Assembly History

1st Samuel chapter 8 beginning at verse number 1. And it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, the name of his second Abiah. They were judges in Beersheba.

And his sons walked not in his ways but turned aside after Lucre and took bribes and perverted judgment. Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together and came to Samuel and to Ramah. And said unto him, behold thou art old and thy sons walk not in thy ways.

Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord.

The Lord said unto Samuel, hearken unto the voice of the people and all that they say unto thee. For they have not rejected thee but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.

Now therefore hearken unto their voice, albeit yet protest solemnly unto them and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked of him a king. And he said, this will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you.

And he mentions a number of things what this king will do at this particular time. Let's go down to verse number 19. Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel and they said, nay but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.

And Samuel heard all the words of the people and he rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord. The Lord said to Samuel, hearken unto their voice and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the people of Israel, go ye every man unto his city.

Now I would also like to read in chapter 12 but I think I'll omit that chapter for the sake of time. Here we have history in its making because Israel would now have a king to reign over them. And I'm going to just say some introductory remarks before I get into some history this afternoon and this would likely take more than an hour but I won't do that.

You wouldn't be happy if I did. So I'm going to try to condense it so that it'll be helpful for you and especially for our young people because I think what I have before me, that is a burden that I have, is really more or less for the younger generation that they might grasp some things that are very important in regards to not only what I read but what I'm going to say about assembly history. You'll know of course that 1st Samuel is a book of three men.

That is Samuel who is the last judge of Israel bringing to an end 450 years of judgeship and Acts chapter 13 will give you that information. Then the second man of course is Israel's first king, Israel's choice, that is Saul. Then of course a man after God's own heart, that is David, a man that God would choose to be a king over Israel.

We know of course that 1st Samuel as well as a transition book, we're moving from theocracy, the rule of God, to monarchy which will mark a major division in the nation of Israel in the rule as well. God was not against Israel having a king because Deuteronomy chapter 17 points that out to us very clearly but God would give him a king in his time on his terms but they were not going to wait for God's timing or on God's terms or God's choice. If you read Psalm 106 about verse 23 there you read words like this, that after God had brought Israel out of Egypt then they believed his word, then they sang his praises.

Then you read these words, they soon forgot his work and they waited not for his counsel and that is primarily the reason for all of Israel's errors throughout their history. They refused to wait on God and I'm going to stop here for a moment and say this, I'm sure you will agree with me that a lot of the mistakes you have made in your life have been just the same, you did not wait on God, you made your own choice and you moved according to your own timing and you found out later on that you had made a mistake and you have to live with those mistakes. Granted God is able to make up for the loss no doubt but you will bear the consequences that's why it's very important for young believers in particular that they make sure the choices you make in life make sure they are according to the Word of God based on principle and precept.

There are people who don't think that principles are valid from the Word of God but they are absolutely valid, just as valid as the precepts are. It is also very important that you get to know all of your Bible, all of the Old Testament history, it is very crucial and if you don't you'll be going to be at a loss when you come to even understanding the major doctrines of our New Testament. So read all of the Bible, get to know your Bible at the earliest possible time in your Christian experience.

Now it's quite clear here from 1st Samuel chapter 8 where I read that the nation did not appreciate not only God's rule over them but they didn't appreciate Samuel's leadership either and they had a fine leader, a good judge and they would find out later on what they missed in his leadership. But you see now they're going to use the excuse for a king because his sons were not living up to what they should live up to and it seemed that Samuel tolerated their actions and as a result they embraced the evil living that they were involved in. That often happens you know when we tolerate things in our life our generation or our children are going to embrace what we tolerate it and so that's why it's important then to make sure that we don't do these sort of things.

So they're going to use Samuel's old age plus his son's failures for a reason to have a king to reign over them but that was not the real reason at all. No that wasn't a real reason but they use that as an excuse. If you read on you'll find out why they wanted a king now to be like the nations about them.

They wanted a different form of leadership. They want a larger freedom and you can certainly apply that in your life today can't you? I don't need to make that clear to you because you can see exactly what they were doing exactly what you have done and what our maybe your assemblies are doing what the evangelical churches are doing because they're not satisfied with the whole counsel of the Word of God. But mind you even though that in first Samuel family life is not what it should be as we've been hearing whether it be in David's life, Samuel's life or Eli.

We recognize that however that is not an excuse for them to do what they're going to do. Sad to say and so therefore they're going to make demands to have a king rule over them and they're going to find out that the simple rule of living was going to change because a king now would make things more complicated and more difficult. If they thought it was difficult under Samuel's rule they're going to find it's going to be far worse under a king and they're going to find greater servitude as well and they would not have the freedom that they thought they were going to have and greater responsibilities as well.

