August 09, 1954  
August 09, 1954 - Brethren & Co-Workers Letter
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Herbert W Armstrong 

The WORLD TOMORROW
A WORLDWIDE BROADCAST

HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG

Proclaim to the World the GOOD NEWS OF THE WORLD TOMORROW

BOX 111, Pasadena, California

Publishing: The PLAIN TRUTH a Magazine of UNDERSTANDING

August 9, 1954

Dear Co-Workers:

   God's great work is still in its tightest squeeze. In His great wisdom God is giving us, the family of Co-Workers He has called to His work, a great test of faith to TRY us — to develop PATIENCE — to teach us the great lesson of ENDURING TO THE END — never quitting or giving up!

   Yes, it's true — the work of God is still in danger, according to all apparent physical appearances. Please listen carefully! I want to make this PLAIN. I have been overjoyed, moved, deeply touched, by many of your letters in reply to my last letter to you Co-Workers. Yet a few do not quite understand. A few do not understand why, in the very work of God Almighty who has ALL POWER, His chosen servant has to keep telling you Co-Workers of the dire need. Why doesn't God just send all the money needed, without the necessity of these urgent letters I have had to write you?

   Oh, dear Co-Workers, LISTEN! Let's understand how God works. Of course God could just rain down nice new crisp thousand- dollar bills right out of the sky. Yes, God could do that — but THAT IS NOT GOD'S WAY. God works thru HUMAN instruments. Human servants whose hearts are yielded, willing, responsive. That is for OUR good. If God supplied all the need by direct miracle from the skies, without any sacrifice or effort from all of us, THERE WOULD BE NO BLESSING FOR US! His whole PURPOSE being worked out here below would be defeated!

   The Apostle Paul continually reminded those in the Churches that God expected them to pay tithes and generously to GIVE of offerings besides. But WHY? Listen: To the brethren at Philippi, Paul wrote: "For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account." (Phil. 4:16-17.) Or, as it is in plainer language in the Moffatt translation: "...you sent money more than once for my needs. It is not the money I am anxious for; what I am anxious for is the interest that accumulates in this way to your divine credit." And in verse 18 the Apostle was inspired to call their giving of money for God's work "a fragrant perfume, the sort of sacrifice that God approves and welcomes."

   Tithing, and the sacrifice of giving, is GOD'S WAY for our good! I have mentioned before how Moses made an appeal to all God's people of that ancient day, for liberal offerings for the tabernacle and the ark. This appeal was commanded by God. Read of it starting Exodus 35:4, on thru chapter 36, verse 7. "Take ye from among you an offering unto the ETERNAL," Moses said to the people, "whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the Eternal, gold, and silver and brass, ...And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the ETERNAL'S OFFERING to the work of the tabernacle ...and they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted ...And they spake unto Moses saying, 'The people bring MUCH MORE THAN ENOUGH for the service of the work, which the Eternal commanded to make,' and Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, 'Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.' So the people were restrained from bringing."

   THINK OF IT! There actually was a time when the people's hearts were so stirred by God's appeal for their offerings and free-will gifts, that Moses actually had to send out a proclamation restraining them from sending more!

   CO-WORKERS, I know that some of you, today, are just as stirred up and willing — but why are others of you so lukewarm to the work of God? Why are not all of you as willing to yield to God, and put yourself, and what you may have, at HIS DISPOSAL for His work? Oh, dear Co-Workers, will you PRAY with me, earnestly, believingly, that God will STIR UP the hearts of more and more of our Co-Workers, that there may be enough to carry on the precious all-important WORK OF GOD?

   I want to make this situation absolutely clear and plain, so you all understand it. Some have the idea that money for God's work has fallen off alarmingly. That is not the case. Instead, what has happened is this: When God opened the door for the first time, last fall, for HIS LAST MESSAGE TO THE WORLD to go out over one of the great major radio net-works, I knew we had to go ahead where God had led. It was as much a direct command of God as His command to Moses to send out the appeal for extra contributions to build the ancient tabernacle.

   This, together with the opportunity to go on other mighty super-power stations carrying the program around the world and an increased enrollment in Ambassador College, meant an increased expense of a few thousand dollars per week. I had to move ahead, where God led and opened the way, ON FAITH. I had to start sending out appeals for more money for this increased expense for this greatly enlarged work, just as God commanded Moses to do in the case of building that tabernacle. And what has happened? Just this, dear Co-Workers — we have been receiving ALMOST enough additional money to pay these additional expenses. Yes ALMOST! And that has put us in a terrible dilemma! Our faith has been strenuously tried! We have had to weather this TIGHT SQUEEZE — and we shall have to keep on ENDURING thru this trial and test a few more months, until thousands of NEW Co-Workers from sections of the country never before reached, join us and make our burden lighter.

