Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. Philippians 3:17
In the early 1960s, a large group of young people gathered every Friday night in an old house in the community of Millbrook, near Tatamagouche. Most of these had been saved during Gospel meetings held by Doug Howard and Fred Holder in 1960, in the old Millbrook school, and during follow-up meetings that were held in the months that followed. These Friday nights were wonderful times of fellowship and training, and fruit has continued to be evident in the decades that have come and gone since then. One great reason why those sessions were successful was the men who provided the instruction for us, and who also provided godly, consistent examples for us to follow. The dedication and faithfulness of such men as Hiel Patterson, Floyd Steward, Bob Hunt, and the Elliot men of the Pugwash Junction Assembly served to deeply impress many of us. The Apostle Paul had men like these in mind as he penned today’s text.
God has His ensamples in every age, including our own. We remember with great fondness and respect those men from a bygone day. But as we look about us, faithful ensamples still people our Assemblies and provide young people the guidance and patterns they need to live as they should for the Lord. Paul says to mark these men. But many of them don’t get much recognition, nor do they seek it. Their joy is to see young Christians rooted and grounded in the faith, growing in their knowledge of God’s Word and in the likeness to Christ. Their reward is to see young men and women filling the ranks of faithful Assembly testimony, raising families in the fear and admonition of the Lord, and supporting God’s work with their time, money, and energies.
Do you owe somebody a thank-you for the ensample they have been for you? I believe we all do. I also believe today is a good day to express that thanks, not only to God, but also to the ensample. -Jim MacIntosh