Feet washing history

Miscellaneous notes concerning the practice of washing the saints feet.

It must be confessed, That if exact Practice be required, and clearness in Gospel-Institutions before Communion; who dare be so bold as to say his hands are clean, and that he hath done all the Lord Commands, as to Institutions in his Worship? and must not confess the Change of Times doth necessitate some Variation, if not Alteration either in the matter or manner of things according to Primitive Practice, yet owned for true Churches, and received as visible Saints, though ignorant either wholly or in great measure, in laying on of hands, singing, washing of feet, and anointing with oyl, in the Gifts of the Spirit, which is the Urim and Thummim of the Gospel?

Differences in Judgment about Water-baptism, No Bar to Communion, John Bunyan, Henry Jessey, London: Printed for John Wilkins, 1673, pp. 116-117

Art 8 Wee believe that washing the Saints feet is A duty that Should Bee Practiced By the Churches of Christ Jesus Christ gives us the example.

Article 8 of the Articles of Faith of Isbell Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, Rusk County, Texas; organized November 25, 1900

“Called for resolutions, when the following was presented and adopted:

“Resolved, That we do not regard the observance, or non-observance of feet washing a test of fellowship; but is open to conviction of each church and each individual member.” (page 3)

“On motion, the Association agreed to refer Liberty Church to special resolution passed by the Body on feet washing, as an answer to query sent up from that church.” (page 6)

Minutes of the Fourteenth Annual Session of the Mount Zion Baptist Association, held with Shiloh Church, Rusk County, September 16th 1870, p. 3, 6

All the Sermons in Acts

APPENDIX H – ALL THE SERMONS IN ACTS

Definitions: address, a speech given to an audience; sermon, an address on a religious or moral subject; speech, a form of communication in spoken language, made by a speaker before an audience for a given purpose. All these accurately apply to the “formal” communication made by the Christians in Acts.

According to E. W. Bullinger, “Eighteen speeches or addresses are recorded: —” [i]

 

Seven by Peter

1. To the assembled believers, 1:15-22

2. On the day of Pentecost, 2:14-40

3. In the Temple, 3:12-26

4. Before the Sanhedrin, 4:8-12

5. Before the Sanhedrin, 5:29-32

6. In the house of Cornelius, 10:28-43

7. In the council at Jerusalem, 15:7-11

 

One by James

1. In the council at Jerusalem, 15:13-21

 

One by Stephen

1. Before the Sanhedrin, 7:2-53

 

Seven by Paul

1. In the Synagogue at Antioch, 13:16-41

2. At Lystra, 14:15-17

3. On Mars’ Hill, 17:22-31

4. At Miletus, 20:18-35

5. On the stairs before the castle, 22:1-21

6. Before Felix, 24:10-21

7. Before Agrippa, 26:2-29

 

Two others

1. That of Gamaliel, 5:35-39

2. That of Tertullus, 24:2-8

 

J. W. Griffith gives 26: [ii]

 

1. Peter Preached to the Church, 1:15-26
2. Peter’s Pentecostal Sermon, 2:14-36
3. Peter’s Sermon in the Temple, 3:12-26
4. Peter’s Answer Before the Council, 4:5-12, 18-20
5. The Praise Sermon of the Disciples, 4:23-31
6. Peter’s Living Object Lesson, 5:1-11
7. Peter’s Second Answer Before the Council, 5:17-42
8. Stephen Preaches to the Council, 7:2-60
9. Philip Preaches to the Eunuch, 8:26-40
10. Paul’s First Sermon, 9:17-31
11. Peter Preaches to the Gentiles, 10:34-43
12. Peter’s Defense of His Preaching, 11:1-18
13. Paul’s Sermon at Antioch Pisidia, 13:16-49
14. Sermon for Which the Preacher was Stoned, 14:6-20
15. A Message on a Vital Question, 15:1-11
16. An Extraordinary Sermon, 16:25-34
17. A Philosophical Sermon, 17:22-34
18. Prevailing Preaching, 19:8-20
19. An All-Night Sermon, 20:1-12
20. A Farewell Sermon, 20:17-38
21. Paul’s Personal Experience, 22:1-21
22. A Message of Defense, 23:1-11
23. A Reasoning Sermon, 24:1-27
24. A Sermon to Royalty, 26:1-32
25. A Sermon at Sea, 27:10-26
26. Paul’s Last Recorded Sermon, 28:17-31