They said oh king will handle our problems and fight our battles. Well he might do that but it's not going to solve their problems either and so we need to be on the guard as to what we're going to allow in our lives and in the assemblies of God because what you're going to allow is not going to turn out what you think it's going to turn out to be and you're going to find out that the consequences are very very severe as well. So then they were discontent with a simple way of life under God's rule and it was simple and it was relatively easy but because of discontent.

Where'd that come from? Well it really was before they ever come out of Egypt. All the way through the wilderness into the land of Canaan. They were just simply discontent, not happy with the way God was leading them and the food that God fed them and etc.

So now they are expressing it. Now they had reached the climax of their discontent and dissatisfaction and they said we want a king to rule over us and Samuel gives into it because he sees now there's no way back and they're going to have to suffer the consequences I said but Samuel protests severely as to what is going to take place. Lays it all before them but he still said we want a king to rule over us but I want to bring this forward a bit because in the book of Judges where they were still discontent when Joshua and his generation passed off the scene the next generation said rose up that knew not the Lord that is they didn't want to go along with the ways that had been in Joshua's day that is that generation of Joshua that fervor now became formalism under the next generation but the next generation would be apathy and that is always the course of history what may be my convictions my fervor my zeal may not be the same in my children it may become formalism which will lead to apathy indifference who cares it need not be that way but it will be that way if you don't find out why you believe what you believe a lot of people in the Assembly of God who don't know why they're in the Assembly of God because they have never done anything about it they never paid a price to be gathered unto the glorious name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you should be exercised about that because there's coming a day when you'll be called upon to take a stand and you're not going to be able to because you haven't got the answers by the way so you see what we see in Israel's history as the progress is we find also in church history because in the second and third centuries of church history under terrific persecution the church prospered didn't it the Assemblies of God prospered the blood of the martyrs was really the seed of the church expansion but in the fourth and fifth centuries of church history under Constantine it was not that way at all.

Error, departure, compromise entered in and eventually it was bloomed into apostasy and eventually enveloped Christendom itself because of the same progress and I think beloved today that that's going to happen in our in our assemblies as well if we don't have men and women to rise up and take a stand on biblical principles of why we are in the Assembly of God and what is really constitutes Assembly of God so I just want you to understand today the danger of being neutral of not being concerned about issues about separation because it really all goes back to that doesn't it beloved it really does when Israel failed to be a separate nation she began to compromise and began to degenerate till God had to put them into Babylon and it'll be the same way with you and I if we don't maintain separation individually and collectively we will cease to be a distinct gathered out company of believers believe me I've been there I know what I'm talking about and I'm not trying to be hard I just want you to understand the issues of the day now I did mention that we need men and women to stand up to stand in the gap for those that make up the hedge God said I look for a man to make up the hedge and stand in the gap and I found none. Couldn't find any. Can he find some today? I'm sure he can.

Amongst us I'm sure he can and thank God for it. Thank God for our young people here today who have an interest in being at a conference and to conduct themselves in a godly way. We commend you heartedly.

We want to encourage you because you are a generation that can reach out to the next generation to help them maintain biblical principles and separation unto our God. Godly behavior. Remember you will be called upon sometime in your life raising a family or when assembly issues come along can you stand up and have the wisdom and the understanding to handle the issues that come your way.

