A Pistol Packin’ Preacher

By: Steve Huston

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” 2 Timothy 4:2

In a different day from a by-gone age, I could see myself as a pistol-packin’, circuit ridin’ preacher. It’s more than a love of riding horses and shooting guns; it’s about having adoration for the Bible and Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. It’s having a burden for lost souls who need to know the grace of God and the power of the gospel message which can bring salvation, sanctification, and transformation to their lives.

Some of these men carried a gun as well as their Bible for protection from Indians, outlaws, wild animals, or to provide food for their needs, while others did not. Some were Methodists, others Calvinists, Baptists, or otherwise. Some were rough around the edges, others more cultured, but each loved the Lord, laying their lives on the line for Him and for the soul of their fellow man. Regardless their differences, they had a zeal for sharing the truth and readying souls for eternity. They all faced the unknown, dangers of men and Satan, and the hardships that travel and sleeping outdoors can bring. J.B. Wakeley, in Heroes of Early Methodism, aptly describes another similarity: “[They] were heroes in the loftiest sense of the word. With no sword but that of the Spirit, no banner but that of the cross and no commander but our spiritual Joshua, the leader of the Lord’s host, they went forth to glorious war, having for their motto, Victory or Death… their great object to promote ‘Christianity in earnest.’”

Some, particularly those who preached in Texas, found that it was illegal to preach anything other than Catholicism, seeing it was still Mexican territory. Nonetheless, they preached the Word. Others would find opposition from horse thieves, business owners, and unsavory characters that stood against what God stood for. Still, they preached the Word. In standing for righteousness they might find themselves looking down the barrel of a gun; in preaching the truth against slavery they may have their necks in a hangman’s noose; yet they would preach the Word whether it was in season or out of season. They willingly would reprove, rebuke, and exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine, for this was their call, souls were their concern, and Christ was their passion.

In an ever increasingly post-Christian culture, we will face similar challenges. We’ll be told that it’s illegal to pray in Jesus’ name or to speak the gospel in certain areas. There will be businesses and enemies of the cross who will threaten you with harm or death if you speak the truth. Family may despise you and friends forsake you; “preach the word; be instant in season, out of season” anyway. “Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering,” but not from your personal feelings or your own desire; it must be done in love and must be according to the doctrine – truth – of God’s Word.

Oh, Lord, may the Holy Ghost rekindle the spirit of self-sacrifice within us, causing us to love You and the souls of our fellowman more than life itself. May we be so moved to proclaim with Peter, “I must obey God rather than man.” May we feel blessed to sing in prison or to be counted as one “of whom the world was not worthy.” Father, put the name of Jesus on our lips to our dying breath, regardless the consequence! I plead these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Dear Reader, work while it is day! Share those gospel tracts and testify to the transforming power of Christ in your own life. As our culture devolves, resembling the old lawless west with its inherent and heathenish dangers, all who will live godly and “preach the Word” will find themselves to be a type of circuit riding preacher from bygone days, packin’ the “Gospel gun” (Bible) and shooting those blood-stained bullets that defeated the devil on Calvary’s cross.  As Elmer Kelton wrote, finishing his forward for Barbara Barton’s Pistol Packin’ Preachers: “Today, when so many have lost their moral compass and there seem no longer to be absolutes of right or wrong, we can learn much from these men of great faith who endured all manner of sacrifice to answer the Lord’s call and spread His teachings to the multitudes.”

Come to think of it, I guess each of us can be a “pistol-packin’,” circuit ridin’ preacher right now!

 

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