Category: Writings of Donald Norbie
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The Early Church, by Donald Norbie Chapter 8
“The Church In Thy Home” These arresting words are found in Philemon 2 where Paul includes in his greeting “the church in thy house.” The phrase is striking because the concept is so foreign today. As soon as a “church” is mentioned the image of a stately building with a spire pointing…
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The Early Church by Donald Norbie, Chapter 7
How Is Your Breaking Of Bread? Years ago many assemblies had their Breaking of Bread service in the morning at 11:00. After World War II many changed their schedule to have the Lord’s Supper at 9:30 and a preaching service for adults with Sunday School at 11:00. Generally the feeling…
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The Early Church by Donald Norbie, Chapter 6
The Symphony of God There is a hushed silence as the curtain rises upon the symphony orchestra. The conductor enters with dignity, bows low and takes his place. His baton is upraised, commanding the attention of all. As he begins to lead the symphony, all are keenly aware of his…
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The Early Church by Donald Norbie, Chapter 5
Let Us Make Us a Name In the days shortly after the flood, some thousands of years before Christ was born, the interesting events of Genesis 11:1-9 took place. It is the familiar story of the tower of Babel. These were the thoughts of the natural heart in that day: And they…
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The Early Church, by Donald Norbie, Chapter 4
A Temple But No Walls There was much rejoicing among the Jews in 536 B.C. Cyrus, King of Persia, had signed a decree permitting and encouraging the Jews to return from Babylon to Palestine (Ezra 1:1-4). This was all in wonderful fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophesy that after seventy years God…
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The Early Church by Donald Norbie, Chapter 3
The Name In a day when there is loyalty to a host of organizations and names, it is refreshing to review the simplicity of the New Testament Christianity. A name, Webster states, is “the title by which any person or thing is known or designated.” Hence, when a name is…
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The Early Church, by Donald Norbie, Chapter 2
According To This Word In the days of Isaiah there was much religion and little reading of the Word of God. The days in which we find ourselves are very similar. There are a multitude of voices, all crying, “This is the way, walk ye in it.” There is little…
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The Early Church by Donald Norbie Chapter 1
(First 10 of 27 chapters online currently) Many Christians today feel a little nostalgic as they read the New Testament. Things then seemed so simple. Today there are vast, competing, religious organizations. They are powerful movements, dipping their fingers into political and social reform. Is thesimplicity and spirituality of the…
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He Loved To Plant, Appendix, by Donald Norbie
Because of his many years of close fellowship with Brother Gilbert, the family, with consent of the author, has asked Lloyd Walterick to add this appendix. The information given was taken from notes written by Brother Gilbert. In many places they are worded verbatim as he has written them. In…
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He Loved To Plant, Looking Back, Chapter 13, by Donald Norbie
Christians in Tennessee were very appreciative of the help Mr. Gilbert had been to so many of them. At the Mid-South Bible Conference in 1966 they arranged a night to celebrate brother Gilbert’s having been out in the Lord’s work for fifty years. It was a very happy occasion for…
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He Loved To Plant, Anew Helper, Chapter 11, by Donald Norbie
One day in 1945 Mr. Gilbert was back in Tucson and standing on a street corner waiting for a bus. A car pulled up to the curb and a gracious voice said, “Brother Gilbert, would you like a ride?” Indeed he would! He recognized the driver as a lovely widow…
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He Loved To Plant, In Journeyings Oft, Chapter 10, by Donald Norbie
Mr. Gilbert’s sister, Mrs. Robert Irvine, said that Mary Ann could make her home with them. One other Gilbert sister, Mrs. James Humphrey, also lived in the same apartment building. Mary Ann would be surrounded with relatives. It was decided that she would move there after school was out. Chicago…
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He Loved To Plant, The Shadow Of Death, Chapter 9, by Donald Norbie
In June, 1934, the Gilberts left Chicago by train, accompanied by Mrs. Gilbert’s doctor brother and a nurse. As the hot miles sped by his heart was often heavy. What would the future hold as far as the Lord’s work was concerned? How would the churches he had helped start…
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He Loved To Plant, An Unexpected Move, Chapter 8, by Donald Norbie
In Knox the work had dwindled in numbers. Inadequate shepherding caused a drop in interest. But Mr. Gilbert’s zeal and enthusiasm put new life into the work. Numbers began increasing at meetings. People were accepting Christ. The Lord was blessing. The church had been meeting in a rented store building.…
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He Loved To Plant, Building A Nest, Chapter 7, by Donald Norbie
Tom Olson was another Gospel preacher from Chicago whom Mr. Gilbert had known as a boy. In 1924 he was given a car but had never learned to drive. Mr. Gilbert asked him why he took it. He said, “I’ll take anything for the Lord. If I can’t use it,…
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He Loved To Plant, Establishing Assemblies, Chapter 6, by Donald Norbie
In 1921 Mr. Gilbert purchased his first tent and pitched it at Bass Lake, Indiana. The spot they chose was a grove of trees between the Holiness Church and the Methodist Church where he had had meetings in 1918. Later that year he pitched the tent in Knox, the county…
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He Loved To Plant, Early Enthusiasm, Chapter 5, by Donald Norbie
On the first Sunday after leaving his job Mr. Gilbert visited a small group of Christians in Lowell, Indiana. He told them he had given up his employment and felt called to preach. An older brother said, “Come on down to my town. It is the most needy place in…
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He Loved To Plant, Thrust Out, Chapter 4, by Donald Norbie
Busy, useful, aggressive in evangelism—but something was lacking in Mr. Gilbert’s life. He seemed to be up and down too often. He coveted the serene joy of Mr. Barnes as he taught the Mission Bible Class “Why can’t I know this same steady joy?” One Sunday Mr. Barnes announced that…
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He Loved To Plant, Disciplined By Business, Chapter 3, by Donald Norbie
T. B. Gilbert knew as he grew up that a man can be in business and live for God. After spending some time in high school, he got a job in a meat packing house with a capacity for slaughtering 2,500 hogs a day. He started as a messenger boy.…
Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded 