-
Alexander Smith's Biblical Community
Contributed by Paul Collins on Sep 7, 2009 (message contributor)
ALEXANDER SMITH'S BIBLICAL COMMUNITY
The Bounty was a British ship which set sail from England in 1787, bound for the South Seas. The idea was that those on board would spend some time among the islands, transplanting fruit-bearing and food-bearing trees, and doing other things to make some of the islands more habitable. After ten months of voyage, the Bounty arrived safely at its destination, and for six months the officers and the crew gave themselves to the duties placed upon them by their government. When the special task was completed, however, and the order came to embark again, the sailors rebelled. They had formed strong attachments for the native girls, and the climate and the ease of the South Sea island life was much to their liking. The result was mutiny on the Bounty, and the sailors placed Captain Bligh and a few loyal men adrift in an open boat. Captain Bligh, in an almost miraculous fashion, survived the ordeal, was rescued, and eventually arrived home in London to tell his story. An expedition was launched to punish the mutineers, and in due time fourteen of them were captured and paid the penalty under British law.
But nine of the men had gone to another distant island. There they formed a colony. Perhaps there has never been a more degraded and debauched social life than that of that colony. They learned to distill whiskey from a native plant, and the whiskey, as usual, along with other habits, led to their ruin. Disease and murder took the lives of all the native men and all but one of the white men named Alexander Smith. He found himself the only man on an island, surrounded by a crowd of women and half-breed children. Alexander Smith found a Bible among the possessions of a dead sailor. The Book was new to him. He had never read it before. He sat down and read it through. He believed it and he began to appropriate it. He wanted others to share in the benefits of this book, so he taught classes to the women and the children, as he read to them and taught them the Scriptures.
It was twenty years before a ship ever found that island, and when it did, a miniature Utopia was discovered. The people were living in decency, prosperity, harmony, and peace. There was nothing of crime, disease, immorality, insanity, or illiteracy. How was it accomplished? By reading, the believing, and the appropriating of the truth of God!
Source: The Tale Of The Tardy Oxcart. Charles R. Swindoll, Word, pp. 50-51.
Related Sermon Illustrations
-
In, The Horse Whisperer, Tom Booker, Has A Gift ... PRO
Contributed by Charles Wilkerson on Nov 14, 2003
In, The Horse Whisperer, Tom Booker, has a gift when it comes to what he calls "gentling" horses. In one telling scene, a traumatized horse, frightened by a ringing cell phone, gallops off into the far end of a large pasture. Booker walks into the pasture and sits down, where he waits for what ...read more
-
Philip Yancey, In His Book The Jesus I Never ... PRO
Contributed by Pat Cook on Sep 11, 2004
Philip Yancey, in his book The Jesus I Never Knew, comments on this truth, that Christ can only be King on His own terms. He alludes to the 3 temptations Jesus faced before he began His ministry: 1) to turn stones into bread and feed Himself, 2) after taking Him to the temple in Jerusalem, to jump ...read more
-
The Prince Of Grenada-- The Prince Of Grenada, ... PRO
Contributed by John Harvey on Nov 17, 2004
**The Prince of Grenada-- The prince of Grenada, an heir to the Spanish crown, was sentenced to life in solitary confinement in Madrid’s ancient prison called “The Place of the Skull.” The fearful, dirty, and dreary nature of the place earned it the name. Everyone knew that once you were in, you ...read more
-
In January, 1995, According To An Article ... PRO
Contributed by Richard Tow on Dec 8, 2003
“In January, 1995, according to an article written by Gary Thomas, J. Robert Ashcroft had fewer than forty-eight hours to live, but he was holding on to life, hoping to see his son, John Ashcroft, sworn into the U.S. Senate the following day. [John Ashcroft, as we all know by now…is our Attorney ...read more
-
3. Holman Also Reminds Us The Focus Of The ... PRO
Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Mar 16, 2005
3. Holman also reminds us the focus of the Bible: God as the Bible’s Primary Subject The Bible and history begin with God (Gen. 1:1). The last chapter of the Bible describes God as the “Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Rev. 22:13 NRSV). All the way through ...read more
Related Sermons
-
God's Word It's Alive
Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Jul 25, 2017
News articles may inform us. Novels may inspire us. Poetry may enrapture us. But only the living, active Word of God can transform us. It is Alive. Updated October 2021.
-
Four Pearls From A Proverb
Contributed by Stephen E. Trail on Apr 11, 2016
A message to sharing four pearls of wisdom from Proverbs 3.
-
Steadfast Or Intolerant
Contributed by Terry Frazier on Mar 2, 2013
In a world filled with political correctness, Christians have a duty to stand up and speak the truth. Believers have to stand steadfast to the principles taught to us in Scripture. We are to proclaim the truth no matter what the world will say in response
-
Who Can Compare With The Lord? Series
Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 3, 2011
Overview of Psalm 89 . (Powerpoint slides to accompany this talk are available on request – email: gcurley@gcurley.info)
-
Why Should I Believe The Bible Is God's Word? Series
Contributed by Sherm Nichols on Jan 17, 2013
To help people have a strengthened confidence in the Bible and an increased awareness of why this is so important.