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Introduction
Of Marshall Keeble
Athens
Clay Pullias
Some
years ago it was my privilege to visit the world famous Tuskegee Institute, at
Tuskegee, Alabama, which was established for Negroes a
long time ago-I don't know just how long ago-and which has rendered a
great service to them. While there, I have always been happy that I had
the privilege of seeing a former slave who had become a great and
distinguished scientist, a man world renowned for his achievements with
the sweet potato and the peanut. I think he made everything from face
powder to plastic out of both of them -- a great boon to the southern
farmer. Of course, I refer to the late George Washington Carver. At the
time I saw him he was a very old man. He was dressed as you might expect
a fellow to be dressed who was going to mow the grass or plow a field.
There was about his face a spirit of humility which, I am sure, was
carried over into his everyday actions, and I have often remembered the
moment we look at him. We didn't get to talk to him. Be did not receive
any visitors because he would be too much interrupted, but we could go
and look through the glass, He couldn't see you but you saw him. I have
often reflected upon the great contributions he made to the poor people
of the south by his scientific discoveries, of the distinctions
that he has won in the field of science, and then I always think of
another Negro man who has done infinitely more on higher ground. He
has been a member of the Church of our, Lord for fifty-five years a
preacher of the gospel for fifty years, and has preached across this
nation. He has personally baptized more than 25,000 people. Through his
efforts over two hundred congregations among our colored brethren have
been established. He has baptized over two hundred men who are now
preaching the gospel, and has started perhaps that many more on the road
to preaching. He serves as the president of the Nashville Christian
Institute with which I have the honor to be connected. For many years we
have had him here at this hour on the last day of our lectures for two
reasons: First, because of the great service that be has rendered, the
great lessons that he can bring and always does bring, and because of
the goodness of the man himself. But behind that, in our thinking, there
has always been another purpose, and that is to keep before the rest of
us the needs and the opportunities for service among the members of the
Negro race. You and I have an obligation to them, and I believe the
presence of Brother Keeble here at these meetings each year helps to
remind us of that great field of opportunity and responsibility in the
work that we are trying to do and are doing at the Nashville Christian
Institute. it is a part of our effort to discharge responsibility. We
have asked you over and over again to not forget David Lipscomb College
in your contributions, but I want to say very sincerely that our
interest is not merely in this college, if it were it would be most
unworthy. Our interest is in the cause of Christian education-the cause
of training young people. With that I hope you will remember to help the
Nashville Christian Institute. It has needs that are urgent and, many,
And I want to add this: If for any reason in the world you can't find it
in your heart to help David Lipscomb College or the Nashville Christian
Institute, try to help the cause of Christian education somewhere,
because it is a cause of the very first importance to our young people.
Any one of us must be interested, not primarily in our immediate
situation, but primarily and basically in the general cause of
righteousness. So for all these reasons we've had and we have Brother
Keeble here this afternoon. Now we used to assign him a subject every
time, but it didn't do any good and so we quit. He started wherever we
started him, but we went wherever he wanted to go, and so we decided
just to hand him the reign and let him talk. I count it an honor to have
him among my personal friends. We are all happy to have him here this
afternoon, Brother Marshall Keeble.
Jesus, Misunderstood
Marshall
Keeble
I
want to thank you Bro. Pullias for morose fines inspiring, encouraging
words. I don't know what we would do if we didn't have somebody to give
us a word of encouragement, somebody to speak a word of uplift in our
struggles in this life. It is true that in the Church of Christ we don't
believe in too much praise.
We
are afraid it might excite the individual-make him think more of himself
than he really is. For that reason, men who are worthy, suffer immensely
in the Church of Christ. I wish that we had the courage to tell men like
Bro. Pullias and the faculty of this institution and the Board of
Directors--I wish we had the words to tell them how much we appreciate
then and what we think of the great work they are doing. But you know
some day we will tell them, or tell somebody, but it will be when they
are dead and we will be sure that they are. Bro. David
Lipscomb, the man
that means so much, whose name goes with this college wherever it
goes--He now is receiving congratulations and praise as never before.