According to Danny Dwyer, “One of the distinct characteristics of Acts is its record of speeches that make up nearly one third of its contents. Some of these are the speeches of political leaders and contributing characters that are part of the story. While these are important, the ones most important to the biblical narrative of the witness of the Church are the sermons and sermon summaries.” Dwyer asserts that there are “ten sermons and seven sermon summaries.” He adds, “Acts is not just a historical record, it is an apologetic for Christianity. Sermons were the central methodology in Acts of accomplishing this goal.”[iii]

Joseph A. Fitzmyer claims 28 speeches: [iv]

 

1.         1:4-5, 7-8                    Risen Christ to Apostles and Disciples

2.         1:16-22                        Peter at the Choosing of Matthias

3.         2:14b-36, 38-39          Peter to Jews Gathered in Jerusalem on Pentecost

4.         3:12b-26                      Peter in Temple after Cure of the Lame Man

5.         4:8b-12, 19b-20          Peter before the Sanhedrin, I

6.         5:29b-32                      Peter before the Sanhedrin, II

7.         5:35b-39                      Gamaliel before the Sanhedrin

8.         6:2b-4                          The Twelve before the Assembled Disciples

9.         7:2-53                          Stephen before the Sanhedrin

10.       10:34b-43                    Peter at Cornelius’ Conversion

11.       11:5-17                        Peter to the Apostles and Brothers in Jerusalem

12.       13:16b-41                    Paul at Antioch in Pisidia

13.       14:15-17                      Barnabas and Paul to the Crowd in Lystra

14.       15:7b-11                      Peter at the “Council” in Jerusalem

15.       15:13b-21                    James to the Assembly in Jerusalem

16.       17:22-31                      Paul to the Athenians at the Aeropagus

17.       18:14b-15                    Gallio to the Jews of Corinth

18.       19:25b-27                    Demetrius to Fellow Silversmiths

19.       19:35b-40                    Town Clerk to the Ephesians

20.       20:18b-35                    Paul to Ephesian Presbyters at Miletus

21.       22:1, 3-21                    Paul to Jerusalem Crowd at His Arrest

22.       24:2b-8                        Tertullus before Governor Felix

23.       24:10b-21                    Paul before Governor Felix

24.       25:8b, 10b-11              Paul’s Appeal to Caesar

25.       25:14c-21, 24-27         Festus before King Agrippa

26.       26:2-23, 25-27, 29      Paul before King Agrippa

27.       27:21-26                      Paul to Fellow Travelers abroad Ship

28.       28:17c-20, 25b-28       Paul to Jewish Leaders of Rome

 

“In this list of 28 speeches one has to distinguish different sorts; there are ten Pauline and eight Petrine discourses, and one each of the risen Christ, Demetrius, the governor Festus, Gallio, Gamaliel, James, Stephen, Tertullus, the town clerk of Ephesus, and the Twelve. Moreover, there are six missionary speeches addressed to Jews (2:14b-36, 38-39; 3:12b-26; 4:8b-12; 5:29b-32; 10:34b-43; 13:16b-41), two evangelizing sermons addressed to Gentiles (14:15-17; 17:22-31), a prophetic indictment (Stephen’s speech, 7:2-53), two didactic speeches (15:7b-11; 15:13b-21), two apologiai or defense speeches (22:1, 3-21; 26:2-23, 25-27, 29). Two of the speeches of Paul (22:1, 3-21; 26:2-23, 25-27, 29) present an oratorical form of what the reader has already read about in narrative form in 9:1-31...”[v]

 

Henry J. Cadbury lists 24 “principal speeches” in Acts as, eight by Peter; two by James; one by Stephen; nine by Paul; and four by non-Christians.[vi]

