In addition to a full time job as President of Christian Colleges where he taught several Bible classes daily and delivered from four to six sermons each week, Brother Armstrong did much effective preaching over a wide territory. He preached in all the Southern States except West Virginia and Virginia, North and South Carolina. His evangelistic work extended from Michigan to Florida and Texas. He also conducted meetings in many of the states west of the Allegheny Mountains to the Pacific Coast. One time he preached in Mexico by radio. In all, he preached the gospel in twenty-two states.
He always had more calls than he could respond to until the last two or three years of his life. During these last years he was unable physically to endure the hardships of the evangelistic type of work. However, he taught and preached to the day of his death.
It was his custom to leave for his protracted meeting work at the close of the spring term of college and return about one week before college opened in the fall.
His practice was to hold the meetings in the order they were spoken for regardless of the size of the congregation or the financial ability of the church. He requested long meetings on the ground that more good could be accomplished. Two meetings daily pleased him much better than one. Often he would refuse to go to the same place the third time. He thought another preacher could do more good.
On one occasion he refused to take any pay from a church that he might feel free to tell them their duty. Another interesting practice was that of holding summer meetings to get money to finish paying his college teachers. He could hardly be persuaded to buy needed clothes as long as there were other needs.
Brother Armstrong's preaching was very different. He went to the bottom of his subject and yet he was easily understood. His lessons were laden with such spiritual fervor that they were refreshing and electrifying to the soul. He always placed the emphasis on the Christ, and the beauty, joy and power of pure Christianity. Every sermon had a heart and soul in it. The hearts of the people were always touched for good when he preached. In his masterful way he would cause people to love God and man so much more that they would often say, "Brother Armstrong gave a new lease on life today. God is bigger and better than ever before."
Three times in his life he preached for the local church through the summer months. Once for the church in Clebourne, Texas, and another time he preached for the church in Huntsville, Alabama. This past summer he preached for /249/ the downtown church of Christ in Searcy, Arkansas. Here he delivered three sermons a week--one over the radio and two to the local church. He also conducted prayer meeting once a week and made calls to see about the sick and the needy. During this period he did not neglect his duty as an elder of the college church. He also spent much time writing letters and articles. Many of his most valuable writings were pulled out of drawers and assembled in order of relative importance during the last few weeks of his life. He was seen about the campus of Harding College and at the homes of neighbors the last day of his life. Even late Friday night he had a pleasant visit with Brother James Bales and others. On Saturday morning his lifeless body was found in bed where he seemed to have fallen asleep in Christ without a struggle. In his room was found his radio sermon which he had prepared for Sunday. No doubt his other two sermons were ready for the local church which he would have delivered that same day. This beautiful ending of his life was as he desired and prayed it would be. Thus was finished one of the most magnanimous spirits of our time. Though he now rests from the cares of his earthly life, the influence of his devotion and service to God continues to speak.