself in California in Oakland, to "going WOW" in the 1972"B" wave, to then going into the Corps....my previous conversations with Dr. Weirwille were about the Word of God and the message of salvation and what we were doing to extend that kind of work using music, in California. Within those first couple years I had become certain beyond any doubt that the things I was seeing and being a part of were real, unadulterated miraculous grace in action. So I was convinced, and as PFAL became a part of that it broadened out considerably.
Going into the 4th Corps was something he and I talked about - my wife and I had applied to the 3rd Corps but it was a tight fit and he suggested that several others musicians were coming into the 4th Corps and that would be where he was hoping something could get going. There was a lot involved in these decisions for my wife and I - and I was very young - but at the center of it all was reaching others with the message of the new birth in Christ and the teaching of the "more than abundant life", manifesting God's spirit and "walking on the Word" as taught in PFAL. This had taken off in California and was doing so across the country. One of the things we - some of us anyway - in that early effort of Way Productions cared deeply about was reaching others through the ministry of "music" and one on one preaching and pastoring. My original experience and relative success with music was by working in the public market, not the gospel or religious market. So I had a fairly young but clear idea of what music was and it's role in WOW, and the idea of reaching every person through the local neighborhood fellowship effort - ie "fellowship" and each one reaching another one - was understood to be doable. That's why I was willing to travel across the country and slowly but surely try to be part of doing that.
We used to have a joke that one of us in JN came up with when we talked about "WOW" - we pictured what it would be like if "it" ever happened, that there'd be some great party, beer and Drambuie would flow and VPW would have a "We did it!" t-shirt on and it would be at some ROA 2000 or something - I'm sure I didn't think it would take any longer than 25 years or so....and it was just a joke, but I did have a somewhat youthful vision that while it might not happen the way I thought it would - I wanted to aim big and miss small and I was going for it, as unrealistic as might seem.
I have an elderly family relative who knows a very little about what we did and he likes to smile and tell people that my wife and I - "got married and went together....to save the world, they were going to change the world!".....I told him once that I didn't come close - and he grabbed my wrist and shook it and told me NO! You changed yourself and you tried to help others, I know that and you did that for sure..." Every once in s awhile I run across someone from 30 - 40 years ago who tells me how they're lives have gone and I'm thrilled to have been a part of it, big or small.
I have to admit that I could never make that journey from where I started to the follow along with where Craig took it - not that I'm smarter or better .... well, smarter maybe sure, maybe - but that may be because I'd always had a personal vision and process I was involved in trying to do and to live. Not always successfully, by any means, but working at. So perhaps it was different for others, they'd have to speak to that themselves.
The Prevailing Word in the Promised Land of the Household, or Promised Land of the Prevailing Word in the Household--I guess either way would work. That's been the way it's jelled in my soul in defining our overall vision, our goal. Like for years we worked with the Word Over the World concept in our thoughts and hearts, and it helped us make our decisions and prioritize our lives, and as we move into Generation II of The Way International Ministry of Research, Teaching, and Fellowship, there has to be ways to focus our thoughts and define it, both culturally and in language that communicates, as well as Biblically and spiritually. And it's just like we learned to understand it in Dr. Wierwille's ministry--we looked at the Word, we studied the Word, we adapted concepts and ideas and functions and programs to the times in which we lived; and did all we could to make the Word of God available and establish--to use military terminology --beachheads. As I said in the Book of Acts teachings, centers of reference, or spheres of influence in the culture, that would make available the Word of God.
This cannot be evaluated in a senses manner--only to a certain extent. If we worked for McDonalds, we'd pull out our map and see everywhere we had a restaurant, and we'd decide what gaps we have. It can't be looked at in that manner, because if you look at it in that manner, I don't think we could say the Word is over the world. I think sense-knowledge-wise that would be contradicted. Certainly there are many gaps on the maps. But I look at it in terms of the impact. Like I taught in the Book of Acts, expansion is defined numerically, geographically, and in sphere of influence. Now that means all three have to be considered as a unit in terms of what we would say the Word is over, or the Word is available to a section of the country or the world. And that sphere of influence is especially noteworthy in terms of energized ministries. And I believe I see that deeper than ever before indicated as such at times and over the years, because I know I've made the point that every section in the Book of Acts opens with an energized ministry functioning.
Of course, the reason you have energized ministries is for the perfecting of the saints. So that implies that there are active disciples in areas that are part of that sphere of influence. It isn't just to be an Elijah sitting in the wilderness by himself, or an Amos or Jeremiah--pretty much rejected, mourning the unbelief. But obviously there are to be disciples, pockets of believing, because the purpose of the ministries is first the perfecting of the saints.
But from that numerical and geographical setting, then the great key to the Word over the world is what I always call the "sphere of influence," or the impact of that Word in that part of the world. I think as we grew and learned, many times we thought of that impact in terms of cultural or senses impact. And we had to learn; we had to grow. We thought in terms of dominating the music business or dominating Nashville; at times we thought in terms of great works of art and literary pieces moving to world renown. Well, we learned over the years that that is not really what it meant and means, because that never happened. And indeed, in a lot of cases, it hurt the ministry more than helped it to pursue it in those categories, because people at times didn't stand; they couldn't handle the spiritual pressure; they copped out and broke down. So that isn't what it meant. Remember, Corps Principle #1 is "Acquire an in-depth spiritual perception and aware- ness" of the Word. Whether I understand everything going on in the world or not has relatively little significance. Only what the Word directs me to understand what's going on in the world. So it isn't a case of the Word dominating the culture. I think at times that's what we thought it meant. That's not what it meant, obviously and clearly, because that is certainly not the case in any stretch of the imagination.
Now, that the Word has had some positive effect on the unbelieving realm, I think it's logical to say, but to document that is very difficult, because we have very little interaction in the great realms of politics and government and military and the arts and culture. We've had believers in these fields, and just having an appreciation for the Word of God, the spirit of God, I think generally we can say, yes, we have had an effect on the senses realm. Maybe we've kept it from going as rotten and evil as it could have been if we hadn't been around. But that is not the point. The point is #1: That sphere of impact is available.
The old analogy of a stone hitting a lake that Dr. Wierwille would often use, where the concentric ripples of the waves would eventually reach the shore. To me, that's a good analogy of sphere of influence. And what you're always out to do is to make it available to those that hunger and thirst after righteousness. So therefore whether we could document it sense-knowledge-wise, which we can't, and even to look at it sense-knowledge-wise would cause me to doubt the revelation God gave me that the Word is over the world. Which I don't doubt, but I could see how the senses realm could cause you to doubt it because of the immensity of it and the sheer numbers of people, numbers of countries, numbers of dialects and cultures, which certainly cause you to doubt it if you looked at it from a business point of view or military point of view. So to me that's even more evidence to prove it has to be right.
But again, the believing of it is your heart in the Word of God, and your humility to the Word, and your humility to what God has energized in our heart in the household to present and share and teach. I think as you are humble to that, God can keep teaching you to see that. Because it really has very little to do with its impact on culture--that's only secondary--the unbelieving culture. It's just like Israel: even when Israel was a nation, a political, geographical, ethnic, genetic country, their impact on the rest of the world was always second or third in importance. The importance was the purity within their ranks; the purity within their walls; the purity of the Word. Then, to the rest of the world they would be a delightsome land, a nation of priests, a blessed land-- "what nation is any other that has a god that cares for them like God cares for you"--statements like Moses made.
At times we see in the Word they would be intimidated in a good way by the strength of the believers and leave them alone, but as far as large-scale adapting of Israelite practices spiritually, you didn't see that. The Canaanites, Moabites stayed idolatrous. The Amorites, Amalekites stayed as evil and dastardly as they ever were. The Philistines, who might have been the closest companions to Israel through David's day, never adapted anything. At times they'd respect them. At times they'd come through and clean their clock. It just depended on what was available to them. You didn't see any large-scale change of mind and cultures that Israel had contact with. Egyptian--are you kidding? About the closest was Nebuchadnezzar who at times showed real humility to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Cyrus and Artaxerxes who allowed Ezra and Nehemiah to rebuild first the Temple then the walls then the city. They showed respect for God's people. Maybe there would even be an element of believing in some of these unique, rare men--like the Pharaoh who allowed Joseph to move to such a position of influence and power. But these were individuals who had a heart tender to truth. And I believe they will be rewarded in the judgments in the future. To what extent only God knows. I don't understand it all. I know there's a resurrection of the just and unjust; I believe those noted in the Word who helped God's people are going to be rewarded for it, because God is so just. Just like people who are kind to us and help us in our day, God will not forget that. Even in this life their lives are blessed when they are kind to The Way Ministry and help us in what we do and help us do the things we need to do to make the Word of God available.
I think it's a continual growth and learning, and certainly one of the great ways to express what it means, the Promised Land of the Prevailing Word in the Household, is certainly the spiritual quality of life. That more and more can be appreciated and enjoyed by the believers of the household and disciples, and more and more God gets the glory and praise for within the house- hold. It's His joy to bless His people. And within the household, that purity and that sanctified living is most important. And the majority of what we call the household of God are functioning disciples. That minority would be those that we are giving the opportunity to become functioning disciples. And that's the only way you're going to build the true quality of life, is not allowing it to become laced and contaminated with spiritual leprosy. Even the Church Epistles are very adamant--get on or get off. They are very adamant. Grace and mercy are for those that humble themselves. Grace and mercy are not to be used as a club and a lever against the faithful. But that's definitely what the accuser does. People that chronically fail, that are chronically hard- hearted, chronically unwilling to change their minds and habits--first in their practical life as I've taught, then it becomes doctrinal, (as Dr. Wierwille taught and I think I've embellished and expanded and explained) that the greatest attacks are in the practical realm.
Isn't it something that the ones that need to change the most many times are the most indignant when you reprove them--most adamant, on a soapbox. More and more they don't stay long on that soapbox because we are learning to have the courage--at least some of us--to mark and avoid and separate and confront them and tell them to leave. We are learning what righteousness means. It means the guts to take a stand against evil and not let the accuser make you think you're wrong because you're running off the damned lepers. And yet still we have too many people that refuse to believe that that's the love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation. You want to believe that the love of God or for God in the renewed mind in manifestation means you tolerate everything, and that's a lie. And it's a doctrine of the devil-spirit realm, and you ain't going into the Promised Land. That mind set will eliminate you from the joy of the experiential reality of the quality of life that awaits us when and if the Word really prevails in the household. It's private interpretation; it's reading in your opinions of what love means; it's not reading what the Word actually says. I for years have shown you references from every Church Epistle that tell us to separate, mark and avoid, withdraw from every brother that walketh disorderly; so I'm sure some believe that and practice that, and still some in the depth of your heart, you don't really believe it. You think that love and grace and mercy mean you're supposed to tolerate everything. That's exactly how the devil spirits nearly took this ministry over, (which we're still cleaning out,) with that lack of resolve to the truth, that private interpretation of what the scripture says, that vague, general mind set about what Jesus Christ really wanted. And yet people refuse to see scriptures where Jesus Christ confronts Simon. Jesus withdrew himself from those men at times when they were not up to levels, even his best men; and Jesus Christ had very, very few people left from all the thousands and thousands that he taught and ministered to and healed. He had only about 120 who wanted to be recognized as his followers after his ascension. He would be considered a resounding failure in our contemporary world. We've got more people left on our mailing list than he had on his.
I still think some of you feel bad about the lack of numbers and you almost feel insulted or feel disgraced. And you're just not thinking spiritually. You have a carnal mind that's enmity against God. And we've got to get that out of the leadership of The Way Ministry. And we're working on that as you know. I don't tolerate it. I confront it. And those that back me up confront it also. And we cannot have that kind of mind set in any way working at our Root Locales because it's pure contamination. The Root Locales are not spiritual infirmaries for spiritual winos and deadbeats and drunks that need to have radical overhauls in their lives and minds. It cannot be that in any way. People that need help, if they want help, can go to Twig and see if they can put up with that spiritual pressure. People that want help have no business living here. You come here to serve, you come here to give, you come here with commitment, fully persuaded mind set, and that obviously has to be the key for our whole Way Corps household, that functioning house- hold, our Way Disciples, and eventually, all our Twig coordinators; although I'm sure there's still a lot to do there that we just haven't had time to get to.
But the quality of life enhanced and dominant is what we're talking about in the Prevailing Word. And Galatians 5:22 is a simple way to put it. "But the fruit of the Spirit"--remember that's usage 5, the gift in manifestation. "Is love"--that's that love for God. That first and foremost dominates. That the Word of God holds regnancy in our minds. Everything else is secondary--whether it comes from family, friend, culture--the Word of God holds regnancy. It prevails, it dominates. And as I've worked this "prevail" concept over the years, to me it indicates permeate, saturate, dominate. When the Word is prevailing, it's at that level. When the Word prevails, it's hardly ever even a registering of temptation, if any. It's hardly an itch, that you'd even think about not doing what the Word says, even if your closest friend tells you in a subtle way. Or even if family, a relative or something--it's ludicrous that anyone would think they could get me to not do the Word of God in contrast to their opinion. I've been through all that. It's a joke to think they could somehow bribe me with the horizontal so that I would not do the vertical. That's one way of putting what "prevailing" means. If you're still tempted to consider it, the Word does not prevail. It has not permeated, saturated, and dominated.
I said to the Corps at that Corps Night in Texas, if you're still sitting there doubting the sagacity of our decisions and doubting the words I say, even things I just said about what Word over the world did not mean--it did not mean those things once we learned and grew. If it did, we would be running the Nashville business. We would have dominating novelists writing the top sellers of the day. We would have believers making all the hot movies in Hollywood. All the Jews would be kissing our butt out there. That does not happen and is not going to happen. There could be rare, exceptional situations. Never put a lid on what God can do. But, for instance, Joseph was a very rare scenario. Joseph became a dominant man in a foreign culture, but look at the spiritual reason. It was to save the Christline. The adversary would have wiped out the twelve tribes and their progeny through the famine if he hadn't have been elevated to that position in Egypt. He saved Jacob and the sons, including Judah out of whom Jesus Christ came. That's the reason Joseph moved to the top, understand? There would be a reason.
And for the most part, I don't see many reasons why we should have to have dominant people in positions of influence in the country. For one thing, it's so evil I don't know what difference it would make. It's almost a miracle day by day that we have the freedom to live that we have, and I think that more depends on the solidarity and the purity and the strength of the household that we can control, and not those things we have no control over. And it's very difficult to measure what kind of impact our ministry has had on the senses realm. I don't know how to document that, except in vague notions, unless God would show me something I could pinpoint. Maybe the rage now in some places for people to get out of debt, maybe that does have something to do with our teaching. I could make the connection on a general basis, but I'm not sure specifically how to document that. I don't have time to worry about that kind of thing too much. We have too many concerns keeping what we can control clean, and you can't worry about what you can't control.
I heard them say that on the Masters yesterday. Greg Norman is lapping the field now. One of the announcers said every guy's just got to go out there and shoot his best. He can't control how good Greg Norman's going to play. He can only control what he does. And that's all you can do. Otherwise you drive yourself crazy. I thought now there's an apt analogy of our function in this world. I can't worry about things I have no control over. The RC, Protestant, Ecumenical travesties going on; the dismantling of our military; the building up of the Red Chinese military machine--again we're heading toward a showdown. I almost think a showdown would be good. It would shock our nation back into some awareness that we've got to get some strength back in our military. But if the adversary could stumble someplace and jump too soon with the Chinese stuff, that's where the real military threat is coming from now. From what I've read, they've hired all the former USSR nuclear geniuses and they're helping them build their nuclear arsenal. It makes a lot of sense to me. The adversary just keeps funneling them one way or the other.
"But the fruit of the spirit"--the gift in manifestation-- "is love, joy." That inside job, joy. We're never going to get to the place that there are no problems, but there's definitely a difference between gut-wrenching anxiety and just taking on problems with that inner peace and that joy on the inside. I'd like to see more of the second one.
"Peace" is the third listed, which is complete. And remember the Word says "righteousness and peace have kissed one another." There is no genuine peace of God unless there is righteous thinking and righteous conduct. There is no genuine peace. It's counterfeit, a fabrication, a grit- your-teeth-and-hope-so, a religious peace. And eventually it's a spirit possession, where the spirits numb a person's mind and then they label it peace. But it's really a devil spirit just causing apathy and unconcern about things that we should be alarmed about. That's how the spirits counterfeit peace. Then people call it the peace of God. Sure, they call it the peace of God! They read the Bible, they call it that, but their unrighteous thinking and their unrighteous practices have opened them up to devil-spirit infiltration; and that would be the last guy to ever admit he has trouble. The Word of God says so. They know not what takes them over; it says that in Isaiah. Dr. Wierwille taught it to us. The one possessed doesn't know it. How would he know it? He's so blinded in that category of his mind. I explained in the Advanced Class that the bad habits have so grooved his mental patterns, grooved the chemical, physical properties of his mind, that a spirit just slips in underneath a bad habit. Because the bad habit has become so habit, and Biblical people have to justify their bad habits with scriptures, and then that spirit's right in there and they're out of control. Now sometimes the spirits make mistakes and they go overboard, and then it freaks the person and they wake up; but they're good; they've been at it for thousands of years. And they pretty much know how to stay quiet, and then at the right times tweak the right buttons to exercise control. No wonder discerning of spirits is listed seventh in I Corinthians 12, which is the listing of the importance of the manifestations in the household, remember. And it's the discerning of spirits that really keeps things on any divine, spiritual maturity or tending towards perfection.
But it all starts with practical error--slothfulness, lack of disciplined thinking--and then it moves into lack of disciplined conduct. Righteousness and peace have to kiss one another--they have to touch, full share. They have to fully share, fully communicate. There is no peace of God without righteous thinking and righteous living--none. And righteousness is not just a sonship right to be used as a club against anyone that wants to confront you. That is evil. That is a devilish practice, which has been used many times. I suppose at some times you'll see it's still used by people: "I'm righteous; leave me alone." You're righteous, shut the f--- up and do something about it. Show me you're righteous. By their fruits they're known, not by sonship rights. Everybody's got them--what do you do with them? Too long that has been used as a club and an excuse, and the devil spirits hide behind that. So you don't back down. I'm talking about when someone is wrong and you've got the goods on them and you show them the Word of God.
Many times the most hard-hearted will be the most indignant when reproved--chronically speaking, over a period of time. Again we had an example this past week of someone who's been taught and taught and taught, and finally removed themselves from the household. And now they're all bold and adamant. I get a phone call from the wife two nights ago, adamantly wanting to speak to Rev. Martindale to give me the facts on why they left the ministry. What do I want those for? I've already evaluated it spiritually and told you at lunch the other day what happened. I gave you enough. Now she's bold and adamant. She hadn't wanted to talk to me since I've known her. I've tried to get her bold and adamant about the Word of God for a couple of decades. Now she's bold and adamant. Tell me how genuine that is. I've tried to get her to stand for God and speak up and be a true leader like she has the ability to be for years. She never wanted to do it. She wanted to be a house mouse or something. Now she wants to lecture me about how wrong I am. Where's that confidence coming from? Not the God I love and worship. You have to understand something about the spiritual conflict that is waged.
For these things to prevail, it means the conditions necessary for love, joy, peace, longsuffering to prevail, are dominant among the majority of the household. That's what I mean. The majority of your functioning household has to be disciples. Then you always have an element of raising up those that hunger and thirst and want the Word, and they have a period of learning. Not just our children, but other people we reach out to and give the opportunity to see the delightsome land of the Promised Land of the Prevailing Word in the Household functioning. And there's always that element. But you have to have enough disciples, with the Word prevailing and dominating where nothing takes precedence over it, in order to maintain that wonderful spiritual equilibrium that makes life worth living. And even more important than that, that honors and blesses the God Who's waited for centuries for somebody to figure this out and do it for longer than a year and a half. The first century church didn't last too long in the true, vital functioning of a genuine, vital household of God. Since Pentecost, there is very little success to look at. At times in the Old Testament you see periods where Israel was just so strong. When they functioned under the judge--one period was 80 years; one period 40 years; another one 20--it sort of got less and less. At least for periods the people lined it up, walked the chalk, and the committed dominated and God's people were a delightsome land and lived abundantly. And God was honored to see that His Word was being lived and worked and He was getting the glory by the quality of life people lived, as well as their conscious recognition. And that's what you're after. That's why "love" is first. That is first a love for God. And the only way to show a love for God and to have a love for God is to obey the Word of God.
