A New Nature

The person who says, “I am saved by grace alone and it does not matter how I talk, walk, or conduct my life,” is a fool and neither understands nor loves the grace of God. Our union with the Lord Jesus not only justifies and sanctifies us before the law of God and the court of heaven, but that same regenerating union implants within and imparts unto us A NEW NATURE which delights in the principles and actions of holiness.

One cannot separate the blessings of Christ from the indwelling presence of Christ. “He that LOVETH not KNOWETH not!” Learning the doctrine will not produce a new creature, but “learning Christ” will! Pastor Henry T. Mahan (bulletin 1985)

THE IMPORTANCE OF WORSHIP

When the church of the Lord Jesus Christ meets, it is not the trifles of this world that should occupy her attention; she has much weightier matters to consider. The Scriptures say in Ecclesiastes 3 that there is a time for everything. There is a time for political concerns; there is a time for social action; there is a time for education and recreation.

But the gatherings of the church of the Lord Jesus are a time specifically dedicated to the worship of Jesus Christ! His praise, His word, His purpose, and His work is our theme. These times must be jealously guarded against any intrusion of mundane matters. Satan, the archenemy of our Lord, will take every opportunity to divert our attention from our blessed Lord. His most effective tactic is to introduce important worldly matters into the worship services of the church. As important as these matters may be, they cannot compare with the heavenly, eternal matters of Jesus Christ and His blood and righteousness. May our gatherings, as well as our minds, be kept pure and sincere toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Pastor Joe Terrell

UNEARNED FAVOR

I recently heard of someone who claimed to believe the grace of God in salvation, yet they were having trouble with the doctrine of election. The problem they are really having is with true grace. You see, grace in the true meaning of the word can only mean one thing, UNEARNED FAVOR. Most people think God looked down through time to see who would believe on Him and elected them accordingly. But that means that person earned salvation by believing, and God had to choose that person because of what they did. But NO! GRACE IS UNEARNED FAVOR, and since no one has earned, or merited God’s salvation and favor, then it stands to reason that God must choose, or elect, whomever He decides.

Pastor Paul E. Mahan

CONCERNING SPIRITUAL GIFTS
1 Cor. 12: 1-11

Those who are chosen by God’s grace, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ and quickened and made alive by the Holy Spirit have no reason to boast of any personal achievement. We were ignorant Gentiles, carried away unto dumb and dead idols, until the grace of God set us free in Jesus Christ our Lord (Eph. 2:11-13). Consider these three statements:

1). All that every believer knows; God in His mercy taught us! The gospel of God’s grace and glory is not something that the natural and carnal mind reasons out. The gospel must be revealed by the Holy Spirit. Salvation is not by education, but rather by revelation. The world by wisdom does not know God (1 Cor. 1:21). God, the Holy Spirit must take the things concerning Jesus Christ and shew them unto us, or we will never understand the true gospel. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit" (1 Cor. 2:9-10).

2). All that every believer has; God in His love gave us! There is not a single spiritual blessing that the believer enjoys that has not been freely given to us (1 Cor. 1:30; 2:12). We are justified freely by His grace (Rom. 3:24). God has loved His people freely in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world (Hosea 14:4). Although all the spiritual blessings are freely given to us, they came at a great price to our Lord. He fully paid our sin debt with a great price, His own blood (Acts 20:28). "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Rom. 8:32).

3). All that we are; God in His grace made us! By nature we are born in sin and shapen in iniquity (Psalm 51:5). By His grace we have been made trophies of His love and mercy (Eph. 2:4-8). Every believer can truly say with the apostle Paul, "by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10). We are saved from our sin by His grace (Rom. 4:16). We are redeemed from the curse of the Law through Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:13).