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per week for radio time. The money
came BY FAITH! Everything, frorrr
that time, carne by living FAITH.
God gave miraculous answers to
fervent prayer. The sick-even can–
cer victims-were being healed.
No operation could have started
smaller. But God blessed it, and it
grew at the . rate of 30 percent per
year for 35 years.
In 1947 God used me in founding
Ambassador College-on sheer
FAITH! The Church of God began to
GROW-steadily.
1 had to realize God was dealing
with me, in principie, as He had dealt
with Job. God allowed Satan to take
away every material thing Job had to
bring him to God- but then, after
Job was humbled and brought to re–
pentance, God DOUBLED Job's for–
mer wealth- and he had been the
greatest and wea lthiest man in the
East.
Also my experience resemb1ed
that of the apostle Pa u1 , in princi–
pie.
And now, 46 years after the found–
ing of the present era of the true
Church of God, the ever-living Christ
continues to give me severe tests of
faith.
As God's Church, then named the
Radio Church of God, began to
grow, God led meto incorporate it in
such a manner that 1 would always
be UNABLE to profil financially from
its growth.
It
is doubtful whether any institu–
tion in human history started from as
humble and small beginnings. When
Goo starts something on His power
a1one, it is BIG from lhe beginning.
For example, the creation of thc UNI–
VERSE- the creation of the earth.
But when God sta rts something
through humans, it usually, like the
grain of mustard seed, starts the very
smallest and most humble, and then
grows as the spiritual character of
the human develops.
J
had rejected a salary of $3 per
week prior to the sta rt of the World–
wide Church of God. As forme and
my family, we received almost
no
financia! aid at our beginning in
God's service. l t was, indeed, a Work
of FAITH. 1 lrusted God in faith to
38
supply the need. We paid $5 per
month house rent. 1 had to pay $2.50
per week at the radio station-in
ad–
vance-before
every broadcast. God
was supplying the need as He prom–
ised (Phi l. 4:19).
One Sunday morning dawned
without even the $2.50 for the Sun–
day morning broadcast. My wife and
1 knelt in prayer, asking God
to
supply the need. 1 was aroused from
prayer by a knock on the front door .
A man at the door said , "Here's my
tithe," and dashed off, saying he had
to hurry for an appointment.
Another Sunday morning when 1
did not have the $2.50 on hand, no
one carne to lhe front door. Yet, in
faith, I started walking to the radio
studio. On the way a man I did not
know, handed me the needed money.
1 could give you the story of many
other similar occurrences.
But after 1 was actively in God's
Work, although it had to be carried
on in living FAITH, we never again
had to be hungry, without food–
although we often did have to eat
beans and the 1east costly food. l t
was a financi a l strugg1e from the be–
ginning. After moving to Eugene, we
rented a hous e costing $7 per
month.
After two years, 1 was able to add
a second radio station in Portland,
costing $1
O
per broadcast. Once, on
starting to drive to Portland for lhe
Sunday afternoon broadcas t , 1
lacked the $1
O
1 had to pay in ad–
vance. 1 stopped at Salem, Oregon,
for lunch, and somebody- 1 do not
now remember who-handed me the
needed broadcast money.
1 was still going with only one pair
of shoes and one suit of clothes, but
was no longer hungry.
When I was 19 years of age, a
multimillionaire called me to his of–
fice. He was start ing me out as an
employee of hi s corporation, and my
job would entail sorne long-distance
rail travel. He wanted to give a young
man sorne good advice.
"When you travel , always (when
you can afford it) travel in a Pullman
car. Always stay a t the best hotel,
even though you take their mini–
mum-priced room. This throws you
among tbe more successful people,
and everyone we contact has an in–
fiuence on us."
But when 1 had to stay overnight
in Portland, ora year later in Sea ttle,
1 could not afford the best-quality
hotel, so I stayed at the second or
third best. I always tried to live with–
in my means.
A newspaper writer , in a story
about the Worldwide Church of God,
saíd he had learned that when roya l–
ty or overseas VIPs visited us in Pas–
adena , I d'id not take them lo
McDonald's or Jack-in-the-Box for
lunch or dinner, but to Perino's (Los
Angeles's best restaurant) . But
royalty is accustomed to the best in
quality, and it would be virtually an
insult to take people of that stature to
a low-price restaurant.
If
1 had to
fast without food a few days in order
to atford to take such guests to the
quality place to which they are ac–
customed, 1 would do it. 1 do lake
such guests to the type place they
expect to be taken.
What would 1 have done, when 1
had to go to the lowest-price places
myself and had only one pair of shoes
and one threadbare suit of clothes?
Well, I did not have royalty or VIPs
visiting me in those days. 1 probably
would have been forced to find sorne
way to avoid having to host them at
all.
In train travel back in the l920s,
'30s and '40s, 1 traveled often in day
coaches on trains, and ate at low–
price lunch counters. But Goo has
promised to supply all our need (Phi!.
4: 19), and in the Work of God in
these days certain things are
neces–
sary
in
order lo serve God-and He
provides what is needed.
I have never engaged in extrava–
gance. "Extravagant" is defined in
the dictionary as "exceeding the 1im–
its of reason, or necessity; extremely
or exceedingly elaborate, profuse or
unreasonably high in price."
The best quality of things may be
expensive, but not extravagant.
At this point let me inject a little
current news . Sorne of the dissidents
who brought this civil lawsuit on
God's Cburch spread the rumor that
in fact this was not a suit against me
or against the Church, but against
Mr. Stanley Rader. Of course, that is
not true, for every effort in their
power was made to take over and
confiscate the Church property- to
turn all management of the Church
over to the court-appointed receiver.
They told the press the suit was
The
PLAIN TRUTH June-July 1979