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My wife and 1 began fellowship–
ping with these sincere and humble
people of God at the time of my
conversion and baptism, spring of
1927. We carried on this fellowship
for severa! years, but we never
joined them or became a member of
the Sardis era ofthe Church ofGod.
These brethren urged me repeat–
edly to preach, but the last thing on
earth 1 wanted to do was to be a
preacher.
However, 1 continued my interest
and study in the Bible, and contin–
ued to be thrilled as
J
received more
and more understandíng of the
Bible. Finally, along in November (1
thínk it was), 1 had discovered a
special Sabbath covenant, estab–
lished forever in Exodus 31: 12-17.
This was my first discovery of new
truth on the Sabbath question. 1was
excited about it , and the desire to
share this knowledge with these
brethren outweighed my reluctance
to preach.
Soon
J
was preaching more or less
regularly before these people. 1
found there was a division between
them in the area surrounding Jeffer–
son, Oregon, and that there was an–
other group of them besides the one
in which 1 was fellowshipping. The
brethren 1 was fellowshipping with
split off from Stanberry, Missouri ,
so far as paying tithes was con–
cerned . They incorporated as the
Oregon Conference of the Church
of God. By December of 1931 they
wanted me to preach a ten-day
evangelistic meeting in a church in
Harris burg, Oregon, which these
brethren rented regularly. From my
first sermon God blessed all my
preaching and writing with success.
In July 1933, Mr. Elmer Fisher,
who lived six miles west of Eugene,
asked me to preach a six-weeks'
campaign of evangelism at the Fir–
butte one-room country school. This
schoolhouse was in a sparsely set–
tled community. Considering the
small population, my efforts were
blessed with unusual success. This
campaign ended with severa! newly
baptized converts.
J
had presented
the truth about the annual Holy
Days and Festivals to the Oregon
Conference brethren , but they
"laughed me to scorn" (Matt. 9:24).
The
PLAIN TRUTH February 1978
Now, for the first time, 1 had newly
converted brethren who immedi–
ately accepted this truth. A small
church of 19 members emerged as
the parent church, later to become
the Worldwíde Church of God.
1 continued evangelistic meetings
in many districts in and near
Eugene, Oregon. The church grew.
It
accepted all of the new truths
God was revealing to me in the
Bible.
Phlladelphla Era Born
Let me make it clear that 1 was
nevera member of the church of the
Sardis era. 1 did continue fellow–
shipping with them and preaching
before them until the work which
started the "Philadelphia era" of the
Church consumed all my time. It
was separately incorporated, and
thus the present Worldwide Church
of God carne into being. This
Church was bom in August 1933.
From that humble beginning I have
met wilh nothing but persecution
and opposition, even as Christ was
when He appeared on earth.
It is a thankless job. because
Satan is bound to destroy me if he
can. The one thing uppermost on
Satan's mind right now is to destroy
God's Church, which he is swaying
more and more toward secularism–
interest in material and physical
things-going cons tantly a little
more toward the world of Satan and
its ways. The one thing uppermost
on Satan's mind right now is to stop
this message.
God is using me to take His mes–
sage through the doors God is open–
ing to kings, presidents, emperors,
prime ministers, Jeaders of nations,
and the people of those nations.
But the one thing uppermost on
God's mind, right now, is to restare
the govemment of God to the earth
and to have it announced to the
world. We have to rely on God. for
He is stronger than Satan. That's
why
J
need your heartrending, ur–
gent prayers- that God will restrain
Satan, and keep on protecting me
miraculously-as He has done- from
harm, keep on opening doors, re–
newing my youth, giving me the
strength, the vitality, the energy and
drive to keep on with His Work,
knowing that you are
lOO
percent
behind me, praying your hearts out
forme.
Ifyou don't , 1cannot carry on.
1 have not meant to criticize or
blame in any way the people of God
of the Sardis era. God allowed His
persecuted "little flock" to diminish
both in size and in His revealed
knowledge. God could have raised
up out of stones the one He wanted
todo the Work. But He did caU and
choose me, revealed His TRUTH
through me for all His Church, and
has used me, and will still go on
using me- if you are with me.
lnSummary
Go back to the beginning of this
vitally important article.
1 have shown you how this
Church carne to believe what it
does- truths no other people on
earth know! Truths nobody else on
earth is proclaiming to the world!
J
have shown you its ROOTS- its
origin, its history, and its prehistory.
The one and only place in the
world where the government of God
is being administered is in the
Worldwide Church of God. 1 have
said to you that the thing uppermost
in God's mind is restoring the gov–
ernment of God by and through the
Kingdom of God on this earth. God
has placed that govemment in H is
Church. This is a govemment based
on LOVE. Sorne don' t believe in it
and are fighting it. 1 need you to be
100 percent back of me in it.
Every day now we are one day
closer to GLORY! T ime is running
out on us. There are WONDERFUL
THINGS ahead for us, but we must
sacrifice, be faithful. and ENDURE
now!
1 have shown you how this
Church carne to believe what it be–
lieves. And how those precious be–
liefs were put into this Worldwide
Church of God. by Christ through
me. 1 have shown you HOW it was
FOUNDED. God says His Church is
founded on the apostles and proph–
ets, Jesus Christ being the chief cor–
nees tone. Not only the original
twelve apostles and Paul, but He
used His ONE apostle for this twen–
tieth century in founding this Phila–
delphia era of His Church. O
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