That man would have appreciated them if he had gotten them while he
lived. That is the trouble in the Church of Christ today among my
people. I can speak about them because I know them. They want to be sure
that you're dead, then they can speak highly of your labor. And the
average man today has that kind of disposition and it keeps down the man
that would pull us all to success. I don't know of a man that I
appreciate more than I do Bro. Athens Clay
Pullias. I don't know of a
man that I appreciate more than I do Bro. Collins, Bro.
Baxter--great and noble men they are. Bro. Moore who is now
connected with this school has been a great blessing to the Nashville
Christian Institute. This school, I contend and tell everybody, is the
first David Lipscomb and Nashville Christian Institute is the second
David Lipscomb. We are guided by the men that run and guide this school,
and it can hardly be guided wrong with godly men like them guiding our
institution. I am always glad to tell people about the men that are
connected with our Board of Directors because of the fact it gives the
school prestige and a standing and a rating that nothing in the world
would do but that. I am glad to always tell people who they are that are
interested in helping to put this school where someday we hope to have
it go. I can hardly make a speech, and I don't dare, without mentioning Bro.
A.M. Burton. I never do make one, anywhere, I may be criticized and
I may be pointed at with a finger of scorn, but I cannot be ungrateful.
I cannot be unthankful. I cannot help but tell people about that which
was so much to me before I ever become connected with the Nashville
Christian Institute. Forty years he sent me all over this country, and
if anybody is responsible for the conversions and for the work I've
tried to do, any one man, it is Bro. A.M. Burton. He sent me all over
this country at his own expense a number of years, and then tell me that
I would stand up on an occasion like this and be so ungrateful that I
wouldn't mention it. I would mention it if it was my last breath. And
these other men that are working with him in connection with the great
work he is now doing--I don't know, he has told me that he don't know
what he would do without the cooperation of Bro. Pullias. Bro. Pullias
might not know that he said that. I done let that out! My wife said,
“If you don't want nothing out, don't tell my husband.” And so I
mention that.
Our
School at Nashville Christian Institute has as its Bible teacher Bro.
J.W. Brents. We are very proud of Bro. Brents because I don't say it.
but others say it, not a better Bible teacher in the brotherhood--safe
and sound on the doctrine, nothing taught but the real truth,
fundamental, and our boys sit at his feet day by day and girls likewise.
No girl, no boy, can graduate at our school unless he can pass in Bible.
If he fails in Bible he doesn't get promoted. I don’t care what he
knows. He has got to make it in Bible. He has got to come by Bro. Brents
in order to get his promotion. And then we are proud to tell you that
every day we have Chapel, in a broad way of expressing it, so that you
and everybody can understand it we have Church every day from 11:15 to
12:00. The little boys and big boys who are studying for the ministry
speak every day, some of us older ones following. One day the invitation
was extended and twenty--two came forward, two of them teachers and
members of the faculty. But somebody might say, “Why did you have them
and not members of the Church of Christ, why did you have them teaching?
Just because the ones that belong to the Church of Christ wouldn't make
the sacrifice and teach for the price that we were giving. Church of
Christ people want big salaries. They care nothing about the
sacrifice--Salary! People that belong to the denominational world taught
for our little salary and are now doing it. We baptized over six of
them, members of the faculty.
I
was in Dallas, Texas, once making a speech concerning the school and
trying to get help for the school, and I said we have six teachers that
are not members of the Church of Christ, and I looked out there in the
audience and Bro. J.W. Dunn turned just as red as he could turn. I knew
he didn't like that statement--A Christian school and the teachers not
Christian. How could you have ‘em? That was the first thing that came
into his mind. I saw him looking right red and I tried to fix it right
quick. I said we have baptized all of them and he came up behind and
made a talk and told me to hire some morel That's the way its done, but
in most instances we get excited before we can learn the good of the
thing. That was a good work, I think, and I think everybody in this
audience would endorse that, and today our school numbers about 350
daily attendants. We are now graduating our fourth graduating class, and
we have these graduates in different colleges all over the country-some
seven or eight colleges. We are proud to admit and tell you that we are
receiving fine recommendations of the students wherever they are. That
goes to tell you that whatever you've done in the way of contributing to
this school, your funds, your money is not wasted. We haven't a student
yet who has brought reproach upon the school. We are really proud of
that record.