A count of the number of sermons or addresses in the book of Acts will vary based on the purpose of and standards used in the count – for example, the simple mention of “preached,” etc. versus Luke having written down some of the sermon/address. Others not mentioned by Bullinger, Cadbury, Fitzmyer, or Griffith include, Philip in Samaria, 8:5-6; Peter and John in Samaria, 8:25; Philip to the Eunuch, 8:26-40; Philip from Azotus to Cæsarea, 8:40; Scattered disciples to Phenice, Cyprus, and Antioch, Acts 11:19-21; Paul and Barnabas at Salamis, 13:4-5; Paul at Paphos, 13:6-12; Paul and Silas to the women at Philippi, 16:13-15; Paul at Thessalonica, 17:1-4; Paul and Silas at Berea, 17:10-12; and Paul to the disciples in Ephesus, 19:1-7.

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[i] Companion Bible, Bullinger, p. 1575.
[ii] All the Sermons of Acts, p. 3.
[iii] Dwyer, The Book of Acts, pp. 6-7. See also Fitzmyer, that almost a third of Acts is speeches, about 295 verses of 1000, p. 103. He defines a speech as “an address directed to a group or an individual in a nonprivate setting, usually involving the attention of a number of people. When there is an extended discourse, there is no problem in recognizing it, but when one encounters dialogue or conversation, how much of it should be included? ... I limit the discourse or speech to that given by one and the same person, and I do not include prayers and forms of dialogue.” pp. 103-104
[iv] pp. 104
[v] Ibid., pp. 104-105
[vi] “The Speeches in Acts,” in The Beginnings of Christianity: Part I, the Acts of the Apostles, p. 403.

Let a man examine himself

“But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.” 1 Corinthians 11:28

Verse 28 begins with the word “But,” placing what Paul is about to say over against and in contrast to what he has just said – the church member is encouraged to participate, and to participate in a way that is discerning and knowing “of the body and blood of the Lord.”

I. Let a man examine himself.

“Examine” – to observe, test, inquire, investigate, inspect or scrutinize carefully. 1 Corinthians 9:3; 2 Corinthians 13:5

• Where do we do this? “when ye come together in the church” 11:18.
• Who is doing this? “the church of God which is at Corinth” “in the church” “you” 1:2; 11:18, 23.
• What are we doing? “this is my body, which is broken for you...This cup is the new testament in my blood” 11:24-25.
• Why are we doing this? “ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come” 11:26.
• When do we do this? “as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup” 11:26.

II. So let him eat.

“So” – in such manner; in the way or manner indicated or described. John 3:18; Luke 12:28

• Where do we do this? “when ye come together in the church” 11:18.
• Who is doing this? “the church of God which is at Corinth” “in the church” “you” 1:2; 11:18, 23.
• What are we doing? “this is my body, which is broken for you...This cup is the new testament in my blood” 11:24-25.
• Why are we doing this? “ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come” 11:26.
• When do we do this? “as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup” 11:26.

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Note: A true “Open Communion” finds in this statement (verse 28) their one and only restriction from eating the Lord’s supper. The opinion of the independent individual becomes the be-all and end-all of whether or not one takes communion. However, the purpose of Paul is not to restrict a prospective participant from eating, but to prepare and encourage “so” one (of the “you” to whom he is writing) may eat – that is, eat in such a manner as Paul has just described and taught.

Worship in Hymns

WORSHIP IN HYMNS 
By Robert Inman Johnson

This essay first appeared in The Tie, a monthly publication of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky, circa 1948. The Seminary’s professor of Music, R. Inman Johnson, wrote “Worship In Hymns.”. I have not seen the original, but have taken this digested version from The Word and Work, April 1948, Volume XLII, pp. 88-90. Posting this is not an endorsement of everything Johnson writes in the essay. Nevertheless, he makes some good points, and I think you will find it an interesting representation of music and hymnology taught by Southern Baptists in the mid-20th century. Everything below is by R. Inman Johnson.

