Analyses Today's News, with the Prophesies of THE WORLD TOMORROW
Box 111, Pasadena, California
Publishing: The PLAIN TRUTH a Magazine of UNDERSTANDING
October 4, 1951
Dear Friend and Co-Worker in Christ:
I want to write a special letter of THANKS, in appreciation of your very important help in God's great work, and in acknowledgment of the tithe or offering just received.
My, what wonderful — what GLORIOUS accomplishment God is bringing about through us in our efforts in yielding ourselves, our talents, our time, and our hearts and our money to HIM to use in these very closing days of this age. Every year sees a larger and richer harvest reaped for God's Kingdom. This work right now stands on the threshold of leaping into such wonderful WORLD-WIDE influence and power as would have been thought utterly impossible four or five years ago.
Some few people have mistakenly looked on this as "Brother Armstrong's work." A feeling of human jealousy and competition has been allowed to creep unsuspected into their hearts. They couldn't see where they had any part in it. But how much of this great work do you suppose I could do alone without you, and our other Co-Workers — without your continuous, heart- rending, earnest and believing PRAYERS for the protection and progress and needs of this work — without your sacrifice and devotion and your tithes and offerings which make it all possible?
Let's look at that question a moment. Without any Co-Workers at all I could, as I did when this work was started 18 years ago, perhaps obtain permission from some country school board to have the free use of some little one-room country school house to hold services. I could, as I did 18 years ago, walk afoot all over the country-side, telling people about the services, inviting them to come. Perhaps I could again borrow the use of a typewriter, and type out carefully an outline of the topics I would cover in the preaching campaign. And, if the people came, I could, without any money or help from you Co-Workers, preach to 30 or 40 people. But, the chances are that without the power of GOD back of it, all my efforts would fail to persuade even 30 or 40 people to attend. The chances are not more than four or five people would come. And even if 30 or 40 did come and listen, unless the power and Spirit of GOD were in it — unless GOD was really using me — of my own efforts alone not one single soul would even have his mind opened to the TRUTH, and not a single soul would be converted. The fruit borne would be, — EXACTLY NOTHING!
So you see, in the first place, all of us together could do nothing — of ourselves! It is CHRIST IN US doing the work. Yes, this is GOD'S DOING — not ours! This is GOD'S GREAT AND GLORIOUS WORK, not "Brother Armstrong's work." But even so, God is using YOU as well as me. He must be able to work in and through YOU as well as me. True, He uses me as His called and chosen minister and representative, thru whom He guides and directs the work. He uses my voice before the microphone, in the college class-room — my hands in writing His TRUTH! But how many people would that reach WITHOUT YOUR MONEY AND YOUR PRAYERS? Perhaps 30 or 40. But now we are reaching a vast cumulative weekly audience of some 8 or 10 MILLION precious souls! Every one of your dollars carries God's vital and precious last Gospel and warning Message to more than TWO THOUSAND people! Yet without your help only 30 or 40 probably would hear! Looked at that way, it would almost appear that every single one of the dollars you put into God's work accomplishes much more than all my personal efforts, doesn't it? But it is our COMBINED efforts — each doing his or her part as God has allotted and made possible — which GOD uses and works thru in producing the great, and rapidly increasing precious HARVEST OF SOULS! Isn't it a blessing and a joy to be privileged to be a PART of the great work of GOD HIMSELF? From the heart I do thank you for YOUR PART.