The message of this magazine is consistent from one issue to the next. Out of curiosity, I looked back one hundred years to the fall of 1917, and noted that The Apostolic Faith magazine used Jude 3 as its motto and featured the same list of Bible doctrines that are on the back page of the October 2017 edition. That issue looked back eleven years to the 1906 Azusa Street Revival from which our church sprang, and included testimonies of divine healing and deliverance from tobacco and alcoholism. Sermons from our church services were on subjects such as the atonement, the power of Jesus Christ to save, consecration, and more.

Fifty years later, in 1967, our magazine used the same motto and list of Bible doctrines. It referred to the recently concluded Portland camp meeting, and included photos of those who were water baptized. Again, there were multiple testimonies of deliverance from sin. Sermons included the soon return of Jesus, God’s plan for the ages, and the Great White Throne judgement.

In 1917, we read how the Apostolic Faith work was impacting readers in Toronto, Canada, and Monrovia, Liberia. In 1967, we read of our missionaries going to South Korea and of a visitor to our camp meeting from Haiti. In this issue you will read that the Apostolic Faith work is growing in Chile, and of our first India pastor to attend camp meeting.

If Jesus tarries another fifty years, in 2067 you can expect something similar. It is true that some aspects have changed. The identities of the preachers and authors are different. In 1917, there were sermons by Florence Crawford, and in 1967, by Loyce Carver. Both of these went Home to their reward long ago, which will be true of most of the authors in this issue by 2067. In addition, the manner in which we express ourselves changes with time. It used to be that “cool” described the weather, “email” was not a word, and “text” referred to words on a piece of paper. However, the identity of the authors and the way we express ourselves are secondary to the message.

The message is consistent because what you read in this magazine springs from the inspiration of the Bible.

This issue of The Apostolic Faith includes the same sound doctrine and victorious testimonies (though the names and accounts are different) that we have published for 110 years. Outreach efforts continue to go on as they have for more than a century. The Gospel continues to be effective in various areas around the world; you will find the testimony of a young minister here in Portland, and a woman in Cameroon. Camp meetings continue to be a blessing; you will see news articles about recent camp meetings both here at headquarters and in Chile.

As you read this magazine, we pray that the consistent message of this Latter Rain Gospel will motivate and inspire you to an ever-closer walk with the Lord.