What was a Circuit Rider

The History Behind the 19th Century Circuit Rider Style

19th Century Circuit Rider Bible
Legendary in nineteenth century American history, the circuit rider played a vital role in bringing the Gospel to the people of the ever-shifting frontier lands. Also known as the saddle bag preacher, the circuit rider would travel by horseback from town to town, holding meetings wherever he could find shelter. For the circuit rider, a cabin, barn, or even the shade of a wide oak tree became the House of God as he fulfilled the great commission of our Lord and Savior. Following in the footsteps of Francis Asbury, the circuit riders brought stability to many settlements offering regular though infrequent spiritual guidance as he visited from house to house.

His Sunday morning services were usually well-attended by those eager to hear the Scriptures taught, and equally eager to hear news of his travels and to fellowship with distant neighbors.

The circuit rider was a man of strength and determination, filled with the love of God and the spirit of adventure.

“How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” ~Romans 10:14.

Modern Day Circuit Rider

Modern day circuit rider

Iron horse by shrine for original circuit rider who used a horse.

Robert Strawbridge. America's first Methodist preacher/circuit rider. His original house is behind the statue of him.

DO YOU BELIEVE???

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

by Dr. R.C. Sproul

Description

It is the message of who Jesus is and what He did.

What Is the Gospel?

There is no greater message to be heard than that which we call the Gospel. But as important as that is, it is often given to massive distortions or over simplifications. People think they’re preaching the Gospel to you when they tell you, ‘you can have a purpose to your life’, or that ‘you can have meaning to your life’, or that ‘you can have a personal relationship with Jesus.’ All of those things are true, and they’re all important, but they don’t get to the heart of the Gospel.

The Gospel is called the ‘good news’ because it addresses the most serious problem that you and I have as human beings, and that problem is simply this: God is holy and He is just, and I’m not. And at the end of my life, I’m going to stand before a just and holy God, and I’ll be judged. And I’ll be judged either on the basis of my own righteousness – or lack of it – or the righteousness of another.

The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus lived a life of perfect righteousness, of perfect obedience to God, not for His own well being but for His people. He has done for me what I couldn’t possibly do for myself. But not only has He lived that life of perfect obedience, He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice to satisfy the justice and the righteousness of God.

The great misconception in our day is this: that God isn’t concerned to protect His own integrity. He’s a kind of wishy-washy deity, who just waves a wand of forgiveness over everybody. No. For God to forgive you is a very costly matter. It cost the sacrifice of His own Son. So valuable was that sacrifice that God pronounced it valuable by raising Him from the dead – so that Christ died for us, He was raised for our justification.

So the Gospel is something objective. It is the message of who Jesus is and what He did. And it also has a subjective dimension. How are the benefits of Jesus subjectively appropriated to us? How do I get it? The Bible makes it clear that we are justified not by our works, not by our efforts, not by our deeds, but by faith–and by faith alone. The only way you can receive the benefit of Christ’s life and death is by putting your trust in Him–and in Him alone. You do that, you’re declared just by God, you’re adopted into His family, you’re forgiven of all of your sins, and you have begun your pilgrimage for eternity.