Ecclesiastes chapter 9 there was a small city few people in it but in that city there was a poor wise man and he by his wisdom delivered the city nobody else did but in that city there was one and I hope today there's more than one more than ten and many many more here who are not considered popular by anybody you know maybe you're not like the school or university and maybe you have problems at home you're taking a stand against issues and with your peers can you be that so-called poor wise person who be able to stand up and deliver souls maybe in the assembly of God. Remember as I refer to Ecclesiastes chapter 9 that that poor wise man was not remembered he was forgotten but God didn't forget him because it's recorded in the Word of God never mind about the applause of men forget about it because you're not going to get it and if you do get it it may go to your head sure encouragement is wonderful isn't it sure we need to encourage of course don't rely on it you've got to rely on something far more important than that who you're doing it for who you're living for who saved your soul who gave you the truth that you believe in today well God gave it to you wasn't you God give it to you God give it to me now I never thought I'd ever understand this truth because I was way out in the non-denominational inter-denominational and non-denominational circles but God began to lead us onto the place of his name and here's what I want to do for 15 minutes briefly I want to give you assembly history you have to be brief of course but I want to do it because you need to understand this where do we come from is what we believe today based on wholly and solely the Word of God if it isn't is that worth having is it but if it's based on the Word of God you need to understand history because history is vastly important history gives you the facts Israel was reminded of their history and as God reminded them of their history remember when you come out of Egypt remember what happened in the wilderness and in Canaan remember the mistakes you made and don't ever forget it remember Jeroboam who divided the nation never forget that man because you will do the same thing if you follow in his footsteps and think along the line that he fought we don't want you to do that we want you to know the facts and be able to take a solid stand on biblical principles so I'm going to give you the history you can get them out of some books and some books you can't get them from because they're just simply not available but I was able to get my hands on some material given to me from a godly couple in Guelph Ontario a number of years ago and I remember delving into it and I was really impressed by some of the information and I want to give that to you as they go along this afternoon so we're going to begin now not with the work that began in Scotland which is my major emphasis but I'm going to take you back to a work that began in Plymouth England back in about 1825 1826 that was a mighty movement of God as well and you have to remember this that up until that time we have no bib no record of assembly history up to that point in time there's a simply with none available but that does not mean that assemblies were not functioning that Christians didn't gather to his name they certainly did this wasn't known even through the dark ages God had his people his remnant he always will no matter how dark today beloved God will always have a people gathered unto his glorious name the name of the Lord Jesus Christ so I'll never forget that but in 1825 1826 a man as you probably all know John Nelson Darby was an Anglican clergy clergyman he was a saved man a very intelligent person and knew a lot of biblical truth but one thing he did not know was this until one day he fell off his horse and was laid up and he began to do some soul-searching and he found the truth that all believers saved by the grace of God were in the church which is his body didn't know that before so knowing that truth he sought to find believers who believe the same thing as he did he couldn't find any in the denominations of course not but he found a group of believers in Plymouth who met together a number of believers who came from different denominations and they gathered there solely here's the emphasis solely on the grounds of the one body that's what they all believed in and that was what was the ground of their gatherings and he was still in the Anglican Church of course but he left that in 1832 and joined himself with the Plymouth brethren in Plymouth England of course in 1840 there was a controversy that developed between he and Benjamin Newton and the division was so sharp that they had to separate so there was a major separation those who sided with John Nelson Darby went with him and those who didn't go along with him were went with Benjamin Newton I should say this that before that time Darby really did a lot of evangelistic work and did a lot of teaching and brought a lot of wonderful truth to attention as a priesthood of all believers dispensationalism premillennialism and etc so we owe a great debt to him and of course is is very good translation of Bible the Darby Bible is a good translation if you want one to help in your study it is a good translation and we recommend that more than any probably other translation but I hope we never bring it into the assemblies of God or any other translation I hope we will always to the Lord comes hold to the venerable King James authorized version beautiful version you'll never go wrong by reading it and studying it that's on the side of course so those who sided with John Nelson Darby were called exclusives and they gathered on the ground of membership in the one body Darby believed that the church was in ruins because all dispensations failed so therefore he concluded that is impossible to restore assemblies as they were to apostolate apostolic times all you could expect was a remnant testimony and meeting of believers meeting together on the grounds of the one body that's all I'm going to say about that other than the fact that those who did not side with John Nelson Darby began to re-examine the scriptures and if discovered that that was not the grounds of gathering whatsoever but on what set the scriptures do we gather seeing a distinction between body truth and local assembly truth and if you don't understand that you're going to be in the fog you will because that is crucial what is the difference between being in the body and the local church truth and you need to understand those distinctions in order to be safe and secure so those who then saw that truth were called open brethren obese and not the same as we have open brethren today but that's what was the title given to them now that's all I'm going to say about the Plymouth movement just to point out their grounds of gathering the ground of gathering now we're going to come to the movement that began in Scotland I work entirely different from the Plymouth movement here was a gospel work souls were saved eventually baptized and the