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F
rom Seattle, Washington, comes
this question from a reader of
The Good News,
after reading
my " Personal" on "What we
should learn from the spectacu–
lar Israelí strike to free scores of
hostages from skyjack terrorism.
The amazing parallel! "
His question:
"Dear Mr. Armstrong. 1 read with
interest your article in the Decem–
ber
Good News.
1 am enclosing part
of it with underlinings that 1 would
like more information on.
" 1 would appreciate receiving a
short and concise statement of the
basis of your call from God. Did He
visit you personally? How was this
Bible commission announced to
shake someone like me to be able to
know that you are the 'APPOINTEO'?
Will there be any need for a succes–
sor to you? And how is it provided?
" 1 enjoy your magazine. Best to
you."
The letter was not anonymous.
else 1would not give it an answer.
But 1 feel many readers might be
interested in the answer. God did
appear personal ly to Adam. to
Noah , to Abraham, Isaac and Ja–
cob. Christ did appear personally in
calling His twelve apostles. There is
every reason to believe that He ap–
peared in person to the apostle Paul.
in calling and instructing him.
1 have often compared my call
and teaching from Christ to Paul's
account in Galatians 1: 10-17.
First, he gave one of the evi–
dences of the authenticity of his
apostleship in verse 10: " For do 1
now persuade men, or God? Or do 1
seek to please men? For if 1 yet
pleased men. 1 should not be the
servant ofChrist."
Then comes his teaching and com–
mission: " But 1certify you. brethren.
that the gospel which was preached
of me is not after man. For 1neither
received it of man, neither was 1
taught it, but by the revelation of
Jesus Christ. ... But when it pleased
God. who ... called me by his grace,
to reveal his Son in me. that 1might
preach him among the heathen; im–
mediately 1conferred not with flesh
and blood (humans): neither went 1
up to Jerusalem to them which were
apostles befare me; but 1 went into
Arabia. and returned again unto Da–
mascus."
The
PLAIN TRUTH April 1977
Personal from ...
A Frank Answer toa
Reader's Sincere Question
There is every reason to believe
that Jesus Christ appeared in person
to Paul in Arabia. and for sorne
three years taught him just as He
previously had taught the origina l
twelve for sorne three years.
Jesus Christ is the
persona/living
Word of God. The Bible is the
writ–
/en
Word of God. The Bi ble was not
in print in Paul's day. Paul. when
called. did not go to men. or those
recognized by men as God's teach–
er . but he was taught directly by
Christ the
personal
Word of God. In
like manner. when God called me,
by circumstances 1 believe He ma–
neuvered, in the autumn of 1927-
after preparing me in many ways
while 1 was unconverted and travel–
ing the wrong road of life (see vol–
ume
J
of my autobiography)- 1 did
not go to any school of religion. to
any denominational teachers. or to
any humanly taught theological
seminary. 1 went directly to the liv–
ing CHRIST for teaching THROUGH
HI SWRITTEN WORD!
1 was immediately shocked to see
with my own eyes that in Protestan!
Sunday school. from a chi ld . 1 had
been taught precisely the OPPOSITE
of what God PLAINLY SAYS in His
written WoRo!
How do 1 know HE guided me?
Two reasons: 1) My eyes saw
exactly the SAME WORDS my human
teachers of Sunday- chool days had
seen- thc diffcrence being that they
"believed" in the BIBLE-but did
NOT believe WHAT IT SAIO-and 1
did believe WHAT
IT
PLAINLY SAID.
2) 1 had bcen brought to a fu ll and
complete REPENTANCE and UNCON–
DITIONAL SURRENDER lO ÜOD. ac–
cording to WIIAT HE
SAJD
(which 1
believed). 1 had given my life with–
out any reserva1ions to HrM. 1 had
forsaken TI IIS WORLD. 1he glam–
orous futurc it appeared 10
pr~mise
me-everylh ing- to believe and fol–
low HIM. AND HAO ACCORDING TO
HIS PR0Iv11SE RECEIVED HIS HOLY
SPIRIT TO OPEN MY MINO TO HIS
SPIRITUAL TRUTH! 1 knew il was
TRUE. because it made sensc and
nolhing else did!
Little by little. in almosl day-and–
nighl study of HISWORD. much of i1
on my knce . God opened more and
more TRUTH to my understanding.
Always 1 had craved UNDERSTAND–
ING. And God was giving il tome.
After thc first six months of 1his
intensive biblical s tudy. God
brought me to this complete surren–
der. and gave me the gift of His
Spirit in the spring of 1927. 1 feel He
gave me also the special gift of UN–
DERSTA DI G.
1 DID NOT CIIOOSE THE MINISTRY
as a life vocation. 1 had long before
(Continued on page 42)