Now
I don't generally, as Bro. Pullias said, take a subject on this
occasion. They are so kind and courteous that they allow me to roam
wherever I want to go, and I sometimes tell my boys when they get up to
preach, “I don't care where you go, just so you stay in the Bible.
Just ramble as much as you please--sixty-six books to ramble in, and
that's plenty of books, and they go right on.
I
was at Kansas City, Missouri, once holding a meeting and Bro. Hinthon,
who runs a private college there, a highly educated man, so far as I
understand (my judgment is not to be depended on), but at the same time
a great man in my estimation. He gave me his radio broadcast while I was
there, and in introducing me, he came to me in the studio and asked me
what was my subject today so he could announce it over the radio, over
the air. I told him I didn't have one. He says well, he being an
educator, he had a great big word that he used. He said, “Are you
going to speak promiscuously?" And I said, "Yes, sir,"
whatsoever that is.” So, this afternoon, Bro. Pullias allows me to
speak promiscuously. I thought I would take for a subject this evening,
"Jesus, Misunderstood," the greatest character that ever lived
on this earth, and the greatest character that ever will live. He was
the Lamb of God that John the Baptist met at the river Jordan and
introduced to the people and said “Behold, The Lamb of God, that
taketh away the sins of the world." John the Baptist was blessed
with the privilege of introducing the greatest character that ever lived
on the face of
the
earth. Then on right after that Jesus congratulates and praises John
the
Baptist. That is the reason I believe that people that are worthy need
praising. The Lamb of God did it. He looked back at John the Baptist and
said, "From them that are born of women, none greater than John the
Baptist."
Brethren,
I tell you right now we have had some great men born of women, but Jesus
put John supreme and puts him on top right where he belonged, born of
women of the flesh, "but the least in my kingdom, the church, is
greater
than John." That's
congratulation! That's praising a man
as far as he
can go with him. He went as far
as he
could go. And I think
that our
brothers
and sisters that need praise
and honor and glory--we
ought to go as far with them as we can go, but be sure not
to go
too
far. Jesus
was misunderstood. His disciples walked right along
by his side and couldn't
understand that he was talking about a
spiritual kingdom,
and they
were
thinking and expecting
an earthly kingdom clean up unto the
time
that he died. Then when he died on the cross they misunderstood him,
they thought it was over. They thought it was through. They left him and
went fishing. The Lamb of God went down into the heart of the earth,
conquered death, hell, and the grave. He arose victorious with all power
in heaven and on earth given unto him and he told the apostles to go
preach the gospel to every creature: “He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be
damned." But before he gave them that commission,
Luke says
that he opened their understanding. There they were, a misunderstanding
there, misunderstood the Lamb of God. He came out of the grave with all
power and had to open the understanding of the apostles before he could
send them to the wide world. A lot of us today need our understanding
opened on many subjects. You take the subject of Christian Education,
Christian Education--I heard Bro. Pullias speaking this afternoon on a
subject on a line or trend of thought that I was sorry that he stopped.
It is right along that line that the Church of Christ today is
suffering--misunderstanding. The brethren that are putting the Church of
Christ through and over in the world today, these schools you take our
brethren today when they want to meet a great scholar, and they want to
meet a great man that is fighting the Church of Christ and they want the
man to debate him, they try to look for the best college man we’ve
got. You can't deny
it
brethren--They even write Bro.
Pullias
to recommend one.
Just
as soon as the fight is over we don't believe in school--the fight is
over, the fight is over, the college man has whipped him, has got him
down. That's who holds him too. Now you take me. I got by with my
degree. I got by with mine. Once I remember a Greek scholar, a member of
my race, grabbed me in
a tent
meeting. He said what is the Greek word on that? I knew nothing about no
Greek. I said, "What did you say?" He said, "What is the
Greek word on that?"
