Dear Brethren and Friends, Greetings from Charlotte! A "wave" of enthusiasm hit my wife and me as we helped conduct the Feast of Tabernacles in Branson, Missouri and in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina! This year's Feast—according to many accounts—was the best and most inspiring of any we have had in our almost 15 years of the Global/Living Church of God. Several "old timers" told me sincerely it was their "best Feast ever"—going clear back to the 1960s and 1970s in the Worldwide Church of God.
We had excellent attendances of more than 1,260 people in Myrtle Beach, and more than 520 each in Branson and in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. It appears that we had a few more in attendance than we did last year. From every area on earth that has reported, we have heard reports of a truly outstanding Feast, and excellent comments about the sermons, the activities and especially the warmth, love and joy among the brethren. So it truly appears, brethren, that increasing thousands of God's people are beginning to realize that they really are at the "end of an age," that those of us remaining have been "tried and tested"—and we are grateful to see the end of this confused society finally coming into sight. Yet we all do realize that it must become "darkest just before the dawn." We have many trials and tests before our final reward is sure.
Another encouraging point to note is that several unusual and very documentable supernatural healings were reported in the weeks just before this year's Feast of Tabernacles! We have already reported to you on some of these in the World Ahead Weekly Update which is read at Sabbath services. As many of you know, we have had two dramatic healings in the Kansas City area, one in California involving Dr. Jeffrey Fall's daughter-in-law, and one in Canada.
Above and beyond those, I was delighted at the Feast in Branson to hear from one of our members in the Joplin area, who told me that I had participated in a wonderful recent healing! She thanked me, and I asked her to write briefly the details of this healing so we could all rejoice together. She stated in her handwritten note, "We would like to thank everyone for all the prayers and wonderful cards for Jim. Jim was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The doctors gave Jim two to three months to live. Jim was anointed by the local ministers and Mr. Meredith. Jim's cancer is gone into remission! He was diagnosed last Feast. Thanks, Jim & Marla Tallman & Family."
Thank God that He is beginning to intervene more frequently and more powerfully as we approach the end of the age. Perhaps as the prophetic events now under way drive us to our knees—as we humble ourselves and cry out to Him—more and more of these healings will begin to occur. Let us all remember that, as Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong said repeatedly, "The Church of God moves forward on its knees!"
Always remember, brethren, that the very "work of the Gospel" continually involved divine healing! As Jesus began His ministry, what did He do? We read: "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan" (Matthew 4:23–25).
Later, Jesus sent out the Twelve with these specific instructions: "And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease…. 'And as you go, preach, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give'" (Matthew 10:1, 7–8).
As you know, Jesus later sent out a group of "seventy others"— not apostles, but simply young men acting as servants of Christ. He told these still-unconverted disciples as they went out, "Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you'" (Luke 10:8–9). Did they also "cast out demons?" Indeed, they did! For Matthew also reports, "Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name'" (v. 17).
We constantly need to remind ourselves that the practice of "divine healing" is not some "odd" or seldom-talked-about feature of the first-century Church. Rather, it was an intrinsic part of preaching the Gospel in that day. As I have explained, in our day—because of the great "apostasy" that came over the Church through the rebellion of the recent leaders of the Worldwide Church of God—thousands of people had their faith and genuine trust in God for healing all but stamped out! Even for many who finally left that apostate outfit, its attitude of faithlessness affected their willingness to trust in God for healing.
So it is absolutely imperative that we all begin to study, meditate and pray more fervently about this matter, and ask God to "restore our faith!" As we do this, we will undoubtedly see far more—and far greater—healings in the future. As the prophesied disease epidemics begin to come upon our nations, we—of all people—need to have the living faith to put our full trust in God to deliver us! Although it is certainly good, in most cases, to find out the nature of any sickness or disease—and often to get appropriate physical help—during the coming disease epidemics it will become imperative that we put our full faith in God! For the hospitals and doctors will be overwhelmed, and the medical profession will not be able to give whatever help they might otherwise have given to those in distress.
Brethren, please think this through!
It is not a question of whether you may need God's help, and whether you should trust in Him for healing! As these events come upon us, it will be crystal clear to those who understand that the only true deliverance can come from the God who gives us life and breath, and who tells us that He is, indeed, our "Healer!" All over the world, the ministry and all our brethren must build faith in Christ.
We must build genuine faith in God's promises. Always remember the basic promise of healing, which applies to everyone in God's true Church: "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" (James 5:14–16).
Mr. Armstrong often asked Dr. Herman Hoeh or me to join him in prayers over hundreds of anointed cloths. I had the honor of hearing God's apostle pray for the sick as we, together, anointed these cloths and laid our hands upon them. Afterward, I was able to check regularly with the mail receiving department, and I came to find—over the experiences of many years—that about one-third of those receiving the anointed cloths were healed very quickly. Another third were healed after many weeks or months. Apparently, another third were never healed in this life. Some of the differences in these responses resulted, no doubt, from circumstances that only God may fully understand. Also, as Jesus said, "According to your faith be it unto you." From Scripture and the many clear examples in your Bible, it is obvious that as we grow in faith, many more healings will take place.
However, it is vital to realize that even Jesus Christ Himself could not perform many dramatic healings in an atmosphere of cynicism and doubt! Remember, when Jesus came to His own city and family, "Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching" (Mark 6:5–6).
So, God does not heal when the attitude of faith is not there—and when there is cynicism and doubt. Brethren, I call upon all of you to join with me and all our ministry to begin, more than ever, to cry out to God for a literal "outpouring" of His Spirit of faith that more of our brethren may be healed! This will certainly be a tremendous encouragement to all of our brethren—and to the people of God in other fellowships around the world. It will also be a "sign" to outsiders to begin to realize where God is truly working. Certainly, what a blessing it will be to those individuals personally involved, to be able to be rid of the sicknesses, diseases or infirmities for which they have been anointed.
Please do join me in praying about the matter of faith and healing. And let us rejoice wholeheartedly that God has blessed our recent Feast of Tabernacles observances, and that He is moving us forward in so many ways as we complete the Work of Christ over the next several years.
With Christian love,
