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WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91123
HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG
PASTOR GENERAL
October 25, 1985
Dear Brethren and Co-Workers with Christ:
You and I are committed, as Co-Workers together with the
living Christ, to the greatest and most important activity on earth
today!
This Work of God was originally started by ONE man--Jesus
Christ. But on the day of Pentecost, A.D. 31, the same Holy Spirit
that had carried on God's Work through his individual body entered
into and empowered his apostles, and the entire COLLECTIVE BODY,
which on and from that day constituted God's Church. The Church of
God, of which Jesus Christ was, and is, the living HEAD, was
commissioned to carry on the Work of God in an organized manner--
starting out with the TWELVE apostles.
What is the Work of God? First of all, it is the great
commission--to proclaim the MESSAGE Christ brought for mankind from
heaven and taught his disciples. Secondly, to minister to, and
feed with the spiritual food of God's Word, those whom GOD converts
and adds to his Church.
But, after proclaiming that gospel MESSAGE to the world of
that day--after the Church had grown and multiplied in number and
power, the headquarters Church at Jerusalem fled in the face of
advancing Roman armies shortly before A.D. 70, became scattered,
and under persecution--and because of discouragement because Christ
had not yet returned in power and glory--the Church WENT TO SLEEP
ON THE JOB of proclaiming Christ's true gospel message!
Satan then filled the world with his COUNTERFEIT "gospel."
The world accepted it as the genuine. You'll read, in the parable
of the l0 virgins, Matthew 25, how, while Christ tarried in heaven
and did not return to earth as soon as they espected, THEY ALL
SLUMBERED AND SLEPT on the job of carrying on God's Work.
But now the "midnight hour" spoken of in this parable has
struck. Christ's return is drawing near. He has raised up YOU,
and all our Co-Worker family, to give to the world the cry, "The
Bridegroom is COMING." The KINGDOM OF GOD is at hand. The WORLD
TOMORROW is about to dawn!
Christ's true gospel message is THE KINGDOM OF GOD. Jesus
taught and proclaimed no other gospel. It sounds incredible--
almost unbelievable, I know--but it's TRUE! THAT gospel had not
been preached to the world for 18« centuries! Many have, as Jesus
foretold, come in his name, claiming to represent him, SAYING that
Jesus is the Christ (Matt. 24:5)--even proclaiming his shed blood
--preaching about GRACE (but turning it into license)--and have
DECEIVED THE MANY! God's true Church has continued to exist,
through every generation, until now, as a small and persecuted