#11 Restoration Studies: Raccoon John Smith

I. Of all the prominent preaches of the early restoration movement in Kentucky, it is probably "Raccoon" John Smith that stand out foremost n our minds.  His is     an interesting story filled with humor and heartbreak.  He began his religious life as a Baptist and was devout, sincere, and faithful to His Father in Heaven.

II. As Smith's life is studied, there is a tremendous lesson that surfaces.  Here is a great illustration of one whose love for the Truth was supreme.  In him we find the epitome of all who have searched for the simplicity of New Testament Christianity.

Body:

I. A brief account of Smith's life.

      A. Early life                                                  

            1. Born October 15, 1784 in east Tennessee.

2. Parents held to the Philadelphia Confession of Faith and this meant they were Baptists. They were thorough‑going Calvinists and felt one could not be saved until a mysterious call came from the Holy Spirit.  They were hard workers and each Sunday set the whole day aside for worship and reading the Bible.

3. In pioneer Kentucky, Smith had opportunity for little education. The only education he had was a four‑month period when a traveling schoolmaster came through his settlement.  Smith learned to read the Bible and soon was asked to read it at the family devotionals.

4. According to Baptist teachings, he waited for God to "call him" to salvation (have an experience). He tried to find God's call in every event. Anxiety arose because no call came. Finally, he was persuaded that God had called him and on December 26, 1804 he was voted into the Baptist church.

            5. He wanted to preach and in 1808 was ordained.

6. He moved to Huntsville, Alabama during the War of 1812 seeking a greater success as a farmer. While there tragedy struck his home two small children were burned alive in the cabin and his wife died with grief. He went back to Kentucky.

      B. Years of religious change

1.  Arriving back in Kentucky, Smith was a beaten man. He was invited to attend a Baptist Association meeting at Crab Orchard and was asked to speak.  Raccoon was poorly attired as he stood to speak. His homespun cotton pants were far too short. His hat was shapeless, his socks too large for his shrunken ankles and they hung over his plow shoes. His coat was faded and ripped. Through his friend's encouragement, Smith resumed his preaching.

2. He remarried and began to start over. But the deaths of his babies in Huntsville along with the inconsistencies of the Baptist doctrines began to weigh heavily upon his mind.

a.  He knew that children were innocent and he rebelled at the idea of their being sinners through Adam as taught by Calvinists.

b.  In 1822 he was preaching when suddenly he realized What's the need of urging sinners to repent?  If they are elected to salvation, they will be saved.  If they are predestined to hell, they cannot believe.  So, why preach?  He was too honest to continue preaching, so he sat down after confessing his confusion.

3. During this period of questioning, he became aware of The Christian Baptist by Alexander Campbell. He eagerly read it but with suspicions, and he carefully compared each issue with Scripture.

4.  Also, Smith had discussed his question with his wife.  Together they prayed  about the matter and promised God that from then on only the Bible would be studied by them both.

            5.  Over the next three years, Smith came to these conclusions:

                  a. Human creeds are wrong and churches ought to reject all of them.

b. Calvinism is the great evil in the doctrine of the Kentucky Baptist churches.

                  c. He urged ALL to be saved by believing and obeying Christ.

      C.  Consequences of his changes

1. Once Smith took these positions, he turned squarely against his earlier  teachings, parents, and a host of friends.

2. Even though he remained a Baptist and sought unity, he was expelled from the Baptist church in 1828.

3. He realized how easy it was to allow religious error to dominate one's life and dictate one's thinking. His preaching after these realizations was considered harsh by some, but he was trying to help others find the Truth he had discovered.

D. He preached for the restoration of New Testament Christianity for over 40 years. Through his efforts hundreds were immersed, thousands left denominations for New Testament simplicity, and churches after the New Testament order were established throughout Kentucky.

II.  From his life there are three points upon which we should focus. 

From these facts, hopefully we will gain encouragement to pursue the simplicity of New Testament Christianity.

      A.  His honesty regarding the Scriptures 

1. As he came to know the Truth of the New Testament, he did not try to rationalize his not doing it.  He did not close his eyes to God's commands.

2. If the Scriptures said one thing and he was not doing it, he changed his life.  He did not try to change the Scriptures!

            3. His desire is stated well in Psalms 119:33,34.

4. Honesty compelled him to turn from those he loved most so he could be acceptable with God (Mt. 10:37‑38).

      B.  His uncompromising convictions

1. He was convinced that Scripture was right.  If so, he MUST follow Scripture without any change.

2. Soon after Smith began preaching New Testament Christianity, his friends urged him to cease or else his denomination would become upset and not pay him.  Smith said, "Conscience is an article that I have never yet brought into market; but should I offer it for sale, Montgomery County, with all its land and houses, would not be enough to buy it."

3. He could not refrain from opposing teaching that stood in the way of lost souls which he believed Calvinism did.

4. "He was fearless, positive, humorous, and uncompromising in his presentation of the Truth.  He had strong convictions that money, position, or prestige could not buy."

            5. Such is in harmony with God's Will (2 Ti 4:2; 1 Co 15:58).

      C. His supreme goal of unity 

1. He was one of the major movers in getting the unity of the Stone and Campbell groups in 1831.

2. "Let us, then my brethren, be no longer Campbellites or Stoneites, New Lights or Old Lights, or any other kind of lights; but let us come to the Bible and to the Bible alone, as the only book in the world that can give us all the light we need." (From unity meeting of 1831)

            3. Such a goal is Scriptural (1 Co 1:10).

Conclusion:

I. As you survey this man, you are awed at his fearless independence and watch with profound admiration his zeal at persuading stubborn subjects of the King of Kings.  He loved the Lord and the cause of truth and everything else good and noble and pure with a heart that had no limits.  He was a good man, a noble man, and a courageous man.

II. On the Lord's Day, February 9, 1868, Smith arose to go to church and preach.  It was an unusually cold day.  He walked home from church, his body of 84 years shivering in the cold.  For the next three weeks he lay sick and passed in death on Friday, February 28, 1868.

III. The week after Smith's death, a letter was written by a good friend which contained this paragraph.  "Last week our venerable John Smith was brought here from Mexico, Missouri and planted in our cemetery, a beautiful spot to lay until our Lord comes.  He was with one of his daughters in Mexico.  He was in his 84th year and was seriously ill for only a few days.  He was not only a good, but an extraordinary  man.  What he knew to be truth he would preach anywhere and insist upon it.  No man in Kentucky or the West has been more efficient for Christ than John Smith.  In  1827 he immersed 700 persons.  God has greatly blessed his ministry since he became an advocate for the whole truth."