Richard’s Remarks
As I have said before, I have a deep overall respect for the Restoration preachers - men such as Alexander Campbell, Barton Stone, Racoon John Smith, J.W. McGarvey, David Lipscomb and many more. The numerous stories involving them should encourage us and motivate us.
For the purposes of this article, I would like to share one particular story with you. I chuckled when I first read about it. Jacob Creath, Jr., one of the well-respected preachers of the Restoration, preached his first sermon in 1817. While expressing his own dissatisfaction with his efforts, he wrote in his memoirs, “And I thought if God would forgive my first offense of the kind, I would never repeat it” (Donan, P. Memoir of Jacob Creath, Jr. Cincinnati: R.W. Carroll & Company, 1872, pg 59). How many of us can relate to those thoughts? How many times have we put forth an effort toward something and then wrestled with the thoughts of falling short in those efforts? Jacob Creath thought so poorly of his initial effort in preaching that he vowed to never do it again.
Thankfully, Jacob Creath did not grow weary in well doing (see Gal 6:9) but continued his preaching efforts. On one occasion, after brother Creath had preached at Arkansas College in Fayetteville, the president of the college stated, “I never heard such a discourse before, nor did you! I have heard all the great Lights of this Reformation: Alexander Campbell, Walter Scott, and others: but such an oration on the subject of Christianity, I have never before listened to” (Donan 177-178). T.P. Haley, a preacher in Missouri who was acquainted with Creath recorded that he “...was remarkable for his
energy, the extraordinary sweep of his memory over the pages of Biblical and historical lore, for his fervent piety, and for his boldness in advocating and defending what he believed to be right” (Historical and Biographical Sketches of the Early Churches and Pioneer Preachers of the Christian Church in Missouri. Christian Publishing Co., 1888, pg 451). Thankfully, Jacob Creath, Jr. took that first step in preaching the word. Thankfully, he didn’t allow that to be his only step but took many, many more.
What about you? Is there a “step” that you need to take? Are there additional ways that you could be serving the Lord? Is there something that you’ve thought about doing but haven’t built up the courage to do yet? Go ahead and do it. Take that step. Is there a possibility that you’ll be disappointed in the results? Sure. But, if so, take another step and continue in service to the Lord. Or, perhaps you took a particular step in the past and vowed never to do so again. Well, take that step again and again and again... You can never know what the end result might possibly be. But, rest assured, you’ll never find out if you don’t take the first step and the many steps that follow.