truth of breaking of bread x20 and gathering to his name and so on whereas the work in Plymouth was people who were saved in denominations and came out and began to see some of these these truths but the work in Scotland was really beloved today I work done by the gospel and I suppose few parts of the world including Ireland had such seasons of revival and times of blessing and visitation and awakening as that in Scotland in particular I'm going to refer you to the 1859 evangelical revival there was a tremendous in awakening actually goes back to 1857 when in the United States of America when Charles Finney was preaching that's really was a source of and spread to England and Ireland and Scotland as well there was such an awakening in Scotland at that time that people stop their work souls were saved in the streets and in their homes tremendous work of God it was a work of the Spirit of God one of the lovely hymns of the revival the number of verses to it was this what's the news what's the news the lamb was slain on Calvary that's the news that's the news was there he shed his precious blood was there he bowed his sacred head and now he's risen from the dead that's the news that's the news and what wonderful news it was to hear about the cross of Christ and the glorious resurrection of the Lord Jesus and you can understand the tremendous an awakening that was taking place at that time men like John Ritchie Reginald whack Redcliffe and name another man here Richard Weaver and Duncan Matheson were saved then as well and God is raising up men to lead them out from all the confusion that they were associated with I'm going to refer you to also Donald Ross who was saved much much earlier than these men that I just mentioned to you and when Donald Ross heard about Duncan Matheson so Donald Monroe he approached him and he wanted him to help him in the Northeast Coast mission now this mission was an interdenominational mission and it had board members and all the different churches supported it by their contributions and they these they certainly saw a great work being done through their plain preaching but after some years associated with this North East Coast mission they became very disenchanted with it because of the interdenominational function so they had a little bit more light from the Word of God and that's something was radically wrong with it so they broke away from this mission and the foreign another society which is called the evangelical society and in this society here it was an independent society they felt free now because they weren't taking support from the different denominations and they were the Lord's free men and they began to preach up the northern coast of Scotland and other places as well and you can see beloved today how God was leading these men and as I have gone over this I thought that's how God was leading in my wife and I my life my wife and I his life as well step by step he was leading us out from all the confusion about us up from those we loved dearly who were godly believers amongst the denominations particularly the non-denominational group held very strong and hard to cardinal doctrines of our New Testament only error we were involved in was that with the local assembly we didn't understand that but other than that we were biblically solid but we had never known that truth of being gathered to his name just like these men here as well so these men here continued preaching and about 1871 there was autumn of 1871 Donald Monroe became sick that was sickness brought on by the Lord of course and to recover from his sickness he was gonna make a journey across the ocean to Park Hill Ontario that's near Mount Forrest and Sarnia area to visit his relatives while he recuperated but he also had something else in his mind he was going to preach the gospel there and he saw a number of his relatives saved in the Presbyterian Church which caused quite an upset as well back in Scotland Donald Ross discovered another truth that was believers baptism when he saw that truth he was immediately baptized so he sent a letter over to Canada to Donald Monroe and to tell him about this Donald Monroe already had been searching the scriptures and he found out too that a believer needs to be baptized by immersion not sprinkled as he was so in this November he went back to Scotland and probably was baptized in December I'm sure it was a cold baptism but I'm sure his heart was rejoicing in God as well so these men now were practically outside of the denominations but they still did not own anything know anything about gathering to his name he had heard about the so-called brethren I'm going to quote you this here called brethren but only a very bad group with whom he should have no link whatsoever I heard that before and like you have to it's not true of course so they became more determined then to learn the truth so Donald Monroe upon his knees began to search the scriptures which caused him to resign from the free church and from this society that was he was involved in and unbeknown to these men of course but was still working the spirit of God was working in Scotland particular and assemblies were being formed many believers met together for prayer and study the Word of God but then they began to see they should break bread and he saw the priesthood of all believers that he shouldn't have one man over them and and gathering together in the name of the Lord Jesus on what the scripture said not on the grounds of the one body he saw that very clearly and to make us just a bit shorter Donald Ross became associated with assembly up in Aberdeen and he saw what the believers are doing and he made he came into fellowship down on Rose a little more cautious he want to make sure they move he was making was according to the Word of God so these men here were certainly guided of God as a result of that down on the road went back to Ontario again to Park Hill and taught those believers that he saw saved baptized and the truth of God's assembly and assembly was formed in Park Hill you can understand of course back in those days 1872 that's about 140 years assembly history beloved we're still carrying it out you can understand that the mode of transportation was not good but God was working saving souls in the Maritimes assemblies were a planet out in the prairies down in New York to Los Angeles God is working England Ireland Scala God was moving this is a work of God souls were saved by gospel preaching for 35 years assemblies held to the grounds of gathering that I refer to on what set the Word of God and nothing less than that but those on the other side that is those who didn't hold to that try to learn the assemblies on Ontario and other places back into the fold so we would be one again or be one but that didn't didn't stay long after 35 years that things changed and that happened in 1908 I made the 24th in a in a place called War Minister near Orillia Ontario that's when the bombshell fell and that's when things changed and I got a hurry here at that conference in War