By: Gen. Jim — 12/22/18
It all started in 1983 when the BIG stuff started coming down. Fort Freedom (ACMTC’s Fire Base for missions outreach in downtown Sacramento, CA.) had been established and missions planning was underway when the local media (later, national media) started their “campaign,” a better word for it was “crusade,” a hostile/zealous crusade, headed up by the Sacramento Bee Newspaper and Ch.13 TV. et al. We were singled out above the 300 plus churches in the area as a “dangerous cult!”
What caused this outrageous crusade? One word: FASTING! (Look it up in your Bible, see how many times it is used). It was not new to us (me and Gen. Deborah, my wife). In our previous church organization of 5 years, we fasted every week. Even before we joined a church (1972) we fasted every Saturday and read the bible. During our Organization pastoral/missionary training we were required to fast – only water – once a week. But there were other fasts we did in those 5 years: the Daniel’s Fast = 10 days on one sparse meal of a few vegetables a day with nothing but water to drink. No meat, no bread, no sweets of any kind (see the Biblical Daniel’s fast); the Ezekiel’s fast = 21 days of only 12 oz bread for the men and 10 oz for the women, with water only!
As stated in other articles, my wife had a tremendous (Spirit) prayer life in which she spent hours each day in hard intercession/travail. This brought the presence of God into our midst in a most profound way. She would share with me many things the Holy Spirit was telling her that was going to happen, who, what, when, where and how. We both were amazed at the way the Spirit was moving. We were warned of many things that later came to pass. I could write a book on how the Spirit moved in those days (later continued to move on as we moved to other locations throughout the years).
It was fasting and prayer (by both of us and many of our soldiers/officers who did the same) that brought such “miracle power” in our corps, and, naturally much painful persecutions.
As my title says, “Smear and Fear!” We were smeared by the media/local churches and this rippled down to the local populations. Fort Freedom became THE TARGET in the 1980’s. We were branded as a “dangerous cult” by CAN (Cult Awareness Network) headed up by such Christ hating people as Rick Ross (Jewish) who later became famous for the Waco, Texas burn down in the 1990’s. It was his input that caused the US government to destroy the Waco compound – murdering dozens of men/women/children – shot and burned alive. He carried his crusade against the ACMTC, me and my wife especially, up to Oregon and here to New Mexico. His tyrannical, despotic attacks were aimed at us to DESTROY us.
But back to Sacramento CA, the stigma a “cult” cause the city (eventually a nation) to fear us. Smear and Fear! Many media outlets climbed aboard the “kill-the-cult train! Their machination crusade was the propulsive exacerbation that has led to where we are today – jail/prison. The media to this very day maligns and vilifys us. ACMTC’s altruism is mocked as if evil.
Because we were “Biblically Correct,” we were branded as being intolerant, bigoted, and biased. True! If were compared to “Political Correctness” of both (liberal) church and state. When we stood against the sin of Sodomy, even adultery, we had just gone too far. So, Sacramento (and the state of CA.) said they would not tolerate intolerance. Period! Hence, we were placed on the “misguided ideologue” list.
Well, this WAR aganist us only increased the power of God in our midst and our zeal for the Lord Jesus who saved us and commissioned us (Matthew 28:19). When we knew that God had spoken to us to take the “Army” message to the Philippines (Luzon; later to the remote areas where the (communist) New People’s Army was holding out, in which our engineer corps built a camp), we, Gen. Deborah and myself prepared ourselves by going on a long fast.
We stared with a 7 day cleansing fast of certain herbs with water only; no food. From there we went into the 21 day Ezekiel fast. Next we went onto water only – I went 21 days and Gen. Deborah went, I think, 10 days more on water. We both dropped weight as expected. When I finished my 21 day water fast I went onto the 10 day Daniel fast; Deborah did the same 10 days later. I can’t even begin to describe to you the presence of the Spirit in our personal lives and in our corps. Many of our soldiers/officers did some fasting at this time.
Gen. Deborah’s fame (I can’t think of a better word) spread abroad. We had people coming from all over the state to get prayed for – for (demonic) deliverance and physical healings. We saw dozens and dozens of supernatural miracles. Unbelievable ones! The local TV./radio/newspapers picked up on this as did the local (dead) churches. The persecution mounted – into mobs that surrounded Ft. Freedom for weeks at a time.
(See the many newspaper articles in our possession). Gen. Deborah often gave a personal word/prophecy over a person when they submitted to prayer/deliverance. She said things to them that they only knew about (see 1 Corinthians 12). This in turn caused a backlash. The enemies of the supernatural gifts and of us in particular, started the “Deborah is a witch” crusade. They claimed she was a witch who used witchcraft (meaning the spirit in her was real!) She was called a soothsayer, a sorcerer, spell caster, or medium, a spiritist, a diviner, even a nec-romancer! But the miracles could not be explained or refuted by the mob. Deborah only used the names Jesus, Jesus Christ, and the Lord Jesus in her prayers. To this day she has this gift.
As the years rolled on the persecutions grew. We were later told by the Sacramento police that they were assigned to watch over us. One officer told me that every time we took our (converted Greyhound) bus out of town they followed us. But the violence against us increased. In one night alone 17 tires were slashed on our vehicles. That bus I mentioned, someone poured a 5 gallon of paint on it – after we had just had it painted. Curses, rocks thrown, members threatened, windows broken etc. This went on from 1983 (when the first Sacramento Bee article was written until we left CA. in 1989.
The Spirit of God told Deborah to stop driving for her life was in danger. She never drove again.
So, dear readers, you want to be a “no compromise” Christian? You want a spirit prayer life? You want to stand-in-the-gap for Jesus? You want to preach against the sins that engulf societies? You want to fast and pray for souls? If you embrace the cross you’ll certainly embrace death!
Do you really want to hear what the Spirit says? What if the Holy Spirit told you to take Jesus to all the world? Would you go? Would you risk your life, your family, your reputation?
Is opposition a good or bad sign for Christians? For sure one will find a way of the Spirit very unpleasant to the flesh. Such aggressive, determined warfare will raise HELL’s demons against you. Once the WAR has commenced there should be no turning back!!!
Onward!