1964


WEDNESDAY 14th APRIL 1965

The amazing Ethiopia Crusade

   We had a big day in the office getting the newsletters out. Mrs Ridout came to help us and then stayed for tea. We took her home at 11pm.

   I spent £50 on stamps today, 3,360 @ 2½ d, and 1,800 @ 2d for the overseas newsletters. I also filled up with petrol 15/6d (3 gallons @ 5/1d + 3 shots of Redex) and bought a 4 inch spool 3/9d from Ron Parkes.

   The newsletter reads:—

      April 14th 1965

My dear friend,

   This letter is going to sound almost incredible to you and yet it is true! My wife and I have just returned from Europe and East Africa where the Lord gave us tremendous Crusades in Portugal, Greece and Ethiopia. At least 3,500 souls were converted to Christ and many hundreds of people were miraculously healed. There is not space in this letter to mention [describe] the great blessing which attended the meetings in Europe and Egypt, but God willing, we shall shortly be publishing a book with the full story of how God spoke to us and called us to undertake this great missionary journey.

   I would say, however, that on January 21st last, the Lord Jesus assured me that I would stand before the Emperor of Ethiopia and bring His Majesty the Word of the Lord. This might sound fantastic, but God brought it to pass and many other things, exactly as He showed me. The Crusade in Addis Ababa was to have been held at the race-course but, due to circumstances beyond our control, we were confined to preaching in a small Mission in that city. However, on the third night, four deaf-and-dumb people were healed one after the other, followed by a fifth person, who was dumb only, and four people totally blind in one eye all received perfect sight the moment I touched them. A child with a useless arm began to use it alright. A man with a rigid neck could move it almost perfectly. A man crippled in his right leg and with a useless hand was healed. Many others were delivered by the power of God.

   You can imagine what it was like the next night. The hall which I had thought would accommodate around 200 was jam-packed full with 400 people. So many were crammed into the building that some of the seating collapsed under the weight of the people, while outside the Mission hundreds were unable to gain admittance. That night a prostitute totally blind in one eye received perfect sight instantly, another woman completely blind in one eye could see perfectly, and another with gnarled useless hands was set free. Numerous others were delivered too, whose testimonies we have forgotten. The following night, the Lord healed twelve deaf-mutes. Each was instantly set free, could hear the faintest whisper and repeat simple words.

   The same happened almost every night for two-and-a-half weeks. The people queued for admission to the services for hours beforehand, and long before the meetings could begin the doors of the Mission had to be locked and bolted with hundreds of people shut outside and pounding on the doors trying to get in. Sometimes, only non-Christians and the very seriously sick were admitted, the service being relayed to those in the street by microphone. As many as 250–300 souls prayed the sinner’s prayer each night, repenting of their sins and crying to the Lord to save them, while at the close of the Crusade no less than 47 deaf-mutes had been healed, 15 people totally blind in one eye had received perfect sight, and literally scores of lame, deaf, diseased and crippled were being healed by the Lord.

   As you might imagine, the meetings constantly made front-page headlines in the newspapers, and they were also mentioned on the radio and T.V. So great was the impact of the Crusade that we were called upon to pray for almost all the members of the Royal Family [resident in Ethiopia], and before we returned to England, Freda and I were summoned to Jubilee Palace where we were received in audience by His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie. Thus we brought to His Majesty the Word of the Lord exactly as God had shown me while yet in England.

   In writing this letter I feel totally inadequate to express the tremendous things that we have seen the Lord do, but I would like to say how very deeply grateful we are to all our many friends who constantly pray for us and support us with their gifts. Whenever we have asked for money for the Lord’s work, we have promised that every penny would be wisely and faithfully used. We have kept that promise and I know you will have been thrilled by this letter and to feel that you have had a share in this wonderful ministry.

   At the moment I do not feel permitted by the Lord to divulge our plans for future ministry in England except to say this. That as God has warned us of terrible judgments to fall upon this land, so He has given us a special message for this time, and God will do in our forthcoming Crusades in Britain even as He has done in Ethiopia. May I therefore ask once again if you would give sacrificially to the Lord’s work? I am relying very much upon your help at this time, and if you should be able to send a gift, however small, towards our forthcoming British Crusades, I would be most deeply grateful. You will see great things accomplished by your offering, and the Lord Jesus Himself will reward you for your faithfulness.

   Do please remember to enclose your prayer-requests. I feel the anointing of the Lord upon our lives in a very special way just now and it is a privilege to pray for you and for your loved ones. If there are friends who you feel would be blessed to receive a copy of this letter or any of our books perhaps you would be so kind as to send us their names and addresses. We shall look forward to hearing from you soon. God bless you always.

      Yours in the Lord Jesus,

      BRIAN WILLIAMS

   P.S — When you write I will send you a free copy of my latest book, Water Baptism, which is due off the press this week. I want you to have this book in appreciation of your prayers and interest, and I am sure you will enjoy it.[jpg].

...


WEDNESDAY 27th MAY 1964

   We arrived home from Wallingford at midday; I spent the afternoon in the office. After paying all the expenses the offerings from the Crusade meetings amounted to £55 7s 6d, plus £5 12s 11d from the sale of books. £9 0s 6d came in today.

