January 16, 1967  
January 16, 1967 - Brethren & Co-Workers Letter
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Herbert W Armstrong 

The WORLD TOMORROW
A WORLDWIDE BROADCAST

HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG
GARNER TED ARMSTRONG

Proclaim to the World the GOOD NEWS OF THE WORLD TOMORROW

Box 111, Pasadena, Calif. 91109

Publishing: The PLAIN TRUTH a Magazine of UNDERSTANDING
16th January, 1967

Dear Co-Worker with CHRIST:

   Do you realize what's just ahead for YOU? Here we are, having just entered another new year. But also-a million times more important—we are right on the very threshold of a N E W W O R L D!

   You probably never thought of this before. But consider!

   If I said to you, "Jesus Christ has shown me that He has called YOU—yes, Y O U—to preach His Gospel, now, TODAY, wouldn't you reply, "What?—called ME to preach the Gospel??? Why, I can't preach! I couldn't be a preacher!"

   I'm not joking! I'm SERIOUS! I do say to YOU, on authority of Jesus Christ, "Jesus Christ has called YOU to preach His Gospel now—and to have a vital PART in CHANGING THE WORLD, in the soon-coming wonderful WORLD TOMORROW!

   I assume you've received our exciting new booklet—The WONDERFUL WORLD TOMORROW—What It Will Be Like!" If not, I hope you will send back your card for your copy before you lay this letter down! Thousands are gasping in utter AMAZEMENT—as they read of what the new world will be like—in just another ten or fifteen years!

   One writes: "It was really a SURPRISE! I kept laughing out of sheer JOY! Such marvelous things! They hardly seem like they are just around the corner! I learned a lot from the first eager reading. To think that I may have the opportunity to help in teaching people the right ways!"

   Another writes: "I was so excited about it that I couldn't stop until I had completed it. It is wonderfully written, and I just can't have words to express my feeling after reading it. The way you explained the positions the Bible patriarchs would hold in the world tomorrow is really amazing. I suppose it is only natural to wonder what kind of job I would be doing in the world tomorrow if I qualify. ...As I read, I had tears of joy and thankfulness that, God willing, I can be a part of building that great Utopia!"

   And YOU have been called by Jesus Christ to have part in it, too!

   But what about RIGHT NOW?

   LISTEN! This, I think, will amaze you! In this Great WORK OF GOD, in PREPARING THE WAY for Christ's coming to straighten out and SAVE the world, He actually HAS called YOU to preach His Gospel, NOW! Here is the explanation—in a way you probably NEVER REALIZED before!

   Jesus Christ, just before ascending to Heaven, said to His disciples—not only His Apostles, but disciples: "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel."

   UNDERSTAND THIS! The Gospel Message was sent from GOD by Jesus Christ over 1939 years ago. But even Jesus said, "I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, He gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak." (John 12:49.)

   But, further: that of Himself He could do nothing; "but the Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works!" The Father dwelt in and empowered Jesus, not in literal Person, but by His Holy SPIRIT! It was the POWER of God's Spirit, working in and through the then human body of Jesus, that started out the preaching of the Gospel!

   But when Jesus ascended to Heaven, He sent the SAME Holy Spirit to enter into and work through the COLLECTIVE BODY of ALL His disciples—and thus the CHURCH came to be called "the BODY of CHRIST." It is now the collective Body in and through which God's Spirit PREACHES THE GOSPEL! That includes every real Christian!

   Now Jesus said, speaking of OUR DAY, just before His RETURN as the King of kings to usher in the peaceful and happy WORLD TOMORROW: "And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the END (of this world) come." (Matthew 24:14.) But HOW!

   The living Christ, working through human instruments, has been doing it this way: In July, 1933, I began preaching in a one-room country schoolhouse 8 miles west of Eugene, Oregon. I had no money, no car. No rent was charged for the use of the little schoolhouse. I walked over the sparsely-settled countryside, inviting neighbours to come and hear Christ's GOSPEL. There were only 36 seats. Attendance averaged 40—with 4 standing through the service!

   Using me, alone, as a human instrument, the living Christ was able to preach to 40 people! But then, beginning 1934, Christ opened the DOOR of radio, and the printing press—MASS media. Of course, in the very smallest way—at first! The very smallest- power radio station—100 watts a week, and at a cost of only 18 shillings per broadcast.

   But I didn't have the 18 shillings per week. Then a tiny group of about 15 Co-Workers agreed to HELP, with their PRAYERS, and what they could contribute in tithes and offerings. They were poor people. It was in the worst of the Great Depression. They were able to contribute just barely more than HALF the cost of broadcasting. We trusted God for the other half, ON FAITH. And God answered our faith—WITHOUT BEGGING CONTRIBUTIONS on the air!

   There was no money to publish a magazine. Yet I knew a magazine was needed. Ever since early 1927 I had hoped to start a magazine called The PLAIN TRUTH! By myself, I could not! But a few of these Co-Workers managed to put in an extra $2. I purchased mimeograph stencils, paper, and postage stamps. I borrowed the use of a typewriter and a mimeograph. I offered The PLAIN TRUTH, on the broadcast, FREE. With our COMBINED efforts—about 15 Co-Workers and myself—about 150 copies of a homemade mimeographed PLAIN TRUTH were mailed out, February 1!

   Now SEE HOW THE GOSPEL WAS PREACHED! By myself alone, without any Co-Workers, I was able to preach to FORTY PEOPLE! That's ALL! 40!!! But, with some 15 Co-Workers adding their earnest PRAYERS, putting their hearts into it, and their small tithes and offerings, TOGETHER we were now preaching to at least A THOUSAND people over the air and reaching another 150 with a small homemade magazine!

