The Spirit Gives Life to the Message

God’s preachers do not go forth alone into the world to persuade sinners to believe, love, and come to Christ by their own logic, rhetoric, and power of persuasion. The Holy Spirit goes before them and with them to quicken, awaken, and give sinners eyes to see the beauties of Christ, ears to hear Him, and hearts to understand the gospel of grace and love the Redeemer (Ps. 110:3).

The bride has been chosen (2 Thess. 2:13), the servant will endure all things (2 Tim. 2:9-10), the bride will hear the voice of her beloved through the message of the servant (Jn. 10:23-30), and the bride will come (Jn. 6:37-40). Pastor Henry T. Mahan (bulletin 1986)

Complicated or Contrary

The gospel is not COMPLICATED. It is a simple message declaring that, “Salvation is of the Lord” Jonah 2:9. It declares all the sons of Adam as sinful, unable and unwilling to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. It declares Jesus Christ as the Sovereign, successful Savior of His elect people. The gospel is wholly of God’s free and sovereign grace. It does not require a superior intellect, or even a good knowledge of the Bible to understand.

So, why is it so hard for men to hear? The Lord said, “Light has come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil” John 3:19. The gospel is CONTRARY to everything men by nature believe to be true. Rather than forsaking all his ways, he is desperately trying to reconcile what he is hearing to what he has already decided is true.

One cannot have faith (believe) without repentance (changed mind). Both are a work of grace without which the natural man will continue to complicate the simplicity of the gospel.

Pastor Greg Elmquist

True Repentance

Pharaoh, David, and Judas all confessed, “I have sinned.” Yet the confessions of Pharaoh and Judas brought them no saving benefit while David’s confession met with the response, “The Lord has forgiven your sin.” Why is that? What was lacking in the repentance of Pharaoh and Judas that made it ineffective?

Some say that Pharaoh was not sincere, and that Judas was concerned only with being caught and his life ruined. But the real contrast between the repentance of Pharaoh and Judas and that of David is that neither Pharaoh’s nor Judas’ repentance never moved them to seek God’s mercy in Christ for their sin. But David did seek God’s mercy, as it is written, “Have mercy on me O God!” (Psalm 51.1)

All repentance that brings a sinner to plead God’s mercy in Christ is saving repentance no matter what other deficiencies it may have. Any repentance that does not bring a sinner to trust in God’s mercy in Christ is a repentance that needs to be repented of no matter how sincere or strong it is (2 Corinthians 7.10).

In repentance, just as in all other matters pertaining to salvation, Christ is the issue. Pastor Joe Terrell

Be Of Good Cheer

“And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome” (Acts 23:11).

God's servant had been through a most distressing and upsetting time. He had been beaten by the Jews, arrested by the soldiers of Rome and now facing the council of the Sanhedrin, who were about to pull his body apart (Acts 23:10). Paul, like any of us was a man of flesh and blood, subject to like passions of fear, heartache and sorrow. When he needed a word of encouragement he received it from the Lord. Paul, "Be of good Cheer." The Lord is indeed faithful to His people (1Cor. 1:9).

Good cheer came to Paul by the Lord's presence, "The Lord stood by him." When all forsook and despised him, the sweet presence of his Lord was enough to encourage him. The Lord who stood for him as sacrifice and Surety now stood with him as comfort and strength. The Lord Who called him and saved, now sustains him in his hour of need. This is true of every believer. Our gracious Lord has promised never to leave us nor forsake us (Isa. 41:10, Matt. 28:19-20; Heb. 13:5).

Good cheer came to Paul by the Lord's power, "thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome." We need not fear, our great God is in control. No army of Rome could stop Paul's preaching of the gospel. No legion of demons could stop the spread of the good news of salvation to sinners. Knowing our Lord is in absolute and sovereign control of all things, brings sweet comfort to those who rest in Christ. We have every reason to be of good cheer, the Lord does reign (Psa. 97:1; Rom. 8:28; 11:36 Rev.19:6).