   We have received The Gospel With Evidence [jpg] from Reliance Press at long last, I wrote a brief letter to accompany it, and got it printed down the road at Graeco Press. We have been to see Mam and Dad tonight.

   The newsletter reads:—

   Sorry to be so late in sending your book due to a delay at the printers. The Lord is blessing tremendously in souls being saved and many healed — a lady with failing sight due to a cataract apparently received perfect vision, two terribly crippled with arthritis both miraculously delivered; many other testimonies, deafness etc, too.

   Have travelled almost 3,000 miles in England and Wales in the last 7 weeks [which] will give you some idea of what the Lord is doing. Freda and I treasure your fellowship in the Gospel, and appreciate your prayers and love-gifts more than we can say. We need your support more then ever and know you will not fail us. As you hold this letter I am praying, God bless you and your loved ones, and God give you strength and healing, God supply all your needs in Jesus’ Name. Brian W

...


MONDAY 20th JULY 1964

Postmen on strike

   No letters came in today because of the postmen’s strike. I took Mary and Jacky [Mary G. Collins and Jacqueline Robinson] with us to Reliance Printing Works, Halesowen, to collect The Healing Word, Part Two [jpg], also the newsletters to go out on Thursday, and cards offering the books.

   Mrs Craig and Maureen came at 6.15pm to help wrap and package the Bibles.

   The newsletter reads:

      60 Russell Road, Hall Green, Birmingham

      July 23rd, 1964

My dear friend,

   I do trust that on this occasion you will forgive my sending you a printed letter, but I do want you to look upon it as a personal one, because Freda and I truly regard you as a personal friend. We pray for you regularly, and as we were putting this letter into your envelope today, we made a point of calling your name before the Lord, asking that He would make His presence real to you, and that whatever your needs might be, they might be supplied.

   There is so very much I want to tell you that I decided to print this letter to make it easier all round, but please don’t put it down and forget about it, as it really is important.

   First of all, I think you will know how tremendously the Lord is blessing our ministry at this time, and how folk are coming to the services from all over the country. The pastor of one church where we ministered recently frankly confessed that he had been rather sceptical of the reports that Brian Williams had a new ministry and was preaching like a changed man. He told me afterwards, however, that our meetings were the greatest he had ever been in, and told his congregation that this was the greatest preaching to be heard in Pentecost today.

   This may be a rather sweeping statement, but I would like to say that ever since we prophesied President Kennedy’s death three weeks before it happened, the Lord has brought us into a new sphere of ministry in which He has been revealing to us some of the terrible things that are about to befall our nation, and has been using us as never before to warn the people.

   Some people do not believe that anyone can know what is going to happen in the future, but I would like to say that if you will read Genesis 18:17, Psalm 25:14, and Amos 3:7, you will find that God has always had His humble servants who did not amount to much so far as the world was concerned, but to whom the Lord could reveal His secrets.

   I am not ashamed to say that God has given me a special message at this time. That is why I am a different preacher from what I was six months ago, and that is why the great miracles of healing are taking place in our meetings and conversions are being accompanied with a heartfelt repentance and brokenness not often seen these days. “No man can do these miracles, except God be with Him” (John 3:2).

   I have come to realise as never before that there is no limit to what the Lord can do through the man who is humble enough. John the Baptist, when asked whether he was Elijah or the prophet that should come, said he was neither (though Jesus said he was!). John said, “I am nobody. I am just a voice crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.”

   That is how I feel at this time. God has not called us preachers to be “big” and to make a reputation for ourselves, but to be like Jesus, who made Himself of no reputation, but humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. So far as the future is concerned, I know that He must increase and we must decrease, for Jesus has called us just to be His voice to warn the people of coming judgment, and to bring the true people of God into the unity of the faith.

   May I sincerely and earnestly ask you to pray for Freda and me at this time? Will you right now, as you read this letter, ask the Lord to bless and anoint our ministry and use us in a greater way in these coming days? Our next meetings are at Kendal (Assemblies of God Church) on July 25th at 7.30pm, and 26th at 10.45am and 6.30pm, then at Reading (The Abbey Gateway) from August 1st-4th inclusive, at 6.30pm each night, and also at 3.00pm on Monday, 3rd.

   Our second item of news is that we have two new books just off the press, entitled The Healing Word, Parts 1 and 2. It is tragic that in these days so few churches and ministers believe in Divine Healing, but in the Bible there are 25,000 words on the subject, showing beyond a shadow of a doubt the power and willingness of Christ to heal the sick today. These books contain every text in the Bible on the subject of healing, all arranged in different chapters, such as Healing in the Old Testament, Healing in the New Testament, Healing for the Aged, Healing for the Young, Healing for the Incurable, Healing for the Demon-Possessed, Healing at a Distance, and Healing by Degrees, etc., twelve chapters in all.

   Of the seven books we have so far published, there are none more beautiful than these two. Part One.has a full-colour reproduction of the famous masterpiece by Rubens, “The Adoration of the Magi,” and Part Two has “The Adoration of the Shepherds,” by Guido Reni.

