I am Not Ashamed of the Gospel

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).

I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, of mercy to the guilty through Christ, nor of salvation by substitution. Though it may be foolishness to the natural man and a stumbling block to the religious, I am not ashamed to believe it, love it, and preach it.

Some in religion reveal that they cannot bear the reproach or offense of the gospel; for, while they may own it in private, they will not preach it in pubic. Some seek to cover the offense of the cross with words of man’s wisdom and human philosophy. But, what I believe, I shall believe, even if I believe it alone.

Pastor Henry T. Mahan (bulletin 1986)

The Purpose Of God

We believe, according to the scriptures, that the Lord our God is a God of purpose, absolute and unalterable purpose. Before the world began, Almighty God sovereignly purposed all that ever comes to pass in time. Nothing in this world is left to chance. Everything is moving toward the predetermined end of God’s eternal purpose with absolute, precise accuracy.

Even a casual reader of Holy Scripture has to face this fact: The God of the Bible is a God of purpose. Read Romans 8:28-30, 9:11-26, 11:33-36, Ephesians 1:3-14, 3:11, and 2 Timothy 1:9. These passages plainly state that the Triune Jehovah is a God of purpose, and clearly teach several things about the purpose of God. — The purpose of God iseternal. —The purpose of God includes all things. — The purpose of God has for its peculiar design the everlasting benefit of God’s elect. Everything that God has purposed is for the ultimate, spiritual, and eternal benefit of his covenant people. — The purpose of God is immutable and sure. The Lord himself says, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:10). And in its ultimate end, God’s purpose will accomplish the eternal salvation of his chosen people and the glory of his own great name.

Pastor Don Fortner

The older we get, the more we’re made to realize the truthfulness of the frailty of our flesh. The truth, that this life is but a vapor, becomes more of a reality than we once realized. But though the brevity of this life is daily more evident, so is the promise of the Lord to the vessels of His mercy.

He has promised to never leave nor forsake His own and when He says, “never,” He means, “never.” The believer in the Lord Jesus holds that promise near and dear to his heart. He rests in the Lord who has magnified His word above all His name. That word of promise is precious right now, and O in the hour of our departure from this world, how precious and comforting shall His word be to His departing saint…”Never, no never, no never!”

Pastor Marvin Stalnaker

Herod Was Exceeding Glad

“And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.”(Luke 23:8)

When Pilate tried to wash his guilty hands from his dealings with the Lord Jesus Christ, he sent the Lord to face judgment before Herod. Herod was a notorious guilty man. He had murdered John the Baptist to satisfy and please his family. But when he stood before the Lord Jesus Christ, he did not beg for mercy, nor did he repent of his sins, nor did he ask to have his guilt removed. He was just excited and curious to see something pleasing to the flesh, “He hoped to see a miracle done by Him.

Sadly, the same is true of so many guilty sinners today. When they hear of the Lord Jesus Christ, they do not see in Him a Saviour to remove the guilt of sin or a Redeemer to deliver from the power of sin to condemn. But they are only interested in some miracles to please the flesh or gratify their curiosity. Their end will be like that of Herod and Pilate. Our Lord said, “If you believe not that I AM, you will die in yours sins.” (John 8:24).

Oh may the Lord be pleased to cause us to believe the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and to grant us the miracle of faith in Him (John 6:29). To be blessed to see in Christ crucified all our salvation before God (Acts 4:12); to experience in our heart the miracle of the eternal redemption of our soul (Heb. 9:11-12); the miracle of complete forgiveness from all our sins (Eph. 1:7; 1 John 1:7); the miracle of righteousness imputed to us by His free grace (Rom. 4:6-8; 2 Cor. 5:21); the miracle of peace with God through Christ, through His blood (Rom. 5:1; Col. 1:20) and the miracle to rest in Christ alone as our All and in All ( Matt. 11:28; Col. 3:11).