Then longsuffering is fourth, indicative of what we do need within the discipleship household. We need longsuffering to give people an opportunity to grow. We need longsuffering to continue to teach and teach until something really finally does click for people. And again that's something you can't hardly make a definitive statement about. How long do we keep teaching people they ought to tithe and abundantly share? I guess that's relative to every circumstance. Some people have just rejected it so often I don't think they hear it at all. It's just a matter of time before they're outside the walls. I read a letter I just sent to Howard yesterday or the day before where a former Corps couple had gotten themselves in debt, and they had responded to the admonitions and they just bought a beautiful new house on a straight cash basis. They owe nothing. They shared some of the details they went through--the ways the world tried to subtly get them to go in debt. They decided if they sold one of their extra cars and their camper then they'd have enough money to buy the house. Sometimes the most obvious isn't obvious until you get in a position where you have to think outside the context that you've lived in. I thought that was intriguing. They said they still have believers come up to them with excuses. That's like Acts 17: "We will hear thee again of this matter."
In the Old Testament, God tells Israel--we're talking about longsuffering, but look at Numbers 14. One reason I wanted to take the three weeks off is first I believe the Father put it on my heart, because it's not anything I walk around thinking about. Then I began to think through some of the profit: it would give us a rest from running the top-notch meetings and all the preparation required on many of us. Really, the whole Staff is on call of course, at least by Sunday, and many of us are working all week long, every week, toward these Sundays. But I also wanted to just sit down with the Staff and really give you the opportunity to think something through. We share a lot of depth at meals and I think that's great. I love it and I ain't going to stop it, but I think there's still some things that you can't really communicate with kids crawling all over you and knives and forks in front of you and thinking about what you're getting ready to go do next. I just felt we needed some focus time. You got to focus your mind to learn in depth. Usually you have to set your own environment and life and make up your own mind and set your learning environment like at your homes and offices where you can think in depth. Because if you can't think in depth and reason through a lot of variables, you can't become an in-depth spiritual man or woman. You have to think in depth. The Word of God is a thick book. The most demanding logic in life is required to think this thing through. If you can read, you can think in depth. I don't care about your educational background. What Word over the world, the Pre- vailing Word in the Household means--you got to think this stuff through. It doesn't just hit you over the head because you speak in tongues. You got to think. Anyone can speak in tongues. That doesn't prove anything. A false teaching over the years was people thought that if all they did was speak in tongues, go to meetings, then they were living righteously. Dr. Wierwille never taught that. He said the Word, the Word, and nothing but the Word! But human beings are always looking for a slothful way out.
Years ago, when we were in that whole political realm, people acted as if all you had to do is pray for your country and vote, and God will take care of the rest. What a bogus piece of advice that is. Vote? What does that mean? All it is is a ballot of clowns no matter which one you vote for. What difference does it make most of the time? You think that has an impact? It's ok to vote, but that's not what is keeping our nation free. Who are you voting for? A bunch of idiots all cut from the same egotistical, selfish cloth. The love of money. That's why Dr. Wierwille said why is it that a guy like Jesse Helms can raise 10 million dollars to campaign for a $50,000 a year job. It didn't make any sense to him. It's a pretty bogus imbalance. It's still a good example.
Numbers 14: At what point does God just shut it off? At what point is that mercy no longer available, therefore the functioning in the household no longer available? In the Word, it's 10 times with Israel. Not saying that's the way it is always, but it certainly was measured and God took an account.
Numbers 14:20: "And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word." Once Moses interceded, stood in the gap for Israel.
"But as truly as I live." I'd say that's an oath.
God says: "all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice."
Bullinger's Bible documents the ten major places where the people rebelled. So God counts them. God keeps an account. And I guarantee He's got an account of everybody in our day also. The only way your book is clean is if you honestly confess your broken fellowship. Then He remembers it no more. So your slate is clean except for reward account. But for those that have turned their back on the Word of God and walked away, who have not genuinely confessed their broken fellowship--sometimes they hit with this: "Where's the love and forgiveness in The Way Ministry?" I would respond with this: "Where's your confession of broken fellowship?" That's the issue here. Where is your honest recognition of you missing the mark? Remember, the Word confess is homologos, same word. Where is your honest willingness to get back to the Word, then you'll see your love and forgiveness, not until then. Well, you might see love, but they won't interpret it as love. It will be in terms of confrontation. It is very loving, though. It takes a lot of work. It takes a heck of a lot more work to confront people than to turn your back and walk away. It takes a heck of a lot more love to stay on people. Ask any parent. To ignore it is a counterfeit love; very religious and it just opens the doors for the spirit realm again.
Ten times God put up with them. Now this is when the door comes down like an anvil on them ever getting into the Promised Land.
"Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:
But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit [or heart] with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.
(Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me."
In my heart, if this thing works the way it's supposed to, and I believe it is to the best of our ability to this day, when us Trustees get together and we make a decision before God, whether it's something to teach or to implement in the practical realm, those that murmur against that in their minds and at times even among themselves, God says they're murmuring against Me. So those that are not persuaded on the present truth are murmuring against God, and eventually that contamination has to be flushed and eliminated. To get people to humble themselves: all the elaborate ways I raise the volume of my voice; all the elaborate ways I try to teach the records of the Word to get people's attention. Some just continue to reject it. I think at times people have allowed the adversary to manipulate their minds to think that it's their sonship right to disagree with the functioning ministers in the Body. And that's a lie. If that's true, you show me the Word that backs that up. Now if the ministers in the Body are wrong, then you should be able to prove that from the Word and then there is a decent and in order basis to handle that in the household. But obviously, I don't believe we're wrong. We live day by day. We certainly could make a mistake. But certainly in our hearts we are not wrong in our allegiances and loyalties to want to do God's best.
I'm more aware than any of you how a wrong decision can be made. Even though you want to do what's right you can get tricked by a lot of things. But when your heart is there and you love God and want to do what's right, He gets you through it. Like Luke stuck with Paul and that was the thing to do even when Paul went to Jerusalem. Everyone else forsook him toward the end of his life, most of them. People think it's their sonship right to argue. They don't look at it as arguing with the Word, but it is. They are arguing with the presentation of that Word or the implementation of it. Now to have honest questions, that's life. There's a big difference. That's why we as leaders often bend over double backwards to explain the decision, especially to you who implement it from Headquarters and our Root Locales and our leadership, our Corps. You know how we do that. We just did that at Trustee Heart Time. We explained background on how we've gotten to conclusions on things and why we're emphasizing, for instance, why our young people should go to college. We spent a very measured period of time on that. I talked about Dr. Wierwille, I talked about my own upbringing. I just elaborated on it. I talked about Moses learned in the ways of the Egyptians. I explained it from multi-angles; covered every base the best I could. I covered it from the point of some people not having that desire and that's fine, and I even covered a lot of our Corps today that never went to college but came in the Corps. I covered for them by saying the Corps experience has taught them what the four years of college would have provided. I'm not saying all of us Corps now that are in our 40s, 50s, and everything else should necessarily go back to college if we haven't been. I covered every base, you under- stand? So those would cover honest questions that come up.
But belligerence and adamancy and just the knee-jerk reaction in a person's mind to immediately argue, that's sin. And if that's where your mind is, you better change or you better go. And that's exactly why you see people recently are still going. They've hidden that adamancy and hidden that mental debate they always had with us, and they learned that from Chris Geer and they're still doing what he said they should do: argue with everything. He basically gave people the right to think evil of the leadership in The Way Ministry. I know, I stood against the brunt of that for 2 1/2 years, where I couldn't even stand up and make the simplest announcement in the lunchroom without feeling the attacks and thinking evil coming at me. It continued until we started cleaning, but it has certainly lessened where you can stand up in front of a group and have somewhat of an environment of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, faithfulness, on down the line; where you can really communicate and teach something. Although no man is big enough mentally to register exactly what is going on, but in the inner man, I know when I'm being fought. I know when the Word of God is being hardened against. To the best of my ability, that's why I respond with such spiritual rage at times when it might not be evident to a group or why. Because God knows and He works in me, and He is the Heart Searcher, and He is not fooled. And I work for Him.
And it is never meant to make the faithful or the righteous, those that are doing their best, to feel guilty. I think that's a temptation at times and you have to watch that. But I have to confront things that are still lepers in the household, or the seeds of spiritual leprosy. Many times I find out about it later--weeks and months later, where somebody has been harboring an attitude that's finally flushed. And I know why, when people have finally admitted it and wanted help, I realized why I hadn't been hitting that issue as much or hadn't hit it in the last Corps Night or so. But you don't always see that. But the inner man registers that. But for those that are doing their utmost, I imagine it's like I was with Dr. Wierwille, if he was yelling about something, I would check myself, but if I knew I was doing my best in that category, I wouldn't sit there and condemn myself. I wouldn't let the accuser get to me. I don't have time to sit with everybody in the Way Corps household individually every week, or the Staff. So for those that are doing certain things right, there's obviously learning in the confrontation because it's never just yelling; I'm always teaching. There's teaching in it, logic in it, explanation in it, Biblical records, contemporary illustrations, learning if you're there listening to learn--you're seeing how the adversary and the spirits are infiltrating with that kind of stuff. So there's always a profit to it.
Like for the few that did stand, I'm sure there was great profit, and there it is recorded in the Word: it says you guys ain't going in. And He counted it, ten times. So that tells me God pays attention. It's not to the extent where if I have to confront somebody ten times, they're out. I'm not going to do that. But God pays attention--there's the lesson. And for them, ten was it. Ten was the completion of a cycle. It's a unit--ten commandments, this kind of thing. So ten was it. For our learning, it's more in the figurative significance, that at a certain point, in a certain cate- gory of your life, if you have continued to reject the Word of God, there is a certain point where that cycle is over with. And God just, in essence, turns His back because you have rejected it. And the household has to turn its back. Mark and avoid. And then because at times people continue to exist in the household even though they've crossed that line where they have chronically rejected the reproof and correction offered to them from multi points of view--whether it's me at lunch or a friend in the dorm or a tape you're listening to when it hits your heart again--God knows. He's the Searcher of hearts, isn't He? It's like Dr. Wierwille's great section in The Life-style of a Believer: the measure of your life is what do you think about when you don't have to? In the quietness of your own soul, most people just drift, daydream, fantasize. What do you do with your mind? There is a duty of disciplined thinking. That's indicative of your genuine love for God. God is Spirit. He's always there. He knows your thoughts. Do you care? Do you give a hoot to love Him with sound logic, to keep your mind and life in order? Do you care? Obviously, some people don't. Because then like Proverbs says, in a time of trouble, an unfaithful man is like a broken tooth and a foot out of joint. You don't see that in the easy times. You see it in the time of trouble. Which clearly indicates they have not controlled their thinking in the private moments of their life; they have not dedicated themselves to good, sound spiritual thinking to the end that when the time of trouble was there, they would respond. And as a leader, I'm responsible to see that and make appropriate decisions. Get the leprosy out, or the weakness that could lead to that spiritual leprosy. Leprosy is a good example because it has life of it's own, chewing up that physical body. Which is what devil spirit does in some phase in the household of God. They do nothing but deteriorate and tear down. They do in no way build up anything. Jesus Christ said that "the thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy," so there's no good thing that the infiltration of those spirits provides. Isn't that true that when they x-ray your teeth they can not only see cavities but also weakening areas? Spiritually, if there's a cavity, you got to get the rottenness out and fill it with the Word. But as a leader, if I see weaknesses that could lead to a cavity, then you want to start confronting, and if people will respond that part can be made healthy again. Get the old spiritual dental floss in there and start flipping the compost piles out of your head. We use spiritual x-ray, which is the Word. Within the Word, revelation, but it isn't like anybody's walking around reading anybody's mind, but there are times when definitely God lets you know. Like the couple I mentioned, I knew two weeks ago God told me they weren't going to stand. I prepared my heart for it; I was ready for it. It isn't like I thought about it every moment after that, I didn't. In fact, by God telling me that I could quit wondering about it. Just put my mind into what I had to do. But when the occasion hit, it hurt me, it always hurts. But it didn't shock me into numbness or inaction in a capacity where my mind didn't function properly.
Like yesterday, you know that situation happened in Ohio which has a widespread impact. And I was on the phone yesterday to the Panarellos and the Howes in a conference call, updating them on where I saw this thing was going next spiritually so they could be ready for the onslaughts and attacks that would be coming. They had already been involved in some confrontations and dis- cussions and they had reported to me on it, and I was thankful for that. I was grateful they'd gotten on it. Yesterday on the phone I gave them where I saw this thing was going. They were at their Advanced Class Grad weekend.
So He heard the murmurings of the children of Israel which they murmur against Me. It's like Acts 17. Remember Paul says of those that they searched the scriptures daily whether those things were so. But that wasn't a search out of adamancy or a critical attitude. It was a search of joy and thanksgiving and humility. They were so thrilled to hear the Word of God that Paul taught they wanted to make it their own. The word "search" there in Acts 17:11 is anakrin, which is to make right judgments, to divide properly and make proper value judgments. What they were doing was lining the values of their personal lives up with what the Word said that Paul had taught. That was "whether those things were so." It wasn't what happened years ago, where every time a person said something it was to be assaulted, adamantly and bitterly attacked. And it was called "honesty," or "not being a yes man." Where people have assumed in their mind that it's a sonship right to attack whatever a leader says. That's leprosy. That's contamination. Somewhere in the Word it says, "What? Did the Word of God come out from you? Shut up!"
And remember, I taught Numbers 12 where Miriam and Aaron murmured against Moses; they had obviously crossed the line. The name "Miriam" occurs 7 times. I said that was a perfect lesson, because Miriam was the instigator. When Aaron humbles himself, she stays hard-hearted. She's the one that gets leprosy physically and is put outside the camp for 7 days. But that of itself is not a complete lesson. She murmured, she led another guy into it, his weakness allowed him to be caught up in it, when the confrontation came, she did not humble herself, she got the conse- quences of it, was put outside the camp. But the key issue is, she did humble herself, they did wait on her, and she's back with the household as they move on. But she did spend 7 days out in netherland spiritually, isolated. I think that's an example of delivering someone over to Satan. Remember, Satan is indirect influences. What better way to explain delivering someone over to Satan than by their own treachery and their own unfaithfulness having to put them outside the protection of the household? Isn't that delivering someone over to Satan? I think it is. Now, their response to that will vary. In Timothy it says that they may learn not to blaspheme. So for some, they learn. And we've seen that. Some that we've put outside the household, it has really gotten their attention, and they have come back with genuine humility, and we'll see what happens. I don't want to be jaded and sarcastic about it; I want to give them the opportunity. We got a letter from one of those homo people thanking me for letting her take the Intermediate Class. So she's Corps Alumnus and she's proven herself clean the best we know, and she's going to be in the Intermediate Class. And she's come back. So for some, they learn not to blaspheme, but others, it's for the destruction of their flesh, which is their whole body/soul life, which it's up to the adversary how that happens, understand? It's his business now. Some of them will look to prosper, be abundant; they won't even miss being in the household of God. But there is imme- diate spiritual consequences. They get possessed, or those spirits come in seven more wicked, and they are more locked away from the light of the True God and more fooled than ever. Some show more immediate physical consequences. We've had some of the Corps die, ordained clergy, but for the most part it's like Saul: the spirit realm will use them as long as they can be used. That's why it's absolutely ludicrous to look at it from a senses point of view.
We had another report last week of a couple that used to be here on Staff. They were confronted and confronted and finally told to leave. They caused nothing but trouble on the field. Now they're outside the household. And now they're calling false ministers that used to be in The Way Ministry asking how they're doing. They are seeing if these people seem to be getting along and thinking of joining that group. Talk about a carnal mind that's enmity against God. They're just walking right into the trap with their eyes wide open. They're not believing a thing I've taught them over the years about how the spirit realm contaminates and how the Word guarantees it. One copped-out minister is making all kinds of money. So what? Does that impress you? Only from the point of view of what the spirit realm will do to cover itself--it impresses me there. But as if there's any truth there--there's not even an itch of a temptation. How could you even be tempted to think that? If you still are, the Word of God does not prevail in your mind, and you are teetering on disaster. This is not an open meeting. If you still wonder what it's like outside of The Way, if you're still playing with that idea or even considering what would I do if I left The Way Ministry, what are you doing?
Years ago, when Dr. Wierwille first got us going in the Corps, I remember the First Corps were all freaked out that Dr. Wierwille was going to throw them out of the ministry because he was setting the standards. He wasn't looking to throw anyone out. He wanted them to live the Word. But they were terrified that they would fail and be kicked out of the ministry. I learned how the adversary can do that to people. Rev. Moynihan sent me a letter from a guy that wrote and said, "We have no disagreement with where Rev. Martindale is taking the ministry. We just don't think we can live up to it anymore. Therefore we're leaving." That would be disobedience from another angle. They're not acting adamant; they're just saying they can't keep up with the quality of life we're expecting them to live, so they're leaving the household. Well, the consequences are the same. You go outside the walls of the city whether you're mad at how it's being orchestrated, or whether the standards are too high--you still get attacked by the wild beasts and the enemies outside the walls. So you can't let it happen from that point of view, either. That's where you got to grab your Reebok jock and pump up your balls and do it, man. [Laughter] In essence, all I'm saying is gird up the loins of your mind. How dare you say to God that you can't live at this level. That's treasonous also. You're calling Him a liar. Sure you can! Just get rid of your icons, your bad habits. Permeate yourself with the truth.
The Monday after Word in Business I was exercising down in the fitness room, and about ten feet away from me was Riddick Bowe, one of the two great heavyweight boxers in the world, him and Mike Tyson. A guy came in and climbed on the stair climber next to me and I didn't know him. He exercised and finished and he sticks his hand out and says, "I'd rather meet you than Riddick Bowe any day!" He was a believer that had been at the conference. One of the things he said, a simple statement, but it got me thinking of a lot of things: "Man, the abundance of the Word of God this year has just been incredible!" The Advanced Class Weekends, Sunday Nights, Way of Abundance and Power Classes--and I thought, that's right, it has been abundance, and yet still, it's not an overabundance. We still have people we have to eliminate from the household. And for some people, they're probably still hanging on because of that abundance. It takes an abun- dance of the Word of God to live. If that's the way God directs it, if He wants us to keep throwing classes at people every month until they get the idea that this is what it takes to live abundantly with their own discipline, then I'll keep throwing the classes at them every month. I got a lot of health and vitality most of the time. It takes an abundance of the truth to live abun- dantly. It takes a daily abundance of the truth, where you love it so much that's what you want to think about when you have time to think about it in the midst of your responsibilities. That's a requirement, not optional equipment. And as the world waxes worse and worse, we have to wax better and better or we lose. Whatever "good spirituality" was 10, 12, 15 years ago won't cut it today in my life. I would lose. I could not keep up with what I do and the challenges if I wasn't better with the Word and put more of the Word of God through my mind in a day than I did 10, 12 years ago. And it's not a time question, but more of a quality of thought, depth of thought. And what are you thinking about when you have time to put something through your mind on the Word of God? I can process more Word of God through my mind now than I could ever do before. I can get something done. This "ten" thing has answered so many things for me, and in about a two-minute period this morning I found that. And all of a sudden floods of understanding --it clicks. I can process more Word through my mind now than ever. That is progress; a way to explain and define "permeate, saturate, dominate."
We haven't gotten beyond verse 27, but boy, murmuring against the present truth is sin. It's not having an honest question where you want to understand something better. You can tell the difference. A belligerence is sin. That's cause for spiritual leprosy. That's a weak point on your x-ray.
I'm not sure but that the space of grace is over with that we've talked about from Nehemiah a few months ago--a space of grace for people to get their lives in order where we can move to the next plateau. I'm not so sure that's not over with. I think Placements we'll know. Obviously in certain cases it is, as they've proven themselves unworthy, and their fruit has proven evil and corrupt and putrid like in Ephesians. That's what "no corrupt communication" is--putrid fruit. But I believe we got to reach this point at some point. I don't think we can keep biding our time and treading water. In releasing The Way of Abundance and Power, I got to have Corps that I know are Corps and Staff that we know are Staff. Not to say there might not be some failures at times, but it should be more isolated. It shouldn't be in such patterns. And again, that's more of a spiritual evaluation than a numeric. Because when you have patterns of copout going on, it takes so much out us. It's just a kick in the gut. Spiritually, every time that happens it's such a recovery. You have to stay in top spiritual condition, which to me includes the physical and the mental obviously to withstand these hits. Like Dr. Wierwille used to say, you should be able to recover from any hit within a 24-hour period. Most of the time I don't need that long before I'm back up teaching, confronting, making decisions, dealing with things. But at times these things just numb you, they hit you so hard. It's like you have to initiate a healing process. You can't be there in the fast lane of the outreach of the ministry making good decisions because you've taken such a punch again.
