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NOT to ask the public for money to
carry on this vital Work. Jesus said,
"Freely ye have received, FREELY
GIVE" (Matthew 10:8). We cannot,
therefore, put a price tag on the pre–
cious truth of God and the WARNING
MESSAGE which must go to all the
world regardless of its acceptance or
its rejection.
So, as in apostolic times, God has
raised up a growing family of co–
workers- laborers together
with
Christ- wbo
are helping out finan–
cially, with their moral support and
encouragement, and in their faithful ,
fervent
prayers
for this Work of
God!
Rather than using sorne wealthy
benefactor or million aire- who,
many suppose,
migh~
be backing this
Work- God is using a growing band
of sincere, dedicated co-workers who
are doing
their part
by supplying the
financia! need of this Work, that the
truth may go free to others.
God has
always
given many others
the privilege and opportunity of be–
ing
direct helpers
in carrying out His
Work, whether in helping, housing,
or feeding a minister of God or send–
ing him on bis way with food and
money. The apostle John encouraged
those called in bis time to receive and
support the true servants of God,
" . .. that we migbt be
fellowhelpers
to the truth"
(III Jobn 8).
In writing to Philemon, the apostle
Paul said: "There salute thee Epa–
phras, my fellowprisoner in Christ
Jesus; Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas,
Lucas, my
fellowlabourers"
(Phile–
mon 23-24).
Again, Paul beseeches: "And 1 in–
treat thee also, true yokefellow, help
those women whicb laboured with
me in the gospel, with Clement also,
and with Other my FELLOWLABOUR–
ERS
[co-workers],
whose names a re
in the book of life" (Philippians
4:3).
God's Way in Ac t ion
It
is clearly Goo's WAY to use many,
many scattered individuals in helping
carry out His Work and in support–
ing and holding up the hands of His
called and chosen ministers. And this
very act of
laboring together with
Christ
is a mighty important addi–
tional factor in the spiritual GROWTH
28
and
blessings
of those co-workers.
Notice above that Paul describes the
"fellowlabourers, whose names are
IN the
book of lije. "
Those individu–
als who GJVE THEIR UVE$-here and
now- as
living sacrijices
in carrying
out God's Work are certainly laying
up treasure in heaven! For Jesus said:
"For where your treasure is, there
will your heart be also" (Mattbew
6:21).
Many of our co-workers obey Je–
sus' instruction to NOT leave undone
the matter of paying God's tithe–
the
first tenth
of the income to God,
with additional offerings as they are
able. But, in any case, their
hearts
are increasingly involved in God's
Work as they
labor together
in this
end-time crusade for sanity- a cru–
sade to restore the knowledge of
God's TRUTH to man before he blows
himself off this planet!
After a person has
voluntarily,
of
bis
own free wi/1,
expressed a desire
to HELP with this
gre~t
Work, Mr.
Armstrong sends personal monthly
letters informing these individuals in
our family of co-workers of the finan–
cia! conditions of God's Work.
Others just
add themselves
to our
co-worker list by
voluntarily
sending
in tithes and offerings regularly to
show they are
fellow
laborers in the
Work of Christ.
It is ONL
Y
this inner circle of co–
workers who a re ever told about the
financia! needs of this Work, the de–
tails of its grow.th, or are asked for
money in any way. There is NO
OTHER SOURCE of income for the
Work of God today! There is abso–
lutely ·No ONE in the millionaire or
multimillionaire class who is "spon–
soring" this Work of God! Frankly, if
there were, such an individual migbt
well decide to start dictating what
would be preached. But
God Himself
has so worked it out that His servants
can proclaim the
specific warning
prophecies affecting our nations and
explain and expound God's LIVING
LAws of success and happiness com–
pletely without fear or favor to any
human being!
Comments From Those Who Serve
Perhaps sorne misguided people get
the idea tbat those who help in carry–
ing out the true Work of God are
"suffering" or "being taken advan–
tage of." NOTHING could be further
from the truth!
l t has been my personal privilege
- as a minister in tbe Worldwide
Church of God-to visit literally
hundreds
of our listeners and co–
workers throughout the United
States, Canada, Great Britain and
South Africa over the last twenty–
five years. 1 have continually noticed
that those who have their hearts in
God's Work have, as Jesus promised,
been BLESSED in every way.
God specifically
promises
to bless
the tither (Malachi 3: 10). And al–
though we do not press or pressure
even our co-workers to tithe, we are
COMMANDED to teach God's truth on
this subject, and we do. To illustrate
that tithing is a BLESSING in every
way, I want to share with you the
following comments which have
come in from our co-workers a round
the world, which have been inspiring
to me and to many of us here in the
Work of God.
From Mrs. Harold R.:
Believe me, we have found out that
tithing really works. My husband
was fired from his job about two
months ago. We had been faithfully
paying tithes and 1 knew we would
be taken care of. He stayed out of
work about a month anda half. We
had no savings. We had no otber
means of income and to anyone else
it Jooked as if we were at
the
end of
our rope. We have a year-old baby
and my dad is staying with us. But
we never went hungry. We had
plenty. Other people remarked that
we weren't in as bad shape as they
were, although we weren't receiving
much incorne. You tell me how a
family of four can live comfortably
for nearly two months witbout a
job, witbout aoy savings, witbout
aoy risible means of support, and
witbout using credit.
Of
course you
a lready koow, but 1 can tell a skep–
tic a few things. We've fouod out.
God is a live! Let someooe tell me
tithing is a lot of baloney and l 'm
afraid 1'11 laugh in his face with no
sarcasm meant.
A man from Schertz, Texas writes:
My wife aod l have leamed that
tithiog does pay! One mooth we
gave God His portion; the next
mooth we did not tithe. The month
we tithed, good thiogs happened fi-
The
PLAIN TRUTH May 1979