Opening Chapel

The opening chapel service for the Fall Semester at Heritage Baptist College was held on Wednesday, September 2, 2015.

Dr. Tommy Trammel brought a special message from Isaiah 40 on "Renewing your Strength in the Lord." Dr. Trammel is a board member, pastor of Hartwell Baptist Church (Cincinnati, OH), and the editor of the Alumni Herald.

What a wonderful start to the new semester!

The Guinness Book of Records Gives it to a Baptist

He was 15 years of age when Deacon Alexander Sked led young John to the Lord at the Erie Street Baptist Mission. Mr. Sked ran a florist shop, and was also the teenager's Bible teacher.

John continued to grow spiritually, and in the fall of 1854 he was baptized, becoming a member of the church.

The young convert loved the Lord, and he loved church work. He became the volunteer janitor: sweeping, washing windows, and on Sunday he rang the church bell.

The men flew up the West Coast to Alaska. On August 11, 1935 in Fairbanks, Alaska, Will Rogers sent this reassuring telegram to his wife: Most marvelous trip, No danger with this guy.

John was faithful to church, attending twice on Sunday and the prayer meeting every Friday night. He loved to sing the hymns loudly with his baritone voice, and soon he became a Sunday School teacher.

As a dedicated Christian, he abstained from dancing, card playing, and the theater. He surrounded himself with the young people of his church, and stay away from the temptations of the world.

At 16 years of age he was hired for his first job, and with the money he made, he learned to tithe and give to charity. God blessed his efforts as a bookkeeper and he slowly saved money. One of John's sayings which he lived by was: "save when you can, not when you have to." Only 3½ years later John became a full partner in a commission house.

Then in 1863, at age 24, he was introduced into the fledgling oil business of nearby Pennsylvania. The rest in time became history as Standard Oil would go on to dominate the early oil business, before the introduction of the automobile.

Guinness Book of World Records designates John D. Rockefeller, that Baptist boy from Cleveland, as the richest person. His wealth at his height in 1913 was estimated at $900 million, equivalent to $189.6 billion dollars today.

In later life, Rockefeller was asked why God singled him out for such spectacular bounty. Rockefeller always gave credit to his adherence to the doctrine of stewardship. Answering years later, Rockefeller said: "I remember clearly when the financial plan of my life formed. It was out in Ohio, under the ministration of a dear old minister, who preached, 'Get money; get it honestly and then give it wisely.' I wrote that down in a little book." (Chernow, Ron. Titan. New York City: Vintage Books. 2004. p. 51-61)

For the rest of his life he followed a habit of giving, and he entered the circle of America's greatest philanthropic leaders.

Working for a Day's Wage

The principle silver coin of the Roman Empire was the denarius. This small, dime shaped coin contained about 1/10 of a troy ounce of silver. The coin lasted in the Roman economy for 500 years, and it is mentioned in the New Testament in 15 different passages. The English words translated in our Bible for the word denarius (de-nair'-i-es) are penny, pence, or pennyworth.

From the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, we see that a denarius was then the ordinary pay for a day's wages. (Mt. 20:2-13). Around this time, a Roman soldier would be paid five denarius a week. A Roman Centurion received seven or more denarius a week. Hence, a denarius (or English "penny") is considered a day's pay for a working man. These coins always had the emperor's likeness on the front (Obverse) and often a Roman deity pictured on the back (Reverse).

It was a denarius that Christ held (ca. A.D. 30) and said the words: Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.

The last mention in the Bible of this money is in Revelation 6:6 "And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.&#quot; The understanding of this passage again goes back to the day's wage for a denarius. During this time in the Tribulation a full day's work will be required to buy one person's daily food.