Many times over the years I have heard of preachers and churches which seek to make the Bible relevant for today. The Bible is the Word of God! When men attempt to make the Bible relevant for today, it is neither more nor less than not really believing it is the Word of God. It is a watering down of the message of the Bible. When a man attempts to make the Holy Scriptures relevant, that man becomes irrelevant. God will not use that man’s attempt to make the Gospel more palatable to the flesh. That man manifests himself to be very ignorant and very arrogant. The job of the preacher is to preach the Word! Not attempt to make it relevant.

Pastor Todd Nibert

All the dark mysteries and painful experiences of God’s providence will be cleared up for God’s saints in God’s time (John 13:7). Pastor Don Fortner

A Sure Hope

Concerning the character of God, what gross mistakes men make! I believe the root and foundation of all error in theology comes from ignorance of the character and attributes of God Himself. Arminian theology makes God to be less than He is. Men receive false doctrine because they do not have a clear understanding of the omnipotence, holiness, immutability, or sovereignty of God. If God is given His rightful place we will, like Isaiah, see His holiness and our sinfulness. We will cry, “Woe is me; I am cut off.” (Isa. 6:5).

The necessity of a suitable Mediator, a sufficient sacrifice, and a God-honoring righteousness will become evident. First Corinthians 1:30, “But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” will take on a new and essential meaning.

The greatness, importance, and power of your religion depend entirely on the greatness, glory, and power of YOUR GOD. The depth of a man’s worship depends on the majesty and greatness of the God he worships. The strength of a man’s faith depends on the power and ability of the God he believes. Abraham believed God that HE WAS ABLE to perform all that He promised. The peace and rest a man enjoys depend on his confidence in the God who controls the flight of an angel or a fly, the flash of lightning or the glimmer of a glow-worm. The assurance of redemption and hope of eternal life that a man enjoys depend not upon his works, faithfulness, nor his own righteousness, but on the sufficient, effectual obedience and substitutionary death of the one Redeemer – Jesus Christ – who cannot fail in all that he undertook as surety and representative of His elect, given Him by the Father (Isa. 42:4).

Give me a sovereign, omnipotent Lord of heaven and earth, with authority over all the universe of men and angels, and I will preach to you a SURE HOPE of mercy and grace!

Pastor Henry T. Mahan (bulletin 1984)

Pure and Free Grace

After many years of studying and preaching, meditation and observation, I think the Lord is beginning to show me just a little something of what He and Paul meant by the “offense of the cross” (Matthew 11: 6; Galatians 5: 6). The message of the cross (Christ crucified, I Cor. 1: 23; 2: 2) is of such PURE GRACE, that once the gist of it is perceived, it will inevitably offend man’s pride. Like a “two-edged sword” (Heb. 4: 12), it verily decapitates the sinner’s natural pride and self-righteousness, before ever clothing him in the perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus (II Cor. 5: 21).

PURE GRACE spits in the face of those human distinctions wherein men judge one another and commend themselves to themselves and others. Every man stands on the same level before the gospel—“dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2: 1). It pays no respect to prince or president because of his honor, or the wisest philosopher because of his learning, or the moralist because of his upright conduct, or to the religious man on account of his zeal and devotion. No, my friends, in the eyes of God’s justifying grace, that religious man who appears to be “as clean as a hound’s tooth” and the drunken pervert lying yonder in his own vomit; that virtuous dedicated mom and the most notorious prostitute stand on the same level!

Oh, “the offense of the cross!” Precious beyond expression, yet so unpalatable and difficult for fallen man to swallow! Each believes that in some way, he is in a better standing with God than are many others. The teetotaler feels certain that God must place a higher premium on him than upon those wretched boozers, while the boozer says, “Sure, I get looped occasionally, but at least I’m not a self-righteous hypocrite like those teetotalers,” and he feels sure that God must be pleased by his honesty.

Have you learned the gospel of PURE GRACE? Have you experienced its power? If so, you have learned two things: (1.) The only qualification any sinner has to apply for God’s mercy is his sin and guilt and (2.) The only hope any sinner has of receiving God’s mercy is the gospel of PURE, FREE GRACE—unmerited favor.