SIMPLE TRUSTING FAITH 1 James A. Harding (1848-1922), Kentucky - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Lesson Nineteen SIMPLE TRUSTING FAITH

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James A. Harding (1848-1922), Kentucky evangelist and co-founder

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the Nashville Bible School (now Lipscomb Univ.), is a fascinating character. Passionate,

• pinionated,

and faith-filled, he offers a vibrant vision for the mission of the church for both his time and ours. Below are two

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my favorite (among many) quotes.

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Both illustrate the importance

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discipleship for Harding and his skepticism of crusading revivalism. He made these observations after spending twelve years as an itinerant evangelist from Michigan to Florida and Canada to

• Texas. They say something about his

understanding of soteriology, the church and discipleship. I have highlighted some key phrases.

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“I have observed that those speakers as a rule secure the greatest number

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accessions who dwell most upon escaping hell and getting into heaven, and least upon the importance of leading lives of absolute consecration to the Lord; in other words their converts are much more anxious to be saved than they are to follow Christ.” (James A. Harding, Gospel Advocate 27 [14 September 1887], 588).

[via article by John Mark Hicks]

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“Our greatest trouble now is, it seems to me, a vast unconverted membership. A very large percent of the church members among us seem to have very poor conceptions of what a Christian ought to be. They are brought into the church during these high-pressure protracted meetings, and they prove to be a curse instead of a blessing. They neglect prayer, the reading

• f the Bible, and the Lord’s day meetings, and, of

course, they fail to do good day by day as they should. Twelve years of continuous travel among the churches have forced me to the sad conclusion that a very small number of the nominal Christians are worthy of the name.” (James A. Harding, Gospel Advocate 27 [9 Feb 1887], 88.)

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“If one is righteous, he does not need to lay up treasures for the future; for as the need arises the supply will come. This is as certain as any other doctrine

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God.”

• James Alexander Harding
• - 1914

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Elisha G. Sewell was born in Overton County, Tenn., October 25, 1830. His father, Stephen Sewell, was born in North Carolina, but at the age

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twelve came to Carter County, Tenn. Here he met his wife and married. Soon after his marriage he came to Overton County, Tenn., and settled on Wolf River near the Kentucky line, about seven miles from Albany, the county seat of Clinton County, Ky. Stephen Sewell had a large family.

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There were born to them eight boys and six

• girls. Two of these died in infancy, the
• thers lived to be grown. All the boys, save
• ne, had Bible names, and four of them

became preachers

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the gospel. The subject of this sketch was the youngest boy and next to the youngest child. Stephen Sewell was a pious man and taught his children reverence for God and respect for his word.

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He belonged to the Baptist Church and impressed upon his children the chief tenets of the Baptist

• faith. The Baptist Church was very strong in that

section of the country; in fact, it was the only church in that section of the county. Brother Sewell's father was a deacon in that church for a long time, and his brother, William B. Sewell, was clerk of the church for many years. William B. Sewell married a member of the church

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Christ and attended the services frequently with his wife. At one time he took the Lord's Supper with his wife on the first day of the

• week. For this he was cited to trial in the Baptist

Church and charged with violating the rules of the church.

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He would not retract his statement about following the New Testament in worshiping God and was forthwith excluded from the Baptist Church. Through William Sewell, Jesse

• L. Sewell, an older brother of Elisha, was led

to study the New Testament, and Jesse L. saw the Baptist error that he was practicing and immediately turned from it and began preaching the gospel.

He, too, was excluded "for preaching faith, repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins." Soon Isaac Sewell, another brother, and three sisters asked that their names be removed from the Baptist roll.

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By this time three of Brother Sewell's brothers were preaching the gospel and an uncle was preaching the Baptist doctrine. E. G. Sewell was nineteen years old at this time. He did not know whether his brothers were right or whether his uncle was right; so he decided in the spring of 1849 to study the New Testament for himself. He read the New Testament through once that year, and portions of it many

• times. On the fourth Lord's day in October, 1849, E. G.

Sewell was buried with his Lord in baptism. About a year after this time he began to make public talks and rapidly developed into a strong gospel preacher. From that time on his life was filled with interesting events

• f his activities as a Christian.

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He gained part

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an education from the schools in his community, but these did not furnish very good advantages. Three of his brothers were teaching school in different parts of the county, and E. G. Sewell went to school to his brother for about six months. He then began teaching school near his home. Next be taught in Southeastern Kentucky. On November 22, 1853, he was married to Miss Lucy Kuykendall, near Cookeville, Tenn. Immediately after his marriage he went back to Kentucky and taught another term.

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He began to see the need of more education, and through the assistance of his father-in-law he was able to enter Burritt College in February,

• 1856. W. D. Carnes was president of the college

at that time. He remained in Burritt College two and one-half years. When W. D. Carnes resigned as president and accepted the position in East Tennessee University, E. G. Sewell left Burritt College. On September 1, 1858, be entered Franklin College under Tolbert Fanning and William Lipscomb. He was admitted to the senior class, with the promise that be would be graduated at the close

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the school year, provided he made good. He made good and was graduated with honors in June, 1859.

