The Character of a Witness

To follow godliness without sound doctrine will lead to wildfire and zeal without direction. But to follow doctrine without GRACE and GODLINESS will lead to dead orthodoxy. In trying to avoid one ditch, let us not forget that there is a ditch on the other side of the road; and sometimes the champions of “the cause of God and truth” fall into errors of SPIRIT and ATTITUDE!

Let us contend for truth without being contentious. A man can be orthodox without being obnoxious! Let us lift up “the way” while we encourage the wayfarers. Let us preach with patience, witness in love, and “not strive, but be gentle unto all men” (2 Tim. 2:24).

I can tell a man what the gospel has done FOR me while I show him what the gospel has done IN me. This is called, “Adorning the doctrine of God, our Saviour.”

Pastor Henry T. Mahan (bulletin 1989)

Humility

John Calvin said, "There is one condition for us to receive knowledge, and that is in humility." Knowledge without humility will puff up the mind, make one proud and even arrogant, and the sad thing is, it will be so evident to others.

When I was a young pastor, I had an older preacher tell me to never admit I didn't know the answer to a question that was asked me by any member of the congregation. I guess he wanted me to just lie. That older preacher was not a humble man. He had so much pride that it made him dishonest.

God has a way of teaching us the truth, but one thing he always does is to give us a dose of humility at the same time. He took Paul up to heaven, and let him hear wonderful words he was not able to utter when he came back down to earth. But, to keep Paul from being lifted up in pride, he gave him a throne in the flesh to keep him low.

God not only humbles us as he teaches us, but he keeps us humble as we teach others. Our Lord will not have his truth preached with a proud and boastful spirit. Spurgeon use to say, "The soil in the pulpit is not fit to grow pride." Let one of God's preachers begin to speak out of pride and watch his Father lay the rod on his back. He may come up to the pulpit with his head in the clouds, but he will go down with his mouth in the dust.

Paul said, "I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling" (1 Cor.2:3). How foreign this attitude is to pride. "If any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know" (1 Cor.8:2).

All of us are as dumb as a box of rocks. May we never forget this, for only then are we fit to teach others revealed truth.

Pastor Bruce Crabtree

Prayer

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height” (Eph. 3:17-18).

When the apostle prayed for the believers at Ephesus, he prayed that they might be strengthened inwardly in the heart. He prays that they would continue to grow in faith and love toward Christ; to know more of His love toward His elect. I pray that God would teach us to pray this way for each other. Often we just pray for temporary and natural things instead of spiritual things and eternal things. Oh to know more of his love for us!!

The breadth or scope of His love; far reaching to all the lost sheep (John 3:16; 1John 4:10).

The length of His love, to all eternity; His love for His church has no beginning and no end (Jer. 31:3; John 13:1; John 17:23).

The depth of His love, to the lowest sinner in the gutter of guilt and cesspool of sin (Rom. 5:8; 1Tim. 1:15; Heb. 7:25).

The height of His love, to the throne of grace and the glory of God that shines in Christ (Rom. 8:28-39; Eph. 2:4-6; Heb. 4:16).

Pray also as Paul did with confidence, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.” (Eph. 3:20-21).