A Shelter In The Time Of Storm

The problem with people making professions of faith under great stress such as severe illness, sorrow, and the death of a loved one is that, like a drowning man, a soul under this sort of distress will grab at ANY twig or limb to save his life. But if the Lord intends to save a sinner, He will reveal to the sinner the two great issues at stake – THE SINNER’S SIN and THE LORD’S HOLINESS!

Both of these can only be met and dealt with by one means, the Lord Jesus Christ! The awakened sinner can only find hope and peace in a revelation of Christ to his heart. God will not permit one of His sheep to trust and cling to that which will only sink with him.

Too often the shelter sought and found during a sudden storm will be deserted when the sun shines again; but those who are knowledgeable of the on-going, never-ending storm raised by our sin under His wrath must have the one sure hiding-place and refuge. “A MAN shall be as an hiding place from the storm” (Isa. 32:2).

Pastor Henry T. Mahan (bulletin 1991)

ABSOLUTE PREDESTINATION

We believe in the absolute predestination of God in all things! "He worketh all things after the counsel of His own will." (Ephesians 1:11). There is nothing that happens by chance. But does this belief cause us to live in a kind of stoic indifference and fatalism? Certainly not! Paul also said to the Ephesians, after He told them about the absolute predestination of God, "Be very careful how you live - not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16). He said the same thing to the Colossians in Colossians 4:5. Yes, we believe in the absolute predestination of our God in all things. And we also believe that we are commanded to be responsible to "make the most of every opportunity." If your belief in predestination makes you fatalistic and indifferent, you do not believe in Biblical predestination. Pastor Todd Nibert

THERE IS FORGIVENESS WITH THEE – Psalm 130:4

Even though I am the worst of sinners, there is a good hope that my sins will be forgiven because there is forgiveness with God. I know that there is forgiveness with God because God has promised to forgive sin. “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jer. 31:34)

I know that God will not withhold mercy from sinners because “he delighteth in mercy” (Micah 7:18).

I know that God will be merciful to His people because God found a way to show mercy to sinners in justice. God forgives the sin of His people because the Lord Jesus Christ suffered and died for their sin. God’s justice demands death for sin. Since Christ has already died for the sin of His people, they can never die. Now God’s justice demands that His elect be forgiven of all of their sin and be given eternal life. Then mercy is sure because the very character of God demands it. “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:7).

Pastor Frank Tate

SAVING FAITH

SAVING FAITH is a mysterious and wonderful thing, and also very rare. While it is true that all religious folks have some kind of faith, and some of them have much faith or great faith; yet there are very few who have saving faith. The one who has this precious, saving faith knows that his faith is a gift of God and that it came to him through the hearing of God’s Word (Eph. 2: 8,9; Rom. 10:17). He knows that his faith is sustained by the power of God and would wither and die apart from that Divine power and grace (I Pet. 1:5).