A most UNEXPECTED emergency has arisen. I forced me to do something DRASTIC — something I've never done before — something I hated to do more than you can realize — It forced me to put out an urgent emergency appeal over the air last night on the two great super-power stations that cover the entire nation and continent.
Never before in twelve years of broadcasting God's Gospel Message have I asked for money over the air. I did it for the sake of A MILLION PRECIOUS SOULS now listening to the Message EVERY NIGHT — and the many THOUSANDS now interested and writing in for spiritual help, and our free literature carrying to them the BIBLE TRUTH.
Here is what I was forced to say, at the close of the broad- cast last night — it is self-explanatory:
....and now, may I have just a word with our CO-WORKERS who are listening tonight. What I'm going to have to say for the next two or three minutes isn't intended for most of our great vast radio audience — this is just for our regular co-workers ONLY.
But I have to report to you dear Co-Workers who are financing this great work of God that we may be forced off the air SUDDENLY, in less than a week! Co-Workers, LISTEN! I can hardly bear to say it, but most of our regular co-workers who have so loyally supported Christ's work and kept it going — yes, and GROWING until it's become an international POWER for GOD — have simply been letting the work down, since the beginning of the Christmas shopping season! Only about a fourth of our usual co-workers are remembering CHRIST and His glorious work at this time! Almost none of the usual larger offerings — or tithes — in amounts of thirty, fifty, a hundred dollars or more, are coming in now, — and just as we are STARTING this nation-wide INTENSIVE campaign of EVERY-NIGHT BROADCASTING! It seems about the only Co-Workers who are remembering CHRIST at this season are those of meagre circumstances — many, old people living on old-age pensions, who STILL are faithful and loyal with their widow's mites, given at real sacrifice! — GOD BLESS THEM!
Now just at this time God opened the opportunity, and I've launched out — ON SHEER FAITH — with the biggest, most powerful campaign BY FAR we ever were privileged to conduct. This program is going out every night except Saturday over the two MOST POWERFUL radio stations in North America — at the VERY BEST HOUR — 8 o'clock in the middle-west, 8 o'clock in the Mountain States and beginning next week it is scheduled to go out, unless we are stopped, also at 8 o'clock on the COAST! Now this has multiplied expenses THREE TIMES OVER! Unless our family of co-workers comes to the rescue, we'll be forced off the air in less that a week!
I can't keep this valuable radio time another week unless a LARGE NUMBER of our co-workers all over the country hear, and HEED this appeal, and come to the rescue not only with a veritable DOWNPOUR of widow's mites, but also with a real shower of the larger sums of fifty, a hundred dollars, and more, — and by RETURN AIR-MAIL! Please DO NOT send it special delivery — but use AIR-MAIL, or even better yet TELEGRAPH THE MONEY BY WESTERN UNION!
Now listen: I want you to know the FACTS! The mail response to these every-night broadcasts has been overwhelming! It indicates this precious Message is being heard by an interested audience of at least ONE MILLION souls EVERY NIGHT — a great, vast, nation-wide and international audience. The response shows thousands and thousands are HUNGRY for GOD'S PRECIOUS TRUTH. It keeps a large and growing staff in our office busy every day mailing out FREE Gospel literature to thousands and thousands of people who are writing in for it! And remember it goes FREE. I can't put a PRICE on the Gospel! Some are bound to write in, after this appeal, and urge me to CHARGE for it — but THAT IS NOT GOD'S WAY, and WE CAN'T DO IT! You know I never ask for money over the air. You never heard me mention this, or ask for it BEFORE, and even tonight I'm saying this only to our regular co-workers who are listening, — and only because circumstances FORCE me to say it, as a last resort! I've never put out an appeal for money over the air before! Why, every day I receive letters like this one that just came this afternoon, saying, "If you will accept an offering, I'll be glad to send one to help spread the Gospel." Thousands of listeners do not seem even to know whether I'd be willing to ACCEPT an offering, or their tithe! That's because THIS broadcast is probably the ONLY ONE you have ever heard on the air — that is, of RELIGIOUS broadcasts — that does not continually beg for money over the air. No, I do not, I WILL NOT, and there is NO REQUEST FOR MONEY WHATSOEVER in any of the Gospel literature we send to listeners who respond to the broadcasts — except our Co-Workers BULLETIN, sent ONLY to those who have first voluntarily taken financial part in this work by sending in money UNSOLICITED! So, this once, I state the FACTS, as I must.
Now, of course, out of the thousands of NEW LISTENERS now writing in for our FREE GOSPEL LITERATURE, a small percent have been sending in small offerings for the work with their requests, even tho it was not solicited, nor expected. The plain facts are that had it not been for these offerings from NEW LISTENERS, I could not have continued this great campaign this far.
