Biographical Sketch

In the Gospel record, we meet a man who was much like us in many ways. He was a working man; in his case, he was an ordinary fisherman from Galilee. He struggled with pride, anger, and self-confidence. But his life was transformed by the Lord Jesus Christ, and God was able to use him mightily, even after his many failures. This man’s testimony can be an encouragement to us all. Let’s look at one particular moment in his life.

If we were to visit the streets of any major city in England at the turn of the nineteenth century, we would be witness to a sad and pitiable sight. Roving bands of orphaned children begged and stole their way through life. Often they were dressed in rags, with little to wear and nothing to eat. One German-born pastor and his wife could not simply pass by while orphans died by the hundreds in the streets.

In a dark day of murder, intrigue, and violence, one faithful priest of God emerged as a heroic defender of life.

An example of a man who started wisely in life but took a tragic detour into the path of pleasure and vanity is King Solomon. Thankfully, he repented of his sins before his life was over and recorded his experiences so that future generations might learn from them. His success and failure in life rose and fell in direct proportion to how well he honored the instruction given to him by his father and mother.

Timothy is the only individual with two inspired epistles addressed specifically to him. Yet his own family life was far from ideal. How did this son with a believing mother and unbelieving father keep the fifth commandment?

To send a young boy alone on such a journey seemed foolish, but Rochunga's father had prepared him well for his journey. Mountains would be climbed, rivers would be crossed, and wild beasts would need to be avoided. But Rochunga was not afraid. He knew that his father would be praying for him on this mountain.

Long before he was the father of his country, George Washington was a son. Men who learn to command must first learn to obey, and men in positions of authority earn their trust by serving faithfully under authority. Throughout his life of service, George Washington was a man who understood and respected authority.

Isaac is probably the least known of the Old Testament patriarchs. But on three important occasions during his life, Isaac demonstrated remarkable honor to his father and mother. His life provides a good example of the blessing of the “long life, and peace” that is promised to the honorable son.

When Truett opened his first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta’s Greenbriar Mall in 1967, the operators of the mall urged him to stay open all seven days of the week. However, he firmly but kindly explained that Chick-fil-A restaurants were closed on Sunday as his policy was to keep the Lord’s Day set apart for his employees to rest and worship with their families.

Even in the midst of all his military battles, he never forgot the Lord’s Day. On the evening after acquiring the nickname “Stonewall” for his brave stand at Manassas, in his tent Jackson wrote a letter to his pastor. With the letter he enclosed a check for the Sunday School class that he dearly loved. He did not mention in his missive his own heroic actions on that day.

Many men find great satisfaction in their work. It is natural and healthy for a man to find satisfaction in the success of his vocational achievements. Nehemiah in the Old Testament provides a splendid example of God’s prescribed pattern for work, rest, and worship. Nehemiah is best known for his tremendous accomplishment of building the walls of Jerusalem, but his faithful legacy of remembering the sabbath day to keep it holy is worthy of our consideration. This biographical sketch begins in the year 444 B.C. at Shushan, the winter retreat palace of the Persian monarchs. A few years earlier, Esther and Mordecai had been God’s choice instruments to spare His people from destruction in this same city. Zerubbabel, a royal descendant of King David, had led the first return of Jewish exiles to Jerusalem and had begun the construction of the Second Temple. Prophets such as Haggai and Zechariah encouraged the people of Judah to keep their priorities right and to finish the construction. Ezra the scribe had led a second return of exiles to Jerusalem. He also instructed the priests regarding some areas they were neglecting to obey in God’s Law: to sanctify themselves, to keep the appointed feasts, […]

The story of Eric’s victory in Paris has been told many times in different ways, with varying degrees of accuracy. The story that is told less often is the story of Eric’s subsequent victories. After his Olympic victory, Eric Liddell spoke all over Scotland at various evangelistic meetings. Crowds flocked to hear the humble man who was bashful about his trophies but bold about his Savior.