Hymns have been said to be directed toward God, toward the Christian (including ourselves), or toward the sinner. To God we sing our praise and thanksgiving and pour out our songs of aspiration, petition, and promise of faithfulness. For the Christian we sing songs of encouragement and lift each other in prayerful tones to God. To the sinner we show our love for God, His love for the sinner, and plead for the sinner’s acceptance of this love. These are high and holy ideals. Hence, we should give attention to the singing part of the service. 

We do not undertake to define “worship service” beyond saying it should result in an awareness of our relationship to God and His purpose for our lives. True it is that God may be met anywhere, in the sanctuary, in the street, or in the field. We may worship alone or as a component part of a congregation. To be a member of a congregation which gives itself to intense worship is a thrilling experience. We go away saying that God has been with us. 

Corporate worship must be directed through man by the Holy Spirit. There must be both preparation and correct performance. A real worship period does not just happen. We need to know how to prepare a service and the people need instruction in their responsibilities. The fact is, the preachers have not taught the people how to worship. Surely it is worthwhile, for only true worship promotes real spiritual growth. 

In choosing hymns for a service, we need to know the contents of the hymnal as related to the needs of the people. And, they should be chosen for a definite purpose, with some relationship of ideas. This idea may correspond with the ideas in the sermon or it may not. Certainly it should not be foreign or antagonistic to the sermon. Seldom do I know the sermon subject beforehand and I am often amazed at the fitness of my selections. If you ask, the Holy Spirit will help you choose the hymns. In evangelistic meetings, I usually wait to choose the invitation hymn until I see where the sermon is headed. 

In preparing ourselves to sing we need to remember that most good hymns represent a spiritual experience in the life of the writer. By our singing we make this experience our own. We should thrill with the idea that thousands of saints before us have sung the text and thousands will sing it after us. Thus we are members of one great choir which one day shall be gathered before the throne of God to sing eternal hallelujahs. What a privilege to join that choir of heavenly witnesses. 

If, then, in corporate singing we share the spiritual life of others, we should see to it that we grow in grace through a wide variety of experience. Often we fail here because we want good singing; hence, we choose over and over a few hymns the people sing well. New hymns and tunes should be introduced to deepen our Christian experience. 

For instance, in 58 chapel services and broadcasts we have sung 157 different hymns. This is a large number when compared with the average church repertoire. I have a typewritten copy of the index of the hymnal. When a hymn is selected, the date is written after it on this copy. Thus, too frequent repetition is prevented. In the limited church program, a hymn should not appear more than once per month. 

Many ideas may be followed in selecting hymns. Usually, when three hymns are used before the sermon, the first is a strong hymn of praise. The second spot may be used to introduce new or less familiar texts and tunes. Also, I like here the short hymns of definite worship value set to such tunes as Manoah, Bera, Belmont, St. Agnes, etc. They have both beauty and strength. The third hymn may be more subjective with a sense of individual devotion, consecration or aspiration. It should be thoroughly familiar. The fine gospel hymns are well placed here. 

Remember also that these three hymns should vary in key signature, mood and pace. It is tiring to sing consecutive songs in the same key and at the same rate of speed. Start with a good tempo, the next may be slower. The mood may change from objective praise to subjective examination of our own hearts. For instance, using the idea of serving Christ: 1. We praise Him with “Crown Him with Many Crowns.” 2. In a slower tempo and quite different quality of tone, we consider our relation to Him in “Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone.” 3. In a stronger rhythm we make our promise in “O Jesus, I have promised to serve thee to the end.” 

The manner of our singing has much to do with its effectiveness for ourselves and for others. Ineffective singing is by no means confined to the small rural church but is to be found in all classes of churches. It most often is the result of a lack of understanding on the part of the people of the worship value of hymns. God desires our hearts and minds, not merely the sacrifice of attendance on His services. Many of us go to church merely to hear the sermon, having no interest in the praise service. Many are too tired physically and mentally to sing, not realizing that a thrilling spiritual experience by means of a great hymn will completely remove this burden of fatigue. Our poor singing may be due sometimes to the hymns themselves, which may depict experiences quite foreign to our own and which, furthermore, give a situation in which we cannot conceive ourselves. Hence, congregational hymns should contain universal experiences, those to which we are all subject. This is true of the hymns which survive the test of years. A song which is local or limited in subject matter to a small group may be popular for a time but not for long. 