   I, myself, an ordained minister—(I had been ordained in June, 1931)—had been able to PREACH THE GOSPEL to ONLY 40 People! But now, the help of Co-Workers made it possible for ALL 16 of us to preach to at least 1000 people. Subtract the 40 I could preach to ALOE—and THEIR PART in the Work meant that THEY were getting the Gospel preached to an additional 960 people. On the average, every one of them was responsible for getting the Gospel to 64 people!

   Each CO-WORKER was, in effect, preaching to 64 people. I, an ordained minister, alone, had been preaching to only 40! You see, then, how by the PRAYERS and OFFERINGS of these few Co-Workers each was responsible for PREACHING THE GOSPEL to 60% more people than I could alone!

   But WHAT ABOUT YOU, TODAY?

   Well, TODAY, in this same way, EVERY Co-Worker—and that means YOU—is actually responsible for preaching the Gospel to approximately 615 people! And ALSO that includes about 25 people who read The PLAIN TRUTH! Averaging it out, YOU are paying for subscriptions to The PLAIN TRUTH reaching about 25 people, and ALSO YOU are preaching to about 615 people EVERY WEEK—52 weeks a year—BESIDE also having a part in putting students through Ambassador College, training more ministers and trained personnel for this rapidly growing WORLD-WIDE Work of God!

   THAT'S how YOU are actually proclaiming the Gospel right now—PREPARING THE WAY for Christ's coming—PREPARING A PEOPLE for His coming—CHANGING LIVES! This past year, SEVERAL THOUSAND precious lives have been converted and baptized through this Work!

   Alone, I was able to preach Christ's Gospel to 40 people! TODAY, Co-Workers have increased that to some 45 MILLION people EVERY WEEK!

   Listen to SOME FACTS—which YOU are helping make possible!

   Radio power, 1934, 100 watts per week. TODAY, over 41,000,000 watts per week! Of that, 17 1/2 million watts is OUTSIDE the United States—world-wide! Total potential listening audience—that is, total population who could tune in The WORLD TOMORROW, 801 MILLION, 700 THOUSAND! Close to 1/3 of all the people on earth!

   TOTAL PLAIN TRUTH CIRCULATION: 890,000 copies—read by probably more than 2 million people! Circulated into 92 nations that are United Nations members, beside 50 other territories, protectorates and countries. Published on three continents. Watford, England; Sydney, Australia and Pasadena, California.

   Total Correspondence Course enrollment: 80,000

   We now maintain offices around the world—in Pasadena, California; St. Albans, England; Dusseldorf, Germany; Geneva, Switzerland; Johannesburg, South Africa; Manila, The Philippines; Sydney, Australia; Vancouver, Canada. These receive mail from radio listeners, answer letters, mail out booklets, and ordained ministers go out from each office, counselling with, and baptizing those being converted!

   It is, today, a MIGHTY, and a POWERFUL, world-wide Work that GOD is using YOU, as well as me, in doing! DOESN'T IT GIVE YOU A THRILL? Doesn't it make your heart leap for JOY? WHAT A PRIVILEGE!

   We have ORDAINED MINISTERS, mostly Ambassador-trained, now serving AROUND THE WORLD. In Britain, we have ordained ministers stationed near London, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Glasgow, Belfast. In Australia, at Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth. And others at our branch offices. These men are continually counselling with and baptizing people who request a visit. NO ONE is ever called on, UNLESS they REQUEST such a visit and counselling by a minister.

   On the three Ambassador College campuses are hundreds of additional men and women being trained—either for the ministry, or other important office in this Work. These students REALIZE that YOU are helping, along with other Co-Workers, to make it possible for them to be studying here, receiving an education and training obtainable NOWHERE else, to give them a chance for full-time personal service in this wonderful Work of God. Every week they listen eagerly to many letters from those of you who are making their education possible—ALL IN ADDITION TO preaching the Gospel to SO MANY HUNDREDS every week! Let me tell you, my dear Co-Worker, THEY PRAY EARNESTLY FOR YOU and are grateful that YOU are praying for THEM and for this Work!

   The United States Government is pouring 9 MILLION pounds per DAY into the war in Vietnam—of TAXPAYERS' MONEY! Yet the money spent for this great WORK OF GOD for a whole year falls far short of that! We fight, not to take human lives, but to SAVE THEM! We don't oppose the government's policies, nor support them—but I think you'll REJOICE with me that WE, with our comparative LITTLE, make these pounds reach SO FAR, and accomplish SO MUCH GOOD!

   TIME IS GROWING SHORT! It's possible we may have no more Than another five years to FINISH this Work of God!

   THIS year we must work harder than ever! YOU, as only ONE Co-Worker, are preaching Christ's Gospel to approximately 615 people EVERY WEEK, beside paying for PLAIN TRUTH subscriptions for others, and helping put dedicated young people through college!

   And, if you are faithful—if you are LED by God's Holy Spirit, if you remain fervent in prayer, if you OVERCOME, and GROW spiritually—YOU shall have a PART in God's Kingdom far more important than being a Prime Minister—far more important than ANY position ever held by ANY human on this earth! Yes, WHAT a privilege.

   You are just ONE of many Co-Workers, yet in this letter I have tried to show you HOW VERY, VERY IMPORTANT is YOUR part, even if only ONE!

   So this year let's pray more earnestly than ever! Let's keep the Work GOING—and don't forget—those who are able—LOANS are always needed. And whether you realize it or not, I need you to pray for me, and my wife, personally—and Garner Ted also. THANK YOU for it!

With love, in Jesus' name,
Herbert W. Armstrong

Publication Date: January 16, 1967
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