Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah. Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger. Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.

Psalm 85:2-4

Our sincere sympathy to all the family of our faithful missionary to Mexico, Walter Groover; the Lord was pleased to call him home from the mission field to eternal rest and glory on May 27. He had faithfully served there for 57 years! We give thanks!

Here is Love

To find love you need to send one whose heart and soul is full of love. John, the beloved, looks over all space, time, history, and men, and finally, his eye comes to rest in one place; and he says, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 Jn. 4:10).

There is water in a thousand places, like the drops of dew on a flower; but, when one discovers the ocean, he says, “Here is water.” There is light here and light there; but, when one looks at the sun, he says, “Here is light.”

So the Apostle does not point to his own heart, nor to the church, nor even to a devoted mother and say, “Here is love” for that love is but a little pool filled from the great sea and reflected light from the sun of love. He looks to our heavenly Father and the unspeakable gift of His affection; and he says, “HEREIN IS LOVE.”

Pastor Henry T. Mahan (bulletin 1987)

One in Jesus Christ

“That they may be one…” (John 17:21)

The prayer of Jesus Christ for believers who are one in Christ Jesus. “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us…” (John 17:21). Imagine that! One in God the Father and the Son: One in God! That’s the position of the believer in Christ Jesus, so “that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” John 17:22 says “And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them…” He is the Word of God, the only begotten Son of God, and He was made sin on the cross of Calvary, the sins of all His chosen people were laid upon Him; but Christ died and paid the ransom and redemption to divine justice on behalf of God’s chosen ones. And glory was given to Him at His victorious resurrection! He accomplished everything, He is victorious over death, over the sin of His chosen people in Christ. So “that they may be one, even as We are one” In God, in Christ, we are One! Imagine that! One in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, what a foundation we have in Christ Jesus! “I in them, and thou in me…” The believer is in Christ so “that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” God’s love is for every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Believers are citizens in the Kingdom of God in Christ. Citizens! We are not foreigners, we’re citizens! In Jesus Christ all the Israel of God will be saved. All the Israel of God chosen by God. And believers today, we Gentiles who believe, we are the Israel of God in Christ. All the chosen of God among the Jews and Gentiles, He has His chosen ones in the whole world, we are Gentiles but He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world so that in Christ, God has established that in Christ Jesus circumcision be done by God. What is circumcision made by God in the believer? In the heart, the Holy Spirit in the hearts of believers. Christ in us the Holy Spirit. The family of God in Christ is the Israel of God, we are the Israel of God, the redeemed. Gentile believers are not foreigners (the Jews, many of them hated…foreigners), in Christ we are not stranger nor sojourners…rather we are Saints and members; Saints in Christ and members of the family of God in Jesus Christ.

Brother Walter Groover (June 25th 1935 — May 27th 2021)

IGNORANCE LEADS TO ERROR

“Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God” (Matt. 22:29.

Our blessed Lord answers the question of the Sadducees about the resurrection by telling them their problem. The problem is not with Christ and the truth of the resurrection, it is with the sinner. Here our Lord declares to us the root cause of all error and unbelief, it is ignorance of the scriptures and not knowing the power of God. These two truths are inseparable, there is no way of knowing and understanding the power of God apart from the revelation of holy scripture (Rom. 15:4; John 5:39; 20:31), nor is there any way of knowing and understanding the holy scriptures apart from the power of God revealing them unto us ( John 16:13-15; 1Cor. 2:9-14). Therefore, it becomes absolutely necessary for each of us to avoid error and ignorance by taking advantage of the inspired word of God, for what the scriptures speak, God speaks (1Tim.3:16; 2Peter 1:20-21). He has promised to bless the truth of His word to the hearts of His people (Isa. 55:11). All who seek salvation by works of self- righteousness, do so because, “not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God” (Rom. 10:1-4). Surely, all who seek salvation by and through the Lord Jesus do so because of His sovereign grace, knowing what the scriptures do teach, “salvation is of the Lord” (1John 5:21; 2Tim. 1:9; Titus 3:5; John 14:6) and knowing the gospel is the power and the wisdom of God unto salvation (1Co. 1:18-31; Rom. 1:16).

COMFORT IN TROUBLE

Being a believer in Jesus Christ and resting in His good providence does not exempt us from trouble, trial, sorrow and heartache in this life. Our Lord said, "In this world you shall have tribulation" (John 16:33). But here is our comfort and help, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psa. 46:1). Our blessed Lord said, "Come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16).