That's a good example in sports. The quicker someone can recover from a blow, the better they are. In the Masters yesterday, Norman is leading and he comes to the 12th hole, which is the toughest par 3 in tournament golf. It's only 140 yards but it's treacherous. It looks like the area of a postage stamp with water in front and woods behind with a trap between the water and the front of the green. It's a hard green. It makes all the top pros' knees shake, especially on Saturday and Sunday when the tournament is on the line. Years ago, Tom Wyskoff was leading the Masters and comes to the 12th hole and makes a 9. He hit 4 balls in the water. Even the best players can turn into duffers on that hole. It's so visually intimidating besides being so difficult. So Greg Norman walks up there and hits his ball in the water. And that was a real critical turning point, because now you have to take a penalty stroke and lay it out and hit. So he's nervous, upset. He has at that time a 5-stroke lead but it could dissipate in one hole. But Norman hits a great approach to within 8 feet of the pin, and an 8-foot putt is still tough, especially at Augusta, which has the toughest greens in the world. He walks in there and knocks it right in the center of the cup. Talk about recovering from a blow--he got out of there with a bogie so he only loses one stroke. And the announcer, Ken Ventura, says "He feels like he just got a reprieve from jail there!" Sure enough, next hole he blasts his drive right down the middle. Hits it on two putts for a birdie. But his recovery from the blow was so quick, so immediate. And I think that's where we get. Some of these things we go through could knock people out for a week or two as far as emotionally, even physically. It does affect your physical body.
This "standing in the gap" stuff is not just poetic language. When you really stand in the gap between the adversary and hurting people that you're responsible for, it affects your physical body. So Corps Principle #3 is just as vital as Corps Principle #1, because if you break down on #3, there's nothing left to use in #1 or #2 or #5 or #4. When there's no other explanation, I'll wake up in the morning and be sore all over and it isn't from physical exercise or being out of shape, but because of the spiritual attacks that I've been standing against. It starts with the intensity of the mind required. Then the intensity of thought and all the chemicals that have to be energized throughout your whole body. It's all intertwined--body, soul, spirit. So the intensity of the concentration required to make good decisions, to recover from attack, to make sure I'm doing everything I can to protect our household from spiritual infiltration first; after that other types of hurt. If nothing else, the tenseness that it puts your body through is almost like pumping weights and running a 400-meter sprint. You just feel it the next day. Even top-conditioned athletes after their most intense competitions are sore. Spiritually, no one's ever taken the time to document what it puts your body through. So these admonitions to the Corps to get their bodies in control. Those who've copped out and are puffing cigarettes are saying I'm a Pharisee; ministry is legalistic because I've told people to quit smoking. Smoking has nothing to do with how spiritual you are until God makes it a commandment in the present truth of that day. The guidance in our day is to get our Corps in the best shape possible to stand and withstand the pressure to truly stand in the gap, that's why it's a commandment of the Lord. Not because you're righteous or unrighteous for smoking a cigarette. Then there's other things in the physical category we could require to help our people, but to me that was an obvious one. Especially after it was Dr. Wierwille himself who initiated the standard in the in-residence Corps. The criticism would have been even louder if I would have initiated it, who've never smoked. They'd blame my Southern Baptist background, etc.
Well, ten times He gave them and then the door shuts.
"Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you."
In other words, God heard every murmur, gripe, they made. Not just what they said, but what they did in their minds and how they let their minds go unchecked. We used to sing that song: "He is watching; do not dishonor Him." God knows your every thought. But most people don't care. They just go about their renegade business. Think it's their right to think like a savage.
"Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me."
Talking about longsuffering. The quality of life in the household certainly expressed in fruit of the spirit. Psalm 25:
"Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul." The only way to lift up your soul is your thought patterns. Soul life, breath life, is your heart, mind.
"O my God, I trust in thee: [he does think of God] let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me."
That's a concern certainly if you're in leadership. At times you're deeply concerned about that. Why is it the adversary still seems to be able to attack us? He can attack, but don't let him triumph over us. Don't let him win.
"Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.
Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.
Lead me in thy truth, and teach me." There's a man who has God on his mind.
Verse 9: "The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.
What man is he that [respects] the Lord? [only one way to respect the Lord--have to think about Him and do what the Word says] him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose."
Now it says in Psalm 10:
Verse 2: "The wicked in his pride doth persecute the [humble]: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth."
I get sick of hearing about these athletes "pursuing their dream." And they tell all these kids: "Don't forget your dream, pursue your dream." What a bunch of egotistical crap! Who cares about your dream? What's God's vision? What does God want? Your dream is all selfishness and ego. Tonya Hardy, who had that other girl assaulted, said "I have a dream, my Olympic dream." What a classic illustration of the egotism.
What's God's dream, vision, heart, purpose? That's what we care about, because we're here to honor Him. We were formed, made, and created to honor Him. In that is a life which is more than abundant. That's why the Word has to stay the passion of your soul, even when emotionally it isn't there, it still has to stay the passion of your logic at least. It's God's vision--the Promised Land of the Prevailing Word in the Household. Those that sinned those ten times were not allowed to go in. God had to wait for their carcasses to dump in the wilderness.
Verse 4: "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts."
Or as the literal reads in the margin: "or all his thoughts are there is no God." And for those who do not think the Word and line their judgments, values, and actions up with the Word, it's as if they are saying there is no God. That's what that is. The Word says "The fool has said in his heart, there is no God." For these people who've been in the household, even Corps that have not personally lined their thoughts, conduct up with the Word, it's as if they're saying in their heart there is no God, because they ignore the Word. God is not in their thoughts. They are worthless and fit for the dunghill. Once I'm over the hurt, I couldn't give two cents for their lives. Just potential thorns in the flesh.
I worked verse 3 and 4 about a month ago and wondered when I was going to get the opportunity to share them.
Verse 5: Because God is not in all his thoughts, "His ways are always grievous."
By their fruits they're known. Their actions are a direct extension of their thought life. Don't blame me if you screw up. It's your brain. It's we who take a stand who get attacked, as if we're unloving by pointing it out. That's counterfeit. So we got to fight the accuser off and if you know someone's taking a stand you ought to help, support him, back him up.
"Thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them." They just blow; they don't move.
"He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.
His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud...."
But the key is they don't think His Word and they pursue their own heart's desire--their selfish fantasies of success, or life--and that's all a lie, a contradiction of the Word of God and is out of alignment and harmony.
So we go back to Numbers:
Numbers 14:29: "Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; [this wilderness--pretty good] and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me." Adults were numbered to fight in the armies.
Numbers 14:30: "Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in [See, those who would grow up and be Joshua and Caleb's army.], and they shall know the land which ye have despised." They've despised it because they haven't obeyed the Word.
Numbers 14:32: "But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.
And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.
After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise [or what it means to alter my purpose, the consequences of it].
Deuteronomy 4. I believe this applies directly. If we want to move into what we're describing figuratively as the Promised Land of the Prevailing Word in the Household, what's the key to that? Moses tells them how they got themselves ready to go in. Remember Deuteronomy is in the 40th year. Written to those who are ready to go in. The others have died off.
Verse 1: "Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes [doctrines] and unto the judgments, [practices] which I teach you, [that's the root lamad, which "disciple" comes from] for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you."
Now stop a minute. So what's the whole key to them being able to go in and possess the land? Do the Word! Keep the commandments! That's why we have to be so strong, adamant. We that have had access to this Word so much, do the Word. We have to be strong in that. Or else we're not going to go in and claim the Promised Land of the Prevailing Word in the Household. It'll always be laced with weakness which always deteriorates strength. Because weakness is either laying the groundwork for or is a living spirit cause that deteriorates. It never leaves you alone; it attacks. Weakness is not passive. It is active. It attacks, eats, deteriorates. So it must be eliminated. The causes have to be taken out, just like the cavity in the tooth. You can't just ignore it. Pretty soon it takes your whole mouth and rots the bone system of your mouth out. Any weakness won't stop until it kills you. Like Dr. Wierwille taught, a splinter could kill you if the body wasn't focused to attack it. Any contamination in the physical body could lead to death if it isn't checked. That's why we're called the Body of Christ in I Corinthians 12. Any spirit contamination that is allowed to go unchecked can eventually cave the whole thing in. So there's no gray area here. We either do it or we lose it. We either stand for the truth, demand the truth so the majority of our household is sanctified and purified and functioning so then we do have the room, or the space of grace and mercy to bring up the young, immature; give them ample oppor- tunity to grow like we've had. But for the majority of us, we have to live at these levels. And we can't put up with that contamination. First it's a personal decision. But this is how even Israel was to prepare to go in and militarily conquer foreign lands--was to do the commandments. That was their greatest preparation.
I got a sweet letter from a teenage girl who was coming in the Family Corps asking what she could do to prepare. And do you have horses? I wrote her back yesterday and said the best thing you could do is love God and His Word. That allows you to adapt to anything. What I wrote was I'm glad to see you love God and His Word, because it was a beautiful letter. I sent the letter to Bev Mosqueda so she could answer her specific questions. I suggested to Bev that they have the Junior and Mini Corps write the incoming Junior and Mini Corps to encourage them and bless them. It was a sweet letter from this girl.
You know, "possess the land" means claim it. Take charge. It's yours. Use it. How do you prepare yourself to claim and use and take charge of what God's made available? Hearken unto the statutes and judgments that are taught you to do them that you may live and go in and claim what is yours to enjoy: the fruit of the spirit; the experiential reality of love, joy, peace, long- suffering, goodness, etc. But it's that decision to the truth, or are we going to be like a fool that acts like there is no God; and just refuse to personally and intimately line my own thoughts, judgments, decisions, opinions, emotions up with the Word of God.
About emotions and not letting them run you: We don't mean that it's wrong to have emotions. We mean that what becomes wrong is to allow that emotion to become a state of mind and then that state of mind colors and valances and sets the values to all your decisions. Then you're wrong. And that's so often what happens to people that become adamantly adamant when they're confronted. It shocks them because they've been so stupid. They might become embar- rassed because they're confronted in front of two or three or the Church. And so they take that attitude of shock and embarrassment and then they turn it into anger. And that becomes not just an emotion that they get hit with that they should deal with and get rid of before they make any decisions, but that becomes their mental state. And when an emotion becomes a chronic mental state, you're talking pretty much possession. Because the human mind and body is not made to maintain emotional states. Anger eventually dissipates. Circumstantial hilarity eventually dis- sipates. When an emotion becomes a state of mind, you're in deep doo doo by your own willingness. And they want to hang on to their hurt, anger, embarrassment as a state of mind--you got to have help to maintain that intensity, and that's spirit.
I read a letter yesterday from an Alumni Corps. She said she was initially angry and embarrassed when she went alumni, but as she thought it through, she realized she wasn't at that level of ability, and she's been more blessed than ever. Thanked me for allowing her the privilege to take the Intermediate Class. She could have let that anger and embarrassment become her mental state. Then she could have become indignant and cut herself off if the household is healthy. If unhealthy, that kind of thing is normal. I don't want that. God doesn't want that. I won't allow it. Every emotion should be fleeting.
Like two days ago, two boys called Tim "Wayfer," and Donna and I were so upset because he was so hurt. Boys, when they get pushed in a corner, that's what they resolve back to. We were so angry. I was ready to start a war. This happened Friday before the open house concert. I was ready to boycott the open house. But I cooled down and reasoned it through. It would have caused more harm than good. But emotionally, that's what I wanted to do. But there's no way you can win that way. Now if it was revelation I would do that. But I knew it was an emotional reaction. And God provided some wonderful things. Tim called one of the boys and they got it settled. And the boy backed off. Donna has again written a letter to the principal asking what else to do. And we gave some suggestions about recess time. That prejudice goes back years and you're not going to change it. We haven't had this come up in months. After Word in Business, people copped out, back went out on me, then this--it was really taxing. But I don't think it was much over 20 minutes and I was pretty much over it. Donna was over it--she immediately had to go to a meeting. That's what I mean by recovering from the blow. I went through my thoughts and reasoned it through. Now if God wants me to do something and I'm at peace and rest in my heart, then it's spiritual, and God will back us up. I want to do what's right. I don't want to stir up more hatred. I believe it happens to our kids because of who I am and who Donna is and the adversary will always pick there first. I don't like it; I hate it and despise it. At times I get very angry, but I vent my heart to God. I thought of II Corinthians 12. Paul thought the same way about the thorns in the flesh: "I besought you three times to kick their foot, Lord." God just says "My grace is sufficient for thee." It's a chronic state of the adversary's realm that there's going to be thorns in the flesh. Wednesday night I confronted the Corps that if you're afraid for your children, that's going to cop out your ministry; that's an idol. But these boys open up to spirits and the viciousness of the spirit realm works through them. So they need more supervision over these boys at recess. Told Donna to suggest sending out another high school kid to referee. It all started because they disputed a game call. The spirits have to start it somewhere. If you can keep from starting it, then you can avoid them being able to function. Everyone knows that age group argues. Certain age groups and genders are more vulnerable. So don't let it start.
So I felt guilty about not going to the open house. But Leah knows I make spiritual decisions. I knew if I went I would be tempted to start a ruckus. Donna suggested I stay home and she'd get Rosalie to go. That gave me some peace. I knew Tim and Leah understood. I knew it would hurt the ministry if I went. I asked Rev. Linder to stay close to Donna and Rosalie. I knew it would not be right--I can't fight my son's fight. I have to help spiritually so he would have an even playing field--an opportunity to stand. Because if I get involved it would become a feud and get out of control. But I was in a vulnerable position. So I was at peace. And I understood Leah really distinguished herself there. It was an anatomy of a decision in our lives. It was right I didn't go, because that little kid sat just ten feet away. If I'd been there, I would've fumed. I would've had to recover for a few more hours--it would've set me back.
I cannot be in a high state of emotional upheaval and be able to think in depth. You can't do that. That's why you got to get on stuff when it comes up so it doesn't fester to some soap opera emotional-type state. You have to get over negative emotions quickly. You got to use the positive emotions to think soundly. Remember Peter's emotional state of happiness almost led him to baptizing those people. But "then I remembered the words of the Lord Jesus," remember? Emotions always should be fleeting. Sometimes you'd like for them to last. If you're angry for a good reason, it feels good; happy, etc. Emotions are fleeting. Can't be in a state of emotional upheaval constantly or chronically, or you cannot think the Word, make sound spiritual decisions.
I had to admit it made perfect sense that the adversary would attack my son. He's so ....ed off that we kicked his foot at Word in Business. I taught so much depth of Word. We're sending those teachings out, we're running the Advanced Class Grad Weekends; he's got to be mad as hell. So it just makes sense he would attack through my children, who are the closest thing to my heart. I'd rather they take me on than attack my children or my wife. But they don't do that. So even as I'm angry, all these logical thoughts are there. That's an example of the Word prevailing. And the emotions were fleeting. I did not stay angry. But to get over the emotion before it was allowed to get into a danger zone of wrong decisions--that's what you have to protect against. That's what I mean when I say control your emotions, understand? It's not wrong to have them, be hurt, embarrassed, etc. But where does it go from there? You have to maintain a spiritual equilibrium, mental sobriety, and you can't live in a state of emotional upheaval. People try to live that way and they get contaminated. You can't do it at any level. Whether it's a positive or negative emotional state. You have to have the Word of God in your mind, which requires in-depth thinking. You cannot think in depth when you're in an agitated emotional state.
So the way they prepared themselves to go into the Promised Land was to hearken to the statutes and the judgments and do them and live them that they might claim what was rightfully theirs.
And let's just close with Galatians 5 again. So I got through about a tenth of what I'd prepared. We got room for more Staff Meetings.
Galatians 5:22: "But the fruit" indicates quality of life. And it's the fruit of the gift in manifestation. And the gift in manifestation has to work in a pure, sanctified mind set and heart. It can't be a carnal mind that's enmity against God if you expect the manifestations to work.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy [second], peace, [completeness] longsuffering [horizontal level], gentleness [by grace], goodness [sixth, and then] faith, [is faithfulness. Which is solidarity, steadfastness.]
That's the seventh one listed. That's what you have to expect in the household to have a genuine, divine perfection--faithfulness to hearken unto the statutes and judgments and do them.
And then "meekness" is the eighth one. Meekness is always a new beginning, no matter how you've messed up. There's two reactions to these confrontations: humility or indignancy, adamancy. There's no gray area. Which is ok with me. Let's find out who really wants to stand; who's really a disciple and who isn't.
Meekness and finally temperance, which is really intriguing. Temperance is self-control. That's the ninth one--finality, complete completeness, 3 x 3. The result of all this is self-control in all phases of life. The body holds the same relationship to reason as reason does to the spirit. That's what it means to go in and possess the land--manage it, control it, utilize it for what it's there for. The ninth fruit of the spirit--makes tremendous depth of sense here.
Then "against such there is no law." It means the Word of God is not violated. When these qualities of life are there based on the conditions we've talked about, no part of the Word has been violated. The Word does not stand against these qualities of life. You can't violate any aspect of the Word if you expect these nine qualities to function in your life. You have to do the Word to manifest these nine fruit of the spirit. I think it's the figure antimeria. It says it in the opposite way to add emphasis. People have used it as an excuse--just manifest the fruit and you don't need the law. Not what it means. It means to not manifest it is against the Word, the law, the standard. You have to do the truth to bring these things to pass.
LEAD 249 heads out next week. We'll believe for them to have as great a time as the first group. Ed, Paul, Corps listening: I know spiritually that we should not allow the Corps to hitchhike back from Gunnison. Things are too treacherous; stirred up too deeply; we have hurt the adversary so badly. It would be a breach of spiritual protection to hitchhike. Ed, I would recommend you do that map reading challenge.
Dr. Wierwille said the greatest reason to have the Corps hitchhike is all the witnessing they did. Well, the Word's over the world. And I'll guarantee you just because people could hitchhike did not guarantee they'd stand. So we are not sacrificing the integrity of LEAD in our day and time.
Thanks a lot. Love you all. Bless you. "
Thanks! Yes, seems like I've read that or read it somewhere, most of it reads very familiar and I've heard versions of what would be some of it, from different people.
Craig seems to have moved very very quickly from what it seems he said was God's revelation to him to dealing with the blowback and breaks in ranks that was going on and sure to continue.
So that covers a lot of that, and I appreciate you doing that, so to bring it to the top - although I guess I'm kind of going sideways and south on the original topic, so sorry for that - but
I'll toss in what I get back from this other source as it comes to me.
So I can say I understand how "WOW" came down the pike, as I was there for it and had my personal ownership of my participation in that idea, that vision. The most common definition was an active Twig home fellowship in every community in every city, state, country, around the world. So a city like New York might have 5 or 50, a city like Novato might have 2, etc. etc. But it was always a relatively dense sub population in any city, even just "one" wasn't considered a success "back in the day", although I think that was retooled as time went on.
And I think Craig's shift to "Prevailing Word" was a puff cloud because he has to measure against the previous goal of "WOW" - so by that time he could probably say whatever he wanted, VPW could do the same thing.
Now - getting from Craig's re invention exercise BACK or AWAY from it to whatever it is they're doing now - I guess then they just needed to say "we're doing this now" and that was it. There must have been a strong under current against Craig by that time. And that's something I heard from some that left after that - I heard from one guy that said "At least I got to see Craig get what was coming to him!"...... By that time they must have been pretty beat up mentally and emotionally. Yikes, not a pretty picture.
Thanks! That mirrors what I've heard before, the night Craig and Reynolds covered it. There's a bit of speed bump in the narrative but it may be that he moved from the old to the new so quickly - after gestating all the disruption and dissension in the Way Corps for so many years there. So he must have decided to move quickly and decisively, cut losses and keep it going. Thanks, I appreciate that.
"Word over the World" was something that was very clear to me, so we probably differ in how we're processing it all. From the earliest fellowships I went to in California in 1968, to the time I first met Donnie Fugit in California when he came out to visit with a few people from Kansas,, to going cross country in 1971 and visiting several locations where there were fellowships, to what I did with fellowship myself in California in Oakland, to "going WOW" in the 1972"B" wave, to then going into the Corps....my previous conversations with Dr. Weirwille were about the Word of God and the message of salvation and what we were doing to extend that kind of work using music, in California. Within those first couple years I had become certain beyond any doubt that the things I was seeing and being a part of were real, unadulterated miraculous grace in action. So I was convinced, and as PFAL became a part of that it broadened out considerably.
Going into the 4th Corps was something he and I talked about - my wife and I had applied to the 3rd Corps but it was a tight fit and he suggested that several others musicians were coming into the 4th Corps and that would be where he was hoping something could get going. There was a lot involved in these decisions for my wife and I - and I was very young - but at the center of it all was reaching others with the message of the new birth in Christ and the teaching of the "more than abundant life", manifesting God's spirit and "walking on the Word" as taught in PFAL. This had taken off in California and was doing so across the country. One of the things we - some of us anyway - in that early effort of Way Productions cared deeply about was reaching others through the ministry of "music" and one on one preaching and pastoring. My original experience and relative success with music was by working in the public market, not the gospel or religious market. So I had a fairly young but clear idea of what music was and it's role in WOW, and the idea of reaching every person through the local neighborhood fellowship effort - ie "fellowship" and each one reaching another one - was understood to be doable. That's why I was willing to travel across the country and slowly but surely try to be part of doing that.
