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In Reply to: "All things" sharing started in 1970 posted by Oldtimer on September 20, 2006 at 12:55:31:
Wow! I found the "Sin in the Camp" ML too where Berg discreetly talks about sharing and sexual liberties and blames the excesses on his followers:
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"PERSONAL VISITS"--Part I--Sin in the Camp--MO December 1971 LTO No.143
EXCESSES IN THE FLESH--PREVENTION AND CURE.
27. ANOTHER VERY SERIOUS SITUATION WHICH CROPPED UP IN ONE COLONY AS IT HAS RECENTLY IN SOME OTHER COLONIES. IS A SPIRIT OF REVELRY AND PARTYING, even to the point of overindulgence in wine and some other things to the point THAT IT SEEMS TO US THAT SOME OF YOU HAVE BEEN MORE INTERESTED IN PLEASING THE FLESH and enjoying all things that are yours in Christ Jesus more THAN YOU HAVE BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT THE LORD'S KINGDOM, HIS SHEEP, OR LOST SOULS--EVEN TO THE POINT OF NEGLECT OF YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES AS LEADERS, AND CAUSING EVEN SOME OF THE WEAKER BRETHREN TO STUMBLE! THIS IS INTOLERABLE DISORDERLY CONDUCT!
28. SOME OF YOU SEEM TO HAVE FORGOTTEN WHAT YOU JOINED THE ARMY FOR, and I would suggest that like the man who got so busy fixing watches, that you be sent to the front lines where the fighting is hot, the opposition rough, and YOU WON'T HAVE TIME TO DO ANYTHING BUT BATTLE WITH THE ENEMY, INSTEAD OF WITH YOURSELF AND YOUR FELLOW LEADERS! You seem to have forgotten that you are to SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD, AND THEN all these other things will be added unto you! But if you start putting other things first, you are sure to hurt the Kingdom and your own position in it!
29. SO I WOULD SUGGEST THAT ANY LEADERS OR PERSONNEL CAUGHT SO DOING AND INDULGING IN SUCH EXCESSES BE SEVERELY REPRIMANDED, and if the offense is serious enough, PERHAPS EVEN BE REMOVED FROM THEIR POSITION AND SENT BACK FOR FURTHER TRAINING. IF THEY HAVE HURT THEIR INFLUENCE IN THEIR PRESENT COLONY TO SUCH AN EXTENT THAT THEY CAN NO LONGER BE USEFUL THERE, IT WOULD PROBABLY BE BETTER TO TRANSFER THEM TO SOME OTHER COLONY AND DEMOTE THEM to some position of lesser responsibility until they learn their lesson--that WE DID NOT JOIN THIS ARMY TO PLAY GAMES, but to fight a War, which we intend to win, NOT BY SELF-INDULGENCE, BUT BY SELF-SACRIFICE!
30. SUCH PEOPLE NEED TO STUDY THE SCRIPTURE AGAIN WHICH WE GAVE RECENTLY IN THE HEADING OF OUR LETTER "LOOKING UNTO JESUS," PARTICULARLY ROMANS 14! ANY SUCH OFFENDERS OUGHT TO HAVE TO MEMORISE SOME OF THESE PASSAGES ON THE SUBJECT! We're beginning to wonder if some of you really care about evangelising the youth of the world, or are you just here to enjoy communal life and indulge in special privileges and excesses of personal fellowship! Your lack of wisdom along these lines has even CAUSED SOME OF THE YOUNGER ONES TO STUMBLE and ask if you can do what you're doing, why can't they indulge in extramarital sex and smoke grass! What's the difference?! I'll tell you what the difference is: YOU'D ALL BETTER FORGET YOUR LITTLE PLEASURE TRIPS AND GET BUSY WORKING FOR THE LORD AND THE SALVATION OF LOST YOUTH AND THE INTENSIVE TRAINING OF YOUR TROOPS for the BATTLES AHEAD, OR YOU'RE GOING TO GO DOWN AS A CASUALTY BECAUSE OF YOUR OWN WEAKNESS in displeasing God and losing His blessing! Amen?
31. LET'S GET BACK TO WORK AT WHAT WE JOINED THE ARMY FOR! THIS IS ANOTHER REASON WHY WE NEED TO BREAK UP THESE BIG COLONIES WHERE TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE RIDING COMFORTABLY and indulging along on someone else's faith! GET 'EM OUT THERE ON THE FIRING LINE ON A ROAD TEAM, OR PIONEERING A NEW LITTLE COLONY, and that'll get them so desperate with God and so busy with His Work and so occupied with caring for His Sheep that THEY WON'T HAVE TIME FOR ANY OF THIS FOOLISHNESS!
32. As we've so often said, THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS GOD COULD GIVE US IF WE COULD BE TRUSTED with them! But if you can't be trusted as a good steward with a ministry, a responsibility, a Message, a method, money, health, popularity, power, or freedom, etc., God's apt to take these things away from you entirely until you learn your lesson! Salvation is your right, and you can demand it, but the special privileges of HIS SERVICE AND THESE OTHER THINGS ARE A PRIVILEGE, a blessing, and a reward, and can be withdrawn from you at any time by the Lord if you are abusing it, instead of using it for His Glory! So beware!
33. ACHAN'S THEFT--ONE LITTLE WEDGE OF GOLD--CAUSED ISRAEL TO LOSE AN ENTIRE BATTLE and many lives, and finally cost him his own life and that of his family! (Joshua 7) SIN IN THE CAMP CAN CAUSE THE LORD TO WITHDRAW HIS PROVISION, FRUITFULNESS AND PROTECTION AND RESULT IN SERIOUS DEFEATS! IF YOU DO NOT REPENT QUICKLY, COME BACK TO YOUR FIRST LOVE, AND REPEAT YOUR FIRST WORKS, He can remove your candlestick from its place, even cut you off from the land of the living, and from the fellowship of your brethren! BETTER TO GET RID OF ONE ROTTEN APPLE than have it cause the whole barrelfull to spoil! And the Lord will do it if you don't watch out!
34. NO WONDER SOME OF OUR HOME COLONIES ARE HAVING SO MUCH TROUBLE, financial difficulties, and suffering inroads of the Enemy! GOD CANNOT PROTECT YOU, PROSPER OR BLESS YOU WHEN YOU ARE OUT OF HIS WILL AND RUNNING AROUND OUTSIDE OF THE SECRET PLACE AND FROM UNDER HIS SHADOW--His Wings--and His Fortress of perfect fellowship with Him! WHEN YOU DO THIS, YOU CAN NO LONGER CLAIM THE PROTECTIONS AND DEFENSES OF PSALM 91, AND HE MAY EVEN LET YOU FALL A PREY TO THE ENEMY, like Lot, because you're playing around with fire and living so close to Enemy territory! You'd better read some of the warnings He gave the churches in Revelation, chapters 2 and 3! There's still time! Repent! Go thou and sin no more, lest a worse thing befall thee!