Minister a man from Scotland Robert McMurdo came to the platform and he began to make a plea that there be no I'm gonna quote here now it made no to make no there should be no divisions among us no schism in the body deploring the fact that if such great men as Hudson Taylor were in our midst today or tomorrow he couldn't break bread and he up deplored such a thing would ever take place is he not a believer is he not a godly missionary all would agree of course but that is not to the grounds of gathering that these men adhered to and so this man was making a passionate plea but the damage was being done and he actually kept on going with his liberal views he sat down the meeting was going to be closed in prayer but a man jumped to his feet and his name was Robert Telfer and he went to the platform now here's a man who is it was wise a wise man amongst him rose up a man who stood in the gap a man who believed the things most surely believed amongst us he went to the platform I'm gonna quote again what this man said he went to the platform and he reviewed and examined each argument in the light of scripture he skillfully and selectively and effectively dealt with them in every detail that is the points that mr. McMurdo gave which he did but the damage had been done that day there a division had taken place and three years later mr. McClure made a passionate plea as well and said that we should introduce a middle path policy and here's what he said that this policy asks us to accept any and all gatherings who profess to be gathered to the name of Christ as true assemblies agreeing to disagree in all matters except the fundamentals of the faith please that sounds pretty good but where in scripture do you have that truth being taught you don't find it you don't find anywhere in scripture that we're together the grounds of one body but you see that middle path policy opened the door and what happened was this was a slow march back for those who embraced that open policy or you can neutralism whatever you want to call it back to evangelicalism so that today my beloved brethren you know what you have today I'm gonna tell you what you have encircled outside of ourselves a one-man ministry now or pastor teacher no seat of the unlearned no within and without seminars closed platforms you're told what to preach I know because I have a brother-in-law who and it's a lovely lovely brother and he's a godly man too but he doesn't understand these truths we've talked about him he said I don't understand it but nevertheless and on and on we go casual dress a weakness in gospel preaching entertaining believers or entertaining the unsaved we need to entertain them we need to redefine words so that'll be more plausible to those who are listening in the audience the family Bible hour youth meeting youth conferences and out and on it goes but we too beloved are moving in that direction slow but sure because neutralism tolerance compromise always brings disaster and if you don't understand the grounds of your gathering today then you're going to allow things into your life and into the assembly that's going to no longer make it distinct as an assembly of God that's why you need to know why you're in the assembly why we gather as we do it is very very critical know what you believe and I just want you today to consider these things because they're very very important I wish I had more time to touch on some more issues relative that I would like even to tell you about what happened back in the 50s in the in the evangelical field what they did exactly the same thing the fundamental there are those enough who are fundamentalists who didn't want to remain fundamental so they want to move away from it to hit it to make a middle path division and didn't want to be like the liberals but I didn't want to sure be like the fundamentals either they're too extreme they're too conservative we need to go down the middle road here redefine our thinking remodel our way of doing things open our doors and back then the group I was associated with we took a firm stand against that because we saw what that was going to do to the evangelicals and would you mind me mind if I read something from a this is from a Baptist seminary men back then who firmly stood against this kind of a movement and spoke against Billy Graham doing the same thing who would allow in his platform unsaved ungodly men to function in his evangelism I just pointed that out I'm not throwing stones at the man but I just pointing out his policy here's what I'm going to read to you basically new evangelicalism is an attempt to meet find a meeting place between liberalism and fundamentalism it is unwilling to expose all the tenets of liberalism but is anxious to escape some of the reproach attached to fundamentalism this has been a bitter pill of reproach so the driving motive has compelled them to change their approach in order to better conform to the pattern of the day and to seek to make things acceptable coupled with this has been an unwillingness to continue in a constant vigorous attempt of defense of the faith nowhere in Scripture is a church commissioned to press for better social conditions or to attempt to solve current social problems Paul never organized a society for the abolition of slavery he simply admonished slaves to be good slaves for Christ's sake the New Testament does not reveal any divine plan for church sponsored programs social programs history teaches that the preoccupation with this eventually leads to the ruin of the church contending for the faith is not easy and contending for the truth that we believe is not going to be easy either so you've got to know what you believe you've got to know the things most surely believed amongst us and I hope today beloved well this is very fast and hurried I hope beloved today you'll be a man and woman you know what beloved our we as older brethren got to stand up I can't tolerate this if you believe us wrong stand up if all summer older brethren would stand up today we wouldn't be having some of our problems they would stop it right here but we're not doing it we're afraid to speak up because we might be suffer a lot of reproach and cut off and who knows you'd be the odd man out who cares if you're standing for the truth because after all you got to stand before Christ and the truth you understand today he's gonna hold you responsible for so young sister young brother older brother and we is preaching brothers let's stand for what we have we believe is right and what is not right throw it out but I believe today with all my heart and soul I firmly believe what God taught us in 1970 is the truth of God and while I'm ashamed of some of our behavior in the assemblies of God and shame on maybe my behavior too at times and we can bow our head and shame as we shame but let's never give up on the principles and precepts that God has given to us they're too valuable to lose to allow toleration to allow compromise may God encourage a young person today and let's move on for God for his name's sake