We used to have a joke that one of us in JN came up with when we talked about "WOW" - we pictured what it would be like if "it" ever happened, that there'd be some great party, beer and Drambuie would flow and VPW would have a "We did it!" t-shirt on and it would be at some ROA 2000 or something - I'm sure I didn't think it would take any longer than 25 years or so....and it was just a joke, but I did have a somewhat youthful vision that while it might not happen the way I thought it would - I wanted to aim big and miss small and I was going for it, as unrealistic as might seem.
I have an elderly family relative who knows a very little about what we did and he likes to smile and tell people that my wife and I - "got married and went together....to save the world, they were going to change the world!".....I told him once that I didn't come close - and he grabbed my wrist and shook it and told me NO! You changed yourself and you tried to help others, I know that and you did that for sure..." Every once in s awhile I run across someone from 30 - 40 years ago who tells me how they're lives have gone and I'm thrilled to have been a part of it, big or small.
I have to admit that I could never make that journey from where I started to the follow along with where Craig took it - not that I'm smarter or better .... well, smarter maybe sure, maybe - but that may be because I'd always had a personal vision and process I was involved in trying to do and to live. Not always successfully, by any means, but working at. So perhaps it was different for others, they'd have to speak to that themselves.
socks.......another thing to consider in all this was martindale's fixation on "The Eight Great Statements in the Book of Acts." He wrote a book on it.......illustrating how this word of God increased and the number of the disciples multiplied [Acts 6:7]. Step by step progression. Eight statements of progressive levels of growth. Martindale had every limb coordinator teach this material to their respective states in 1994. Building blocks. Progressively stepping forward......away from the past. Acts 19:20 says "So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed." See, right there......"prevailed." The slogans and themes......and the bumper stickers.
Ten (10) years had elapsed (1986-1996).......from the major exodus of many corps till then. Martindale was on the cusp of setting a "higher standard" with his soon-to-be-released class series: The Way of Abundance and Power. This did not happen overnight. Nor did it happen in a vacuum. It was progressive.
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I can certainly relate to what you said about taking that journey.....where it started, where it went.
That is why I wrote about "my journey from 1989-1998 to illustrate its progression ............. Insanity on Steroids
We Thought We Were Free
*From the book "They Thought They Were Free (the Germans 1933-45)" by Milton Mayer.
"Each step was so small, so inconsequential, so well explained, or on occasion, 'regretted,' that unless one were detached from the whole process from the beginning, unless one understood what the whole thing was in principle, what all these 'little measures' that no 'patriotic German' could resent must some day lead to, one no more saw it developing from day to day than a farmer in his field see the corn growing. One day it is over his head."
socks.......another thing to consider in all this was martindale's fixation on "The Eight Great Statements in the Book of Acts." He wrote a book on it.......illustrating how this word of God increased and the number of the disciples multiplied [Acts 6:7]. Step by step progression. Eight statements of progressive levels of growth. Martindale had every limb coordinator teach this material to their respective states in 1994. Building blocks. Progressively stepping forward......away from the past. Acts 19:20 says "So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed." See, right there......"prevailed." The slogans and themes......and the bumper stickers.
Ten (10) years had elapsed (1986-1996).......from the major exodus of many corps till then. Martindale was on the cusp of setting a "higher standard" with his soon-to-be-released class series: The Way of Abundance and Power. This did not happen overnight. Nor did it happen in a vacuum. It was progressive.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I can certainly relate to what you said about taking that journey.....where it started, where it went.
That is why I wrote about "my journey from 1989-1998 to illustrate its progression ............. Insanity on Steroids
We Thought We Were Free
*From the book "They Thought They Were Free (the Germans 1933-45)" by Milton Mayer.
"Each step was so small, so inconsequential, so well explained, or on occasion, 'regretted,' that unless one were detached from the whole process from the beginning, unless one understood what the whole thing was in principle, what all these 'little measures' that no 'patriotic German' could resent must some day lead to, one no more saw it developing from day to day than a farmer in his field see the corn growing. One day it is over his head."
Well, I was free - always free to make my own decisions, and I did.
When I got involved with the Way and VPW, I already knew I didn't really "need" to do any of that - the Way Corps, being a member/non-member of the Way, get the cap, the t-shirt, the certificate, all of it, in order to be a fully functional Christian believer. I'd given that all up already once by not continuing formal relations with Roman Catholicism. I still felt and feel that my faith's roots are in that religion, as it's where I learned of Christ to begin with, where I read the bible in school, and began the journey of my life BUT I moved into another stage, phase, of what I was going to do next.
Rather I made a deliberate decision to "sign up" to work with the Way, and for the Way, as a means to try and carry out the personal vision I had as a Christian. I'd heard the teaching, done the work the first couple years to learn it, had a question or three about it but realized through other things I'd read and participated in I had some of the same and some different questions about all of it, period. Hooking up with Dr. Weirwille and the Way Corps and making the music ministry my primary focus was deliberate - I decided - okay, I'm going to work with this group and see where it goes and what I can do, because I'm going to do something.....and I'd already seen how frail organizations were and the Christian movement at that time were. (like Lonnie Frisbee and Ted Wise, two names that always come up with the California Jesus Movement. I met Lonnie once - in San Francisco - he seemed like a highly energized guy and as charismatic to his peer group as he's been described but I knew that wasn't for me. Within a couple years I was getting a more solid idea of what I wanted to try - as things went I said fine, I'll give this a shot.
Unlike some but along with many others I saw the "power of God" and the active living of pneuma hagion-new birth in ample display at that time, both in and out of the Way.
I've been "ordained" three times, the last time was in the formal ceremony of the Way Corps. Each time before that was in relation to doing the work of the ministry of the Church, of reaching and caring for those who heard, believed and lived in their new faith. Each time, "sent forth" in life in service.
I met my wife before any of the Way, we dated, we married and have a relationship over the last 5 decades that has nothing to do with the Way Nash, as a formal part of that relationship.
When it was time to leave, I did. A few years late, as it turned out, but I wasn't ready to make the break at the time I first saw it but I knew it was going to happen. Finally I did it, after offering to go up to the Farm and do anything I could to assist and help, if they thought it would help. Townsend told me to check back in 6 months - "If I'm still here, let's talk".......I knew, that ain't gonna happen. And I realized from the expression on his face how crazy it was to think of trying.
I can only speak for myself. With the time left I have an idea of the direction unfolding before me and that'll hopefully be a blast!
Anywho.......after Reynolds finished, martindale stepped forward and commenced with the "new mission" of the prevailing word. Another hour and a half, the corps meeting was over. New slogans. New terminology. The lexicon of buzzwords that constantly changed in twi was refreshed......after ANOTHER corps night. Most likely.......martindale was laying the groundwork for his new class series: The Way of Abundance and Power. Out with the old, in with the new. Times were rapidly changing.
A day or so later.......some corps were dissenting. They strongly believed that Dr. Wierwille's vision of "word over the world" was NOT complete. These murmuring reached martindale's ears in a hurry........and those corps [2 or 3 couples] were purged. Dropped from Active Corps. Door slam !!
Message Received: You always know who rules over you by observing who it is that you are not allowed to question.
That says it all !!!!!!! That rings true when I think of my latter years of preparing to go in the way corps and then being in the program – what stands out in reference to what you said and what WordWolf posted are not just the teachings against murmuring but also how we should follow in blind obedience – as reflected in the excerpt from WordWolf’s posting of Craig’s staff meeting:
On 4/15/2020 at 11:46 PM, WordWolf said:
Like yesterday, you know that situation happened in Ohio which has a widespread impact. And I was on the phone yesterday to the Panarellos and the Howes in a conference call, updating them on where I saw this thing was going next spiritually so they could be ready for the onslaughts and attacks that would be coming. They had already been involved in some confrontations and dis- cussions and they had reported to me on it, and I was thankful for that. I was grateful they'd gotten on it. Yesterday on the phone I gave them where I saw this thing was going. They were at their Advanced Class Grad weekend.
So He heard the murmurings of the children of Israel which they murmur against Me. It's like Acts 17. Remember Paul says of those that they searched the scriptures daily whether those things were so. But that wasn't a search out of adamancy or a critical attitude. It was a search of joy and thanksgiving and humility. They were so thrilled to hear the Word of God that Paul taught they wanted to make it their own. The word "search" there in Acts 17:11 is anakrin, which is to make right judgments, to divide properly and make proper value judgments. What they were doing was lining the values of their personal lives up with what the Word said that Paul had taught. That was "whether those things were so." It wasn't what happened years ago, where every time a person said something it was to be assaulted, adamantly and bitterly attacked. And it was called "honesty," or "not being a yes man." Where people have assumed in their mind that it's a sonship right to attack whatever a leader says. That's leprosy. That's contamination. Somewhere in the Word it says, "What? Did the Word of God come out from you? Shut up!"
Something else that goes along with the idea of not questioning or challenging leadership was how TWI got you to shut down YOUR thinking process. You were not encouraged to think but to absorb - another excerpt from WordWolf's post on Craig's staff meeting:
On 4/15/2020 at 11:46 PM, WordWolf said:
The Prevailing Word in the Promised Land of the Household, or Promised Land of the Prevailing Word in the Household--I guess either way would work. That's been the way it's jelled in my soul in defining our overall vision, our goal. Like for years we worked with the Word Over the World concept in our thoughts and hearts, and it helped us make our decisions and prioritize our lives, and as we move into Generation II of The Way International Ministry of Research, Teaching, and Fellowship, there has to be ways to focus our thoughts and define it, both culturally and in language that communicates, as well as Biblically and spiritually. And it's just like we learned to understand it in Dr. Wierwille's ministry--we looked at the Word, we studied the Word, we adapted concepts and ideas and functions and programs to the times in which we lived; and did all we could to make the Word of God available and establish--to use military terminology --beachheads. As I said in the Book of Acts teachings, centers of reference, or spheres of influence in the culture, that would make available the Word of God.
This cannot be evaluated in a senses manner--only to a certain extent. If we worked for McDonalds, we'd pull out our map and see everywhere we had a restaurant, and we'd decide what gaps we have. It can't be looked at in that manner, because if you look at it in that manner, I don't think we could say the Word is over the world. I think sense-knowledge-wise that would be contradicted. Certainly there are many gaps on the maps. But I look at it in terms of the impact. Like I taught in the Book of Acts, expansion is defined numerically, geographically, and in sphere of influence. Now that means all three have to be considered as a unit in terms of what we would say the Word is over, or the Word is available to a section of the country or the world. And that sphere of influence is especially noteworthy in terms of energized ministries. And I believe I see that deeper than ever before indicated as such at times and over the years, because I know I've made the point that every section in the Book of Acts opens with an energized ministry functioning.
I think this is one of The Way International’s (as well as many other cult’s) tried-and-true methods to get followers to drink the Kool-Aid – teaching you that you can’t go by your sense-knowledge…guess I was too much of a simpleton when I first took PFAL – because I took the claims on the back of the PFAL sign-up card so literally; and more often than not when I complained about NOT seeing those claims of the class pan out – I’d get some obfuscating explanation from those who under-shepherded me or some leader – it’s because I wasn’t really believing…I wasn’t spending more time reviewing the books and collaterals from PFAL…I wasn’t renewing my mind…blah, blah, blah…In retrospect I see the obvious pattern there – it was always MY fault …some shortcoming on my part – God forbid there was anything wrong with what was taught in PFAL.
On 4/16/2020 at 1:02 AM, socks said:
We used to have a joke that one of us in JN came up with when we talked about "WOW" - we pictured what it would be like if "it" ever happened, that there'd be some great party, beer and Drambuie would flow and VPW would have a "We did it!" t-shirt on and it would be at some ROA 2000 or something - I'm sure I didn't think it would take any longer than 25 years or so....and it was just a joke, but I did have a somewhat youthful vision that while it might not happen the way I thought it would - I wanted to aim big and miss small and I was going for it, as unrealistic as might seem.
I have an elderly family relative who knows a very little about what we did and he likes to smile and tell people that my wife and I - "got married and went together....to save the world, they were going to change the world!".....I told him once that I didn't come close - and he grabbed my wrist and shook it and told me NO! You changed yourself and you tried to help others, I know that and you did that for sure..." Every once in s awhile I run across someone from 30 - 40 years ago who tells me how they're lives have gone and I'm thrilled to have been a part of it, big or small.
I have to admit that I could never make that journey from where I started to the follow along with where Craig took it - not that I'm smarter or better .... well, smarter maybe sure, maybe - but that may be because I'd always had a personal vision and process I was involved in trying to do and to live. Not always successfully, by any means, but working at. So perhaps it was different for others, they'd have to speak to that themselves.
I admire folks who have always had a personal vision and method during their journey through life. Since I didn't have that - I believe that was probably part of my Achilles heel – that got me sucked in; I stuck around for so long because of wierwille's grand vision of word over the world – that I could be a part of something bigger than myself and that I would have all the answers pertaining to life and godliness…Your post made me reflect once again on what I got out of my TWI experience – what valid things I learned and the good people I met – one of them is my wife Tonto –and we’re still together!
I was raised Roman Catholic but I had no interest in studying the Bible - and back then other than catechism and the stuff Catholic grammar school taught for my confirmation - whether it was in school or at Mass, there really was no teaching on doctrine, theology in general or even how to study the Bible . That void in a young Christian's life leaves one ripe for picking by a pseudo-Christian con artist... It may be a simple thing but I was really impressed and inspired to open the Bible after seeing folks my own age and with no formal training, teach from the Bible at Twig. Granted, their teachings were just regurgitated wierwille stuff and there’s a lot of things that I no longer agree with now – but at the time, that initial experience of seeing them read and teach from the Bible...and that it made sense to my uniformed mind...and that it didn't appear to be some mysterious or difficult thing for them to do that, really got me…AND I admired their dive-right-in attitude...they seemed to have had a vision and a method down pat.
So it wasn’t that TWI activated my faith which was already there, being raised in a Christian home – but TWI got me started in a new phase of my journey – having a vision and a plan…a method…So I began using THEIR one-map-fits-all…Since I left TWI I’ve come to realize how important it is to fully engage my reasoning and emotions as I continue to revise MY OWN map...Yes, I learned some good stuff while in TWI - but what dwarfs all that is what I learned after I left TWI - that it's important for me to take an active role in developing my belief system, personal priorities and worldview and not just accept without question a certain mindset that's handed to me …in a way, my Grease Spot experience is kind of a reverse of my early Twig experience. Now I tend to think reading and understanding so much of the Bible is perhaps even more difficult than what I was led to believe in TWI – with their pat answers, and the weird combo of fundamentalism and wierwille’s egocentric theology. I love the freedom to think that's encouraged at Grease Spot and the freedom to reflect and consider the perspectives of others; And, somewhat like my early Twig experience it has taken some of the mystery out of “philosophizing” on my journey - that it's okay to actually think and have a lot of questions and doubts... to enjoy life and appreciate the folks that cross my path... there’s a lot more latitude in my thoughts and feelings and of course much more self-direction when it comes to how I process stuff and revise my map. And it’s not just when reading the Bible but reading or thinking about anything else.
== == ==
Thanks Skyrider, WordWolf and Socks – I have always wondered how they got from pursuing the goal of word over the world to the prevailing word… so remember kids, in a make-believe world anything can happen....anyway, great stuff in your posts - - and I wanted an excuse to add my 2 cents
Hmm, depending on when the Georgia person went to teach, either all of Georgia or maybe that person's county, would have had a shelter in place order they would have violated. I don't think they had to get groceries in Ohio. I am sure a nicely recorded teaching could have been done and uploaded and projected somehow in the auditorium or they could have protected their staff and just had someone already at HQ teach! And does this mean they were running classes when groups larger than ten are not supposed to meet?
They can't be transparent, they have to hide in the dark with all the skeletons in their closet.
Why in the world would JY apologize? Does this mean he was just going to submit to Rosalie and try to stay in the Way???? Like Rosalie has helped the Word prevailed or lifted a finger to help anyone? For some reason i am just really upset for the DeLis*s because I remember how helpful they were to me long ago!
I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder. When we informed leadership we were EXITING Way Corps Indiana, JYD got on the phone to me and verbally lashed me saying our airfares home would be paid BUT we had to keep our mouths shut as to what we had seen going on. The guys a wank AFAIC !
The Way's response to the coronavirus has been mixed. In the same announcement where Jean-Yves DeLisle said he was stepping down because he had failed he also announced that the 2020 Advanced Class would be canceled do to the coronavirus and later it was posted on the website that other events were cancelled. The last few sunday services have all been a bit interesting, they seemed to have gotten rid of live audiences and the choir. Two weeks ago the teacher drove all the way from Georgia to headquarters. Last week they announced that the Way Disciples had completed their Foundational Classes and had just held special fellowships in their areas and just yesterday the teacher was still telling "believers" to reach out to others with the Word.
When Martindale made that announcement that "The Word Was Over the World", even though I was a good, loyal Waybot, my immediate thought was: "How can this be? It isn't even over my home city of Lincoln, let alone nebraska, let alone THE WORLD". At the time the number of active Way people had shrunk in our area to a couple of anemic Twigs that they laughingly called a branch. If I remember correctly, part of the explanation that the Word was over the world was that there was a Way presence in every region of the world.
Thanks! That mirrors what I"ve heard before, the night Craig and Reynolds covered it. There's a bit of speed bump in the narrative but it may be that he moved from the old to the new so quickly - after gestating all the disruption and dissension in the Way Corps for so many years there. So he must have decided to move quickly and decisively, cut losses and keep it going. Thanks, I appreciate that.
"Word over the World" was something that was very clear to me, so we probably differ in how we're processing it all. From the earliest fellowships I went to in California in 1968, to the time I first met Donnie Fugit in California when he came out to visit with a few people from Kansas,, to going cross country in 1971 and visiting several locations where there were fellowships, to what I did with fellowship myself in California in Oakland, to "going WOW" in the 1972"B" wave, to then going into the Corps....my previous conversations with Dr. Weirwille were about the Word of God and the message of salvation and what we were doing to extend that kind of work using music, in California. Within those first couple years I had become certain beyond any doubt that the things I was seeing and being a part of were real, unadulterated miraculous grace in action. So I was convinced, and as PFAL became a part of that it broadened out considerably.
Going into the 4th Corps was something he and I talked about - my wife and I had applied to the 3rd Corps but it was a tight fit and he suggested that several others musicians were coming into the 4th Corps and that would be where he was hoping something could get going. There was a lot involved in these decisions for my wife and I - and I was very young - but at the center of it all was reaching others with the message of the new birth in Christ and the teaching of the "more than abundant life", manifesting God's spirit and "walking on the Word" as taught in PFAL. This had taken off in California and was doing so across the country. One of the things we - some of us anyway - in that early effort of Way Productions cared deeply about was reaching others through the ministry of "music" and one on one preaching and pastoring. My original experience and relative success with music was by working in the public market, not the gospel or religious market. So I had a fairly young but clear idea of what music was and it's role in WOW, and the idea of reaching every person through the local neighborhood fellowship effort - ie "fellowship" and each one reaching another one - was understood to be doable. That's why I was willing to travel across the country and slowly but surely try to be part of doing that.
We used to have a joke that one of us in JN came up with when we talked about "WOW" - we pictured what it would be like if "it" ever happened, that there'd be some great party, beer and Drambuie would flow and VPW would have a "We did it!" t-shirt on and it would be at some ROA 2000 or something - I'm sure I didn't think it would take any longer than 25 years or so....and it was just a joke, but I did have a somewhat youthful vision that while it might not happen the way I thought it would - I wanted to aim big and miss small and I was going for it, as unrealistic as might seem.
I have an elderly family relative who knows a very little about what we did and he likes to smile and tell people that my wife and I - "got married and went together....to save the world, they were going to change the world!".....I told him once that I didn't come close - and he grabbed my wrist and shook it and told me NO! You changed yourself and you tried to help others, I know that and you did that for sure..." Every once in s awhile I run across someone from 30 - 40 years ago who tells me how they're lives have gone and I'm thrilled to have been a part of it, big or small.
I have to admit that I could never make that journey from where I started to the follow along with where Craig took it - not that I'm smarter or better .... well, smarter maybe sure, maybe - but that may be because I'd always had a personal vision and process I was involved in trying to do and to live. Not always successfully, by any means, but working at. So perhaps it was different for others, they'd have to speak to that themselves.
Socks, I remember JN; they were wonderful!! Their music was so inspiring, and Godly. I heard them several times, and always thought their music was amazing. I have wonderful memories of them. Many of the head honchos in TWI, were guilty of any number of wrongdoings, but JN was the "real deal."