Again, poor singing may result from a poor fit of hymn and tune. A joyful hymn set to a doleful tune loses much of its worth for us. Likewise, a superficial tune may destroy the value of a noble hymn. 

…Many other things may enter to cause poor singing, such as acoustics, temperature, stuffy atmosphere, etc. I am convinced that the most intelligent congregational singing requires a director or precentor. By this I mean a person who can direct the people in their worship in song… 

Effective singing, solo or group, takes cognizance of the fact that music rises in intensity to a climax somewhere in the composition. All good hymn tunes progress in some way from the first chord to a climax. The hymn itself also reaches a point where emotion is most intense. Ideally these points in text and tune should coincide. This climax may result in more volume or in more intensity at the same level of volume. Certainly it should keenly intensify the meaning of the text in our consciousness. For after all, the text is the hymn. The tune makes easier and more emphatic the entry of its meaning into our hearts. 

It is the director’s problem to interpret text and tune for the congregation. One chief method is a change in dynamics from loud to soft or vice versa. Frequently we hear a leader say, “Sing the second verse softly.” Few stanzas call for quiet singing throughout at the same level. They demand a change of dynamics within themselves. This calls for controlled directing, not just “time-beating.” 

A good example may be found in the hymn, “Jesus, Lover of My Soul,” to the tune, Martyn. Beginning from the first stanza, quietly increase the volume and intensity until the words, “Guide me, O my Savior hide,” are poured out with all of our being. Diminish from “Safe into the haven, guide” to the end. The tune is well-suited to the stanzas. … There is no place here for lifeless singing. Let us by no means, though, confuse loud singing with intensified singing. Quiet singing with awareness of our purpose can be beautiful and thrilling. 

The goal of congregational singing is the participation of every individual present, suitable hymns varied in mood and tempo, a variation inside the hymn itself, and often a variation inside the stanzas. This demands a competent director and a responsive audience. 

Good “church music” may not always be good music, for the purpose of church music is spiritual growth. This then, which may also be said of preaching, is my answer: “Good church music is that music which in a given situation intensifies and promotes spiritual growth.” 

“In the midst of the congregation will I sing thy praise.”— Heb. 2:12.

The Book of God

“You have a Bible: but perhaps you have never fully considered what a wonderful treasure you Bible is. As it stands on the shelf, it looks much like another book, and if you open it and turn over its leaves, it looks so still; in print, and paper, and binding, there is nothing remarkable about it. But its contents, its words, how different they are from those of any other book! This is the Book of God. God inspired those who wrote it, God taught them what to say…

“Such is the treasure you have in that Book which stands among others on your book-shelf; alike in appearance, but how different in reality; they the books of men, this the Word of God! …

“Take your Bible in hand every day. Read it humbly, seriously, and prayerfully; read it as from God; read it with a true desire to learn from it, and to live by it; then God will speak to you by it indeed, and make it a lamp to your feet and a light to your path.”

“The Bible,” Francis Bourdillon, 1870

I Heard the Voice of Jesus say

“I heard the voice of Jesus say,” by Horatius Bonar, is at times titled “Christ’s Invitation.” According to John Julian, it was first published in his Hymns Original and Selected, in 1846. It appears below as found in Bonar’s Hymns of Faith and Hope (London: James Nisbet & Co., 1857, pp. 145-146). It is titled “The Voice from Galilee” followed by the Scripture text “Of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace —John i. 16.” The hymn consists of three stanzas of 8 lines, Common Meter Doubled.

1. I heard the voice of Jesus say,
Come unto me and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down
Thy head upon my breast.
I came to Jesus as I was,
Weary, and worn, and sad,
I found in him a resting-place,
And he has made me glad.

2. I heard the voice of Jesus say,
Behold, I freely give
The living water,—thirsty one,
Stoop down, and drink, and live.
I came to Jesus, and I drank
Of that life-giving stream,
My thirst was quench’d, my soul revived,
And now I live in him.

