Grace Baptist Church — Taylor, Arkansas

Exemplary, Steadfast Faithfulness

            Grace Baptist Church in Taylor, AR is a small, rural congregation, known to only a few people outside their own community; but that congregation is one that has demonstrated exemplary, steadfast faithfulness in the cause of Christ. I hold them before our readers, urging all who find themselves in similar circumstances to follow their example.

            The Lord called their pastor, Bro. James Watson, home to Glory in 2003. Bro. Watson was a faithful pastor and one of my cherished friends. After his death, the assembly had no one gifted to teach and/or preach. But they continued to meet every Sunday morning. They had preachers in as often as they could, about every other month. I went to preach to them as often as I could, without neglecting other responsibilities.

When they could not get a preacher in for their service, after reading the Scriptures, prayer, and singing God’s praise, they watched a video of one of our services here. They continued to meet, Sunday after Sunday, to worship together as a body of believers, usually very few; but those few sheep were hungry both for the Word of God and for the fellowship of their brethren. Several of them drove more than an hour each way; but I never heard one mention the distance, the cost, or the time.

            Not a few suggested that they should all move to a place where the Lord has established a gospel church. Some seriously considered doing so. But the thing they all wanted and earnestly prayed the Lord would grant them was a pastor. A few months ago, Bro. Darvin Pruitt went down to preach for them. The Lord immediately knitted their hearts to him and his to them. Last week Darvin and Cathy moved to Taylor.

            Let me tell you what I expect. — I fully expect our God to greatly bless his own work in that place and from that place around the world. He has sworn, “Them that honour me I will honour” (1 Samuel 2:30).

            Many who read these lines live in a place where the Lord has not yet been pleased to establish a gospel ministry. There are some who live near you who love the gospel; but you make no effort to establish a gospel church where you are. I urge you, wherever two or three can be found who believe the gospel, gather regularly in the name of Christ to worship him and hear his Word. Who knows what the Lord may be pleased to do?

This I do know. —The one thing the Lord requires of you and me is faithfulness (1 Corinthians 4:2); and our great and gracious God always honors that faithfulness that honors him.

Don Fortner

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