Tag Archives: preaching

September 16, 2014 · 11:11 AM

259 – Sept. 16 – This Day in Baptist History Past


 

His preaching closed a dance hall

Lewis and Clark, on their expedition to explore the Louisiana Purchase noted in their journal on Sept. 16, 1805, that their food supply had run out. They and their company were lost in the Indian country of Idaho for a week from Sept. 13-20. This effort opened the territory for new development and Idaho became America’s 43rd state on July 3, 1890. The Baptists have been there since 1830. Around 1894 Rev. Howard Bowler of Bellevue heard that there were a few people in the Big Lost Valley who desired to hear the Word of God, so he hitched up his horse and buggy and rode the ninety miles through the lava desert to reach them. A few women had maintained a Sunday school in a schoolhouse, he met the Nelsons who were believers and rode on to Arco and met another believer and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. George E. Ferris, who owned General Stores in Arco and Houston. The following Sunday, services were held at the dance hall at Lost River, and so many came it closed the dance hall. In a six-week period a church was founded and a Sunday school was started. In that same period Rev. Bowler preached sixty sermons, traveled one-thousand miles on visitation, as he witnessed to every family within twenty miles, and cut ice to baptize. [Coe Hayne, Old Trails and New (Philadelphia: Judson Press, 1920), p. 30. Dr. Greg J. Dixon: From: This Day in Baptist History Vol. I: Cummins/Thompson, pp. 507-08.

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June 14, 2014 · 7:46 AM

165 – June 14 – THIS DAY IN BAPTIST HISTORY PAST


 

Brief Ministry in Violent Times

 

Daniel Fristoe was one of a number of effective preachers who were called under the preaching of David Thomas. He was a product of the ministry of the Chappawamsick Church around which swirled controversy and violence from certain citizens in Stafford and Prince William Counties, Virginia.

 

On June 14, 1771 Fristoe was ordained to the regular work of the ministry, one day after John young was haled into court in Caroline County for preaching without a license. According to Fristoe’s diary, the day following his ordination he met with the brethren in Fauquier County where they examined some candidates for baptism. 16 persons were adjudged proper subjects for baptism. The next day being Sunday about two thousand people came together. After the preaching, thirteen others were examined and deemed worthy of baptism. Fristoe baptized twenty-nine people before this great multitude.

 

While in Philadelphia as a messenger Fristoe was seized with the smallpox, from which he never recovered. He died far from home in the thirty-fifth year of his life.

 

Dr. Dale R. Hart: Adapted from: This Day in Baptist History. Vol. I. (Thompson/Cummins) p. 244.

 

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April 1, 2014 · 10:11 AM

91 – April – 01 – THIS DAY IN BAPTIST HISTORY PAST


First Baptists in Kentucky
1776 – On this date the Baptists arrived in Harrodsburg, Kentucky and the first recorded Baptist preaching was done by William Hickman and Thomas Tinsley.  Two years later Hickman was ordained in Virginia and spent eight years of service there.
Though not imprisoned at that time he received a great deal of rude persecution.  In the summer of 1784 the Hickman family moved permanently to Kentucky and for the next four years William ministered at every opportunity  which resulted in the establishing of the Forks of Elkhorn Church, where he pastored until his death in 1834.  That was a period of forty-five years except when he was out of fellowship with the church for two years over the issue of slavery, which he opposed.
During the great revival period of 1800-1803, Elder Hickman baptized over five hundred converts.  William was born in Virginia on Feb. 4, 1747.  His parents died while he was but a lad, and he became a ward of his grandmother.  His educational opportunities were limited, but his grandmother gave him a Bible and insisted that he read it.
When he was fourteen he was apprenticed to learn a trade, and in nine years he was secure enough to marry his master’s daughter Sarah Sanderson.  Soon after, he learned that the Baptists (then called New Lights) were in the area, and against his wife’s wishes, he went to hear the preaching.
The next day he went to a public “dipping” of converts and was deeply moved even to tears.  The next fall they moved to Cumberland County, KY, and the Lord brought his wife to faith in Christ.
William was saved under the preaching of David Tinsley on Feb. 21, 1773 and baptized two months later, after rejecting Episcopal christening.
Dr. Greg J. Dixon, from: This Day in Baptist History Vol. I: Cummins/Thompson /, pp. 133.
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March 17, 2014 · 4:51 PM