I
said, "Listen brother, I want everybody in this audience that knows
Greek to raise his hand." Not a man in the audience knew anything
about it. I said, "Don't waste your time, Nigger." That slowed
him down. My friends, the day is coming though that the audience is
going to know
Greek, and
that
won't work. I wouldn't advise you to use it continuously. But I got by
with it and I said to this man, "Now we won't waste any time
talking about Greek, we will talk about the Bible that has been
translated by some of the best Greek scholars that ever lived and they
translated it for
us so we wouldn't have
to be bothered." It's kind of like selling peanuts. You walk up to
a man's counter and want shelled peanuts. What do you mean by that,
Keeble? They are already shelled, to save you the trouble of hulling
them. Well the Bible in the King James translation, the word of God is
already shelled. All you have to do is eat it, you already have it
hulled. My friends, I am glad we already have it hulled, so I wouldn't
have to bother about hulling it. Now then again, Misunderstood!
Some
time ago, I was preaching and I was talking about the school, and trying
to get help. I was in one of the biggest churches in America, white
church. The elders opened those doors and said, “Keeble, preach! Tell
them about you school.” And then when I got through, one of them whispered to me and
said, "You just stand back there at the door, and if anybody has
got anything for you they will just drop it in your hat.” There I
stood at the back door like a blind man. Now what was the matter with
those brethren? Not a thing in the world, but they misunderstood the
thing. They didn't want me mixing into the church treasury. They stood
me back there so I wouldn't get into it. Now, I went to the door and
stood there and smiled because I knew these men were honest men. They
were good Christian men, but they had me standing back there because
they misunderstood. Their misunderstanding made me stand back there, but
their curiosity arose in them after,
after I got so much. They run up to me, one of them did, and
said, "How much did you get?" Well, he could have found that
out if he had took it up, without asking.
So,
my friends, the day is rapidly coming when we are going to understand
how to take care of a situation like that and not injure the Church of
Christ, but help us to train better boys, better girls to make better
workers, and better workers in the kingdom of our Lord. We have baptized
at the Nashville Christian Institute, I imagine, over 150 students since
it has been in operation. We have gone into the different congregations,
and some of them have gone back home in the churches where they have
placed their membership. Now if we baptized them and converted them at
school, then it looks like those churches where we sent them and where
they placed their membership could occasionally send a contribution. We
have made one to them. Brethren, they are solid facts I bring before
you. Christ was misunderstood, and we are misunderstood many times. When
Jesus Christ talked with Nicodemus, Nicodemus misunderstood him. He
said, "How can these things be? Can a man go back and be born of
his mother?"
Jesus
gave him to understand, “I am not talking about your mama! I am not
talking about your mama!” He thought he was talking about the flesh.
He said, "Except a man be born of the water and the Spirit, be
cannot see the kingdom of God.” He explains it to Nicodemus. Friends,
we need above everything in connection with the church and Christian
education an understanding. Now what is more misunderstood than water
baptism, a thing that the world staggers at, a thing that the world is
confused about. A man said to me not long ago, "Keeble, you are
teaching that water washes your sins away.” He said, "Don't say
water."
I
said, "What must I say?” He said, "Obedience, teach that
obedience does it.” I said, “Well, obedience in what?" He said,
"Water!" I said, "that is what I was saying." When
you get around to the bottom of it, it is water. Now you go around and
circle around till you hit the bottom and it is water. I went over to
Ephesians 5:25-26: "Husbands love your wives, as Christ also loved
the church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse
it with the washing of water by the word.”
I am so clad that text is there. I wouldn't take nothing for it,
because when the brethren jump on me, I run there for my water. Water is
there. Nobody in the world can take it out of the plan. Somebody wants
to go to heaven dry. Somebody wants to be saved--Don't you hear our
great scholars preaching over the radio and saying that you can be saved
right there at your radio? I heard it not long ago a scholarly man, say
it on the radio. Well, I will say that he is right if there is enough
water around the radio. There must be enough water to bury the man in,
and very few homes if any would have that much water around the radio.
