I learned a lot from Herbert Armstrong, and a lot because of him. After all, where do you learn protocol for any country, race or religion?
I am writing to you from an altitude of 41,000 feet, traveling 500 miles per hour on route to Bangkok, Thailand. Aside from the fact that I am not on board a Grumann Gulfstream jet, these words might be a quote from many a letter from our past. The letters and articles written all over the world, whether in a plane or in a hotel, are still etched in my mind; not to mention those Young Ambassador songs that will forever ring in my ears.
It was a time when things were more clearly defined for me. It was a cause that I served, still do, and always will, even though God has chosen to define it differently as we enter the final human phase before His divine intervention. Yet, I still look back to learn how I must carry the torch into the future.
I learned a lot from Herbert Armstrong, and a lot because of him. After all, where do you learn protocol for any country, race or religion? Where do you learn how to make a typewriter work when the voltage fluctuates between 150 to 280 volts? How do you repair a typewriter when you don't have a local Smith-Corona dealer, because the country you are in is barely out of the stone age? Where do you learn the "hupsbah" to go where you have to go, but the sign says "employees only." How do you get permits that are supposed to take weeks, in one day?
There are many things I treasure when I look back on the time with my friend and mentor. I was his child in the spiritual sense, a result of God's efforts through him. He forced me to practice all of the seven laws of success. A saying I grew fond of was: "The difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer." Miracles seem to be the routine. Only as I look back do I really see the magnitude of the lessons I learned.
The Biggest Lesson
If I had to pick one, what would be the biggest lesson I learned? Was it perseverance? I witnessed a man who would never give up—a man who was so focussed on his job that he put everything and anything aside to get it done. There was no time off. Princess Lillian of Belgium once chided him for not giving me a vacation: "Mr. Armstrong, you can't do that to him!" "Oh," he responded, "AaronBrother of Moses, First High Priest's like me, his work is his life." (It was only true because I didn't have another life—just ask my wife.)
Of course, we did have some free time. We often played hearts in the evening, when he was too tired to work. The challenge for him, because of his eyesight, was distinguishing the spades from the clubs and the diamonds from the hearts. It makes it much easier when you only play two colors. Of course, the object of this game was to "give," something he gladly practiced. With the night over it was back to work.
The older he got the more he felt he needed to do, yet the less strength he had to do it and the tougher scheduling became. Technology helped, but only with God's intervention did he do more each year till his life ended. He did endure to the end and encouraged all of us to do the same. Yes, endurance was a part of the routine.
Was it patience? I have often observed that the one common test of all the biblical characters was patience and faith. How often do we lack one or the other? On so many trips I sat waiting for the call to a meeting, only to hear the foreign staff say: "I don't think you'll have a visit today." Would I be judged if a meeting didn't come about? Should we just sit here, or go on? We logged a lot of hours in hotels and airports. It made me thankful that he wrote so much. He didn't worry about meetings, or notice the passing time when he was working. It gave time to pray for help—boy, did I pray.
Just when I was about to give up thinking perhaps God didn't want us here, a call would come. I would interrupt his work and then we would be off for what usually was scheduled as a 10-minute audience. To my delight, but the dismay of many a foreign secretary who often had other official ambassadors lined up and waiting, we would be there anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours. A visit would end, a new one begin, and with that, another test of patience and faith.
"Stand back and see the glory of God," comes to mind often as I think of those years. Where is the tremendous growth we once knew? Why aren't these same things happening now? Do we have less faith, less desire, less patience? Perhaps, but I pray not, and don't think so. I still want to share the message of the kingdom of God with everyone—always have, always will.
Follow God
So what lesson do I treasure the most? It is summed up in a saying Mr. Armstrong made many times when forced with a controversy, and often hearing more than one side of an issue. "What does God want?" The lesson is try and follow God, not lead Him. It is then that we find success as measured by God.
We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God. Trying to search out what direction God wants to go is the only sure way to success. If God wants something big, it will be big; something small, it will be small. We are the stones God may use, but He, through Christ, builds it.
The fact that our short history showed a period of sustained growth in truth and facilities is not the 2,000-year norm. The church started with a bang, was torn by heresy, and rose and fell through the centuries, as God saw fit to call and help his servants to His glory.
In trying to analyze the future, I return to the thoughts of Herbert W Armstrong when he realized God would not return during his physical life. He knew there would be an apostasy, a falling away from the truth. He felt half the church would depart. He knew many would quit keeping the Sabbath and would pay a dear spiritual price. Ihave these words on tape. He knew the love of many would wax cold. He knew there would be a famine of the word.
How did he know? He knew what would happen, not how. The BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. is the source of truth, the way to live, a true history, and sure prophecy. When I asked him, "How?" he merely said: "The BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. says it will happen." He was right, it has, it is, and it will.
His final orders were to " prepare the bride of Christ." Are you prepared to say "I do" and march out to teach your people in your cities how to practice God's way? If you are not, then you had better pull out the dress, press it, and start putting in on.
Putting on the Wedding Garment
I will return from Thailand just in time to perform my niece's wedding. Her priorities before have been doing her schooling and working toward her career. But that has changed—now she is focused on the wedding day, her future husband, and a total and complete change in her responsibilities. She has been busy preparing all the details, and this week she is doing the finishing touches. I imagine her husband is ready for her to totally focus on him and their future life. Her immediate life is about to change forever.
How much are you doing your part to be ready as the bride of Christ? We each, as members of the "little flock" and "brides," will get to help educate several billion people that God gives us, and then go onto who knows what else God has in store. It indeed will be the "Wonderful World Tomorrow." The last request of Mr.. Armstrong matches what God states in my BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ.. Each of us must be ready for that wedding.
Yes, I admired and enjoyed the dynamic work God defined under Mr. Armstrong. It became more impressive once again as I met recently with Queen Sirikit of Thailand. She rehearsed what he had taught her and the king. I heard the same from others in Asia. It was a marvelous time watching God work.
In United we will try, as God directs and sends the finances, to do as dynamic a work as possible. But are you also preparing for Christ's return and pressing your wedding garment?
Follow the Father
Nothing is new, these same things happened in the first century. If you follow the history it seems God is sometimes doing a smaller focussed work on his people more than with his people. We as a church must learn to be abased and to abound as Paul wrote. God decides which and when, and both have important lessons from God when we follow His lead. When the bride truly is ready, then God may use us to do a more powerful work—perhaps before His Son returns— most assuredly afterward. Our job is to be ready!
Yes, the most important lesson I learned was "Follow the Leader." I followed Mr. Armstrong and made allowances for his physical shortcomings, because God did put him there. There are times when men fall short and we follow anyway when it is not a salvation issue. But, the leader of God's church is Christ, and His leader is God the Father. The Christ says: "Fill your lamps with oil, and quit sleeping," and also, "I do not do My will, but the will of My Father." Follow that and you never go wrong. UN
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