Preaching [and] Preach (3)


qārā’
Before leaving this pivotal theme, we should note how preaching relates to worship . It is extremely significant that the people’s response to Ezra’s reading and exposition of Scripture (Neh_8:8; cf. Neh_6:7) was worship (Neh_9:3). This is the climax; everything points to this and has prepared for it. There is nothing of equal importance to the exposition of God’s Word. Take the time now to read Jon_3:2 again, as well as Psa_80:18; Psa_105:1, where call is qārā’, signifying proclamation.
While lost in most churches today, preaching was central to the early church (note the primacy of “doctrine” in Act_2:42) and its immediate descendants. Writing in the middle of the second century, apologist Justin Martyr described a typical worship service of his day: “And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen.”
Mark it down—the reading and explanation of the Word of God was the absolute center of the worship service. (Note that this statement also refutes the accusation made by modern “Sabbath keepers” that Sunday did not become the day of worship until the fourth century.)
Sadly, this is not the case today. Central today is music, drama, comedy, discussion, anecdotes, or anything else we can think of except preaching. But nothing praises God as does the proclaiming of His Word as absolute Truth.
We should be challenged by these comments by the late pastor and great expositor James Boice: “There is nothing more important for Christian growth and the health of the church than sound Bible teaching. Yet sadly, serious Bible teaching is being widely neglected in our day, even in so-called evangelical churches. Instead of Bible teaching, people are being fed a diet of superficial pop psychology, self-help therapy, feel-good stimulants, and entertainment, and the ignorance of the Bible in churches is appalling.”
Scriptures for Study: Note the centrality of preaching in the following texts: Isa_1:2-31; Matthew 5-7 (Jesus’ sermon is the greatest model of exposition); Act_2:14-36; Act_7:2-60; Act_15:14-21; Act_17:16-31.

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March 12, 2014 · 11:06 AM

HEBREW – Call [and] Prayer (3)


qārā’

Besides the some one dozen words rendered prayer in the OT, another that clearly pictures prayer in a few instances is the verb qārā’ (H7121), the root of which (qr’) is found in “Old Aramaic, Canaanite, and Ugaritic, and other Semitic languages (except Ethiopic).”

Appearing more than 730 times, qārā’ has a wide range of meanings, depending upon the context and grammar, including: “to call, declare, summon, invite, read, be called, be invoked, be named.” It is used, for example, of summoning someone, as when God “called unto Adam” (Gen_3:9), when God “called unto [Moses] out of the midst of the bush” (Exo_3:4), and for Adam naming the animals (Gen_2:20) and Eve (Gen_3:20). It is also used of reading aloud from a book or scroll (Exo_24:7; Neh_13:1; Jer_36:6; Jer_36:8). It is even used for the act of preaching (Neh_6:7; Jon_3:2, March 16).

Another significant use of qārā’ is in men calling upon God, a use we see often and that graphically illustrates prayer. After the fall, some men realized the all-encompassing consequences of sin and began to call on God’s name (Gen_4:26; Gen_12:8; Gen_13:4). We are especially struck by verses such as Psa_3:4 : “I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill.” Also, Psa_18:6 : “In my distress I called [qārā’] upon the LORD, and cried [qārā’] unto my God.” Such statements, in fact, are a recurring theme in the Psalms (Psa_18:6; Psa_30:8; Psa_34:6; Psa_120:1; Psa_130:1; Psa_138:3).

Psa_119:145 is particularly striking: “I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O LORD: I will keep thy statutes.” Think of it! The psalmist’s entire being was engaged in prayer. He had written in Psa_119:10, “With my whole heart have I sought thee.” We then read in Psa_119:146 : “I cried unto thee; save me, and I shall keep thy testimonies.” Here is true, earnest prayer. And what is the goal of such earnestness? In modern teaching, the goal is ourselves, getting what we want. The psalmist’s goal was a little different, to say the least. His aim was to “keep [God’s statutes [February 19] and] testimonies [February 17].” Let us pray earnestly to that end.

Scriptures for Study: What is the admonition of Psa_116:2? What then is the promise of Psa_145:18?

 

 

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February 22, 2014 · 6:34 PM

Consequences of an Unrisen Christ


 

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

 

“And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain,” 1 Corinthians 15:14.

 

 

All over Southeast Asia are thousands of huge, tall monuments called Chedi. Buried deep inside these gold covered mounds of concrete and plaster is a tiny fragment of Buddha. One may contain a couple of hairs, another, a tiny piece of bone, minuscule pieces of a dead man who did good and promoted simple living. But any one of these monuments can be destroyed in an instant by a flood or earthquake, and the relic inside would blow away with the wind or wash away in a flood.

 

Praise God that Christ is risen from the dead! There are no golden monuments that contain bones or hair or any other portion of Jesus, not even a blood stain, for He ascended to Heaven with all His earthly body parts. There He lives waiting for the day when His Father tells Him to gather His children. And there He loves and cares and intercedes for all believers. Here, He lives inside the heart of every believer as a testament of life.

 

Perhaps, if Christ had not risen, we, too, would build monuments to honor His death. We too would worship a relic of His body. Worry not my friend—He is not dead—He is risen!

 

 

Reflection

 

Our faith is not in vain, we are absolutely sure that we, too, will be raised from this earth to our heavenly home!