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On January 1, 1870, he joined Brother D. Lipscomb as co-editor

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the Gospel

• Advocate. He wrote regularly for the

Advocate a little more than fifty years. He covered wide range of Biblical subjects. His writings were clear and simple, easy to be

• understood. Brother Sewell and Brother

Lipscomb were coworkers and fellow workers in the church of our Lord for more than half a century. They were in sacred league and hallowed covenant with each

• ther for more than fifty years. Their

companionship was beautiful, each revering the other, having no suspicion or jealousy the one toward the other, but each ministering to the other and with each other in the work of the Lord. Each recognized the ability and talent of the

• ther and respected the same.

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Harding argued: “Christ does not tell Christians they will receive food, clothing and shelter IF they work hard for them; indeed, Christ tells them NOT to seek after such things.” Luke 12:29…. And you should not seek what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, neither should you be of a doubtful mind. 30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knows that you have need of these

• things. 31 But rather you seek the kingdom of

God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

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What Harding seems to be saying is this: full trust in God and seeking His kingdom above all else in life will allow God to send to us just what we need to survive, food, clothing, shelter.

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The exchange between Harding and Sewell highlighted one of the central and constant themes in the life

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James A. Harding. He called it the “law

• f special providence.”

this biblical “law,” he said, means that one who gives his all to Christ and his kingdom “is as certain to be supplied with all that he needs as that Christ reigns.” No biblical teaching gave the believer more joy, confidence, and freedom from worry.

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Harding spent his later years as a pioneering educator. In 1891 he and David Lipscomb opened the Nashville Bible School, and Harding presided over the school for ten years. In 1900 he moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, to

• pen Potter Bible College, where he served eleven years

as president. During these years he also edited and wrote extensively for a periodical he named The Way.

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David Lipscomb’s home, Avalon Hall, on the campus of the Nashville Bible School, later David Lipscomb College, and now Lipscomb University.

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Harding’s conviction about “special providence.” “A wealthy, dedicated Christian businessman came to him one day and said, “I cannot preach, but I can make money; that is my gift; you can preach, but won’t get much money for it.” So, he offered, “just let me know when you need any money, and I will be glad to let you have it.”

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“I need not concern myself in the least about the support of myself and my family, if only I would devote myself wholly, and with due diligence, to the service of God.” “I believed I would be supported just as well when working among the poor as when serving the rich, and that I would be as well cared for where we had no church as where we had large rich

• nes.” -- James A. Harding --

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The Bible was full of God’s promises to take special care of those who trusted Him, Harding said, and he frequently recited them in his writings.

II Chron. 16:9…. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Luke 12:29…. And do not seek what you shall eat,

• r what you shall drink, neither be you of doubtful
• mind. 30 For all these things do the nations of the

world seek after: and your Father knows that you have need of these things. 31 But rather you seek the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

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• Phil. 4:6….

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

• Phil. 4:19….

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

• Heb. 13:5…. Keep your lives free from the

love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you."

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“For thirty-six years,” he wrote in 1910, “I have endeavored to follow the directions of Jesus literally. I have avoided the accumulation of property… I have no house, no land, no stock, no property except that which we daily use, no money laid up for the future.” He said that he rarely possessed as much as fifty dollars at one time and, when he did, most

• ften

used it for immediate needs.

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Over the years a good many Christians took

• ffense

at Harding’s doctrine

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“special providence.” They often accused him of teaching that Christians did not need to work diligently. But he repeatedly denied such a conclusion. In deed Christian should work – all honest work, however humble, was appropriate. The Christian should “run that farm, conduct that store, teach that school, spend that money as a slave of Jesus – as one who must give account to his Master for everything.”

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Two things from my perspective as a preacher and as a Christian: 1. Nothing has done more to hurt the profession

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preaching than this position. Preachers have been belittled as a result, and have been kept on a “dole system”

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renumeration for decades. Only in recent times have congregations come to offer decent wages for such an important work. Many have quit and gone to other works in order to support their families.

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• 2. Harding was inconsistent in his position when he

insisted that others “run that farm, conduct that store, teach that school…” All demanding purchasing a farm, a store and being in the consistent employ of some school system for regular income. His position was “God will take care of you….” don’t worry. However, wives do worry, children suffer and good paying jobs secure more money to be donated to the church for its work and missions. His position was fine for him, and especially in his day and time when outside wages were smaller, the costs of daily existence was less and more folks lived on farm wages over the years. Today, that philosophy doesn’t seem to work. For we have fewer men going into the ministry because of the poor wages that many small congregations can afford. “Only if you can’t do anything else, then try preaching,” has been a modern mantra.

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Simple , trusting faith in God’s daily care – that, Harding often said, was the “greatest need of the church.”

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II Thess. 3:10…. For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. 11 For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. 12 Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

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II Cor. 12:14…. Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. I Cor. 16:2…. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

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Our Next Lesson: Lesson Twenty How To Deal With Division