STORIES OF A REVIVAL OF HOPE 

AT 

"THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE." 

(A History of today's Bible-believing Churches of the Cape)

Number 3. -- 2nd of July  2016 

by 

Dr. Marc S. Blackwell, Sr.

Acts 20:20 "... I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house."

As mentioned in my earlier blog: 'Long before the Independent Bible-believing Baptist church planters arrived in South Africa, Charles Haddon Spurgeon would envisage dozens of his Pastor's College men changing the course of this land. In fact ...dozens of pastors would come toward the last quarter of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th. Churches were planted and Bible colleges, as well. This revival of Hope would be focused on truly Biblical distinctives!"

MOTIVATIONS? Maybe, just a bit more detail would encourage us to really appreciate the personal commitment, sacrifice and deep motivations that led, if not 'drove', these men and women to leave their homeland of England? Their decision make a new life in South Africa for the Gospel's sake was no minor decision or just a 'missionary trip' but rather a commitment to give their all for the One who gave His all for them. These faithful men and women had come to South Africa to be helpful, to proclaim the Gospel to the lost, to teach and keep-back nothing of value to believers and to share the Word of God publicly and from house to house.

THE EARLIEST "Spurgeon Men" together with their wives and children began to arrive in South Africa. The first two were the Rev. W. Stokes (arriving in Port Elizabeth on the 15th of May, 1867); and Rev. W. Hamilton (arriving in Cape Town in 1876). Then, in 1877 G.W. Cross; in 1878, Henry J. Batts; in 1880 Walter Mann; in 1883 both the Evans & Maynards; in 1884 H.T. Peach; in 1886 J.F.M. Warren; [in 1887-1891 Spurgeon, The Tabernacle and the Pastor's College withdrew from the British Baptist Union] in 1889 the Adamsons & Hays arrived, in 1891 the Bakers & Russels. 

EVEN AFTER DEATH ... we can serve Christ. On 31 January 1892 C.H. Spurgeon was called Home to be with his Lord. In 1893 he flow of Pastor-Church-Planters continued with James Maginnenes and then between 1898 and 1921 eight more of the Spurgeon Pastors College students arrived with their families. The faithful teaching and preaching of the Word of God was the 'hallmark' of these "Spurgeon Men' and some would take a 'stand' against compromise and the weak interpretations of Scripture that had already 'plagued' South Africa's Christian community during its young national past. 

SOUTHERN AFRICA'S SPIRITUAL HERITAGE. For ALL Bible-believing missionaries and pastors in Southern Africa -- ALL faithful preachers of the Gospel -- THOSE determined and Biblically distinctive leaders and the churches that exist today -- to some degree this all is built upon the foundations established long before through the lives, families, ministries and faithfulness of the "Spurgeon Men." 

HOPE WAS & IS "BUSY" ... BEING SPREAD ABROAD!

TIMES THAT ARE TIMELESS ... are those times that focus on the uniquely valuable.

STORIES OF A REVIVAL OF HOPE AT "THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE." 

(A History of today's Bible-believing Churches of the Cape)

Number 2. - 17/June/ 2016 

by Dr. Marc S. Blackwell, Sr.

Ephesians 3:21 

"...to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

Long before the Independent Bible-believing Baptist church planters arrived in South Africa, Charles Haddon Spurgeon would envisage dozens of his Pastor's College men changing the course of this land. In fact, many lands were surveyed and hundreds were sent to Africa, the Americas, the Far East, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Charles and Suzanne personally sacrificed to finance so many of these missions to these needy lands. They clearly understood that Christianity could only find a true revival and remain faithful if Christ's were preached in Bible-believing churches.

For South Africa, dozens of pastors would come toward the last quarter of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th. Churches were planted and Bible colleges, as well. This revival of Hope would be focused on truly Biblical distinctives. Spurgeon and his Pastor College graduates understood that the Christian life needed the uniqueness of a literal understanding of God's Word!

Spurgeon was separating from the compromises of the Particular Baptists of his day. He was committed to the Fundamentals of the Inspiration of Scripture, of the literalness of the Genesis Creation account, the Biblical record of Miracles, the Virgin Birth, the vicarious atonement of Christ, the Resurrection and literal Return of Christ. Personal holiness and commitment to Christ was taught in the context of joy, love and hope.

The Pastor College graduates understood the need for Christians to testify of their faith through Baptism by immersion, to simply worship through the memorial of the Lord's Supper, to live devoted lives of service to one another and to live lives committed to sharing the Gospel to unbelievers.

The Cape Baptist Bible College would train the first generation of South African English and Afrikaans pastors in the Dispensational interpretation of Scripture using Larkin's "Dispensational Truth" and the Scofield Bible (etc.). The Word of God would be preached with a clarity and hope not heard in Southern Africa before.

Sadly, by the end of the II World War these distinctive truths were exchanged for uncertainty, doubt, figurative and allegorical false interpretations of the Bible. From this time until the 1970s and 80s the dynamic and literal Christian message was watered-down and a much compromised 'Evangelicalism' replaced those previous generations.

In God's own gracious timing, couple after couple were hearing of the need in Southern Africa and churches were committing to pray and finance this fresh vanguard of missionaries. These families would come in waves, in teams and by the dozens to re-establish the Biblical truth of salvation by grace through faith alone. The long forgotten message of separation from sin and worldliness would be rekindled. The sure hope of the Rapture of the Saints, the literal pre-tribulational and pre-millennial return of Christ would return to South Africa, as well! HOPE HAD ARRIVED!

TIMES THAT ARE TIMELESS ...THE STORY OF A REVIVAL OF HOPE AT "THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE."

TIMES THAT ARE TIMELESS may refer to histories that are viewed from their greater, even eternal, perspective. 

(A History of today's Bible-believing Churches of the Cape)

Number 1. - 10/June/ 2016 by Dr. Marc S. Blackwell, Sr

Isaiah 52:7; Nahum 1:15; Romans 10:15 

“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace. Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

The story of a revival of evangelism through Bible-Believing Independent Baptist Churches begins for the Greater Cape Town region more than 25 years ago - in the late 1980s. 

Bringing the message of 'Good Hope' to the Cape of Good Hope ... had been the work of many over the centuries! Yet, now, so much of the Gospel Message, once faithfully preached, had been 'watered-down' or even polluted by the compromises and errors accepted over time. Even a clear memory of true Truth had been lost among the younger generation. ( 1 Tim. 3:1-17) 

News of this general malaise or the listlessness of the social and religious life in South Africa had reached many Bible-believing churches in America. Spiritual 'heroes" like Moffat, Livingstone and Murray were no more. The call to 'Church Planting' missionaries was having an effect. In the Cape couples were arriving from Tennessee, Indiana, Canada and Seattle.

Spiritual leadership and evangelistic fervor would come to the Cape in the 1980s. Names like the: Jacksons, Meyers, Rudolphs, Blackwells and Devores were arriving. Steps were being taken to meet the need for evangelism. The potential for Bible preaching churches was once again (after a fifty year spiritual drought) a real part of the spiritual life of the Western Cape Province. South African Christian leaders were being stepping forward and joining in this serious 'outreach' in: Somerset West, Macassar, Newlands, Durbanville and Blue Downs - with souls being saved and lives being changed.

The message of true Hope for 'the Cape of Good Hope' was simple: "But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:8-9