Psalm 28:7-9

True Profession

“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18).

The thing that troubles me most about the validity of our profession of Christ is that we talk, preach, and sing of love, mercy, and forgiveness. But then, when the opportunity comes for us to love the unlovely, forgive the offender, and bind up the wounded heart, we join the circle of Pharisees, clutching our stones, ready to wound and maim.

A profession that does not produce is a false profession. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” (Gal. 5:22-23).

Pastor Henry T. Mahan (Bulletin 1985)

A Word of Comfort from a Suffering Saint

Jo and I are leaving our present circumstances of her illness in the hands of our heavenly Father who cares for us. You and I have heard it said many times that our God is too wise to error and too good to be unkind. Jo and I are living in the faith and experience of that truth.

We are not bitter because we are blessed. As long as our God is reigning we will not complain. We are not afraid, the Lord is our light and our salvation. We are of good courage because we are waiting on our Sovereign Lord. Our hearts are broken but not despairing – the Lord is the strength of our hearts.

We are looking beyond death where there is no more death. A time and place where there is no more sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. A time and place where our Creator and Redeemer makes all things new.

What a wise instrument sickness is (brain cancer is) the shadow of death is when God uses these things to teach us. How can we trust in our selves while facing such devastating things? What is God teaching us but that we dare not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.

The Holy Spirit strips us down to our very nakedness to teach us we must be clothed in the garments of salvation- the robe of the Savior’s own righteousness. He proves to our conscience that we are guilty before God to show us that salvation is of the Lord-that we are justified freely by his grace. He brings us to the dust of nothingness that we may find Jesus our all and all. He weakens us only to give us strength of the grace of Christ. And He sends these messengers to whisper in our ears that our time is short only that our souls may answer, “Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of His countenance.” Oh, God teach us!

Jo and I are not discouraged for we are hopeful. We can face this and whatever else God has ordained for us. Not because our faith is strong but because our Lord is strong. Not because we have been faithful- God forgive us, we are unprofitable servants, but our God is faithful. Not one promise will fail or fall. We are hopeful because Jesus, the Son of God, who died for sinner’s sake is risen and is at the right hand of God, and where He is we soon shall be, to our great delight and comfort. Pastor Bruce Crabtree

Righteousness, Peace and Joy

“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 14:17).

The Kingdom of God and the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ; salvation that is accomplished by Christ and given totally by the free grace of Christ has nothing to do with what you eat and drink; has nothing to do with your morality, clean living and observing certain days. We are justified by grace not by the deeds of the law (Rom. 3:24). Our salvation is totally based upon what Christ has done for us not what we do or have done for Him (Titus 3:5). Salvation that is all of grace has nothing to do with meats, drinks, and days (2Tim. 1:9); but rather upon righteousness established in Christ, upon the peace that Christ made for us with His own blood and the joy we have resting in Christ.

These three essential gospel truths always go together where you find one you find the others:

1). Righteousness…how are sinners made righteous before God? Christ alone is all our righteousness before God (Jer. 23:6; 1 Cor. 1:30). That is the whole message of the book of Romans; justification by grace alone (Rom. 1:16-17; 3:20-22; Rom. 4:6; Rom. 10:1-4).

2). Peace…how are sinners reconciled to God? How is peace made? Certainly not by anything we have done but rather through the blood sacrifice of Christ for us (Col. 1:18-20; 1 Peter 1:18-20).

3). Joy…how are sinners made to rejoice before God? We rejoice in hope of the glory of God only in Christ (Rom. 5:1-3; Rom. 15:13; Phil. 3:3; Gal. 5:22).