A Universal Principle

This ministry must be owned and blessed of God or it will come to naught. The farmer plows and sows and then leaves the harvest to God! What else can he do? He cannot bring rain nor command the sun to shine nor make the seed to bear.

So it is with us; true wisdom does what God commands and leaves the results in His hands. And you can apply this principle to all that concerns you. Pastor Henry T. Mahan (bulletin 1988)

A Self Made Man

“The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are” (Luke 18:11).

No person is less likely to be saved than the very religious professor. He wears an armor of presumption. You cannot tell him anything of grace and mercy, his head is helmeted with much religious knowledge and tradition. You cannot touch his heart for he wears the breastplate of self-righteousness. He gives assent to every fundamental truth, yet believes nothing. He attends to every religious holiday, service and moral law, yet knows nothing of heart repentance and faith. No other suit of armor is one half so effective for warding off the strokes of truth as that which is forged in the arsenal of religion. I have more hope for the drunkard and the harlot than for the gospel-hardened religionist! Pastor Scott Richardson

THIS IS THE RECORD

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (I John 5:10-11).

In mercy and grace God has given us His testimony on how God saves sinners. God’s testimony is truth so it can be believed. God’s testimony is that eternal life is a gift that God freely gives His elect. Life from God is not earned. It is received as a free gift. The life that God gives is in Christ. Christ is our life (Col 3:4). Eternal life is all found in who Christ is and what He accomplished for His people. Anyone who believes on Christ and trusts Him to be all of their salvation has eternal life and shall never perish. Anyone who thinks they have to add something to who Christ is and what He has done, does not believe on Christ and does not have spiritual life. God’s testimony is that salvation, life, forgiveness, righteousness, and peace are all found in Christ. May the Lord be pleased to give us the faith to look to Christ! Pastor Frank Tate

A young student asked his Bible teacher this question. “How is the believer dead to the world when he lives in the world, works a regular job, raises a family, and owns property in the world?” The teacher sent him out to the gravesite of a friend with instructions to criticize the dead friend, harass him, and find fault, and then praise him with glowing terms and brag on him to excess. Upon his return, the teacher asked, “What did your friend say when you criticized him?” “Nothing.” “How did he react when you praised him?” “It made no difference to him; he is dead!” “That is what it means to be dead to this world,” said the teacher. Its APPLAUSE means nothing and its HATRED means nothing. We neither ADMIRE the people of this world nor do we FEAR them. The riches of this world are but the fancy of fools, and the honors of this world mean little or nothing; for to be a child of God is the highest calling. The religious traditions and ceremonies of the world have no attraction nor meaning when CHRIST IS ALL! That which was once important to us we now consider loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, our Lord. This spiritual life in Christ cannot be explained; it must be experienced. Pastor Henry T. Mahan

Christ And Him Crucified

“Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Psalm 85: 10).