Then pleased it the apostles and elders with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas and Silas, chief men among the brethren. Acts 15:22
A good few years ago, another brother and I were discussing a particular topic related to Assembly truth. It was a topic on which there has been considerable disagreement in some circles, and a topic which I confessed that I knew very little about. So the brother suggested to me that I should read a good article on the topic that had been written by Sydney Maxwell. It was the first time that I had heard of the man, and I asked the brother who he was. Surprised at my ignorance of Mr. Maxwell, the brother replied, ‘He would be considered one of the chief men among us today.’ And so he was, and so will agree most of those who knew our late brother. He was one of a number of men in recent years to whom could be applied the term used in our text today: chief men among the brethren.
Many will recognize in this term the title of a book written by Henry Pickering in 1918 and recently republished by Loizeaux Brothers. This book presents biographical sketches of 100 of the most prominent men involved in the early days of the discovery and application of the principles on which our Assemblies of today are founded. This book introduces to us some spiritual giants, including such men as Edward Cronin, John Nelson Darby, and Anthony Norris Groves, who were used by God along with others as pioneers in wresting these great truths from the Scriptures. This book also tells of the lives of other great and godly men such as George Mueller, Henry Craik, C.H. Mackintosh, William Kelly, and Robert Cleaver Chapman. This book is well worth the reading. It is worth noting that the work of these men has heavily influenced fundamental Christianity today. For example, the most popular and most influential reference Bible of all time was produced by Dr. C.I. Scofield, who had an Assembly background and who was strongly influenced by Assembly doctrines and teachers. So was Harry Ironside, one of the most prominent Christian teachers of the past century and who was often referred to as the ‘Archbishop of Fundamentalism’. We should strive to learn more about these chief men among the brethren of a bygone era, to whom we owe so much.
In our own day, we have also been privileged to be influenced by great men among us. We are indebted to great Bible scholars and teachers such as Mr. Maxwell, Norman Crawford, and Harold Paisley, to name a few in North America, and saints in other parts of the world could quickly compile their own lists. None of these men have held positions of authority or control over the Lord’s people. But their sermons, their writings, their contributions to us in so many ways have helped to preserve and guide us over the years and during the devil’s attacks upon us. At the local level, too, we have godly and influential preachers and Assembly overseers to whom we are deeply indebted, and who we should deeply respect.
God gives us chief men because He knows we need them. Do we appreciate them? -Jim MacIntosh