3. I heard the voice of Jesus say,
I am this dark world’s Light;
Look unto me, thy morn shall rise,
And all thy day be bright.
I look’d to Jesus, and I found
In him my Star, my Sun;
And in that light of life I’ll walk
Till travelling days are done.

The structure of the hymn captures the idea of something Jesus says, and then relates the hearer’s response to what he said. The first stanza is based on Matthew 11:28, Jesus’s exhortation, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” The hearer responds to the voice of Jesus – “Come unto me” with “I came,” and “I will give you rest” with “I found in him a resting-place.” The second stanza is, I believe, a composite of John 4:10-14 and Revelation 21:6, “I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.” The hearer responds to the voice of Jesus – “I freely give the living water…drink, and live” with “I drank…now I live in him.” The third stanza is based on John 8:12, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world…” The hearer responds to the voice of Jesus – “I am this dark world’s Light; look unto me” with “I looked…I found in him my Star, my Sun.”

This has been and is a popular hymn, and for that reason has been paired with many different tunes. With the tune Vox Dilecti, John Bacchus Dykes (1823-1876) tried to capture the contrast of the first and second halves of the stanzas. He used the key of G minor to present Jesus’s invitation, and then changed to the key of G Major in the second half to express the acceptance of the invitation and the satisfaction that accompanied it. In The Sacred Harp, the lines of Bonar are paired with the tune I Would See Jesus (No. 75). That tune does not change keys, but does express a sort of vociferous exuberance in the second half of the tune. [Note: the first stanza used in The Sacred Harp is not by Bonar; the linked clip does not include the words by Bonar but will give you an idea what the tune sounds like.]

Horatius Bonar was born at Old Broughton, Edinburgh, Scotland in 1808, the son of James Bonar and Marjory Pyott Maitland. Though a minister and theological writer, he is probably best remembered today as a hymnwriter. Bonar was ordained in the Church of Scotland in 1837, and in 1843 he joined the Free Church of Scotland. Bonar authored Kelso Tracts, Thoughts on Genesis, other books, and numerous works of poetry. He died at his home in Edinburgh on July 31, 1889. Horatius Bonar and his wife Jane Catharine Lundie are buried in the Canongate Churchyard in Edinburgh.

In other words, mountebanks mountweazeling esquivalience

• abashed, adjective. Ashamed or embarrassed; disconcerted.
• colporteur, noun. A peddler of devotional literature, religious books, etc.
• connoisseur, noun. A person who is especially competent to pass critical judgments in art, or in matters of taste; a discerning judge of the best in any field.
• dunny, noun. (Australian & New Zealand slang) An outside privy; outhouse.
• esquivalience. A deliberate or willful avoidance of one’s official responsibilities (but not really, since it is a “mountweazel,” a bogus entry in New Oxford American Dictionary; or perhaps so, since some people have found it defined in a dictionary and now use it in their writing).
• funicular, noun. A cable railway system ascending a mountain or steep slope.
• fylfot (also fylfot cross), noun. A cross associated with medieval Anglo-Saxon culture, having perpendicular extensions (usually at 90° or close angles) radiating in the same direction; a swastika (cf. gammadion).
• gammadion (also gammate cross), noun. A cross figure made by four capital Greek gammas (Γ) radiating from a center; esp., a swastika (cf. fylfot).
• glossa, noun. The tongue; a tongue-like structure, especially in an insect.
• glossal, adjective. Of or relating to the tongue.
• glossarist, noun. A linguist; wordsmith; someone who writes a glossary.
• glossary, noun. A list of terms in a special subject, field, or area of usage, with accompanying definitions.
• glossolalia, noun. Incomprehensible speech in an imaginary language, sometimes occurring in a trance state, an episode of religious ecstasy. (Cf. xenoglossia)
• inane, adjective. Lacking sense, significance, or ideas; silly; empty; void.
• kvetch, verb. (used without object) To complain, especially chronically.
• mountebank, noun. A quack; any impudent and unscrupulous pretender; a charlatan.
• mountweazel, noun. A bogus entry inserted in a reference work by a publisher, allegedly for the purpose of detecting plagiarism.
• tourtière, noun. A pastry-covered pie containing minced pork or other chopped meat and various chopped vegetables.
• trefoil, noun. (Latin, trifolium: a three-leaved plant) Any of various plants of the pea family, chiefly of the genera Trifolium and Lotus, having compound trifoliolate leaves; an ornament, symbol, or architectural form having the appearance of a trifoliolate leaf.
• trifecta, noun. A set or combination of three things.
• triquetra, noun. A triangular figure composed of three interlaced arcs, or equivalently three overlapping vesicae piscis lens shapes (sometimes called the “Celtic Trinity Knot”).
• xenoglossia, noun. An ability to speak a known language with which the speaker or speakers are unfamiliar. (Cf. glossolalia)

