Basic HTML Version
It meant CRUSHING OUT of my mind and heart what had been my
life's GOAL--that desire to be regarded as IMPORTANT by important
people in the world! I began to realize that this life's GOAL was
only MY IDOL. It was having ANOTHER GOD BEFORE THE TRUE GOD! It
broke the very first Commandment! It meant REPENTING of that vain
ambition--repenting of what I now saw was my own rotten, deceitful,
vain, wicked HUMAN NATURE--repenting of what I WAS, as well as the
sins I had committed. It meant UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER to God, and
an ABOUT-FACE life, to LIVE BY every Word of instruction and
example in God's Word.
The last thing in this world I wanted to be was a Minister
of the Gospel. But by force of circumstances He brought about, the
living Christ PLUNGED me into it. He changed my entire attitude,
life goal, and direction. What had seemed foolishness before,
became of SUPREME IMPORTANCE. What had seemed important before,
became FOOLISHNESS. He put within me His Holy Spirit.
I had always said, before, "I just CAN'T UNDERSTAND the
Bible." Now it became an open Book--plain and clear. A little at
a time, I began to UNDERSTAND!
Seven years after this change had begun (1926), I was
(1933) employed in the ministry by a local state conference of
people who came CLOSER to what I found to be the BIBLE TRUTH than
any people I knew. But, just being CLOSE to it--having, as they
did, MORE truth than any group or denomination I knew--was not
enough. It was too much like the egg that was "ALMOST FRESH." I
discovered some error, which they admitted was error, but they
refused to correct it, saying they would lose their following, and
the financial support of PEOPLE. God revealed additional TRUTH to
me, which their leaders admitted to be truth--but refused to accept
or teach it.
In the late summer of 1933 these people demanded that I
teach and act CONTRARY to the Bible on a certain point (it
concerned water baptism). It was knuckle under to self-willed MEN,
CONTRARY to GOD'S instruction, or give up the salary. Mrs.
Armstrong stood firmly with me, in being willing to give up the
small salary--our only visible means of having even enough to eat.
Then it was that we saw that we could not serve God
faithfully and be paid by MEN who could use the salary to whip us
into line AGAINST God's Word. God PROMISED (Philippians 4:19) to
supply ALL OUR NEED. This is GOD'S WORK, and Jesus Christ HEADS
it. He caused us to RELY SOLELY ON HIM, not on men, from that time
on.
Once we had made that decision, in just a few weeks Christ
OPENED THE DOOR of RADIO. I first went on the air in October 1933.
But that was not The WORLD TOMORROW program. It did not start
until the first Sunday in 1934. But, the door was OPENED.
With no salary, no car--and I had a suit of clothes for
every day in the week, and I said, jokingly, "this is IT"--I
walked, when I was not taken by someone, for miles down country
roads to preach to a few people in a country schoolhouse.