But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

Psalm 5:11-12

Special midweek service on Thursday evening; Pastor John Chapman will be with us.

If You Would Know God

God is WHO HE IS and WHO HE SAYS HE IS; therefore, a knowledge of God must come from Him by divine revelation. Any true knowledge of the Lord God must be revealed to us by the Spirit of God, or we will perish in ignorance, worshipping the idols of our imagination, calling them God.

God is pleased to reveal Himself in two ways: through HIS WORD and through HIS SON. “God spoke to the fathers by the prophets and hath spoken to us by His Son” (Heb. 1:1-2). If you would know the true and living God, trust not your dreams, your visions, your thoughts, or your traditions; but, look to HIS WORD and to HIS SON.

“I and my Father are one; he that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” Any thoughts or ideas of God which are contrary to the Word of God and the person of Jesus Christ are false and full of idolatry! Pastor Henry T. Mahan (Bulletin 1984)

Repentance

This matter of repentance is more than mourning over our sins, though mourning is included. The essence of repentance is to change one’s mind about God, Christ and ourselves. Someone said, ‘God is not who we think he is, Jesus Christ is more than we think he is, and we are less than we think we are.’ Our thoughts of God, Christ and ourselves must be in tune with the word of God. Until this happens, we have not repented. A sinner is to be submerged in repentance before being submerged in water.

“John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Mark 1:4).

Pastor John Chapman

GRACE TO SUBMIT

God is King. That is who God is. We are creatures made of dust. That is who we are. The only proper relationship the creature can have with God the Creator is to bow and submit to Him.

What do I do when God’s way of salvation by grace through faith in Christ crosses the desire of my flesh to be saved by works? If I would be saved I must SUBMIT. No one will be saved until they submit to God. “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” (Rom. 10:2-3)

What do I do when the way God has arranged the events of providence crosses the desire of my flesh and even hurts my flesh? I must SUBMIT. When the Lord killed the two sons of Aaron for offering strange fire before the Lord, “Aaron held his peace” and didn’t say a word. (Lev. 10:3) When the Lord sent word to Eli that He was going to kill both of Eli’s sons, Eli said, “It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.” (I Sam. 3:18) When the Lord took away nearly everything that Job had, Job said, “The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21) Oh Lord, give me a submissive attitude!

Pastor Frank Tate

All Things Are Of God

“For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom (God) be glory for ever.” (Rom. 11:36).

Here is a glorious and comforting truth to the believer, who is resting in the Lord Jesus Christ, all things are of God . This truth echoes throughout the pages of inspired scripture (Rom. 8:28; 2 Cor. 5:18) and declares that God is God, beside Him there is no other (Isa. 45:22). The Apostle clearly states that, “All things are of Him,” God is the first cause and last end of all things (Isa.45:7). He also says that, “All things through Him,” God in time executes His wise decrees to His own will and pleasure (Isa. 46: 9-12). Further he says that, “All things are to Him,” our sovereign God is working all things to an eternal end that will glorify Himself. We can apply this threefold rule to many things, such as creation and providence, but lets us consider them in salvation.

1). ALL THINGS IN SALVATION ARE OF GOD!

Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9). None but God could have devised such a way of salvation such as the gospel of Jesus Christ presents, wherein God can be just and the justifier of the ungodly (Rom. 3:26). God ordained the hour when the Saviour would come (Gal. 4:4). God ordained the hour when He would die as the believers substitute for sin (2 Cor. 5:21). God ordained the hour when Jesus Christ would be raised from the dead and exalted to glory (Rom. 4:25).

2). ALL THINGS IN SALVATION ARE THROUGH HIM!

Salvation is a work given to Jesus Christ by the Father to accomplish. He did not fail to complete the task He was given (Isa. 42:4). He prayed and declared in John 17:4, “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” In the fulfillment and accomplishment of salvation man has no part in it. Carefully read this scripture: “When He had by Himself purged our sins, He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3). Every spiritual blessing we enjoy comes to us through Jesus Christ alone (Eph. 1:3). God apart from Christ is a consuming fire (Heb.12:29).

3).ALL THINGS IN SALVATION ARE TO HIM!