So, my friends, I have never believed that a man could be saved dry. If
he can, then what does that do? That puts God in the dry cleaning
business. That makes God clean a man dry. Is that right? He didn't clean
Naaman dry! You all admit that. I am so glad that II Kings the fifth
chapter is in the Bible. I don’t know what to do. Naaman thought he
would be cleansed dry, and he thought it rubbed off. He thought the man
would come out and smite his hands clean. That's a dry cleaning. The
people today must have caught that from Naaman. They want it dry, but
the prophet told Naaman to go to the Jordan and dip in the river Jordan
seven times, and thou shalt be cleansed. He went to the water and he
wasn't cleansed, and he went down one time and he wasn't cleansed,
three, four, five, six and seven times he went down with it and he come
back without it. Nobody in the audience disputes it, Nobody in the world
would dispute it, can't afford to. He went down with it and I frequently
ask, "When he come back, where did he leave it at?" You know
that nobody can't get around it, that last time he went down with it,
and that he come up that last time without it.
I
am not arguing, brethren, I am just letting II Kings take care of the
situation. It is absolutely there. I am not ashamed of it, it was
written before I was born. And people misunderstand Jesus when he told
the apostles "go preach the gospel to every creature, he that
believeth that and is baptized shall be saved.” He took the page and
put salvation on the other side of baptism, not saved before, saved
after baptism. A lady said to me a few days ago, she said, "Bro.
Keeble, My mama was saved and never was baptized." I said,
"Now listen, lady, I am not disputing nothing about your mama, I am
preaching the Bible. I didn't even know your mama, and I am not
concerned about your mama. If she's dead it wouldn't interest me one
bit, but I am interested in what the Bible teaches.” She said, “My
mother got religion on her deathbed.” I said, "Well, if she got
it on her death bed she got something she had no business getting.”
The
Bible says that religion is a duty. People have misunderstood religion
just like they misunderstood Christ when he walked among men. They think
you can get the thing. You can't get it, brethren. The Bible teaches
that religion, pure religion, that's the kind, is this: “Visit the
fatherless, and the widows in their affliction, and to keep one's self
unspotted from the world,” and I very often tell the brethren to be
careful and look end see right good what kind of a widow that was that
was to be visited. Not a well widow! The well widows are looked after.
The well widows are looked after, but the afflicted widows are scarcely
regarded. But my friends, the Bible teaches that it is the afflicted
widow that is to be visited in pure practice of pure religion.
Then
someone might say, Bro. Keeble have you got the baptism of the Holy
Spirit? There is another misunderstanding. A lot of people today think
they ought to be baptized by the Holy Spirit, and that's a
misunderstanding. If you turn over to the eighth chapter of the book of
Romans and the fourteenth verse you would find that the Spirit is to
lead you, not to baptize you. "For as many as are led by the Spirit
of God, they are the sons of God." It leads us, brethren. It don't
baptize you, it leads you. Not a man living today is baptized by the
Holy Spirit, not a man! Well, Bro. Keeble, why? Because there is no need
of it. When Mr. Roosevelt lived he used to make fireside chats over the
radio. He used to make them and we enjoyed them because no man has ever
been born that could speak over the radio as he could. We all admit
that. We miss his voice now, regardless of what party he belongs to. I
love his voice. Now, then, when he would make those fireside chats he
was not a well man, he would go to bed early and about 12:00 you would
hear the announcement telling you that this is Mr. Roosevelt by
transcription. Mr. Roosevelt speaks in Washington in the White House.
What do you make out of that, Bro. Keeble? We today don't need the
baptism of the Holy Spirit for we have God's word by transcriptions. We
have the record. I want to introduce to you this evening through
transcriptions, therefore it eliminates the baptism of the Holy Spirit,
no need for it, absolutely get it by transcription, on record.
Misunderstanding
today makes us think that everybody should be baptized by the Holy
Spirit. When they were baptized by the Holy Spirit it was because the
New Testament wasn't written. There was a need for it, something to
guide the apostles, but after it was written, we have it by
transcription. We have it on record.
