Jump Start # 3996
2 Timothy 2:22 “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
Throwback Thursday: an article written from the past
A Lonely End
There it sat on the top shelf of the bookcase, squeezed in tightly between books by modern writers. It was a book written by a preacher. His name is both pleasant and familiar to lovers of church history. The book was written by Alexander Campbell. What a delight and what a joy I felt when I came upon this book in this tucked away used bookstore. Indeed, this was the prize of the day.
I pulled down this classic and opened it up. And before my eyes was written the name of the previous owner. My heart sank. My joy was gone. I wished that I had never seen this book now. The name was of a gospel preacher. A preacher that I knew very well. I had worked with this man in times gone by. We ate our meals together nearly every day. We traveled together. I had spent endless hours in his home and even roomed with his son in an apartment. We were like family. I have listened to so many of his sermons with great delight. I have even read from this very book that I now held in my hands. Those were certainly good times and precious memories. But on this day, the book is up for sale.
The book felt more like a casket to me. It contained the memories of a good friend. You see, the preacher who once owned this book, has quit preaching. His marriage fell apart. He and his wife have now taken up with other people as their mates. He now attends a denomination in the same town where he once preached the one true message of Jesus Christ. And, in this sad and final state, was this grand book of Campbell on leaving creeds and party names now abandoned to a lonely shelf in a used bookstore. The man who once stood firm with the gospel had sold his library and removed from his life every reminder of truth and the ancient paths of God.
I looked back as I left that room, at the faded blue book of Campbell’s, wondering how long it would sit there…wondering if any one would ever again enjoy its sounding statements of religious freedoms…wondering if the former preacher would ever again find his way back to the Lord.
What a lonely end to such a good book…what a lonely end to such a good man…now practicing what he once warned others of.
How I hate error. How indeed sin destroys. Take to heart Paul’s words: “Take heed lest ye fall” (1 Cor 10:12).
The next day I called the bookstore and made arrangements to purchase the Campbell book. I’m so glad I did.
Roger
December, 1989