   Here's what's HAPPENED! Thru this year, even with an economic readjustment going on, with drought and famine conditions terribly hitting many of our heaviest-contributing co-workers, yet we have somehow continued to squeeze thru. Still we have been going slightly behind all the time. WE ARE STILL ON THE NETWORK! We have not yet cancelled any of the great, important stations. But it has been the most trying long-drawn-out test we have ever had to endure — AND IT STILL IS!

   Let me give you another reason why this great ABC Network is so VITAL to us. Before we went on it, we had to depend mostly on the super-power Mexican stations, XEG, XELO, XERF, and XERB, to cover the United States. These are tremendously powerful stations. But they do not effectively reach the great northern half of the middle-west, and they do not reach the great INDUSTRIAL sections, of the north-Atlantic, New England, and the north-east-and central states, at all! And 55% of all the people in the United States live in these sections WE DID NOT COVER!

   Do you see what that means? Our Co-Workers up to now have been almost entirely in the Southern states, the Pacific Coast, and the central part of the Middle-West — Kansas, Missouri, and Southern Illinois. In other words, the FARM BELT. And when the FARM BELT gets terribly hit by drought — well, nearly all of our "eggs" have been in that one "basket." But now, by the ABC Network, we are for the first time reaching the 55% of United States population in the great industrial regions.

   IT TAKES TIME for new listeners to realize that so startling a Message is really God's TRUTH, and to accept it and begin to support it as Co-Workers. Not many of you Co-Workers began supporting this work the first few times you heard the broad- cast. So it takes GREAT PATIENCE on our part — until these millions of NEW LISTENERS have heard God's true Message long enough to have their hearts and minds opened to accept it, and join you as Co-Workers.

   ALREADY hundreds of them are just beginning to be Co-Workers! But, as it has taken some 20,000 of you Co-Workers from among 45% of the nation's population to carry the great work of God this far, a few hundred from among the other 55% of America's people is only a START. It may take another year or more before the financial help from these new listeners is felt in a big way — but I know that by November and December of this year there will be a noticeable increase, even tho not big — IF WE ALL HOLD ON, SACRIFICE EVEN A LITTLE MORE — AND DO NOT GIVE UP!

   Now I had intended to reprint in this letter many letters from both new listeners, and also, this time, from several of you Co-Workers. Oh, what WONDERFUL and inspiring letters I do receive from many of you whose heart, as well as your pocketbooks, are really in this work! So many of you have told me how you have been simply thrilled, and moved, even to tears, at reading those letters from all over the world, and from new listeners. And now it occurs to me that you'll really be interested and encouraged to know just how many of your fellow-Co-Workers feel — those who are sacrificing, giving up other things they may have wanted and had planned, in order to supply the money to keep God's work going. You Co-Workers all have a lot in common, and I know you're going to be really inspired when you read these wonderful letters from others who feel just as you do about God's great closing work for this Age!

   I must RUSH this letter to you — the need is so great at this moment — so I'll hold those letters back till next time, but will try to send them along in just two or three weeks.

   Meanwhile, the financial condition still remains desperate. Co-Workers, CAN'T we spur ourselves on just a little harder? Some of you are doing all you can — maybe more than you should. I know some of you can't do more than you are already doing — GOD BLESS YOU RICHLY, as I know He will! But you can all PRAY HARDER! Oh, how I have been encouraged by scores of letters from Co-Workers telling me how they are praying continually for this great financial need for God's work. But MORE of you need to get under the burden of PREVAILING PRAYER! And you can pray harder, more often!

   Oh, yes, before I close — I'm going to reprint for you many letters from listeners who have been HEALED of many sicknesses and diseases — even cancer, leukemia, and other incurable diseases. These letters will send you to your knees giving thanks and praises to God! God is moving MIGHTILY in our behalf — in HIS WORK. Lives are being changed. Miracles being performed! This is the miraculous work of the Supernatural Miracle-working ALMIGHTY GOD!! This work is having a TREMENDOUS IMPACT on this world. It's the most powerful, dynamic, life-changing work of our time on earth! It must continue ON, IN MULTIPLIED POWER! YOUR part in it is as important as mine! Now please go and PRAY. DO ALL YOU POSSIBLY CAN! The need is DESPERATE, and URGENT!

Lovingly, and in faith, in Jesus' name,
Herbert W. Armstrong

Publication Date: August 09, 1954
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