Universality and unity

I found the following comments saved on my computer. I did not write down the source. I have searched and not found a source. I might have written this, or might have copied and pasted it from somewhere. So I do not want to take credit for it. Nevertheless, I believe it is worth posting.

Jesus is gathering a people for himself from every tribe, tongue, and nation through his new covenant. This people is therefore a racially, linguistically, and geographically diverse people – expressed in local congregations. This doctrine indicates a congregation should recognize other gospel-preaching congregations of like faith and practice as true churches. This additionally implies that a congregation recognizes the members of those other churches as true Christians.

On the one hand, congregations of baptized believers are partners in labor together with God and with one another. On the other hand, the Bible does not prescribe any formal institutional connections or structures between local congregations. The unity is biblical and spiritual rather than organizational.

Conversions in Acts

APPENDIX I – CONVERSIONS IN ACTS

The conversions in the book of Acts might be studied with benefit, considering the question, “Is there a normative conversion in Acts?” Or, “What is the consistent thread in all the conversion accounts?”

1. Pentecost Acts 2:38ff
2. 5000 in Jerusalem Acts 4:4, 32
3. Multitudes at Solomon’s porch Acts 5:12-14
4. The Samaritans Acts 8:16
5. The Eunuch of Ethiopia Acts 8:36-38
6. Paul Acts 9; 22:16
7. Cornelius Acts 10:47ff; 11:16-17
8. The deputy at Paphos Acts 13:4-12
9. Antioch Pisidia Acts 13:14ff
10. Lydia? Acts 16:13
11. Philippian Jailer Acts 16:30-24
12. Thessalonians Acts 17:1-9
13. Bereans Acts 17:10ff
14. Athenians Acts 17:16ff
15. Corinthians Acts 18:1-11
16. Apollos Acts 18:24-28
17. The 12 of Ephesus Acts 19:1-7

Above is possibly a complete list of these accounts (or possible accounts).[i] Did I miss any possibilities? If so, what are they? Thanks.

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[i] Possible accounts – for example, Acts 19:1-7 is believed to be so by some. Yet on the other hand, these are called disciples and believers. Or Apollos? Did he not need to only be taught more correctly than what he knew?

The Rusk County Baptist History Project

For quite some time, I have had a two-part goal “on the back burner,” so to speak. I wanted to:

1. Visit every Baptist Church in Rusk County, Texas (my native county).
2. Compile a history of all the Baptist Churches of Rusk County.

Almost two years into retirement, I concluded it is time to move this to a front burner. In July I began to crank up the “Rusk County History Project.” I have sort of introduced it through the History of Henderson and Rusk County Facebook group, posting pictures that I have taken of church buildings. I kicked it off with picture taking, and by now have taken a picture of every existing Baptist Church building that I know of in this county, most still used and a few abandoned. However, there may be a few I do not know and might have missed. I have developed questionnaires for churches and associations, and hope that every Baptist Church and Baptist organization in Rusk County will consider and decide to participate.

Perhaps you are a Rusk County Baptist reading this, or know one! I am attaching letters and questionnaires to give some idea of what I am doing.