In one terrible day, Job was stripped of every outward manifestation of God’s goodness. As we meet Job in the Bible, God calls him “the greatest of all the men of the east” (Job 1:3). He was a man of upright character. He feared the Lord. He avoided evil. He regularly prayed and offered sacrifices. In spite of this consistent, God-honoring character, God had a purpose in the testing of Job. He allowed Satan to tempt Job and to take from the man all that he held dear. In one heartrending parade of messengers bringing bad news, Job was informed that his donkeys and oxen had been stolen by the Sabeans, his sheep had been burned with fire, his camels had been stolen by a band of Chaldeans, and his servants had been slain. Worst of all, his sons and his daughters had been killed when the house in which they were feasting collapsed upon them, leaving Job with no living posterity. Job’s response is a remarkable testimony to his character. As he grieved over the loss of his precious children, we are told that he “rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and […]

Aniwa is a small atoll, a coral island, in the modern state of Vanuatu in the South Pacific. In the 1800s when this biographical sketch takes place, the island chain was called the New Hebrides. Aniwa is one of the smallest inhabited islands in the group. The island’s total land mass only covers 3 square miles. Unlike some of the mountainous islands in the chain, Aniwa is very flat. The inhabitants who lived on this tropical island were in bondage to ignorance, superstition, and fear. As cannibals, they killed and ate their enemies. They worshipped gods carved of wood and stone. The people also practiced witchcraft and were subject to the power of their “sacred men.” Because the island was small and it lacked abundant rainfall, the inhabitants suffered from a shortage of fresh water. When tropical rains did come, the water drained quickly into the sea. No springs, lakes, or freshwater creeks were to be found on the entire island. The few places where rainwater collected became stagnant pools infested with parasites. Many of the islanders suffered from a parasitic disease known as elephantiasis or Barbados leg. The malady made the sufferer’s legs and feet swell to enormous proportions. […]

Every year on March 17, millions of people all over the world wear green and eat traditional Irish dishes, such as corned beef and cabbage. Almost everyone in Western Civilization has heard the name Saint Patrick, but very few know the remarkable story of his life and testimony. The story of Saint Patrick has become surrounded by a dense fog of legends and traditions. But behind these legends is the life of a very real man who preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Ireland more than fifteen hundred years ago. Patrick was born around A.D. 389 in Scotland to a Christian family. His father was a deacon at a church founded by early missionaries to the British Isles. Patrick was known in his early youth as a little boy with a tender heart and warm disposition. His mother was a pious lady who endeavored to lead her son in the paths of righteousness. The boy deeply loved his parents and eagerly listened to their Gospel teachings. But a tragedy befell the family before Patrick had personally accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. When Patrick was sixteen years old, he was playing near the sea with two of his sisters. While […]

On a cold, miserable day, a French warship steadily made its way along the Scottish coastline. The warship was powered by human labor — the steady pull of many chained galley slaves. Aboard the ship, performing backbreaking work at the oars, was a feeble man who was very near the point of death. It had been many months since the Scotsman had seen his native land.

Moses asked the Lord a significant question in Exodus 3:13: “Behold, when I... shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?” Moses was asking for the source of his authority. The answer Moses received was simple yet profound: “I AM THAT I AM” (Exodus 3:14).

From his earliest boyhood memories, Stanley Tam set his priorities toward making money. He grew up on a small farm near Lima, Ohio, and he helped his parents milk the cows and plant potatoes. However, his ambitions lay far beyond the humble circumstances of his upbringing. In his spare moments he would speculate about how to get rich, as many young boys do.

Alfred had become king at a desperate time. Parts of the country, such as East Anglia & Kent, had fallen to the Vikings. London was in the hands of the same cruel invaders. Another Viking army was marching from Reading. It seemed that the two invading forces advancing on both sides of Alfred would squeeze Wessex into submission and place the entire kingdom under tribute.

Under an oak tree in Shechem, Jacob had called his family to surrender their idols. At this very same spot, Joshua the commander had brought Jacob’s descendants, the nation of Israel, to the twin mountains, Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. Here at Shechem — at the very same spot where Jacob called upon his family to surrender idols, Joshua calls the sons of Israel, several million strong, to give up their idols again.