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AM 1 IN -IT
FORTHE MONEY?
Many are accused ofpreaching the "Gospel" for the money they get out of it. Here is afrank, open
statement of the PLAIN TRUTH. Here 1 /ay my lije bare as an open book before you!
"
ERE IS a story such as you
have never read before.
The state of California,
through the attorney general's
office, has launched a massive
attack against the Worldwide
Church of God , myself, and Mr.
Stanley R ader. Eight-colu mn
banner newspaper headlines
screamed to the world tbe aJiega–
tion that 1, with Mr. Rader, had
been siphoning off millions of
dollars every year from Church
funds for our own accounts and
use. After .a year and a baJf, NO
EVIDENCE of any wrongdoiñg has
been found.
But WHAT ARE THE TRUE
FACTS? Have I been in the Work
of the living Goo for what I could
GET out of it? Why and for what
purpose did 1 start, 53 years ago?
J ust HOW MUCH have I "GOT–
TEN" out of it? Just how much do
1 have now? How much does Mr.
Stanley
L.
Rader have now?
l had been quite successful as a
young man in the adver tising pro–
fession. In my own office in Chi–
cago's "loop" in downtown Chi–
cago, Il l. , 1 was making, on the
1980 dollar-value more tban
$175,000 per year before 30 years
of age.
Then, in 1927, at age 34, the
living Goo opened my eyes to HIS
TRUTH, unpreached in this world. 1
carne to see that the orthodox
Christian teaching of my child–
hood and youth was the very anti–
thesis of the truth God reveals in
His Word, the Bible. In His Word
God revealed to me that there are
just two ways of life. One is
"GET"-the way ofSELF-centered–
ness- the way of "I'm in it for
August 1980
by
Herbert W. Armstrong
what I can GET- 1 Jove
ME,
and 1
don't care about you." Theother–
Goo's wA v- is the way of
"GJVE"-outflowing love and con–
cern for the good and welfare of
others-t he way of LOVE to God
and LOVE to neighbor."
Last Sunday J saw a preacher
on television say, "We can't know
the CAUSE of all the troubles, evils
and suffering in the world-but
we know that God is suffering
along with us." 1 don't believe
that. God has revealed to me the
root CAUSE of all the world's evils
and sufferings. Every evil in the
world has come from living by
the "GET"-the "ME-FIRST" phi–
losophy.
1 wanted to GIVE this amazing
truth to the world. In my conver–
sion I did not just "GET"–
RECEIVE-Christ as personal Sav–
ior. Rather 1
GA VE
this sinful
self of mine to HIM. 1 received
Him and His truth, NOT to "GET"
for myself, or to "GET" salvation
and eternal life for myself-but
rather, that I might
GIVE
this
precious troth and understanding
to the world- that l might SHARE
it with thousands and millions of
others.
I GAVE UP the business life and
its rewards. Seven years later, in
poverty, 1 began GIVING the pre–
cious truth over radio.
1 started in poverty-from
nothing of this world's goods. Jt
was a work of FAITH from the
start. 1 bad one pair of shoes.
They were righteous- they had
" holey soles." 1 had a suit of
c lothes for every day in the
week-and the one 1 was wearing
was JT!
J
had no car.
And what did I preach? 1
preached Jesus Christ and H1s
TRUTH-the most DIFFICULT
teaching and doctrine in all this
world's "Christian ity" to pro–
claim-the HARDEST for my hear–
ers to accept.
Would anyone start out with
the most hard-to-accept teaching
to make money? Does that make
sense? It was a teaching and
doctri11al TRUTH that has brought
continual opposition, accusation,
persecution. Jt 's no way to make
money, let me tell you!
1 devoted my life to GIVING.
My family and l went HUNGRY–
and Ido mean HUNGRY! That was
part of the price paid for GIVING
out of love for others, in a world
adjusted to "GETTING."
Yet the living Jesus Christ
blessed this Work in marvelous
ways. Faith was rewarded.
Prayers were answered-contin–
ually. The Work of the living
Goo prospered.
In 1947 1 founded my first
college- Goo's college, that is!
And on sheer FA ITH, with no
income whatsoever that was not
already appropriated and obli–
gated for radio time and operat–
ing expenses. By FAITH it sur–
vived!
I incorporated the Church and
college on improper legal ad–
vice-or we should not be suffer–
ing this State versus Church law–
suit now. But 1 thought the legal
advice was good. l t was that of a
lawyer who had been an attorney
in the Interna! Revenue Service
of the government in Washington
for sorne 12 years. But I took
pains to incorporate so that 1,
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