On 10/6/2020 at 8:32 AM, Grace Valerie Claire said:
Socks, I remember JN; they were wonderful!! Their music was so inspiring, and Godly. I heard them several times, and always thought their music was amazing. I have wonderful memories of them. Many of the head honchos in TWI, were guilty of any number of wrongdoings, but JN was the "real deal."
Thank you! I'm proud of the work we put in. The time, and remember - "it was on your dime", as I like to say. As it grew and continued it was financed by the ABS of the Way's members. It honored the music that so many great souls were a part of it.
The product itself was a work in progress. I used to wince that people were or felt forced to listen to music they didn't like sometimes, namely ours. I've studied, played and enjoyed music all my life and although I've listened to a lot I don't prefer I would never in my life insist anyone be immersed in music they flat out didn't like. I tried to encourage people to build their own "libraries" of inspirational music, make cassette tapes of stuff that made them feel good, happy, inspired, thoughtful, whatever. Not a terribly profound idea but one that would work well as time went on and technology did too. Today, playlists.
On the whole I'm proud of what we did though, the intent was to bless, to inspire, to give an additional source for someone to see and learn what the Word of God taught. It was far from perfect, but it was a hearty effort by everyone involved and as time went on others did things with dance and various arts. Unfortunately some of those who came onboard with Craig had no investment in the legacy of the work and no heart for the love of it and managed to dismantle it.
Thank you! I'm proud of the work we put in. The time, and remember - "it was on your dime", as I like to say. As it grew and continued it was financed by the ABS of the Way's members. It honored the music that so many great souls were a part of it.
The product itself was a work in progress. I used to wince that people were or felt forced to listen to music they didn't like sometimes, namely ours. I've studied, played and enjoyed music all my life and although I've listened to a lot I don't prefer I would never in my life insist anyone be immersed in music they flat out didn't like. I tried to encourage people to build their own "libraries" of inspirational music, make cassette tapes of stuff that made them feel good, happy, inspired, thoughtful, whatever. Not a terribly profound idea but one that would work well as time went on and technology did too. Today, playlists.
On the whole I'm proud of what we did though, the intent was to bless, to inspire, to give an additional source for someone to see and learn what the Word of God taught. It was far from perfect, but it was a hearty effort by everyone involved and as time went on others did things with dance and various arts. Unfortunately some of those who came onboard with Craig had no investment in the legacy of the work and no heart for the love of it and managed to dismantle it.
Socks, what a shame!! So that's what happened to JN. How sad. I have long forgotten most of the teachings, I heard in TWI, but I still remember JN's music. Even today, I still sing their songs, and it makes me happy!
Yes, Out and About ... It was an excellent album, and the musical tour Joyful Noise did that year was very good. I enjoyed it immensely and played that album for many years, even after I left The Way on January 11, 1996. A couple years ago, I passed on all my Way and other albums to a close friend, along with a combination record player, CD player, etc. I do not know whether he kept them or not.
Speaking of The Way and the coronavirus – I wonder if anyone in or out of TWI has heard of any other “official” or even unofficial responses or statements coming from upper leadership about the coronavirus other than what has already been said on this thread by Rubina.
…just wondering if any TWI-followers have finally figured out that the coronavirus just doesn’t care about your religious or political associations…the coronavirus doesn’t care about what or who you believe in - or - don’t believe in…it doesn't care if you think it's a hoax...it doesn't care how much you study "The Word"...it doesn't care how much you abundantly share...
…Just speculating here since I have very little to go on – being out of touch with TWI for some 34 years. I wonder if the pandemic is TWI’s elephant in the room - deliberately ignored because of the challenges it represents to TWI’s Fundamentalist-spiritualist-pseudoscience-self-serving-theology. A theology that is often pitted against real science and facts…"Are you going to believe God or are you going to believe what some man tells you? Are you going to trust what "The Word" says or are will you just rely on your five senses?"
…even looking beyond the impact that the pandemic has had to how The Way International conducts day-to-day activities, I think of the cold and cruel "insulating" bubble they “create” around themselves - and FYI the field generator for this bubble is powered by the indoctrination process of TWI . TWI has never been community minded or charitably oriented. In times of great crises communities tend to pull together, secular and religious charities and even some local religious groups and businesses pitch in to help the hungry, homeless, etc.…But I’ve never heard of TWI doing anything that was beyond the welfare and interests of their little old way-world…yeah – what about that "great" way corps principle – go forth as leaders and workers in areas of concern, interest and need…what a farce !!!
(…* on a side note – I noticed not any of the articles I looked at were attributed to a specific individual – the author is always listed as “by The Way – that seems kind of dubious to me… what’s the matter – is there no one in the hive-mind willing to stick their neck out? Are they playing it safe – afraid of criticism that would target one individual?)
== == == ==
To end my post on a positive note - I’m thankful for the scientists, doctors, nurses, first-responders, frontline/essential workers, civic leaders, religious groups, secular groups, businesses, factories, truck drivers, shipping companies, folks who work in the restaurant industry, postal workers and any other individuals I forgot to mention who respect the science and the facts - who have compassion and empathy - and who do their part in the war on the coronavirus.
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Grace Valerie Claire
Socks, I remember JN; they were wonderful!! Their music was so inspiring, and Godly. I heard them several times, and always thought their music was amazing. I have wonderful memories of them. Many
outandabout
Hey, that must have been cool when Martindale said the word was over the world. "I don't have to witness at Wondermall anymore!!!"
T-Bone
Speaking of The Way and the coronavirus – I wonder if anyone in or out of TWI has heard of any other “official” or even unofficial responses or statements coming from upper leadership about the corona
socks
True. But I'm starting to get the impression that either no one here now knows exactly or if they do there's not a lot of detail around it. I put a feeler out to someone who would, to see if they could explain it in 25 words or less and if they can't, then I'll post back here that indeed, those wipers are about as good as it's going to get.
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skyrider
Okay, okay........I'll give it a shot, but it might be more than 25 words.
As I remember it..........October 1995, martindale made the statement that "the word was over the world" on a corps night and then, had John Reynolds come forward. At that time, Reynolds was newly-installed on the Board of Trustees as Secretary-Treasurer. Don Wierwille's health was failing and Rosalie was stepping into the Vice President slot. And, Howard was replaced by Reynolds. Anywho........since Reynolds had been in the International Outreach Department for years (before a short stint as Region guy in Arkansas), martindale assigned him to come forward and give the "explanation."
Reynolds spent about 20 minutes adding all the necessary ministry jargon and Dr. Wierwille's vision of "word over the world." Citing some statistics, cities, countries, continents and filler-crapola........he rambled on. Did it make sense? No. But then, who ever in wierwille's ministry ever tried to explain this mission anyways?
Anywho.......after Reynolds finished, martindale stepped forward and commenced with the "new mission" of the prevailing word. Another hour and a half, the corps meeting was over. New slogans. New terminology. The lexicon of buzzwords that constantly changed in twi was refreshed......after ANOTHER corps night. Most likely.......martindale was laying the groundwork for his new class series: The Way of Abundance and Power. Out with the old, in with the new. Times were rapidly changing.
A day or so later.......some corps were dissenting. They strongly believed that Dr. Wierwille's vision of "word over the world" was NOT complete. These murmuring reached martindale's ears in a hurry........and those corps [2 or 3 couples] were purged. Dropped from Active Corps. Door slam !!
Message Received: You always know who rules over you by observing who it is that you are not allowed to question.
From my standpoint..........I had a full plate of responsibilities as a Limb Coordinator at the time and faxes pouring in daily. If someone wanted to tweak the "mission statement" of twi, then so be it. To me, it was martindale's attempt to polish the old marketing slogan with something else to make it shine. No reason to bunch my boxer shorts.
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WordWolf
A bit more on that can be found here, in one of martindale's explanations of it, from a staff meeting April 1, 1996.
http://web.archive.org/web/20030112074113/http://greasespotcafe.com/waydale/html-docs/staffmtg-04-14-96.htm
"
The Prevailing Word in the Promised Land of the Household, or Promised Land of the Prevailing Word in the Household--I guess either way would work. That's been the way it's jelled in my soul in defining our overall vision, our goal. Like for years we worked with the Word Over the World concept in our thoughts and hearts, and it helped us make our decisions and prioritize our lives, and as we move into Generation II of The Way International Ministry of Research, Teaching, and Fellowship, there has to be ways to focus our thoughts and define it, both culturally and in language that communicates, as well as Biblically and spiritually. And it's just like we learned to understand it in Dr. Wierwille's ministry--we looked at the Word, we studied the Word, we adapted concepts and ideas and functions and programs to the times in which we lived; and did all we could to make the Word of God available and establish--to use military terminology --beachheads. As I said in the Book of Acts teachings, centers of reference, or spheres of influence in the culture, that would make available the Word of God.
This cannot be evaluated in a senses manner--only to a certain extent. If we worked for McDonalds, we'd pull out our map and see everywhere we had a restaurant, and we'd decide what gaps we have. It can't be looked at in that manner, because if you look at it in that manner, I don't think we could say the Word is over the world. I think sense-knowledge-wise that would be contradicted. Certainly there are many gaps on the maps. But I look at it in terms of the impact. Like I taught in the Book of Acts, expansion is defined numerically, geographically, and in sphere of influence. Now that means all three have to be considered as a unit in terms of what we would say the Word is over, or the Word is available to a section of the country or the world. And that sphere of influence is especially noteworthy in terms of energized ministries. And I believe I see that deeper than ever before indicated as such at times and over the years, because I know I've made the point that every section in the Book of Acts opens with an energized ministry functioning.
Of course, the reason you have energized ministries is for the perfecting of the saints. So that implies that there are active disciples in areas that are part of that sphere of influence. It isn't just to be an Elijah sitting in the wilderness by himself, or an Amos or Jeremiah--pretty much rejected, mourning the unbelief. But obviously there are to be disciples, pockets of believing, because the purpose of the ministries is first the perfecting of the saints.
But from that numerical and geographical setting, then the great key to the Word over the world is what I always call the "sphere of influence," or the impact of that Word in that part of the world. I think as we grew and learned, many times we thought of that impact in terms of cultural or senses impact. And we had to learn; we had to grow. We thought in terms of dominating the music business or dominating Nashville; at times we thought in terms of great works of art and literary pieces moving to world renown. Well, we learned over the years that that is not really what it meant and means, because that never happened. And indeed, in a lot of cases, it hurt the ministry more than helped it to pursue it in those categories, because people at times didn't stand; they couldn't handle the spiritual pressure; they copped out and broke down. So that isn't what it meant. Remember, Corps Principle #1 is "Acquire an in-depth spiritual perception and aware- ness" of the Word. Whether I understand everything going on in the world or not has relatively little significance. Only what the Word directs me to understand what's going on in the world. So it isn't a case of the Word dominating the culture. I think at times that's what we thought it meant. That's not what it meant, obviously and clearly, because that is certainly not the case in any stretch of the imagination.
Now, that the Word has had some positive effect on the unbelieving realm, I think it's logical to say, but to document that is very difficult, because we have very little interaction in the great realms of politics and government and military and the arts and culture. We've had believers in these fields, and just having an appreciation for the Word of God, the spirit of God, I think generally we can say, yes, we have had an effect on the senses realm. Maybe we've kept it from going as rotten and evil as it could have been if we hadn't been around. But that is not the point. The point is #1: That sphere of impact is available.
The old analogy of a stone hitting a lake that Dr. Wierwille would often use, where the concentric ripples of the waves would eventually reach the shore. To me, that's a good analogy of sphere of influence. And what you're always out to do is to make it available to those that hunger and thirst after righteousness. So therefore whether we could document it sense-knowledge-wise, which we can't, and even to look at it sense-knowledge-wise would cause me to doubt the revelation God gave me that the Word is over the world. Which I don't doubt, but I could see how the senses realm could cause you to doubt it because of the immensity of it and the sheer numbers of people, numbers of countries, numbers of dialects and cultures, which certainly cause you to doubt it if you looked at it from a business point of view or military point of view. So to me that's even more evidence to prove it has to be right.
But again, the believing of it is your heart in the Word of God, and your humility to the Word, and your humility to what God has energized in our heart in the household to present and share and teach. I think as you are humble to that, God can keep teaching you to see that. Because it really has very little to do with its impact on culture--that's only secondary--the unbelieving culture. It's just like Israel: even when Israel was a nation, a political, geographical, ethnic, genetic country, their impact on the rest of the world was always second or third in importance. The importance was the purity within their ranks; the purity within their walls; the purity of the Word. Then, to the rest of the world they would be a delightsome land, a nation of priests, a blessed land-- "what nation is any other that has a god that cares for them like God cares for you"--statements like Moses made.
At times we see in the Word they would be intimidated in a good way by the strength of the believers and leave them alone, but as far as large-scale adapting of Israelite practices spiritually, you didn't see that. The Canaanites, Moabites stayed idolatrous. The Amorites, Amalekites stayed as evil and dastardly as they ever were. The Philistines, who might have been the closest companions to Israel through David's day, never adapted anything. At times they'd respect them. At times they'd come through and clean their clock. It just depended on what was available to them. You didn't see any large-scale change of mind and cultures that Israel had contact with. Egyptian--are you kidding? About the closest was Nebuchadnezzar who at times showed real humility to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Cyrus and Artaxerxes who allowed Ezra and Nehemiah to rebuild first the Temple then the walls then the city. They showed respect for God's people. Maybe there would even be an element of believing in some of these unique, rare men--like the Pharaoh who allowed Joseph to move to such a position of influence and power. But these were individuals who had a heart tender to truth. And I believe they will be rewarded in the judgments in the future. To what extent only God knows. I don't understand it all. I know there's a resurrection of the just and unjust; I believe those noted in the Word who helped God's people are going to be rewarded for it, because God is so just. Just like people who are kind to us and help us in our day, God will not forget that. Even in this life their lives are blessed when they are kind to The Way Ministry and help us in what we do and help us do the things we need to do to make the Word of God available.
I think it's a continual growth and learning, and certainly one of the great ways to express what it means, the Promised Land of the Prevailing Word in the Household, is certainly the spiritual quality of life. That more and more can be appreciated and enjoyed by the believers of the household and disciples, and more and more God gets the glory and praise for within the house- hold. It's His joy to bless His people. And within the household, that purity and that sanctified living is most important. And the majority of what we call the household of God are functioning disciples. That minority would be those that we are giving the opportunity to become functioning disciples. And that's the only way you're going to build the true quality of life, is not allowing it to become laced and contaminated with spiritual leprosy. Even the Church Epistles are very adamant--get on or get off. They are very adamant. Grace and mercy are for those that humble themselves. Grace and mercy are not to be used as a club and a lever against the faithful. But that's definitely what the accuser does. People that chronically fail, that are chronically hard- hearted, chronically unwilling to change their minds and habits--first in their practical life as I've taught, then it becomes doctrinal, (as Dr. Wierwille taught and I think I've embellished and expanded and explained) that the greatest attacks are in the practical realm.
Isn't it something that the ones that need to change the most many times are the most indignant when you reprove them--most adamant, on a soapbox. More and more they don't stay long on that soapbox because we are learning to have the courage--at least some of us--to mark and avoid and separate and confront them and tell them to leave. We are learning what righteousness means. It means the guts to take a stand against evil and not let the accuser make you think you're wrong because you're running off the damned lepers. And yet still we have too many people that refuse to believe that that's the love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation. You want to believe that the love of God or for God in the renewed mind in manifestation means you tolerate everything, and that's a lie. And it's a doctrine of the devil-spirit realm, and you ain't going into the Promised Land. That mind set will eliminate you from the joy of the experiential reality of the quality of life that awaits us when and if the Word really prevails in the household. It's private interpretation; it's reading in your opinions of what love means; it's not reading what the Word actually says. I for years have shown you references from every Church Epistle that tell us to separate, mark and avoid, withdraw from every brother that walketh disorderly; so I'm sure some believe that and practice that, and still some in the depth of your heart, you don't really believe it. You think that love and grace and mercy mean you're supposed to tolerate everything. That's exactly how the devil spirits nearly took this ministry over, (which we're still cleaning out,) with that lack of resolve to the truth, that private interpretation of what the scripture says, that vague, general mind set about what Jesus Christ really wanted. And yet people refuse to see scriptures where Jesus Christ confronts Simon. Jesus withdrew himself from those men at times when they were not up to levels, even his best men; and Jesus Christ had very, very few people left from all the thousands and thousands that he taught and ministered to and healed. He had only about 120 who wanted to be recognized as his followers after his ascension. He would be considered a resounding failure in our contemporary world. We've got more people left on our mailing list than he had on his.
I still think some of you feel bad about the lack of numbers and you almost feel insulted or feel disgraced. And you're just not thinking spiritually. You have a carnal mind that's enmity against God. And we've got to get that out of the leadership of The Way Ministry. And we're working on that as you know. I don't tolerate it. I confront it. And those that back me up confront it also. And we cannot have that kind of mind set in any way working at our Root Locales because it's pure contamination. The Root Locales are not spiritual infirmaries for spiritual winos and deadbeats and drunks that need to have radical overhauls in their lives and minds. It cannot be that in any way. People that need help, if they want help, can go to Twig and see if they can put up with that spiritual pressure. People that want help have no business living here. You come here to serve, you come here to give, you come here with commitment, fully persuaded mind set, and that obviously has to be the key for our whole Way Corps household, that functioning house- hold, our Way Disciples, and eventually, all our Twig coordinators; although I'm sure there's still a lot to do there that we just haven't had time to get to.
But the quality of life enhanced and dominant is what we're talking about in the Prevailing Word. And Galatians 5:22 is a simple way to put it. "But the fruit of the Spirit"--remember that's usage 5, the gift in manifestation. "Is love"--that's that love for God. That first and foremost dominates. That the Word of God holds regnancy in our minds. Everything else is secondary--whether it comes from family, friend, culture--the Word of God holds regnancy. It prevails, it dominates. And as I've worked this "prevail" concept over the years, to me it indicates permeate, saturate, dominate. When the Word is prevailing, it's at that level. When the Word prevails, it's hardly ever even a registering of temptation, if any. It's hardly an itch, that you'd even think about not doing what the Word says, even if your closest friend tells you in a subtle way. Or even if family, a relative or something--it's ludicrous that anyone would think they could get me to not do the Word of God in contrast to their opinion. I've been through all that. It's a joke to think they could somehow bribe me with the horizontal so that I would not do the vertical. That's one way of putting what "prevailing" means. If you're still tempted to consider it, the Word does not prevail. It has not permeated, saturated, and dominated.
I said to the Corps at that Corps Night in Texas, if you're still sitting there doubting the sagacity of our decisions and doubting the words I say, even things I just said about what Word over the world did not mean--it did not mean those things once we learned and grew. If it did, we would be running the Nashville business. We would have dominating novelists writing the top sellers of the day. We would have believers making all the hot movies in Hollywood. All the Jews would be kissing our butt out there. That does not happen and is not going to happen. There could be rare, exceptional situations. Never put a lid on what God can do. But, for instance, Joseph was a very rare scenario. Joseph became a dominant man in a foreign culture, but look at the spiritual reason. It was to save the Christline. The adversary would have wiped out the twelve tribes and their progeny through the famine if he hadn't have been elevated to that position in Egypt. He saved Jacob and the sons, including Judah out of whom Jesus Christ came. That's the reason Joseph moved to the top, understand? There would be a reason.
And for the most part, I don't see many reasons why we should have to have dominant people in positions of influence in the country. For one thing, it's so evil I don't know what difference it would make. It's almost a miracle day by day that we have the freedom to live that we have, and I think that more depends on the solidarity and the purity and the strength of the household that we can control, and not those things we have no control over. And it's very difficult to measure what kind of impact our ministry has had on the senses realm. I don't know how to document that, except in vague notions, unless God would show me something I could pinpoint. Maybe the rage now in some places for people to get out of debt, maybe that does have something to do with our teaching. I could make the connection on a general basis, but I'm not sure specifically how to document that. I don't have time to worry about that kind of thing too much. We have too many concerns keeping what we can control clean, and you can't worry about what you can't control.
I heard them say that on the Masters yesterday. Greg Norman is lapping the field now. One of the announcers said every guy's just got to go out there and shoot his best. He can't control how good Greg Norman's going to play. He can only control what he does. And that's all you can do. Otherwise you drive yourself crazy. I thought now there's an apt analogy of our function in this world. I can't worry about things I have no control over. The RC, Protestant, Ecumenical travesties going on; the dismantling of our military; the building up of the Red Chinese military machine--again we're heading toward a showdown. I almost think a showdown would be good. It would shock our nation back into some awareness that we've got to get some strength back in our military. But if the adversary could stumble someplace and jump too soon with the Chinese stuff, that's where the real military threat is coming from now. From what I've read, they've hired all the former USSR nuclear geniuses and they're helping them build their nuclear arsenal. It makes a lot of sense to me. The adversary just keeps funneling them one way or the other.
