Basic HTML Version
August 28, 1958
Dear Friends and Brethren in Christ:
Thousands of you have sent our family letters or cards of
sympathy after being notified of the untimely death of Richard D.
Armstrong, resulting from an automobile accident.
It would take so long to address envelopes for this
acknowledgment to so many that I have decided to make this a
general letter to all who are Co-Workers with us in God's precious
work. This way your names and addresses can be quickly printed on
by our addressing machine.
Our whole family wishes to express our deep gratitude and
love to you.
We all feel as my wife expressed to me when she, after
being the first to read a large bundle of these expressions of
sympathy, said to me:
"All these wonderful letters from all parts of the United
States have given me a completely new conception of this wonderful
work of God and all these brethren and Co-Workers God has called to
work with us. They have laid bare their hearts to us. They have
shown the deep LOVE they have, not only for God and His work, but
for us as the family God has called and used in the direction of
His work--and the love all who knew him had for Dick. This has
completely opened my eyes. I didn't realize there was so much LOVE
in the hearts of those God is using in His work. This is the
greatest encouragement I've ever had. This is the one greatest
proof that this is GOD'S OWN CHURCH, carrying on GOD'S OWN WORK
--bearing this choicest fruit of all--brotherly LOVE."
Truly, the fruits prove that those of us God has called to
be used as His instruments in HIS WORK, proclaiming HIS GOSPEL
MESSAGE to the whole world as a witness, do constitute that era of
God's Church described in Revelation 3:7-13--the "Philadelphia
Church." It is said Philadelphia means "brotherly love." This is
the era or stage of God's true Church for which He has OPENED THE
DOOR of facilities for mass evangelism--the powerful door of radio,
television, and the printing press. This is the Church fulfilling
the divine Commission for this time, "This Gospel of the Kingdom
shall be preached (and published-Mark 13:10) in all the world as a
witness unto all nations, and then shall the END (of this world)
come" (Matt. 24:14).
We, brethren, are the true Body of Christ--the collective
Body in which the same Holy Spirit lives and works that lived and
worked in the human body of Jesus Christ over 1900 years ago. That
same Spirit lived and worked in the physical body of Richard David
Armstrong--in great power. That same Spirit lives and works in us
who remain to finish the work of God. We must remain UNITED, in
love, and in faith and POWER!
"Yes, God has tempered the Body together, with a special
dignity for the inferior parts, so that there may be no disunion of