 

Beverly Barnett

 

 

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February 4, 2014 · 8:07 AM

35 – February 04 – THIS DAY IN BAPTIST HISTORY PAST


 

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 12:00 PM PST

 

1750 Courthouse-ChesterfieldChesterfield, County, VA

 

Courthouse

 

Being a Baptist was a crime

 

1774 – DAVID TINSLEY AND HIS FELLOW BAPTISTS, WERE DEFENDED BY PATRICK HENRY FOR PREACHING WITHOUT A LICENSE – David Tinsley was arrested on February 4, 1774. According to the Order Book of Chesterfield County, Virginia, Number 5, page 400, the charges were as follows: “David Tinsley being committed, charged with having assembled and preached to the people at sundry times and places in this county as a Baptist preacher, and the said David, acknowledging in court that he has done so. On consideration thereof the court being of opinion that the same is the breach of the peace & good behavior, It is ordered that he give surety…of the penalty of 50 pounds & two sureties in penalty of 25 pounds each.” This means that his crime was preaching the gospel as a Baptist. March 4 of the same year, Archibald W. Roberts was indicted for using hymns and poems instead of the psalms of David following communion and the sermon. Tinsley was confined for four months and 16 days in which he and fellow prisoners preached to the assembled crowds through the grates of the prison. The Association meeting at Hall’s Meeting House in Halifax County passed a resolution on behalf of the suffering preachers and received an offering for their defense. The money was wrapped in a handkerchief and sent to Patrick Henry to defend the preachers. Finally the jailers erected a wall over the window of the jail but when the crowd gathered a handkerchief on a pole told the preachers that the people were ready to hear and they commenced to preach. Those gathered became known as the “bandana brigade.” Fasting and prayer gained their release. There were only two more arrests, one in 1775 and the other in 1778 before permanent liberty was secured. There were many conversions however.
Dr. Greg J. Dixon, from: This Day in Baptist History Vol. I: Cummins Thompson /, pp. 47.

 

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February 3, 2014 · 7:42 AM

RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION


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January 6, 2014 · 10:16 AM

06 – January 06 – THIS DAY IN BAPTIST HISTORY PAST


 

 

“Blest be the tie that binds…”

 

1740 – John Fawcett was born, who later became the pastor of the Baptist Church at Wainsgate, England. He had been converted under the preaching of George Whitefield. At age 19 he had been baptized into the fellowship of the Baptist Church at Bradford. His ordination took place in 1765, when he became the pastor at Wainesgate. Six years later Dr. John Gill died, leaving the famed Baptist church at Southwark, London, without a pastor. Fawcett was offered the position, but upon news of their leaving Wainesgate, the congregation was filled with grief. In those days it was rare for a pastor to move, and he would live and die among the people that he served in the gospel. When the fateful day came, a van was sent from London to remove their belongings. Tearful men and women stood around and watched them carry the pastor’s things to the van. Mrs. Fawcett went back into the home weeping, and said to her husband, “I know not how to go.” He replied, “Neither do I.” At that they ordered the things to be taken off the van and placed back in the house. After the moving men and the good people had left them alone, John Fawcett sat down and wrote the beloved hymn: “Blest be the tie that binds, Our hearts in Christian love; The fellowship of kindred minds; Is like to that above.” In later years he became a Dr. of Divinity and was invited to be the Principal of Bristol College, but he died as he had lived, among his own people. King George III having read some of his writings contacted to ask him if he could do anything for him, which he declined. Later his influence with the King was used to save a man from being executed, and several others from heavy legal penalties.
Dr. Greg J. Dixon; adapted from: This Day in Baptist History Vol. I: Cummins Thompson /, pp. 08-09.

 

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December 19, 2013 · 8:55 PM

353 – Dec. 19 – This Day in Baptist History Past


 

The importance of doctrinal purity

 

1965 – Silas Fox, known as the White Fox of Andhra, recorded in his journal, “Prayed 3 hours. Read. Praise God.” However, on Sept. 27, 1960, he wrote: “No prayer, Result “TROUBLE: TROUBLE: TROUBLE.”  Andhra is in an area in East India, in which Fox made a great impact, for fifty-one years preaching the gospel of Christ. His biographer said that preaching was his life’s blood, and he really had little gift for anything else. Silas Fox had a passion for souls from the day that pastor Andrew Imrie was used of God to ignite him after Silas was saved through Imrie’s ministry.  In fact the very next day Fox lead a friend to Christ, and that zeal continued throughout his lifetime. Fox was born on Dec. 22, 1893. The next year his father died and he grew to manhood on very meager substance in Canada. After completing his Bible College training in 1916 he married Emma Graus, his childhood sweetheart on Nov. 23, and two days later they left for India. In contrast, in Southern India, in the State of Karala a native Indian missionary and his wife labored, who emigrated to America, were saved through the efforts of Baptist Sunday School workers, graduated from a Baptist Bible College, and went back to their native India with a burden to reach their people for Christ. In eight years he had established eight Baptist churches with their own buildings that throbbed with spiritual life, and a Bible College with thirty students who were training to reach the orient with the gospel. Fox had gone to India at a time when many denominations labored together. There was no doctrinal unity, only mission stations, hence no churches were founded.
[This Day in Baptist History II: Cummins and Thompson, BJU Press: Greenville, S.C. 2000 A.D. pp. 692-94. Donald S. Fox, The White Fox of India (Philadelphia: Dorrance and Company, 1977), p. 135.]
Prepared by Dr. Greg J. Dixon

 

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