• Baptist History Project Letter
• Church History Questionnaire, Extant Church
• Church History Questionnaire, Extinct Church
• Baptist Association Letter
• Association History Questionnaire

If these links do not work, please let me know. Thanks

Scofield Reference Bible and the King James

Q. Does the Scofield Reference Bible and its editor C. I. Scofield support the King James Bible and/or Textus Receptus?

A. The short answer is no.

I have not written much on my blog about C. I. Scofield or his reference Bible, but I can easily be classified as “not a fan.” The Scofield Reference Bible was compiled and edited (with the help of “consulting editors”) by Cyrus Ingerson Scofield (1843-1921), a popular American theologian and Bible conference speaker, who is best remembered for his teachings on dispensationalism and eschatology.

The first edition of the the Scofield Reference Bible appeared in 1909, published by the Oxford University Press in Oxford, England. A revised second edition came out in 1917. It is the most popular and best representative of Scofield’s work and theology. In 1967, 46 years after Scofield’s death, Oxford University published a revision of Scofield’s Bible, The New Scofield Reference Bible (edited by E. Schuyler English). It included some updated or modernized words inserted in the King James text, and changed some of the old study notes (which sometimes muted or disputed the notes of Scofield himself). The 21st century saw another edition of the Scofield Bible, with the Scofield reference notes made available in the ESV, HCSB. NASB, NIV, and NKJV in addition to the KJV.[i]

Though Scofield placed his cross references and study notes within the text of the King James Bible, some notes make it apparent that he was committed to textual revision above any support of the King James Bible. His revisionism is quite muted compared to what we see among the text critics of the 21st century. However, he was not committed to the King James text and translation. The following notes demonstrate his position on textual variants, the Greek manuscripts, and the Critical Text.

Matthew 23:14

• s. The best MSS. omit v. 14.

Mark 16:9

• 1. The passage from verse 9 to the end is not found in the two most ancient manuscripts, the Sinaitic and Vatican, and others have it with partial omissions and variations. But it is quoted by Irenaeus and Hippolytus in the second or third century.

John 5:3

• m. The Sinai MS. omits “waiting for the moving of the water,” and all of v. 4.

John 7:53

• 1. John 7.53-8:11 is not found in some of the most ancient manuscripts. Augustine declares that it was stricken from many copies of the sacred story because of a prudish fear that it might teach immorality! But the immediate context (vs. 12-46), beginning with Christ’s declaration, “I am the light of the world,” seems clearly to have its occasion in the conviction wrought in the hearts of the Pharisees, as recorded in verse 9; as also, it explains the peculiar virulence of the Pharisees’ words (v. 41).

Acts 8:37

• h. The best authorities omit v. 37.

Hebrews 10:23

• s. confession of the hope.

1 John 5:7

• o. It is generally agreed that v. 7 has no real authority, and has been inserted.

The above notes demonstrate that C. I. Scofield was not a proponent of the TR, neither an avid defender of the KJV. However, in contrast to many in the Critical Text camp today, Scofield seems noncommittal on Mark 16:9-20, and seems to support the Pericope Adulterae. There are no notes at Matthew 6:13; Luke 23:34; Ephesians 3:9; Revelation 16:5; 22:19, some verses which are hotly discussed today.

There are additional problems with Scofield and his notes, such as his universalist dispensationalist ecclesiology, and the promotion of the Gap Theory (a long gap of time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2).

Genesis 1:2

• 3. Jer. 4.23-26, Isa. 24:1 and Isa. 45.18, clearly indicate that the earth had undergone a cataclysmic change as the result of divine judgment. The face of the earth bears everywhere the marks of such a catastrophe. There are not wanting intimations which connect it with a previous testing and fall of angels. See Ezk. 28.12-15 and Isa. 14.9-14, which certainly go beyond the kings of Tyre and Babylon.

The Scofield Reference Bible and its editor C. I. Scofield do not and did not support the King James Bible and/or Textus Receptus. Neither do its past and current publisher.

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[i] For more on the history of the Scofield Bible, see Gordon Campbell, Bible: The Story of the King James Version, 1611-2011 (pp. 241-248).