“Rejoice In The Lord”

“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.”(Philippians 4:4).

David said: I rejoice “at the remembrance of His holiness” (Psalm 97:12). Hannah prayed: “I rejoice in Thy salvation” (1 Samuel 2:1). Isaiah wrote: “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels” (Isaiah 61:10).

We may not be able to rejoice in the world. We may not be able to rejoice in anything that we see in ourselves. But we can always “rejoice IN THE LORD!” Pastor Gabe Stalnaker

We Preach Christ Crucified

We should be able to do that quickly enough and then get on with the “practical things” men really need to live holy lives and find happiness in the Christian walk, right? It shouldn’t take a LIFETIME to preach Christ and Him crucified, should it? No! But if a man ever BEGINS TO SEE all that is taught, purchased, revealed, exemplified, and included in Christ crucified, ten thousand lifetimes would not be sufficient to exhaust the subject.

The apostle said, “And now abideth FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE, THESE THREE…” But where are these three learned? Where are these three exemplified? At the cross! “Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

“A proud look” is listed first among seven things God hates. Where is pride to be reckoned with? Where is HUMILITY taught? At the cross! “Let this mind be in you which was in Christ, who humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

“Obedient unto death.” This is our example if we would learn OBEDIENCE to God’s will and commandments. “Though he were a Son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered.” This is where you will learn it too – at the cross!

When the apostle Paul would teach the grace of GIVING in 2 Corinthians 8, he summed it up in these words, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor.” We learn to give at the cross!

I challenge you to find any grace, fruit, or purpose of God relating to the believer which does not take one directly to the cross for its FULFILLMENT, its EXAMPLE, or its MOTIVATION!

Pastor Henry T. Mahan (Bulletin 1984)

“OUT OF THE MOUTH OF BABES”

One of our small children told me recently, “We are sin. That is the bad news. The good news is Christ.” I thought how simple the gospel really is. We are sin. How sinful are we? Completely. It's not just that we commit sin but we are sin. Sin is what we do and sin is what we love because sin is what we are. “From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and

putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment” (Isaiah 1:6).

How then is Christ the good news? Christ alone is everything a sinner needs. Christ saves sinners. How completely does Christ save? Christ saves the chief of sinners (1Timothy 1:15). Christ saves to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25). Christ saves those who do not deserve it by his grace (Ephesians 2:8). Christ sovereignly saves whom he will and no one can stop His will (Romans 9:15-16). Christ saves fully, eternally, and completely. What good news for sinners!

Pastor Frank Tate

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 15:13).

These words of inspiration encourage my weary heart. The gospel of God in Christ is so designed to give God all the glory for the salvation of sinners (1Cor. 1:30-31). But thank God, it is also designed to give to broken, sinful and weary sinners joy and peace through the gospel (Rom. 5:1). Notice this also, it is “joy and peace in believing,” not working, not ceremony and the traditions of men, but by simple faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that we may abound in hope (Heb. 11:6). The Lord Jesus Christ is the whole believer’s hope before God and men (Col. 1:27; 2:9-10; 3:11).