Letter to (Sir) from Jules Dervaes
Copyright © Jules Dervaes
May 17, 1991
Dear (Sir),
I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your letter postmarked the 13th of April. I have waited this long to answer because I wanted to reflect on how I should deal with the concerns that you wrote about. I do feel that your approach (“pray, fast, and meditate on what I have read”) is the best start you could make. Using these tools correctly will help you to check out what is THE TRUTH. Of course, I believe that you have been given God’s Word—His seed, as in the parable of the sower—through your acceptance of the Bible as the sole, legitimate, and final authority in your life. Is that the case?
Are you a true believer? Excuse the bluntness but I’ve got to know on what basis will you decide what I tell you is right or wrong. The critical issue is not the answers which I can give you but the beliefs which you hold. What is the foundation on which you will build your actions in response to the knowledge made available to you? Being a member of the Worldwide Church of God used to—but no longer does—signify that the loyal, sincere individual had a steadfast, secure, and straightforward reliance on scriptures as his guide.
I would like to be of help to you but I don’t see what else I can do at the moment. I feel that the answers to your questions are to be found in the literature which you already have at hand. I did want you to know that I am sincerely concerned about your situation. Yet, I believe, as Mr. Herbert Armstrong did, that John 6:44 applies in all cases. If you are one who is listening to the Father and learning from Him, then you will come to Jesus.
At this feast of Pentecost, my prayer for you (and all of us) is that you will be strong and courageous not just to know about the truth, a condition which in the end will be useless and utterly disastrous by itself, but to do the truth. There is much work to be done and I will be pleased to assist you in the part which you decide to take.
Jules Dervaes