"But the fruit of the spirit"--the gift in manifestation-- "is love, joy." That inside job, joy. We're never going to get to the place that there are no problems, but there's definitely a difference between gut-wrenching anxiety and just taking on problems with that inner peace and that joy on the inside. I'd like to see more of the second one.
"Peace" is the third listed, which is complete. And remember the Word says "righteousness and peace have kissed one another." There is no genuine peace of God unless there is righteous thinking and righteous conduct. There is no genuine peace. It's counterfeit, a fabrication, a grit- your-teeth-and-hope-so, a religious peace. And eventually it's a spirit possession, where the spirits numb a person's mind and then they label it peace. But it's really a devil spirit just causing apathy and unconcern about things that we should be alarmed about. That's how the spirits counterfeit peace. Then people call it the peace of God. Sure, they call it the peace of God! They read the Bible, they call it that, but their unrighteous thinking and their unrighteous practices have opened them up to devil-spirit infiltration; and that would be the last guy to ever admit he has trouble. The Word of God says so. They know not what takes them over; it says that in Isaiah. Dr. Wierwille taught it to us. The one possessed doesn't know it. How would he know it? He's so blinded in that category of his mind. I explained in the Advanced Class that the bad habits have so grooved his mental patterns, grooved the chemical, physical properties of his mind, that a spirit just slips in underneath a bad habit. Because the bad habit has become so habit, and Biblical people have to justify their bad habits with scriptures, and then that spirit's right in there and they're out of control. Now sometimes the spirits make mistakes and they go overboard, and then it freaks the person and they wake up; but they're good; they've been at it for thousands of years. And they pretty much know how to stay quiet, and then at the right times tweak the right buttons to exercise control. No wonder discerning of spirits is listed seventh in I Corinthians 12, which is the listing of the importance of the manifestations in the household, remember. And it's the discerning of spirits that really keeps things on any divine, spiritual maturity or tending towards perfection.
But it all starts with practical error--slothfulness, lack of disciplined thinking--and then it moves into lack of disciplined conduct. Righteousness and peace have to kiss one another--they have to touch, full share. They have to fully share, fully communicate. There is no peace of God without righteous thinking and righteous living--none. And righteousness is not just a sonship right to be used as a club against anyone that wants to confront you. That is evil. That is a devilish practice, which has been used many times. I suppose at some times you'll see it's still used by people: "I'm righteous; leave me alone." You're righteous, shut the f--- up and do something about it. Show me you're righteous. By their fruits they're known, not by sonship rights. Everybody's got them--what do you do with them? Too long that has been used as a club and an excuse, and the devil spirits hide behind that. So you don't back down. I'm talking about when someone is wrong and you've got the goods on them and you show them the Word of God.
Many times the most hard-hearted will be the most indignant when reproved--chronically speaking, over a period of time. Again we had an example this past week of someone who's been taught and taught and taught, and finally removed themselves from the household. And now they're all bold and adamant. I get a phone call from the wife two nights ago, adamantly wanting to speak to Rev. Martindale to give me the facts on why they left the ministry. What do I want those for? I've already evaluated it spiritually and told you at lunch the other day what happened. I gave you enough. Now she's bold and adamant. She hadn't wanted to talk to me since I've known her. I've tried to get her bold and adamant about the Word of God for a couple of decades. Now she's bold and adamant. Tell me how genuine that is. I've tried to get her to stand for God and speak up and be a true leader like she has the ability to be for years. She never wanted to do it. She wanted to be a house mouse or something. Now she wants to lecture me about how wrong I am. Where's that confidence coming from? Not the God I love and worship. You have to understand something about the spiritual conflict that is waged.
For these things to prevail, it means the conditions necessary for love, joy, peace, longsuffering to prevail, are dominant among the majority of the household. That's what I mean. The majority of your functioning household has to be disciples. Then you always have an element of raising up those that hunger and thirst and want the Word, and they have a period of learning. Not just our children, but other people we reach out to and give the opportunity to see the delightsome land of the Promised Land of the Prevailing Word in the Household functioning. And there's always that element. But you have to have enough disciples, with the Word prevailing and dominating where nothing takes precedence over it, in order to maintain that wonderful spiritual equilibrium that makes life worth living. And even more important than that, that honors and blesses the God Who's waited for centuries for somebody to figure this out and do it for longer than a year and a half. The first century church didn't last too long in the true, vital functioning of a genuine, vital household of God. Since Pentecost, there is very little success to look at. At times in the Old Testament you see periods where Israel was just so strong. When they functioned under the judge--one period was 80 years; one period 40 years; another one 20--it sort of got less and less. At least for periods the people lined it up, walked the chalk, and the committed dominated and God's people were a delightsome land and lived abundantly. And God was honored to see that His Word was being lived and worked and He was getting the glory by the quality of life people lived, as well as their conscious recognition. And that's what you're after. That's why "love" is first. That is first a love for God. And the only way to show a love for God and to have a love for God is to obey the Word of God.
Then longsuffering is fourth, indicative of what we do need within the discipleship household. We need longsuffering to give people an opportunity to grow. We need longsuffering to continue to teach and teach until something really finally does click for people. And again that's something you can't hardly make a definitive statement about. How long do we keep teaching people they ought to tithe and abundantly share? I guess that's relative to every circumstance. Some people have just rejected it so often I don't think they hear it at all. It's just a matter of time before they're outside the walls. I read a letter I just sent to Howard yesterday or the day before where a former Corps couple had gotten themselves in debt, and they had responded to the admonitions and they just bought a beautiful new house on a straight cash basis. They owe nothing. They shared some of the details they went through--the ways the world tried to subtly get them to go in debt. They decided if they sold one of their extra cars and their camper then they'd have enough money to buy the house. Sometimes the most obvious isn't obvious until you get in a position where you have to think outside the context that you've lived in. I thought that was intriguing. They said they still have believers come up to them with excuses. That's like Acts 17: "We will hear thee again of this matter."
In the Old Testament, God tells Israel--we're talking about longsuffering, but look at Numbers 14. One reason I wanted to take the three weeks off is first I believe the Father put it on my heart, because it's not anything I walk around thinking about. Then I began to think through some of the profit: it would give us a rest from running the top-notch meetings and all the preparation required on many of us. Really, the whole Staff is on call of course, at least by Sunday, and many of us are working all week long, every week, toward these Sundays. But I also wanted to just sit down with the Staff and really give you the opportunity to think something through. We share a lot of depth at meals and I think that's great. I love it and I ain't going to stop it, but I think there's still some things that you can't really communicate with kids crawling all over you and knives and forks in front of you and thinking about what you're getting ready to go do next. I just felt we needed some focus time. You got to focus your mind to learn in depth. Usually you have to set your own environment and life and make up your own mind and set your learning environment like at your homes and offices where you can think in depth. Because if you can't think in depth and reason through a lot of variables, you can't become an in-depth spiritual man or woman. You have to think in depth. The Word of God is a thick book. The most demanding logic in life is required to think this thing through. If you can read, you can think in depth. I don't care about your educational background. What Word over the world, the Pre- vailing Word in the Household means--you got to think this stuff through. It doesn't just hit you over the head because you speak in tongues. You got to think. Anyone can speak in tongues. That doesn't prove anything. A false teaching over the years was people thought that if all they did was speak in tongues, go to meetings, then they were living righteously. Dr. Wierwille never taught that. He said the Word, the Word, and nothing but the Word! But human beings are always looking for a slothful way out.
Years ago, when we were in that whole political realm, people acted as if all you had to do is pray for your country and vote, and God will take care of the rest. What a bogus piece of advice that is. Vote? What does that mean? All it is is a ballot of clowns no matter which one you vote for. What difference does it make most of the time? You think that has an impact? It's ok to vote, but that's not what is keeping our nation free. Who are you voting for? A bunch of idiots all cut from the same egotistical, selfish cloth. The love of money. That's why Dr. Wierwille said why is it that a guy like Jesse Helms can raise 10 million dollars to campaign for a $50,000 a year job. It didn't make any sense to him. It's a pretty bogus imbalance. It's still a good example.
Numbers 14: At what point does God just shut it off? At what point is that mercy no longer available, therefore the functioning in the household no longer available? In the Word, it's 10 times with Israel. Not saying that's the way it is always, but it certainly was measured and God took an account.
Numbers 14:20: "And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word." Once Moses interceded, stood in the gap for Israel.
"But as truly as I live." I'd say that's an oath.
God says: "all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice."
Bullinger's Bible documents the ten major places where the people rebelled. So God counts them. God keeps an account. And I guarantee He's got an account of everybody in our day also. The only way your book is clean is if you honestly confess your broken fellowship. Then He remembers it no more. So your slate is clean except for reward account. But for those that have turned their back on the Word of God and walked away, who have not genuinely confessed their broken fellowship--sometimes they hit with this: "Where's the love and forgiveness in The Way Ministry?" I would respond with this: "Where's your confession of broken fellowship?" That's the issue here. Where is your honest recognition of you missing the mark? Remember, the Word confess is homologos, same word. Where is your honest willingness to get back to the Word, then you'll see your love and forgiveness, not until then. Well, you might see love, but they won't interpret it as love. It will be in terms of confrontation. It is very loving, though. It takes a lot of work. It takes a heck of a lot more work to confront people than to turn your back and walk away. It takes a heck of a lot more love to stay on people. Ask any parent. To ignore it is a counterfeit love; very religious and it just opens the doors for the spirit realm again.
Ten times God put up with them. Now this is when the door comes down like an anvil on them ever getting into the Promised Land.
"Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:
But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit [or heart] with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.
(Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me."
In my heart, if this thing works the way it's supposed to, and I believe it is to the best of our ability to this day, when us Trustees get together and we make a decision before God, whether it's something to teach or to implement in the practical realm, those that murmur against that in their minds and at times even among themselves, God says they're murmuring against Me. So those that are not persuaded on the present truth are murmuring against God, and eventually that contamination has to be flushed and eliminated. To get people to humble themselves: all the elaborate ways I raise the volume of my voice; all the elaborate ways I try to teach the records of the Word to get people's attention. Some just continue to reject it. I think at times people have allowed the adversary to manipulate their minds to think that it's their sonship right to disagree with the functioning ministers in the Body. And that's a lie. If that's true, you show me the Word that backs that up. Now if the ministers in the Body are wrong, then you should be able to prove that from the Word and then there is a decent and in order basis to handle that in the household. But obviously, I don't believe we're wrong. We live day by day. We certainly could make a mistake. But certainly in our hearts we are not wrong in our allegiances and loyalties to want to do God's best.
I'm more aware than any of you how a wrong decision can be made. Even though you want to do what's right you can get tricked by a lot of things. But when your heart is there and you love God and want to do what's right, He gets you through it. Like Luke stuck with Paul and that was the thing to do even when Paul went to Jerusalem. Everyone else forsook him toward the end of his life, most of them. People think it's their sonship right to argue. They don't look at it as arguing with the Word, but it is. They are arguing with the presentation of that Word or the implementation of it. Now to have honest questions, that's life. There's a big difference. That's why we as leaders often bend over double backwards to explain the decision, especially to you who implement it from Headquarters and our Root Locales and our leadership, our Corps. You know how we do that. We just did that at Trustee Heart Time. We explained background on how we've gotten to conclusions on things and why we're emphasizing, for instance, why our young people should go to college. We spent a very measured period of time on that. I talked about Dr. Wierwille, I talked about my own upbringing. I just elaborated on it. I talked about Moses learned in the ways of the Egyptians. I explained it from multi-angles; covered every base the best I could. I covered it from the point of some people not having that desire and that's fine, and I even covered a lot of our Corps today that never went to college but came in the Corps. I covered for them by saying the Corps experience has taught them what the four years of college would have provided. I'm not saying all of us Corps now that are in our 40s, 50s, and everything else should necessarily go back to college if we haven't been. I covered every base, you under- stand? So those would cover honest questions that come up.
But belligerence and adamancy and just the knee-jerk reaction in a person's mind to immediately argue, that's sin. And if that's where your mind is, you better change or you better go. And that's exactly why you see people recently are still going. They've hidden that adamancy and hidden that mental debate they always had with us, and they learned that from Chris Geer and they're still doing what he said they should do: argue with everything. He basically gave people the right to think evil of the leadership in The Way Ministry. I know, I stood against the brunt of that for 2 1/2 years, where I couldn't even stand up and make the simplest announcement in the lunchroom without feeling the attacks and thinking evil coming at me. It continued until we started cleaning, but it has certainly lessened where you can stand up in front of a group and have somewhat of an environment of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, faithfulness, on down the line; where you can really communicate and teach something. Although no man is big enough mentally to register exactly what is going on, but in the inner man, I know when I'm being fought. I know when the Word of God is being hardened against. To the best of my ability, that's why I respond with such spiritual rage at times when it might not be evident to a group or why. Because God knows and He works in me, and He is the Heart Searcher, and He is not fooled. And I work for Him.
And it is never meant to make the faithful or the righteous, those that are doing their best, to feel guilty. I think that's a temptation at times and you have to watch that. But I have to confront things that are still lepers in the household, or the seeds of spiritual leprosy. Many times I find out about it later--weeks and months later, where somebody has been harboring an attitude that's finally flushed. And I know why, when people have finally admitted it and wanted help, I realized why I hadn't been hitting that issue as much or hadn't hit it in the last Corps Night or so. But you don't always see that. But the inner man registers that. But for those that are doing their utmost, I imagine it's like I was with Dr. Wierwille, if he was yelling about something, I would check myself, but if I knew I was doing my best in that category, I wouldn't sit there and condemn myself. I wouldn't let the accuser get to me. I don't have time to sit with everybody in the Way Corps household individually every week, or the Staff. So for those that are doing certain things right, there's obviously learning in the confrontation because it's never just yelling; I'm always teaching. There's teaching in it, logic in it, explanation in it, Biblical records, contemporary illustrations, learning if you're there listening to learn--you're seeing how the adversary and the spirits are infiltrating with that kind of stuff. So there's always a profit to it.
Like for the few that did stand, I'm sure there was great profit, and there it is recorded in the Word: it says you guys ain't going in. And He counted it, ten times. So that tells me God pays attention. It's not to the extent where if I have to confront somebody ten times, they're out. I'm not going to do that. But God pays attention--there's the lesson. And for them, ten was it. Ten was the completion of a cycle. It's a unit--ten commandments, this kind of thing. So ten was it. For our learning, it's more in the figurative significance, that at a certain point, in a certain cate- gory of your life, if you have continued to reject the Word of God, there is a certain point where that cycle is over with. And God just, in essence, turns His back because you have rejected it. And the household has to turn its back. Mark and avoid. And then because at times people continue to exist in the household even though they've crossed that line where they have chronically rejected the reproof and correction offered to them from multi points of view--whether it's me at lunch or a friend in the dorm or a tape you're listening to when it hits your heart again--God knows. He's the Searcher of hearts, isn't He? It's like Dr. Wierwille's great section in The Life-style of a Believer: the measure of your life is what do you think about when you don't have to? In the quietness of your own soul, most people just drift, daydream, fantasize. What do you do with your mind? There is a duty of disciplined thinking. That's indicative of your genuine love for God. God is Spirit. He's always there. He knows your thoughts. Do you care? Do you give a hoot to love Him with sound logic, to keep your mind and life in order? Do you care? Obviously, some people don't. Because then like Proverbs says, in a time of trouble, an unfaithful man is like a broken tooth and a foot out of joint. You don't see that in the easy times. You see it in the time of trouble. Which clearly indicates they have not controlled their thinking in the private moments of their life; they have not dedicated themselves to good, sound spiritual thinking to the end that when the time of trouble was there, they would respond. And as a leader, I'm responsible to see that and make appropriate decisions. Get the leprosy out, or the weakness that could lead to that spiritual leprosy. Leprosy is a good example because it has life of it's own, chewing up that physical body. Which is what devil spirit does in some phase in the household of God. They do nothing but deteriorate and tear down. They do in no way build up anything. Jesus Christ said that "the thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy," so there's no good thing that the infiltration of those spirits provides. Isn't that true that when they x-ray your teeth they can not only see cavities but also weakening areas? Spiritually, if there's a cavity, you got to get the rottenness out and fill it with the Word. But as a leader, if I see weaknesses that could lead to a cavity, then you want to start confronting, and if people will respond that part can be made healthy again. Get the old spiritual dental floss in there and start flipping the compost piles out of your head. We use spiritual x-ray, which is the Word. Within the Word, revelation, but it isn't like anybody's walking around reading anybody's mind, but there are times when definitely God lets you know. Like the couple I mentioned, I knew two weeks ago God told me they weren't going to stand. I prepared my heart for it; I was ready for it. It isn't like I thought about it every moment after that, I didn't. In fact, by God telling me that I could quit wondering about it. Just put my mind into what I had to do. But when the occasion hit, it hurt me, it always hurts. But it didn't shock me into numbness or inaction in a capacity where my mind didn't function properly.
Like yesterday, you know that situation happened in Ohio which has a widespread impact. And I was on the phone yesterday to the Panarellos and the Howes in a conference call, updating them on where I saw this thing was going next spiritually so they could be ready for the onslaughts and attacks that would be coming. They had already been involved in some confrontations and dis- cussions and they had reported to me on it, and I was thankful for that. I was grateful they'd gotten on it. Yesterday on the phone I gave them where I saw this thing was going. They were at their Advanced Class Grad weekend.
So He heard the murmurings of the children of Israel which they murmur against Me. It's like Acts 17. Remember Paul says of those that they searched the scriptures daily whether those things were so. But that wasn't a search out of adamancy or a critical attitude. It was a search of joy and thanksgiving and humility. They were so thrilled to hear the Word of God that Paul taught they wanted to make it their own. The word "search" there in Acts 17:11 is anakrin, which is to make right judgments, to divide properly and make proper value judgments. What they were doing was lining the values of their personal lives up with what the Word said that Paul had taught. That was "whether those things were so." It wasn't what happened years ago, where every time a person said something it was to be assaulted, adamantly and bitterly attacked. And it was called "honesty," or "not being a yes man." Where people have assumed in their mind that it's a sonship right to attack whatever a leader says. That's leprosy. That's contamination. Somewhere in the Word it says, "What? Did the Word of God come out from you? Shut up!"
And remember, I taught Numbers 12 where Miriam and Aaron murmured against Moses; they had obviously crossed the line. The name "Miriam" occurs 7 times. I said that was a perfect lesson, because Miriam was the instigator. When Aaron humbles himself, she stays hard-hearted. She's the one that gets leprosy physically and is put outside the camp for 7 days. But that of itself is not a complete lesson. She murmured, she led another guy into it, his weakness allowed him to be caught up in it, when the confrontation came, she did not humble herself, she got the conse- quences of it, was put outside the camp. But the key issue is, she did humble herself, they did wait on her, and she's back with the household as they move on. But she did spend 7 days out in netherland spiritually, isolated. I think that's an example of delivering someone over to Satan. Remember, Satan is indirect influences. What better way to explain delivering someone over to Satan than by their own treachery and their own unfaithfulness having to put them outside the protection of the household? Isn't that delivering someone over to Satan? I think it is. Now, their response to that will vary. In Timothy it says that they may learn not to blaspheme. So for some, they learn. And we've seen that. Some that we've put outside the household, it has really gotten their attention, and they have come back with genuine humility, and we'll see what happens. I don't want to be jaded and sarcastic about it; I want to give them the opportunity. We got a letter from one of those homo people thanking me for letting her take the Intermediate Class. So she's Corps Alumnus and she's proven herself clean the best we know, and she's going to be in the Intermediate Class. And she's come back. So for some, they learn not to blaspheme, but others, it's for the destruction of their flesh, which is their whole body/soul life, which it's up to the adversary how that happens, understand? It's his business now. Some of them will look to prosper, be abundant; they won't even miss being in the household of God. But there is imme- diate spiritual consequences. They get possessed, or those spirits come in seven more wicked, and they are more locked away from the light of the True God and more fooled than ever. Some show more immediate physical consequences. We've had some of the Corps die, ordained clergy, but for the most part it's like Saul: the spirit realm will use them as long as they can be used. That's why it's absolutely ludicrous to look at it from a senses point of view.
We had another report last week of a couple that used to be here on Staff. They were confronted and confronted and finally told to leave. They caused nothing but trouble on the field. Now they're outside the household. And now they're calling false ministers that used to be in The Way Ministry asking how they're doing. They are seeing if these people seem to be getting along and thinking of joining that group. Talk about a carnal mind that's enmity against God. They're just walking right into the trap with their eyes wide open. They're not believing a thing I've taught them over the years about how the spirit realm contaminates and how the Word guarantees it. One copped-out minister is making all kinds of money. So what? Does that impress you? Only from the point of view of what the spirit realm will do to cover itself--it impresses me there. But as if there's any truth there--there's not even an itch of a temptation. How could you even be tempted to think that? If you still are, the Word of God does not prevail in your mind, and you are teetering on disaster. This is not an open meeting. If you still wonder what it's like outside of The Way, if you're still playing with that idea or even considering what would I do if I left The Way Ministry, what are you doing?
