Proclaim to the World the GOOD NEWS OF THE WORLD TOMORROW
BOX 111, Pasadena, California
Publishing: The PLAIN TRUTH a Magazine of UNDERSTANDING
December 14, 1955
Dear Co-Workers with Christ:
Here I am, in the hurry and high tension of last-minute preparations for another Television shooting tomorrow — but I have to drop everything right here, in the midst of all this rush, to send you another letter.
As much as I dread it, I have to tell you the receipt of money for God's work has started dropping off again yesterday and today.
This will have to be very brief, or the TV programs won't be filmed tomorrow. I WANT to write to you another longer letter as soon as I can, and let you read several of the WONDERFUL and encouraging letters from all over the world. Christ's MESSAGE, going around the world now, on God's own WORLD TOMORROW program, is really beginning to take hold bigger than ever. It's reaching the hearts of people — turning them to Christ — changing their lives. We are THRILLED over the response!
But quickly, here's the situation of the work at the minute: We're in the very midst of the difficult month of December — when nearly everyone seems to FORGET ALL ABOUT CHRIST, or any gift for HIM or HIS work, and embark on a mad, frenzied shopping spree buying Christmas presents, giving gifts to friends and relatives, but neglecting any gift for the CHRIST, whose birthday they suppose they are celebrating!!
Well, dear Co-Workers, I'm happy to report that we got along very well the first 11 days of this month. A good many responded to my last letter about exchanging gifts with friends and relatives, and forgetting any gift for Christ. Almost no real large offerings came in, but enough of the smaller and normally generous sums were received to keep the work going. One listener in Alaska sent in a check for $385, which warmed our hearts, and one local Co-Worker told me he could loan to the work one thousand dollars, which he is not at this time free to give, but might be able to make part or all of it a gift later. At this time we have really NEEDED a number of one, two, or five thousand dollar amounts.
Of course, if only we could receive enough of the smaller normal and regular tithing amounts, the need would be supplied. But it seems always that the harvest is so very plenteous, but the laborers — especially those who put their labor in the form of MONEY into the work — are too FEW! God commands us, therefore to PRAY the Lord of the spiritual harvest to send us MORE LABORERS. WON'T you pray harder to this end?
The work was getting alarmingly behind financially. Actually the response of the first 11 days of this month has helped us partly catch up — but not NEARLY enough yet! And now the response has begun to drop off again. CO-WORKERS — let's take heart and encouragement that the response did begin to increase in this most difficult month — let's join unitedly in PRAYER, and in each doing whatever God has made possible, and we can save this Television program yet!
It is not that the work has been going down, as I think some may have thought. On the contrary, 1955 has been by far the biggest, most effective year of the history of this work — the harvest reaped, the number of people reached with the GOSPEL — yes, even the money income — has been the biggest in our history. But we've simply been FORCED by circumstances up into a far MORE POWERFUL MEDIUM for reaching people — and it also is a more costly medium — and it takes TIME for it to really take hold, and bring in more fellow-laborers as Co-Workers to help us pay the way. THAT'S why we've been having such a tight squeeze. TV is the thing, now — and we have to use it, or the work will die!
And the situation I had to face, at the beginning of this month, was just this: HERE IS THE STARK TRUTH: Either we had to have a good percentage of INCREASE in financial income to support the work during December — an increase which would be MAINTAINED on thru January, and February, and even gradually INCREASED month after month thru next year, or else we have to GO OFF TV, and SEVERAL RADIO STATIONS.
With the most difficult month of the year coming up, THAT'S the hard, cold fact I saw staring me in the face! I dreaded telling you. But we were going behind — unable to keep paying for TV, and we could not survive another month. I couldn't tell you just HOW serious it was until now — I was afraid I would discourage you. But I myself had to face that grave situation.
The fate of the work was in His Hands! It was now or never! Well, God did hear — He did answer — and enough Co-Workers did respond to give us a barely sufficient increase to save the work, up to NOW! But yesterday it began to fall back down to the old normal level, and today it's still down. Unless we bring the income right back up again IMMEDIATELY — and keep it up from now on — we shall still have to go off TV by the end of the month, and this filming of programs tomorrow will be our last!
Brethren and Co-Workers, THAT SIMPLY MUST NOT HAPPEN! Our God is able to save the work — IF WE'LL SACRIFICE AND PRAY! But God will not just rain down the money from heaven, while we get careless, neglect our own part, neglect prayer. It's for OUR good that God expects each of us to take HIS WORK TO HEART, — to sacrifice — to earnestly, passionately, PRAY for its salvation, as well as the salvation of thousands of precious lives THRU His precious work!
Now this first eleven days shows it CAN be done! Brethren, LET'S TAKE HEART — let's sacrifice a little MORE — let's pray a little HARDER, and in greater faith — let's put our shoulders to the wheel and make the last half of this month bigger than the first. Remember, what you personally cannot do because you simply don't have more money, your PRAYERS can cause others to do!!
And again, let me repeat the suggestion of my last letter: If every Co-Worker — YOU! — will not only send in your tithes and generous offerings, - but then, IN ADDITION, will just stretch to an additional two dollars (or even one if you can't send two) EVERY WEEK, for the next few weeks — well, dear Co-Workers, if you'll ALL do that, it will save the work!
I'm afraid we're going to have to go off WLS, except for Sundays only, at the end of this month. Our contract expires then. Radio station WSM, Nashville, offered us time for a daily program, but demanded we change the program to 50% music, which we can't do, so they won't take our program as it is. The very powerful WLS apparently is adopting a policy of refusing to air any religious programs except on Sunday. WON'T YOU PRAY, AND PRAY HARD AND EARNESTLY — THAT GOD WILL SOMEHOW GIVE US SUCH GRACE AND FAVOR IN THEIR EYES THAT THEY WILL CHANGE THIS POLICY AND ALLOW THE WORLD TOMORROW TO STAY ON? Hundreds of thousands will be unable to hear the program every night if we have to go off.
These are the most serious, troublous days of history! It seems we have just one crisis after another to meet, even in God's work. God allows these problems to TEST us, and BRING US TO OUR KNEES, AND TO HIM! But He will never fail us — and WE MUST NOT FAIL HIM!
The first eleven days of this month PROVE that we CAN increase the income enough to STAY ON TV, until it takes hold and produces new Co-Workers to help support it. We need even to borrow money if you can't give it. It's a most DESPERATE situation — but if we PRAY, and BELIEVE, and SACRIFICE, and KEEP AT IT — our God will see that His work goes right on growing!
GOD BLESS YOU — I know you'll take this to heart! THANK YOU! THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!!
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