I owe you an explanation of the FACTS: Twelve years ago I started this work in a country schoolhouse near Eugene, Oregon, without a dollar of money — nothing but God's TRUTH, a rich experience, and PURE FAITH! A man at that time said to me, "I'd be willing to BET you that you can't go on preaching these PLAIN BIBLE TRUTHS and succeed — it can't be done!" He said "People won't support it, and no denomination will pay you a salary. People don't love or WANT the TRUTH. They want, and will support, only the soft and smooth things — the deceits — the FABLES. You'll STARVE to death if you keep preaching the TRUTH!" Well I want to tell you, my friends, I took that man up on his challenge. We didn't bet — but I've kept right on preaching the PLAIN BIBLE TRUTH to constantly increasing audiences ever since! At that time, 12 years ago, I preached to a nightly audience averaging 36 people. Tonight, and every night, if you Co-Workers stand with me and make it possible to continue, I'm preaching to a great, vast, INTERNATIONAL audience in THREE NATIONS of A MILLION or more people! And I'm still not pulling my punches, no matter WHOM it hits or hurts — I'm not preaching to please MEN, but to PLEASE GOD — and, God helping me, I'll go right ON preaching His TRUTH boldly, and fearlessly, as long as God Himself gives me the opportunity and the breath to preach it. God hasn't called me to entertain, amuse, or please the people with soft and smooth things and popular traditions and deceits and fables, but to cry ALOUD — yes, ALOUD, over this whole NATION, and SPARE NOT — and SHOW MY PEOPLE THEIR SINS! That's God's commission to me and you co-workers who stand with me!
Now I realize fully that SOME of our former good co-workers will be offended by the straight plain TRUTH I gave you in this broadcast tonight. I doubt if you ever heard this TRUTH preached before, but it's time SOMEONE had the courage to tell it to this sinning nation bringing the wrath of GOD upon itself, before it's too late!
When Jesus was here on earth, HIS Message was not popular. He offended a good many, too. He was despised and rejected of men, too. He was persecuted, too.
Now a great, vast, powerful broadcast such as this costs MONEY — a lot of MONEY. GOD'S WAY — The BIBLE WAY — of financing God's true work is thru the tithes and offerings of HIS PEOPLE . . . the real Christians. A Christian is one who has REPENTED of the selfish, greedy, GETTING way, accepted Christ as Saviour, and turned to the loving and GIVING way of life. So, God's real born- again people GIVE of their tithes and offerings, freely, generous, even at SACRIFICE, — and GLADLY and JOYOUSLY — that the precious GOSPEL may be carried forth and GIVEN, FREE, without money and without price, to those in the WORLD who are willing to heed and accept it! Jesus set us the example! I myself try to follow His example, and in turn set an example for our other CO-WORKERS. I am giving of MY all, — and my wife HER ALL, right along by my side. We're giving OUR VERY LIVES to God's work! A year ago I turned down an offer of a salary of $2,000 a week — $100,000 a year — if I'd quit preaching God's TRUTH and broadcast a straight news-analysis program 15 minutes a day over a large national network for a breakfast-foods sponsor. Two years ago my wife and I sold our home in Eugene, Oregon, and put EVERY CENT into God's work, that it might grow to its present size and scope and great power for good. And we are both happy that so far we ourselves have put in the largest single sum of money ever contributed to this work. Right now, we have no home of our own at all — we're forced to just move around every few nights from one auto cabin to another to find a place to sleep — but we aren't grumbling about that! — rather, we're HAPPY to be able to be of HELP to so many, and of service to our God! Now I only mention this, so you'll understand there's nothing more I can do — and so, for the sake of the MILLION PRECIOUS SOULS listening in every night, and the THOUSANDS who are hungry for the free literature we are preparing of God's TRUTH, I've felt FORCED to send out this appeal tonight to the scattered sprinkling of Co-Workers who may be listening. THIS IS THE CRISIS of THIS WORK FOR GOD! The issue is whether GOD'S TRUE WARNING MESSAGE — this kind of PLAIN BIBLE PREACHING — can continue in a BIG WAY over this entire nation! That issue is NOW IN YOUR HANDS.
Co-Workers, I know you'll rally to this emergency. Remember this is a GENERAL LETTER, going to all co-workers. Many of you have stood by us to the limit of your ability — GOD BLESS YOU! — but more of you have let other things crowd CHRIST'S WORK out of your minds during this shopping season. If you are one who has ability to send a hundred, several hundred, or a thousand dollars or more, please rush it AIR-MAIL, or by telegraph. It's URGENT! These thousands of hungry souls MUST NOT BE DENIED GOD'S PRECIOUS MESSAGE EVERY NIGHT. Thank you, and GOD BLESS YOU.
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