Years ago, when Dr. Wierwille first got us going in the Corps, I remember the First Corps were all freaked out that Dr. Wierwille was going to throw them out of the ministry because he was setting the standards. He wasn't looking to throw anyone out. He wanted them to live the Word. But they were terrified that they would fail and be kicked out of the ministry. I learned how the adversary can do that to people. Rev. Moynihan sent me a letter from a guy that wrote and said, "We have no disagreement with where Rev. Martindale is taking the ministry. We just don't think we can live up to it anymore. Therefore we're leaving." That would be disobedience from another angle. They're not acting adamant; they're just saying they can't keep up with the quality of life we're expecting them to live, so they're leaving the household. Well, the consequences are the same. You go outside the walls of the city whether you're mad at how it's being orchestrated, or whether the standards are too high--you still get attacked by the wild beasts and the enemies outside the walls. So you can't let it happen from that point of view, either. That's where you got to grab your Reebok jock and pump up your balls and do it, man. [Laughter] In essence, all I'm saying is gird up the loins of your mind. How dare you say to God that you can't live at this level. That's treasonous also. You're calling Him a liar. Sure you can! Just get rid of your icons, your bad habits. Permeate yourself with the truth.
The Monday after Word in Business I was exercising down in the fitness room, and about ten feet away from me was Riddick Bowe, one of the two great heavyweight boxers in the world, him and Mike Tyson. A guy came in and climbed on the stair climber next to me and I didn't know him. He exercised and finished and he sticks his hand out and says, "I'd rather meet you than Riddick Bowe any day!" He was a believer that had been at the conference. One of the things he said, a simple statement, but it got me thinking of a lot of things: "Man, the abundance of the Word of God this year has just been incredible!" The Advanced Class Weekends, Sunday Nights, Way of Abundance and Power Classes--and I thought, that's right, it has been abundance, and yet still, it's not an overabundance. We still have people we have to eliminate from the household. And for some people, they're probably still hanging on because of that abundance. It takes an abun- dance of the Word of God to live. If that's the way God directs it, if He wants us to keep throwing classes at people every month until they get the idea that this is what it takes to live abundantly with their own discipline, then I'll keep throwing the classes at them every month. I got a lot of health and vitality most of the time. It takes an abundance of the truth to live abun- dantly. It takes a daily abundance of the truth, where you love it so much that's what you want to think about when you have time to think about it in the midst of your responsibilities. That's a requirement, not optional equipment. And as the world waxes worse and worse, we have to wax better and better or we lose. Whatever "good spirituality" was 10, 12, 15 years ago won't cut it today in my life. I would lose. I could not keep up with what I do and the challenges if I wasn't better with the Word and put more of the Word of God through my mind in a day than I did 10, 12 years ago. And it's not a time question, but more of a quality of thought, depth of thought. And what are you thinking about when you have time to put something through your mind on the Word of God? I can process more Word of God through my mind now than I could ever do before. I can get something done. This "ten" thing has answered so many things for me, and in about a two-minute period this morning I found that. And all of a sudden floods of understanding --it clicks. I can process more Word through my mind now than ever. That is progress; a way to explain and define "permeate, saturate, dominate."
We haven't gotten beyond verse 27, but boy, murmuring against the present truth is sin. It's not having an honest question where you want to understand something better. You can tell the difference. A belligerence is sin. That's cause for spiritual leprosy. That's a weak point on your x-ray.
I'm not sure but that the space of grace is over with that we've talked about from Nehemiah a few months ago--a space of grace for people to get their lives in order where we can move to the next plateau. I'm not so sure that's not over with. I think Placements we'll know. Obviously in certain cases it is, as they've proven themselves unworthy, and their fruit has proven evil and corrupt and putrid like in Ephesians. That's what "no corrupt communication" is--putrid fruit. But I believe we got to reach this point at some point. I don't think we can keep biding our time and treading water. In releasing The Way of Abundance and Power, I got to have Corps that I know are Corps and Staff that we know are Staff. Not to say there might not be some failures at times, but it should be more isolated. It shouldn't be in such patterns. And again, that's more of a spiritual evaluation than a numeric. Because when you have patterns of copout going on, it takes so much out us. It's just a kick in the gut. Spiritually, every time that happens it's such a recovery. You have to stay in top spiritual condition, which to me includes the physical and the mental obviously to withstand these hits. Like Dr. Wierwille used to say, you should be able to recover from any hit within a 24-hour period. Most of the time I don't need that long before I'm back up teaching, confronting, making decisions, dealing with things. But at times these things just numb you, they hit you so hard. It's like you have to initiate a healing process. You can't be there in the fast lane of the outreach of the ministry making good decisions because you've taken such a punch again.
That's a good example in sports. The quicker someone can recover from a blow, the better they are. In the Masters yesterday, Norman is leading and he comes to the 12th hole, which is the toughest par 3 in tournament golf. It's only 140 yards but it's treacherous. It looks like the area of a postage stamp with water in front and woods behind with a trap between the water and the front of the green. It's a hard green. It makes all the top pros' knees shake, especially on Saturday and Sunday when the tournament is on the line. Years ago, Tom Wyskoff was leading the Masters and comes to the 12th hole and makes a 9. He hit 4 balls in the water. Even the best players can turn into duffers on that hole. It's so visually intimidating besides being so difficult. So Greg Norman walks up there and hits his ball in the water. And that was a real critical turning point, because now you have to take a penalty stroke and lay it out and hit. So he's nervous, upset. He has at that time a 5-stroke lead but it could dissipate in one hole. But Norman hits a great approach to within 8 feet of the pin, and an 8-foot putt is still tough, especially at Augusta, which has the toughest greens in the world. He walks in there and knocks it right in the center of the cup. Talk about recovering from a blow--he got out of there with a bogie so he only loses one stroke. And the announcer, Ken Ventura, says "He feels like he just got a reprieve from jail there!" Sure enough, next hole he blasts his drive right down the middle. Hits it on two putts for a birdie. But his recovery from the blow was so quick, so immediate. And I think that's where we get. Some of these things we go through could knock people out for a week or two as far as emotionally, even physically. It does affect your physical body.
This "standing in the gap" stuff is not just poetic language. When you really stand in the gap between the adversary and hurting people that you're responsible for, it affects your physical body. So Corps Principle #3 is just as vital as Corps Principle #1, because if you break down on #3, there's nothing left to use in #1 or #2 or #5 or #4. When there's no other explanation, I'll wake up in the morning and be sore all over and it isn't from physical exercise or being out of shape, but because of the spiritual attacks that I've been standing against. It starts with the intensity of the mind required. Then the intensity of thought and all the chemicals that have to be energized throughout your whole body. It's all intertwined--body, soul, spirit. So the intensity of the concentration required to make good decisions, to recover from attack, to make sure I'm doing everything I can to protect our household from spiritual infiltration first; after that other types of hurt. If nothing else, the tenseness that it puts your body through is almost like pumping weights and running a 400-meter sprint. You just feel it the next day. Even top-conditioned athletes after their most intense competitions are sore. Spiritually, no one's ever taken the time to document what it puts your body through. So these admonitions to the Corps to get their bodies in control. Those who've copped out and are puffing cigarettes are saying I'm a Pharisee; ministry is legalistic because I've told people to quit smoking. Smoking has nothing to do with how spiritual you are until God makes it a commandment in the present truth of that day. The guidance in our day is to get our Corps in the best shape possible to stand and withstand the pressure to truly stand in the gap, that's why it's a commandment of the Lord. Not because you're righteous or unrighteous for smoking a cigarette. Then there's other things in the physical category we could require to help our people, but to me that was an obvious one. Especially after it was Dr. Wierwille himself who initiated the standard in the in-residence Corps. The criticism would have been even louder if I would have initiated it, who've never smoked. They'd blame my Southern Baptist background, etc.
Well, ten times He gave them and then the door shuts.
"Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you."
In other words, God heard every murmur, gripe, they made. Not just what they said, but what they did in their minds and how they let their minds go unchecked. We used to sing that song: "He is watching; do not dishonor Him." God knows your every thought. But most people don't care. They just go about their renegade business. Think it's their right to think like a savage.
"Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me."
Talking about longsuffering. The quality of life in the household certainly expressed in fruit of the spirit. Psalm 25:
"Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul." The only way to lift up your soul is your thought patterns. Soul life, breath life, is your heart, mind.
"O my God, I trust in thee: [he does think of God] let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me."
That's a concern certainly if you're in leadership. At times you're deeply concerned about that. Why is it the adversary still seems to be able to attack us? He can attack, but don't let him triumph over us. Don't let him win.
"Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.
Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.
Lead me in thy truth, and teach me." There's a man who has God on his mind.
Verse 9: "The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.
What man is he that [respects] the Lord? [only one way to respect the Lord--have to think about Him and do what the Word says] him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose."
Now it says in Psalm 10:
Verse 2: "The wicked in his pride doth persecute the [humble]: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth."
I get sick of hearing about these athletes "pursuing their dream." And they tell all these kids: "Don't forget your dream, pursue your dream." What a bunch of egotistical crap! Who cares about your dream? What's God's vision? What does God want? Your dream is all selfishness and ego. Tonya Hardy, who had that other girl assaulted, said "I have a dream, my Olympic dream." What a classic illustration of the egotism.
What's God's dream, vision, heart, purpose? That's what we care about, because we're here to honor Him. We were formed, made, and created to honor Him. In that is a life which is more than abundant. That's why the Word has to stay the passion of your soul, even when emotionally it isn't there, it still has to stay the passion of your logic at least. It's God's vision--the Promised Land of the Prevailing Word in the Household. Those that sinned those ten times were not allowed to go in. God had to wait for their carcasses to dump in the wilderness.
Verse 4: "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts."
Or as the literal reads in the margin: "or all his thoughts are there is no God." And for those who do not think the Word and line their judgments, values, and actions up with the Word, it's as if they are saying there is no God. That's what that is. The Word says "The fool has said in his heart, there is no God." For these people who've been in the household, even Corps that have not personally lined their thoughts, conduct up with the Word, it's as if they're saying in their heart there is no God, because they ignore the Word. God is not in their thoughts. They are worthless and fit for the dunghill. Once I'm over the hurt, I couldn't give two cents for their lives. Just potential thorns in the flesh.
I worked verse 3 and 4 about a month ago and wondered when I was going to get the opportunity to share them.
Verse 5: Because God is not in all his thoughts, "His ways are always grievous."
By their fruits they're known. Their actions are a direct extension of their thought life. Don't blame me if you screw up. It's your brain. It's we who take a stand who get attacked, as if we're unloving by pointing it out. That's counterfeit. So we got to fight the accuser off and if you know someone's taking a stand you ought to help, support him, back him up.
"Thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them." They just blow; they don't move.
"He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.
His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud...."
But the key is they don't think His Word and they pursue their own heart's desire--their selfish fantasies of success, or life--and that's all a lie, a contradiction of the Word of God and is out of alignment and harmony.
So we go back to Numbers:
Numbers 14:29: "Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; [this wilderness--pretty good] and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me." Adults were numbered to fight in the armies.
Numbers 14:30: "Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in [See, those who would grow up and be Joshua and Caleb's army.], and they shall know the land which ye have despised." They've despised it because they haven't obeyed the Word.
Numbers 14:32: "But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.
And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.
After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise [or what it means to alter my purpose, the consequences of it].
Deuteronomy 4. I believe this applies directly. If we want to move into what we're describing figuratively as the Promised Land of the Prevailing Word in the Household, what's the key to that? Moses tells them how they got themselves ready to go in. Remember Deuteronomy is in the 40th year. Written to those who are ready to go in. The others have died off.
Verse 1: "Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes [doctrines] and unto the judgments, [practices] which I teach you, [that's the root lamad, which "disciple" comes from] for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you."
Now stop a minute. So what's the whole key to them being able to go in and possess the land? Do the Word! Keep the commandments! That's why we have to be so strong, adamant. We that have had access to this Word so much, do the Word. We have to be strong in that. Or else we're not going to go in and claim the Promised Land of the Prevailing Word in the Household. It'll always be laced with weakness which always deteriorates strength. Because weakness is either laying the groundwork for or is a living spirit cause that deteriorates. It never leaves you alone; it attacks. Weakness is not passive. It is active. It attacks, eats, deteriorates. So it must be eliminated. The causes have to be taken out, just like the cavity in the tooth. You can't just ignore it. Pretty soon it takes your whole mouth and rots the bone system of your mouth out. Any weakness won't stop until it kills you. Like Dr. Wierwille taught, a splinter could kill you if the body wasn't focused to attack it. Any contamination in the physical body could lead to death if it isn't checked. That's why we're called the Body of Christ in I Corinthians 12. Any spirit contamination that is allowed to go unchecked can eventually cave the whole thing in. So there's no gray area here. We either do it or we lose it. We either stand for the truth, demand the truth so the majority of our household is sanctified and purified and functioning so then we do have the room, or the space of grace and mercy to bring up the young, immature; give them ample oppor- tunity to grow like we've had. But for the majority of us, we have to live at these levels. And we can't put up with that contamination. First it's a personal decision. But this is how even Israel was to prepare to go in and militarily conquer foreign lands--was to do the commandments. That was their greatest preparation.
I got a sweet letter from a teenage girl who was coming in the Family Corps asking what she could do to prepare. And do you have horses? I wrote her back yesterday and said the best thing you could do is love God and His Word. That allows you to adapt to anything. What I wrote was I'm glad to see you love God and His Word, because it was a beautiful letter. I sent the letter to Bev Mosqueda so she could answer her specific questions. I suggested to Bev that they have the Junior and Mini Corps write the incoming Junior and Mini Corps to encourage them and bless them. It was a sweet letter from this girl.
You know, "possess the land" means claim it. Take charge. It's yours. Use it. How do you prepare yourself to claim and use and take charge of what God's made available? Hearken unto the statutes and judgments that are taught you to do them that you may live and go in and claim what is yours to enjoy: the fruit of the spirit; the experiential reality of love, joy, peace, long- suffering, goodness, etc. But it's that decision to the truth, or are we going to be like a fool that acts like there is no God; and just refuse to personally and intimately line my own thoughts, judgments, decisions, opinions, emotions up with the Word of God.
About emotions and not letting them run you: We don't mean that it's wrong to have emotions. We mean that what becomes wrong is to allow that emotion to become a state of mind and then that state of mind colors and valances and sets the values to all your decisions. Then you're wrong. And that's so often what happens to people that become adamantly adamant when they're confronted. It shocks them because they've been so stupid. They might become embar- rassed because they're confronted in front of two or three or the Church. And so they take that attitude of shock and embarrassment and then they turn it into anger. And that becomes not just an emotion that they get hit with that they should deal with and get rid of before they make any decisions, but that becomes their mental state. And when an emotion becomes a chronic mental state, you're talking pretty much possession. Because the human mind and body is not made to maintain emotional states. Anger eventually dissipates. Circumstantial hilarity eventually dis- sipates. When an emotion becomes a state of mind, you're in deep doo doo by your own willingness. And they want to hang on to their hurt, anger, embarrassment as a state of mind--you got to have help to maintain that intensity, and that's spirit.
I read a letter yesterday from an Alumni Corps. She said she was initially angry and embarrassed when she went alumni, but as she thought it through, she realized she wasn't at that level of ability, and she's been more blessed than ever. Thanked me for allowing her the privilege to take the Intermediate Class. She could have let that anger and embarrassment become her mental state. Then she could have become indignant and cut herself off if the household is healthy. If unhealthy, that kind of thing is normal. I don't want that. God doesn't want that. I won't allow it. Every emotion should be fleeting.
Like two days ago, two boys called Tim "Wayfer," and Donna and I were so upset because he was so hurt. Boys, when they get pushed in a corner, that's what they resolve back to. We were so angry. I was ready to start a war. This happened Friday before the open house concert. I was ready to boycott the open house. But I cooled down and reasoned it through. It would have caused more harm than good. But emotionally, that's what I wanted to do. But there's no way you can win that way. Now if it was revelation I would do that. But I knew it was an emotional reaction. And God provided some wonderful things. Tim called one of the boys and they got it settled. And the boy backed off. Donna has again written a letter to the principal asking what else to do. And we gave some suggestions about recess time. That prejudice goes back years and you're not going to change it. We haven't had this come up in months. After Word in Business, people copped out, back went out on me, then this--it was really taxing. But I don't think it was much over 20 minutes and I was pretty much over it. Donna was over it--she immediately had to go to a meeting. That's what I mean by recovering from the blow. I went through my thoughts and reasoned it through. Now if God wants me to do something and I'm at peace and rest in my heart, then it's spiritual, and God will back us up. I want to do what's right. I don't want to stir up more hatred. I believe it happens to our kids because of who I am and who Donna is and the adversary will always pick there first. I don't like it; I hate it and despise it. At times I get very angry, but I vent my heart to God. I thought of II Corinthians 12. Paul thought the same way about the thorns in the flesh: "I besought you three times to kick their foot, Lord." God just says "My grace is sufficient for thee." It's a chronic state of the adversary's realm that there's going to be thorns in the flesh. Wednesday night I confronted the Corps that if you're afraid for your children, that's going to cop out your ministry; that's an idol. But these boys open up to spirits and the viciousness of the spirit realm works through them. So they need more supervision over these boys at recess. Told Donna to suggest sending out another high school kid to referee. It all started because they disputed a game call. The spirits have to start it somewhere. If you can keep from starting it, then you can avoid them being able to function. Everyone knows that age group argues. Certain age groups and genders are more vulnerable. So don't let it start.
So I felt guilty about not going to the open house. But Leah knows I make spiritual decisions. I knew if I went I would be tempted to start a ruckus. Donna suggested I stay home and she'd get Rosalie to go. That gave me some peace. I knew Tim and Leah understood. I knew it would hurt the ministry if I went. I asked Rev. Linder to stay close to Donna and Rosalie. I knew it would not be right--I can't fight my son's fight. I have to help spiritually so he would have an even playing field--an opportunity to stand. Because if I get involved it would become a feud and get out of control. But I was in a vulnerable position. So I was at peace. And I understood Leah really distinguished herself there. It was an anatomy of a decision in our lives. It was right I didn't go, because that little kid sat just ten feet away. If I'd been there, I would've fumed. I would've had to recover for a few more hours--it would've set me back.
I cannot be in a high state of emotional upheaval and be able to think in depth. You can't do that. That's why you got to get on stuff when it comes up so it doesn't fester to some soap opera emotional-type state. You have to get over negative emotions quickly. You got to use the positive emotions to think soundly. Remember Peter's emotional state of happiness almost led him to baptizing those people. But "then I remembered the words of the Lord Jesus," remember? Emotions always should be fleeting. Sometimes you'd like for them to last. If you're angry for a good reason, it feels good; happy, etc. Emotions are fleeting. Can't be in a state of emotional upheaval constantly or chronically, or you cannot think the Word, make sound spiritual decisions.
I had to admit it made perfect sense that the adversary would attack my son. He's so ....ed off that we kicked his foot at Word in Business. I taught so much depth of Word. We're sending those teachings out, we're running the Advanced Class Grad Weekends; he's got to be mad as hell. So it just makes sense he would attack through my children, who are the closest thing to my heart. I'd rather they take me on than attack my children or my wife. But they don't do that. So even as I'm angry, all these logical thoughts are there. That's an example of the Word prevailing. And the emotions were fleeting. I did not stay angry. But to get over the emotion before it was allowed to get into a danger zone of wrong decisions--that's what you have to protect against. That's what I mean when I say control your emotions, understand? It's not wrong to have them, be hurt, embarrassed, etc. But where does it go from there? You have to maintain a spiritual equilibrium, mental sobriety, and you can't live in a state of emotional upheaval. People try to live that way and they get contaminated. You can't do it at any level. Whether it's a positive or negative emotional state. You have to have the Word of God in your mind, which requires in-depth thinking. You cannot think in depth when you're in an agitated emotional state.
So the way they prepared themselves to go into the Promised Land was to hearken to the statutes and the judgments and do them and live them that they might claim what was rightfully theirs.
And let's just close with Galatians 5 again. So I got through about a tenth of what I'd prepared. We got room for more Staff Meetings.
Galatians 5:22: "But the fruit" indicates quality of life. And it's the fruit of the gift in manifestation. And the gift in manifestation has to work in a pure, sanctified mind set and heart. It can't be a carnal mind that's enmity against God if you expect the manifestations to work.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy [second], peace, [completeness] longsuffering [horizontal level], gentleness [by grace], goodness [sixth, and then] faith, [is faithfulness. Which is solidarity, steadfastness.]