   These books are not only the most beautiful we have ever produced, but also the most valuable, and we are giving both books absolutely free of charge to all who return the enclosed card before the date stamped upon it. There is no catch in this. We sincerely want you to have these books, and the only thing that we ask is would you please use the card and envelope provided and return it to us before the date shown. This really is important. At the same time, if there is any mistake in your name and address, would you correct these, please, so that we may amend our mailing-list accordingly.

   The third thing I want to say is that the real proof of whether a man brings the true Word of the Lord, and truly speaks as God’s mouthpiece, is that the things he speaks come to pass (see Deuteronomy 18:22, and Jeremiah 28:9). I have already mentioned how God is using us these days, and I want to add this: Everything God ever showed me has been fulfilled in the minutest degree. It has come to pass without the slightest error, and the Bible says this is the proof of whether a man receives his message from the Lord or not.

   In January, we published a book entitled The Divine Key to Financial Prosperity, in which I said that God had told me to tell you to send us the biggest offering you could towards His work. I said that as people did so, the Lord would restore to them, many times over, whatever they gave. The result has been that scores of people (without exaggeration) have told us that after sending their gift, the money was returned to them, multiplied anything up to 100 times. Some received legacies, unexpected gifts, tax rebates, etc. Others told how they immediately received an increase in salary, including one man whose wages were increased by 50%. Some wrote and told us how the Lord had miraculously provided them with a house, and how long-standing problems were solved.

   You see, the revelation was true. Now the Lord has told me to tell you that there is no one in the world who is too poor to give. One day, Jesus saw a poor woman casting two mites (a farthing) into the Temple offering, and it was all that she had. She had nothing else in the world. But this is the important thing — Jesus did not stop her giving the money. He did not tell her she was too poor to give, or to think of her other commitments, or to take her offering back because, after all, what good could a farthing do? He let her give her last two mites because Jesus knew full well that what she had given He would give back to her with interest.

   The same is true of Elijah’s widow-woman, who gave the prophet of God her last meal when she and her son were starving to death, and God gave her a miraculous supply that more than met her needs. Not only so, but afterwards, God raised her son from the dead and gave her this special miracle for her faithfulness. Another prophet of God, Elisha, told another widow-woman to pour out the last of her precious oil. When she did so, a miracle took place that paid off all her bills and cleared off all her debts.

   Now I make no apology for asking you to send an offering because the Lord told me to ask you. I am asking not for myself, but for the sake of the multiplied thousands around the world who will undoubtedly be saved and healed if you will do what you can. Remember, God is not expecting us to give £10 if we only have £5, but if we will do what we can, then God will bless us. If you have faith in my ministry, please do what God tells you to do, for He has a wonderful blessing in store for you if you will obey Him.

   Finally, we trust next year to be conducting a Prophetic Conference in the Holy Land, in which we shall be expounding the prophecies of the Bible with particular reference to the re-birth of Israel and the events of the end-time. There will also be a wonderful Tour of Israel and Jordan centred upon Tiberias and Jerusalem. The date of the tour will be July 15th-31st, 1965; there will be first-class hotel accommodation at each centre, and travel by jet aircraft. The cost of the whole Tour and Conference, including all accommodation, and travelling expenses, etc., will be only £112 gins. (If you were making your own arrangements, the air fares alone would be £150.)

   Having been to the Holy Land already, I can only say that to visit Gethsemane, Calvary, the Garden Tomb, the Mount of Olives, and to see the scores of places of which we read in the Bible, is the experience of a lifetime. I am more than convinced that one ought to go if possible, and I am sure that the Lord is pleased for us to do so, even though the cost sounds such a lot. (Actually, many people spend just as much money for their annual holiday, and on entertainments, etc.).

   Anyway, we do trust that as many of our friends as possible will be able to accompany us, and if you would like to take part in this Tour, would you let me know as soon as possible, please. If the Lord tarries, you have just a year in which to save for this experience of a lifetime.

   Now this is of very special importance to our friends in the U.S.A. and Canada. We are expecting to bring a party over from the United States to the Holy Land, and the cost to those coming from Detroit will be only 700 dollars. The American party will fly to England first, and we trust to arrange an extra day or two in this country before we all fly out to Israel.

   I am sure you will agree that this price is very low, but I do want to emphasise that this is all-inclusive. The reason that we can offer such a wonderfully cheap Tour and Conference is that, instead of using one of the regular flights of the international airlines, we are chartering our own jet aircraft. If you wish to make a provisional booking for the Tour or to make further enquiries, or if you would like to receive our Focus magazine regularly and copies of our books, please make use of the enclosed envelope when replying.

   I shall look forward to receiving your letter and do trust that you will write to me soon. God bless you always.

      BRIAN WILLIAMS

   P.S. — The Post Office strike has greatly hindered our work, especially in the matter of the funds which have been held up. Your gift at this time, however small, would be doubly appreciated, and the Lord Jesus Himself will multiply it. See Luke 6:38.


Previous chapter || Next chapter || Index || Search
webwork by Jim Nagel at Abbey Press, Glastonbury — this edition published 2007-06-30