No
need of the baptism of it, and I am not ashamed to tell nobody I am not baptized
with the Holy Spirit. If I were, I would quit reading the Bible and
write one. I wouldn't go buying a thing I could write, so you see the
uselessness of claiming that we are baptized with the Holy Spirit when
we have the record in my hand. If I were baptized by the Holy Spirit I
wouldn't need this. I would give it to somebody that wasn't baptized
with it. I wouldn't need it, and thank God today I am willing to let it
lead me. I am willing to be led by it and not baptized by it.
I
think in my conclusion I would like to make an illustration and that is
this: In the beginning in the manufacturing of automobiles they made
them all with different shifts. If you could drive one it was no sign
you could drive the other because the shifts were different. You had to
learn the thing over. Well way long down the stream of time, the
engineers got together. They decided to put a standard shift in all
cars. Standard shift--what was that for? So all the world, all nations
could shift just alike, and there would be no trouble in selling the
thing.
Jesus
Christ, the Lamb of God, came down from heaven and changed the gears,
came down and changed the gears so all nations could shift again. Way
back yonder under the Mosaic Law it had ten shifts and only a Jew could
shift the gears. Way later on it got to where the Jew couldn't shift it.
Jesus came down and put in a shift with five gears, and now teach this
to all nations. Thank God for the church has five gears. Easy! No wonder
he said my yoke is easy and my burden is light. He tells you in Mark
12:29 shift it up into hearing. It tells you in Hebrews 11:6 shift it
back in belief. It tells you in Luke 13:3, shove it up into repentance
right where nobody don't want to go, shove it on up there in repentance.
And after you push it up into repentance, pull it back into confession,
and then last of all pull it way back into baptism and rise in high.
Rise in high--on your way to heaven if you keep enough gas in your tank.
If you keep enough gas in your tank. What is that, Bro. Keeble? The
heart, with the heart man believeth. The heart is the tank and it must
be filled with the love of God. God declares, “If you love me you will
keep my commandments." I think the theme of this meeting is, or
this lectureship, that godliness is a condition of salvation. I think
that is the theme of this lectureship.
Did
you know if we followed that theme we could go back to the second
chapter of the book of Titus, "The grace of God that brings
salvation hath appeared unto all men teaching us that denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live righteously and soberly in
this present world, looking for the great God and Saviour Jesus
Christ," My friends, what we need today is absolutely the grace of
God in our hearts. Let us "press forward to the mark of the high
calling which is in Christ Jesus."
I
held a meeting in a large city not long ago, I won't tell where it is
because somebody is sitting here from that city. Not long ago, I held a
meeting and the home that I was in they were fixing to serve me beer,
fixing to put it on the table, a glass of beer sitting around at each
place. One lady that knew me grabbed the lady of the house and said,
“Don’t set that on there. He wont drink it." She had the bottle
ready. She brought it out of the frigidaire. Now when I got to preaching
there I told the elders, I said, "Go around to the churches here in
the city (I would like to call the name of the city) and raid these
frigidaires." Wouldn't it be fine if the elders of every church
would raid these frigidaires and take all the bottles of beer and wine
out of the frigidaires and learn the Christians that they are to
"touch not, taste not, and handle not the unclean things. All these
perish with the using?" Then I said to the elders before you start
out raiding, raid your own box.
My
friends, in my conclusion, I want to thank you this evening for this
privilege, and I want to thank the President and the Vice-President. I
want to thank the Board of Directors for the privilege of telling you
about our school, and I hope and pray to God that you will understand it
better after listening to that great message from Bro. Pullias this
afternoon. "Christian Education” and "Godliness As A
Condition of Salvation" is one of the greatest themes that I have
ever heard at a lectureship. I thank you.
-David
Lipscomb College, Annual Winter Lectureship, Lipscomb Lectures Vol. II,
January, 1948. pages 120-127
Webmaster's
Note: Marshall Keeble often opened and closed lectureships. I stumbled
across this lesson when one of our elders, Virgil Richie, walked in the
office one Wednesday evening and gave me a copy of a book he had in his
library. It was the 1948 Lectureship Of David Lipscomb College. It was
Volume II. What a treat. And low and behold, guess you closed the
lectureship? None other than Marshall Keeble. So, I had to have this on
the site and available to the masses. I hope you enjoy it.
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