That's the seventh one listed. That's what you have to expect in the household to have a genuine, divine perfection--faithfulness to hearken unto the statutes and judgments and do them.
And then "meekness" is the eighth one. Meekness is always a new beginning, no matter how you've messed up. There's two reactions to these confrontations: humility or indignancy, adamancy. There's no gray area. Which is ok with me. Let's find out who really wants to stand; who's really a disciple and who isn't.
Meekness and finally temperance, which is really intriguing. Temperance is self-control. That's the ninth one--finality, complete completeness, 3 x 3. The result of all this is self-control in all phases of life. The body holds the same relationship to reason as reason does to the spirit. That's what it means to go in and possess the land--manage it, control it, utilize it for what it's there for. The ninth fruit of the spirit--makes tremendous depth of sense here.
Then "against such there is no law." It means the Word of God is not violated. When these qualities of life are there based on the conditions we've talked about, no part of the Word has been violated. The Word does not stand against these qualities of life. You can't violate any aspect of the Word if you expect these nine qualities to function in your life. You have to do the Word to manifest these nine fruit of the spirit. I think it's the figure antimeria. It says it in the opposite way to add emphasis. People have used it as an excuse--just manifest the fruit and you don't need the law. Not what it means. It means to not manifest it is against the Word, the law, the standard. You have to do the truth to bring these things to pass.
LEAD 249 heads out next week. We'll believe for them to have as great a time as the first group. Ed, Paul, Corps listening: I know spiritually that we should not allow the Corps to hitchhike back from Gunnison. Things are too treacherous; stirred up too deeply; we have hurt the adversary so badly. It would be a breach of spiritual protection to hitchhike. Ed, I would recommend you do that map reading challenge.
Dr. Wierwille said the greatest reason to have the Corps hitchhike is all the witnessing they did. Well, the Word's over the world. And I'll guarantee you just because people could hitchhike did not guarantee they'd stand. So we are not sacrificing the integrity of LEAD in our day and time.
Thanks a lot. Love you all. Bless you. "
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Rocky
TL;DR
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socks
Thanks! That mirrors what I"ve heard before, the night Craig and Reynolds covered it. There's a bit of speed bump in the narrative but it may be that he moved from the old to the new so quickly - after gestating all the disruption and dissension in the Way Corps for so many years there. So he must have decided to move quickly and decisively, cut losses and keep it going. Thanks, I appreciate that.
"Word over the World" was something that was very clear to me, so we probably differ in how we're processing it all. From the earliest fellowships I went to in California in 1968, to the time I first met Donnie Fugit in California when he came out to visit with a few people from Kansas,, to going cross country in 1971 and visiting several locations where there were fellowships, to what I did with fellowship myself in California in Oakland, to "going WOW" in the 1972"B" wave, to then going into the Corps....my previous conversations with Dr. Weirwille were about the Word of God and the message of salvation and what we were doing to extend that kind of work using music, in California. Within those first couple years I had become certain beyond any doubt that the things I was seeing and being a part of were real, unadulterated miraculous grace in action. So I was convinced, and as PFAL became a part of that it broadened out considerably.
Going into the 4th Corps was something he and I talked about - my wife and I had applied to the 3rd Corps but it was a tight fit and he suggested that several others musicians were coming into the 4th Corps and that would be where he was hoping something could get going. There was a lot involved in these decisions for my wife and I - and I was very young - but at the center of it all was reaching others with the message of the new birth in Christ and the teaching of the "more than abundant life", manifesting God's spirit and "walking on the Word" as taught in PFAL. This had taken off in California and was doing so across the country. One of the things we - some of us anyway - in that early effort of Way Productions cared deeply about was reaching others through the ministry of "music" and one on one preaching and pastoring. My original experience and relative success with music was by working in the public market, not the gospel or religious market. So I had a fairly young but clear idea of what music was and it's role in WOW, and the idea of reaching every person through the local neighborhood fellowship effort - ie "fellowship" and each one reaching another one - was understood to be doable. That's why I was willing to travel across the country and slowly but surely try to be part of doing that.
We used to have a joke that one of us in JN came up with when we talked about "WOW" - we pictured what it would be like if "it" ever happened, that there'd be some great party, beer and Drambuie would flow and VPW would have a "We did it!" t-shirt on and it would be at some ROA 2000 or something - I'm sure I didn't think it would take any longer than 25 years or so....and it was just a joke, but I did have a somewhat youthful vision that while it might not happen the way I thought it would - I wanted to aim big and miss small and I was going for it, as unrealistic as might seem.
I have an elderly family relative who knows a very little about what we did and he likes to smile and tell people that my wife and I - "got married and went together....to save the world, they were going to change the world!".....I told him once that I didn't come close - and he grabbed my wrist and shook it and told me NO! You changed yourself and you tried to help others, I know that and you did that for sure..." Every once in s awhile I run across someone from 30 - 40 years ago who tells me how they're lives have gone and I'm thrilled to have been a part of it, big or small.
I have to admit that I could never make that journey from where I started to the follow along with where Craig took it - not that I'm smarter or better .... well, smarter maybe sure, maybe - but that may be because I'd always had a personal vision and process I was involved in trying to do and to live. Not always successfully, by any means, but working at. So perhaps it was different for others, they'd have to speak to that themselves.
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Twinky
Hell's bells, WW, that's an essay and a half. To be read at leisure later. I got through the first paragraph so far of this waffle.
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socks
Thanks! Yes, seems like I've read that or read it somewhere, most of it reads very familiar and I've heard versions of what would be some of it, from different people.
Craig seems to have moved very very quickly from what it seems he said was God's revelation to him to dealing with the blowback and breaks in ranks that was going on and sure to continue.
So that covers a lot of that, and I appreciate you doing that, so to bring it to the top - although I guess I'm kind of going sideways and south on the original topic, so sorry for that - but
I'll toss in what I get back from this other source as it comes to me.
So I can say I understand how "WOW" came down the pike, as I was there for it and had my personal ownership of my participation in that idea, that vision. The most common definition was an active Twig home fellowship in every community in every city, state, country, around the world. So a city like New York might have 5 or 50, a city like Novato might have 2, etc. etc. But it was always a relatively dense sub population in any city, even just "one" wasn't considered a success "back in the day", although I think that was retooled as time went on.
And I think Craig's shift to "Prevailing Word" was a puff cloud because he has to measure against the previous goal of "WOW" - so by that time he could probably say whatever he wanted, VPW could do the same thing.
Now - getting from Craig's re invention exercise BACK or AWAY from it to whatever it is they're doing now - I guess then they just needed to say "we're doing this now" and that was it. There must have been a strong under current against Craig by that time. And that's something I heard from some that left after that - I heard from one guy that said "At least I got to see Craig get what was coming to him!"...... By that time they must have been pretty beat up mentally and emotionally. Yikes, not a pretty picture.
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skyrider
socks.......another thing to consider in all this was martindale's fixation on "The Eight Great Statements in the Book of Acts." He wrote a book on it.......illustrating how this word of God increased and the number of the disciples multiplied [Acts 6:7]. Step by step progression. Eight statements of progressive levels of growth. Martindale had every limb coordinator teach this material to their respective states in 1994. Building blocks. Progressively stepping forward......away from the past. Acts 19:20 says "So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed." See, right there......"prevailed." The slogans and themes......and the bumper stickers.
Ten (10) years had elapsed (1986-1996).......from the major exodus of many corps till then. Martindale was on the cusp of setting a "higher standard" with his soon-to-be-released class series: The Way of Abundance and Power. This did not happen overnight. Nor did it happen in a vacuum. It was progressive.
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I can certainly relate to what you said about taking that journey.....where it started, where it went.
That is why I wrote about "my journey from 1989-1998 to illustrate its progression ............. Insanity on Steroids
We Thought We Were Free
*From the book "They Thought They Were Free (the Germans 1933-45)" by Milton Mayer.
"Each step was so small, so inconsequential, so well explained, or on occasion, 'regretted,' that unless one were detached from the whole process from the beginning, unless one understood what the whole thing was in principle, what all these 'little measures' that no 'patriotic German' could resent must some day lead to, one no more saw it developing from day to day than a farmer in his field see the corn growing. One day it is over his head."
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skyrider
"Ten (10) years had elapsed (1986-1996).......from the major exodus of many corps till then."
~~~~~~~~~~
Now, imagine ANOTHER 20 YEARS.......moynihans, forts, horneys, etc. slogged thru the rivenbark era before finally leaving.
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socks
Well, I was free - always free to make my own decisions, and I did.
When I got involved with the Way and VPW, I already knew I didn't really "need" to do any of that - the Way Corps, being a member/non-member of the Way, get the cap, the t-shirt, the certificate, all of it, in order to be a fully functional Christian believer. I'd given that all up already once by not continuing formal relations with Roman Catholicism. I still felt and feel that my faith's roots are in that religion, as it's where I learned of Christ to begin with, where I read the bible in school, and began the journey of my life BUT I moved into another stage, phase, of what I was going to do next.
Rather I made a deliberate decision to "sign up" to work with the Way, and for the Way, as a means to try and carry out the personal vision I had as a Christian. I'd heard the teaching, done the work the first couple years to learn it, had a question or three about it but realized through other things I'd read and participated in I had some of the same and some different questions about all of it, period. Hooking up with Dr. Weirwille and the Way Corps and making the music ministry my primary focus was deliberate - I decided - okay, I'm going to work with this group and see where it goes and what I can do, because I'm going to do something.....and I'd already seen how frail organizations were and the Christian movement at that time were. (like Lonnie Frisbee and Ted Wise, two names that always come up with the California Jesus Movement. I met Lonnie once - in San Francisco - he seemed like a highly energized guy and as charismatic to his peer group as he's been described but I knew that wasn't for me. Within a couple years I was getting a more solid idea of what I wanted to try - as things went I said fine, I'll give this a shot.
Unlike some but along with many others I saw the "power of God" and the active living of pneuma hagion-new birth in ample display at that time, both in and out of the Way.
I've been "ordained" three times, the last time was in the formal ceremony of the Way Corps. Each time before that was in relation to doing the work of the ministry of the Church, of reaching and caring for those who heard, believed and lived in their new faith. Each time, "sent forth" in life in service.
I met my wife before any of the Way, we dated, we married and have a relationship over the last 5 decades that has nothing to do with the Way Nash, as a formal part of that relationship.
When it was time to leave, I did. A few years late, as it turned out, but I wasn't ready to make the break at the time I first saw it but I knew it was going to happen. Finally I did it, after offering to go up to the Farm and do anything I could to assist and help, if they thought it would help. Townsend told me to check back in 6 months - "If I'm still here, let's talk".......I knew, that ain't gonna happen. And I realized from the expression on his face how crazy it was to think of trying.
I can only speak for myself. With the time left I have an idea of the direction unfolding before me and that'll hopefully be a blast!
"Be the change I want to see"......
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WordWolf
Craig was trying to justify his "Promised Land of the Prevailing Word" thing.
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T-Bone
That says it all !!!!!!! That rings true when I think of my latter years of preparing to go in the way corps and then being in the program – what stands out in reference to what you said and what WordWolf posted are not just the teachings against murmuring but also how we should follow in blind obedience – as reflected in the excerpt from WordWolf’s posting of Craig’s staff meeting:
Something else that goes along with the idea of not questioning or challenging leadership was how TWI got you to shut down YOUR thinking process. You were not encouraged to think but to absorb - another excerpt from WordWolf's post on Craig's staff meeting:
I think this is one of The Way International’s (as well as many other cult’s) tried-and-true methods to get followers to drink the Kool-Aid – teaching you that you can’t go by your sense-knowledge…guess I was too much of a simpleton when I first took PFAL – because I took the claims on the back of the PFAL sign-up card so literally; and more often than not when I complained about NOT seeing those claims of the class pan out – I’d get some obfuscating explanation from those who under-shepherded me or some leader – it’s because I wasn’t really believing…I wasn’t spending more time reviewing the books and collaterals from PFAL…I wasn’t renewing my mind…blah, blah, blah…In retrospect I see the obvious pattern there – it was always MY fault …some shortcoming on my part – God forbid there was anything wrong with what was taught in PFAL.
I admire folks who have always had a personal vision and method during their journey through life. Since I didn't have that - I believe that was probably part of my Achilles heel – that got me sucked in; I stuck around for so long because of wierwille's grand vision of word over the world – that I could be a part of something bigger than myself and that I would have all the answers pertaining to life and godliness…Your post made me reflect once again on what I got out of my TWI experience – what valid things I learned and the good people I met – one of them is my wife Tonto –and we’re still together!
I was raised Roman Catholic but I had no interest in studying the Bible - and back then other than catechism and the stuff Catholic grammar school taught for my confirmation - whether it was in school or at Mass, there really was no teaching on doctrine, theology in general or even how to study the Bible . That void in a young Christian's life leaves one ripe for picking by a pseudo-Christian con artist... It may be a simple thing but I was really impressed and inspired to open the Bible after seeing folks my own age and with no formal training, teach from the Bible at Twig. Granted, their teachings were just regurgitated wierwille stuff and there’s a lot of things that I no longer agree with now – but at the time, that initial experience of seeing them read and teach from the Bible...and that it made sense to my uniformed mind...and that it didn't appear to be some mysterious or difficult thing for them to do that, really got me…AND I admired their dive-right-in attitude...they seemed to have had a vision and a method down pat.
So it wasn’t that TWI activated my faith which was already there, being raised in a Christian home – but TWI got me started in a new phase of my journey – having a vision and a plan…a method…So I began using THEIR one-map-fits-all…Since I left TWI I’ve come to realize how important it is to fully engage my reasoning and emotions as I continue to revise MY OWN map...Yes, I learned some good stuff while in TWI - but what dwarfs all that is what I learned after I left TWI - that it's important for me to take an active role in developing my belief system, personal priorities and worldview and not just accept without question a certain mindset that's handed to me …in a way, my Grease Spot experience is kind of a reverse of my early Twig experience. Now I tend to think reading and understanding so much of the Bible is perhaps even more difficult than what I was led to believe in TWI – with their pat answers, and the weird combo of fundamentalism and wierwille’s egocentric theology. I love the freedom to think that's encouraged at Grease Spot and the freedom to reflect and consider the perspectives of others; And, somewhat like my early Twig experience it has taken some of the mystery out of “philosophizing” on my journey - that it's okay to actually think and have a lot of questions and doubts... to enjoy life and appreciate the folks that cross my path... there’s a lot more latitude in my thoughts and feelings and of course much more self-direction when it comes to how I process stuff and revise my map. And it’s not just when reading the Bible but reading or thinking about anything else.
== == ==
Thanks Skyrider, WordWolf and Socks – I have always wondered how they got from pursuing the goal of word over the world to the prevailing word… so remember kids, in a make-believe world anything can happen....anyway, great stuff in your posts - - and I wanted an excuse to add my 2 cents
Edited by T-Boneformatting and typos
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Allan
I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder. When we informed leadership we were EXITING Way Corps Indiana, JYD got on the phone to me and verbally lashed me saying our airfares home would be paid BUT we had to keep our mouths shut as to what we had seen going on. The guys a wank AFAIC !
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penguin2
Well, then karma is a b----. Sorry you had to go through that Allan. Glad we both exited.
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Grace Valerie Claire
If he is stepping down, who will take his place?
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penguin2
Edited by penguin2Delete
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Oakspear
When Martindale made that announcement that "The Word Was Over the World", even though I was a good, loyal Waybot, my immediate thought was: "How can this be? It isn't even over my home city of Lincoln, let alone nebraska, let alone THE WORLD". At the time the number of active Way people had shrunk in our area to a couple of anemic Twigs that they laughingly called a branch. If I remember correctly, part of the explanation that the Word was over the world was that there was a Way presence in every region of the world.
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Grace Valerie Claire
Socks, I remember JN; they were wonderful!! Their music was so inspiring, and Godly. I heard them several times, and always thought their music was amazing. I have wonderful memories of them. Many of the head honchos in TWI, were guilty of any number of wrongdoings, but JN was the "real deal."
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outandabout
Hey, that must have been cool when Martindale said the word was over the world. "I don't have to witness at Wondermall anymore!!!"
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socks
Thank you! I'm proud of the work we put in. The time, and remember - "it was on your dime", as I like to say. As it grew and continued it was financed by the ABS of the Way's members. It honored the music that so many great souls were a part of it.
The product itself was a work in progress. I used to wince that people were or felt forced to listen to music they didn't like sometimes, namely ours. I've studied, played and enjoyed music all my life and although I've listened to a lot I don't prefer I would never in my life insist anyone be immersed in music they flat out didn't like. I tried to encourage people to build their own "libraries" of inspirational music, make cassette tapes of stuff that made them feel good, happy, inspired, thoughtful, whatever. Not a terribly profound idea but one that would work well as time went on and technology did too. Today, playlists.
On the whole I'm proud of what we did though, the intent was to bless, to inspire, to give an additional source for someone to see and learn what the Word of God taught. It was far from perfect, but it was a hearty effort by everyone involved and as time went on others did things with dance and various arts. Unfortunately some of those who came onboard with Craig had no investment in the legacy of the work and no heart for the love of it and managed to dismantle it.
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Grace Valerie Claire
Socks, what a shame!! So that's what happened to JN. How sad. I have long forgotten most of the teachings, I heard in TWI, but I still remember JN's music. Even today, I still sing their songs, and it makes me happy!
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outandabout
Didn't JN have an album "Wake Up America"? Remember we listened to it all the time when I was on the field as a Fellow Laborer in California in 1976.
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DogLover
Yes, Out and About ... It was an excellent album, and the musical tour Joyful Noise did that year was very good. I enjoyed it immensely and played that album for many years, even after I left The Way on January 11, 1996. A couple years ago, I passed on all my Way and other albums to a close friend, along with a combination record player, CD player, etc. I do not know whether he kept them or not.
Edited by DogLoverLeft out important detail
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T-Bone
Speaking of The Way and the coronavirus – I wonder if anyone in or out of TWI has heard of any other “official” or even unofficial responses or statements coming from upper leadership about the coronavirus other than what has already been said on this thread by Rubina.
I was looking on TWI’s website ( here is The Way's website ) and did not find any articles that address the pandemic - I did not look at every article – so maybe something got overlooked. I read an article posted Dec 30th 2020 “The Lilies and Grass of the Field” by The Way (see below * on a side note) and it’s just their typical pat answers for nondescript problems. And if that isn’t a slap in the face to someone who may be seeking some real direction or practical advice during a crisis – if you scroll down to the end of the article it says “This is a reprint from the July/August 2012 issue of The Way Magazine. Copyright© 2012 by The Way International.” Holy crap – that’s the best they can do – recycle the same old pablum they served up to the masses 8 years ago!
…just wondering if any TWI-followers have finally figured out that the coronavirus just doesn’t care about your religious or political associations…the coronavirus doesn’t care about what or who you believe in - or - don’t believe in…it doesn't care if you think it's a hoax...it doesn't care how much you study "The Word"...it doesn't care how much you abundantly share...
…Just speculating here since I have very little to go on – being out of touch with TWI for some 34 years. I wonder if the pandemic is TWI’s elephant in the room - deliberately ignored because of the challenges it represents to TWI’s Fundamentalist-spiritualist-pseudoscience-self-serving-theology. A theology that is often pitted against real science and facts…"Are you going to believe God or are you going to believe what some man tells you? Are you going to trust what "The Word" says or are will you just rely on your five senses?"
…even looking beyond the impact that the pandemic has had to how The Way International conducts day-to-day activities, I think of the cold and cruel "insulating" bubble they “create” around themselves - and FYI the field generator for this bubble is powered by the indoctrination process of TWI . TWI has never been community minded or charitably oriented. In times of great crises communities tend to pull together, secular and religious charities and even some local religious groups and businesses pitch in to help the hungry, homeless, etc.…But I’ve never heard of TWI doing anything that was beyond the welfare and interests of their little old way-world…yeah – what about that "great" way corps principle – go forth as leaders and workers in areas of concern, interest and need…what a farce !!!
(…* on a side note – I noticed not any of the articles I looked at were attributed to a specific individual – the author is always listed as “by The Way – that seems kind of dubious to me… what’s the matter – is there no one in the hive-mind willing to stick their neck out? Are they playing it safe – afraid of criticism that would target one individual?)
== == == ==
To end my post on a positive note - I’m thankful for the scientists, doctors, nurses, first-responders, frontline/essential workers, civic leaders, religious groups, secular groups, businesses, factories, truck drivers, shipping companies, folks who work in the restaurant industry, postal workers and any other individuals I forgot to mention who respect the science and the facts - who have compassion and empathy - and who do their part in the war on the coronavirus.
Edited by T-Bonerevision
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