Meet Mr. Philadelphia: Or, The Life of A. T. Pierson Text by Tom Stewart What Saith the Scripture? http://www.WhatSaithTheScripture.com/ presents Meet Mr. Philadelphia Or, The Life of A. T. Pierson (1837-1911) "I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an Open Door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept My Word, and hast not denied My Name" (Revelation 3:8). by Tom Stewart What does A. T. Pierson-- pastor, Bible teacher, Christian author, Bible conference speaker, defender of the Faith, leader of the modern missions movement-- have to do with Philadelphia, other than the fact that he pastored a church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania? This writer believes that Arthur T. Pierson best exemplifies the integrity of the Philadelphian Church Era, though Philadelphia had but a "little strength" (Revelation 3:8). In answer to the question, "What do you mean by the Philadelphian Church Era?", the following attempts an answer. Many who have read the Apocalypse, in particular the second and third chapters, have seen the past, present, and future of the Church panoramically outlined in Christ's letters to the Seven Churches. "What thou seest, write in a Book, and send it unto the Seven Churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea... Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter" (Revelation 1:11-19). Briefly, the history of the Church may be correlated to Revelation 2-3 as follows: 1- Ephesus (2:1-7): the Loveless Church of the late Apostolic Age (to 100 AD), i.e., "Thou hast left thy First Love" (2:4). 2- Smyrna (2:8-11): the Suffering Church of the period of persecution (100-300 AD), i.e., "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer" (2:10). 3- Pergamos (2:12-17): the Compromising Church (300-500 AD) that led to the Dark Age, i.e., "Thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam [diffusing the power of the godly by alliances with darkness]" (2:14). 4- Thyatira (2:18-29): the Worldly Church of the Dark Age (500-1500 AD), i.e., "Thou sufferest that woman Jezebel [the harlotry of Rome]" (2:20). 1 of 10 Meet Mr. Philadelphia: Or, The Life of A. T. Pierson Text by Tom Stewart 5- Sardis (3:1-6): the Barely Alive Church of the Reformation (1500-1700 AD), i.e., "Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die" (3:1-2). 6- Philadelphia (3:7-13): the Missionary Church of the late Church Age (1700-1900 AD), i.e., "I have set before thee an Open Door, and no man can shut it" (3:8). 7- Laodicea (3:14-22): the Lukewarm Church of the present apostasy (1900 AD to the present), i.e., "Because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth" (3:16). Read "The Life of A. T. Pierson" and see how he epitomizes Philadelphian Christianity, the kind of life that any Believer should likewise aspire to emulate. "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ" (1Corinthians 11:1). See how Pierson struggled and overcame obstacles as he was stirred by the Holy Spirit. "I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an Open Door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept My Word, and hast not denied My Name" (Revelation 3:8). A Heritage of Spiritual Warriors On March 6th 1837, Arthur Tappan Pierson was born in New York City in apartments above Charles G. Finney's Second Free Presbyterian Church in what was formerly the Chatham Garden Theater. His forefather, Abraham Pierson, a nonconformist clergyman and orator at Trinity College, Cambridge, landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1639, and later spent time as a missionary to the Mohican Indians. "A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children" (Proverbs 13:22). And, a "good name is rather to be chosen than great riches" (22:1). Though his illustrious predecessors were founders of both Yale University and Princeton University, at the time of Arthur's birth, his father, Stephen Haines Pierson, was a cashier and confidential clerk for Arthur Tappan-- philanthropist, anti-slavery leader, and organizer of Finney's theater-church-- in Tappan's wholesale silk house. Though raised in Sunday School and church from the age of six by his Christian parents, not until Arthur had left home at the age of thirteen to attend a boarding school, did he deliberately surrender his heart to Christ in revival meetings held in a Methodist church (1850). "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Entering Hamilton College in Clinton, New York at the age of sixteen, he joined a non-secret society-- a college fraternity with a reputation for piety, unlike the looser morals of its secret fraternity counterparts. In answer to a suggestion that he join the less moral society in order to reform its members, he said, "My Bible is my only guide. While it encourages me to endeavour to make the wicked better, it in no case tells me to join hand in hand with them (Psalm i.)." "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful" (Psalm 1:1). Upon graduation from Hamilton (1857), Pierson enrolled in what was then a conservative school, Union Theological Seminary, in New York City. Experiencing the Revival of 1857 in New York, Pierson recorded in his diary (April 1, 1858): "I am every night in the meeting for inquiry and feel that the experience is of incalculable value for 2 of 10 Meet Mr. Philadelphia: Or, The Life of A. T. Pierson Text by Tom Stewart me. I have just begun to realize the true worth of souls and the true secret of living near to Christ. Now I am constantly and perfectly happy. Christ manifests Himself to me very clearly and closely and I feel that 'for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.' [Philippians 1:21]. How sweet it is to do anything for Christ! How strange it is to be permitted to do anything for Him at all. I feel that I have been baptized by the Holy Spirit and am fully resolved never again to pass a day when I cannot feel at its close that I have done something for my Saviour." Feeding the Flock of God Upon graduation from Union in 1860, Pierson married Sarah Frances Benedict, and accepted a call to pastor the First Congregational Church of Binghamton, New York. Thus, Pierson began a ministry of pastoring churches across America-- including Detroit, Michigan, Indianapolis, Indiana, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-- and eventually in Great Britain. "2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a Crown of Glory that fadeth not away" (1Peter 5:2-4). Pierson-- like all pastors should-- did what the Apostle Paul enjoined, i.e., "do the work of an evangelist" (2Timothy 4:5). His hosting of evangelist Major Daniel W. Whittle (1840-1901) and Philip P. Bliss (1838-1876), the singing evangelist, in Detroit in 1874 stirred Pierson to seek "more of the fullness of God's abiding presence and power in his own personal life and ministry". "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1John 5:4). Again, as all pastors should, A. T. Pierson became an adept warrior with "the Sword of the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:17). "Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine" (2Timothy 4:2). His preaching (over 13,000 sermons), extensive writings (over fifty books), and Bible lectures made him widely known in America. He was a consulting editor for his friend, C. I. Scofield (1843-1921), with the original Scofield Reference Bible (1909), and was the author of the classic biography, "George Mueller of Bristol", of his friend and prayer partner, George Mueller (1805-1898)-- both covenanting to pray for one another daily from 1878 until Mueller's death. "He being dead yet speaketh" (Hebrews 11:4). Some other examples of Pierson's many writings are "Godly Self-Control" (1909), on the regulation of all aspects of the Christian life; "The Scriptures: God's Living Oracles" (1904), which were his Exeter Hall (London) lectures on the Bible; "Life- Power: Or, Character, Culture, and Conduct" (1895), which was inscribed to the memory of C. H. Spurgeon, with the dedication that Spurgeon was "perhaps, the best example which the century has produced of the principles advocated in these pages"; and, "The Supernatural", a series of addresses by many speakers delivered at the Mildmay Conference in London [including Sir Robert Anderson] in defense of Christianity against Higher Criticism., on the supernatural in the Inspired Word of God, in the Incarnate Son of God, and in the Regenerate Child of God.