The Hebrew writer noted of Abel that "he being dead yet speaketh" because of his obedient faith (Heb. 11:4). Though Abel had long ceased the walks of this life by the time the epistle was written, the Hebrew writer recalled Abel's example so as to influence the readers and urge them to so live. But it was not just Abel whose life called others to live by faith. The Hebrew writer ends the reflection on characters of faith whose actions were noteworthy at their influence was profound, yet their names are not given (Heb. 11:35-40). No doubt, the names of some of that latter group might not be as familiar as the names given earlier in the chapter, but their lives of faith were no less influential on those around them. The same is true of little known brothers or sisters in our lives who, though unknown to many, have influenced us greatly.
J. M. Gillpatrick was born on August 23, 1914, and passed from this life on February 17, 1988. The auditorium of the Central congregation in Pampa, Texas was filled two days later for his funeral service. My father and mother and I all attended the service in a feeble effort to show the love and respect we had for a great man who influenced our lives for good in many ways. The funeral service brought back many memories for me, since my earliest recollections are of brother Gillpatrick preaching the gospel in that very auditorium. Of all the debts I owe to older preachers who have taught me the truth, none is as great as the debt I owe to J. M. His picture remains in my wallet to this day, and more importantly, his teaching and influence abide in my life even though he has been dead for over 16 years.
Brother Gillpatrick began his life of service to our Lord at the age of twelve when he was baptized into Christ in his home town of Tipton, Oklahoma, by A. Hugh Clark. J. M. did some preaching while growing up in Tipton and while attending Abilene Christian College, but began to devote full-time to preaching in 1937. For the next fifty years, he worked with congregations in Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas.
Brother Gillpatrick's work was not widely known outside of the Texas Panhandle, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Yet, he was a stalwart for the faith and greatly influenced brethren in that area to stand for the truth when the errors of institutionalism were having a devastating effect. The churches where J. M. preached were well taught in general knowledge of the word and were well prepared to face the issues of the day. He regularly preached on the specific errors endangering God's people and specifically refuted those who were advancing such errors. Though he was an alumnus of Abilene Christian College and it was a beloved school by many in that area of Texas, J. M. cried aloud and spared not just as the prophets of old (Isa. 58:1). Such preaching cost him dearly in numerous ways, but he remained faithful to the charge of God. When he was asked about the hardships that were sure to come from the direct and pointed preaching he did, he often looked at me with his sparkling Irish eyes and a slight grin, and said, "That's why I've got so many friends." He meant it as a humorous deflection from the fact that preaching the truth often incurs the wrath of those who do not share a common commitment to it (Matt. 5:10-11). But in a very real sense, his best friends were attracted to him by the soundness of his preaching. His firm and consistent stand for truth caused some to separate from him and others to gravitate towards him. The same is true today just as it always has been (2 Tim. 1:3-13; 4:1-16).
Brother Gillpatrick's book, Outline of Bible History, has been used in many churches across this country to aid in the study of the Old Testament since its publication in 1964. The companion volume on the New Testament was published in 1987 and is also an excellent overview study guide. J. M. was a diligent student of the text and both volumes are evidence of that close attention to its rightful dividing (2 Tim. 2:15).
Brother Gillpatrick's influence on my life began even before I was born. He was preaching in Pampa, Texas when my parents moved there in 1952. Mom and Dad had never heard of "the issues" at that time. A few weeks after their arrival, J. M. preached a lesson on the orphan home question. He plainly declared the fact that no authority existed for the support of orphan homes and other human institutions from the treasury of the church. My dad, certain that he could straighten this poor preacher out, invited J. M. over for a study the next day. Dad quickly found out that he did not have any Scripture upon which to base his stand, but J. M. did. He worked with my parents for several years and helped them greatly in a fuller understanding of God's Word.
As a child, I was always close to J. M. He was the picture of what a preacher should be to me then, and he still is. I spent a great deal of time at the Gillpatrick's house and loved every minute of it. Katherine, his faithful and devoted wife, was a great example of the "meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price" (1 Pet. 3:1-6). Her humble, submissive and reverent demeanor was a great help to J. M. and to the brethren wherever they labored. When I went into their living room, there was J. M. with a Bible in his hand. I remember so many times when he reached down and picked me up to sit in his chair as he read the Bible to me. Those were special times and treasured memories.
The Gillpatrick's moved away in 1964 and we left Pampa in 1965. Our families kept in touch until 1974 when J. M. and Katherine moved to Corpus Christi, Texas where I was in high school. False teaching on marriage, divorce and remarriage had just been done by the preceding preacher, Bob Melear, and the work was hard. J. M. brought the needed stability with his keeping of the instruction by Paul: "And the Lord's servant must not strive, but be gentle towards all, apt to teach, forbearing, in meekness correcting them that oppose themselves; if peradventure God may give them repentance unto the knowledge of the truth, and they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him unto his will" (2 Tim. 2:24-26).
It was during this time that I made up my mind to begin preaching the gospel. He helped me get started preaching and provided good counsel for many years to follow. I found J. M.'s teaching and advice to be some of the most valuable I received from that time until he passed away. Brother Gillpatrick had a training class for several of us and offered to help me with a more intensive weekly Bible study. The first time I came to his office for the study, I expressed my desire to study the Psalms because I was unfamiliar with most of them. J. M. launched right into the study with an overview of the different types of psalms, referring to a specific example of each type. As he referred to one, I would turn to it as he read aloud. About halfway through, I looked up to see that his Bible was not even open to the Psalms. He was quoting every passage from memory.
There was nothing showy about J. M.'s memory of the Scripture. It was a natural flow from his lips of that which abided in his heart - richly (Col. 3:16). Our family has commented many times that if every Bible in the world was destroyed, brother Gillpatrick could reproduce it from memory. That attention to the Word came through in his preaching. When people heard J.M. Gillpatrick preach, they went away with a full bucket of Scripture to reflect upon and impressed with the power and clarity of God's Word.
I have never known a man that more closely paralleled the pattern of a gospel preacher laid down by the inspired writers (2 Tim. 4:2-5). J. M. Gillpatrick truly preached the word. His preaching did not change with the whims of the people. He endured many hardships because of his stand for the truth and refusal to compromise, but you could hear no complaining from him about it. The diet he fed in his preaching was balanced with reproof, rebuke and exhortation. All was done with longsuffering and teaching. If ever an evangelist fulfilled his ministry, brother Gillpatrick did! Those of us who preach the gospel would do well to mark him as an example that we might so walk (Phil. 3:17). Those of us who seek out preaching to hear would do well to seek to hear the Scripture-filled, doctrinal and pointed preaching brother Gillpatrick did rather than the kind aimed at entertaining and pleasing the ears of the carnally-minded as is too often sought today.
The apostle John said, "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them" (Rev. 14:13). Brother Gillpatrick passed from this life years ago, but his works follow him and live on in his influence of many. I thank God for allowing me to learn from and be influenced by J. M. Gillpatrick.