Psalm 13:5-6

Be Bold

“We were BOLD in our God to speak unto THE GOSPEL OF GOD with much contention” (I Thess. 2:2).

As much as we desire to see men and women come to a knowledge of the living God in Christ Jesus our Lord, as much as we long for them to embrace the gospel and receive Christ as Lord and Saviour, we dare not, cannot, and will not labor to present that glorious gospel in such a way that THE OFFENSE IS REMOVED!

When I prepare a message to preach on the Lord’s Day, my thoughts are not, “How can this be said or that be preached to give the least offense, to hold those who visit, to slowly slip up on the ignorant, or to present the truth of God in small quantities.” My thoughts are ONLY on this one thing, “What does the Scripture teach? What is the Lord saying?”

My responsibility is to preach Christ and His Word. What my congregation thinks, how men and women react, or the results of the sermon are not my affair – but HIS! I will preach the grace of God in love, but I will preach THE GRACE OF GOD! I will preach sovereign, effectual redemption with humility and compassion, but not with apologies and timidity. Pastor Henry T. Mahan (1991)

Our Message Is The Difference Romans 8:28-30

That which distinguishes us from other churches and religious organizations is much more than our order of worship, denominational name, and theological tag. That which sets us apart from the rest of the religious world is our message. We preach that message that is written in capital, bold faced letters upon every page of Holy Scripture – “SALVATION IS OF THE LORD!” With us this is more than a cliché or an often quoted phrase of Scripture. It is the sum of all our doctrine, the essence of all our preaching, and the declaration of our hope.

Rather than magnifying man’s works, man’s efforts, and man’s free will, the Word of God always exalts and magnifies God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ, and his works of grace by which we are saved. All human religion makes salvation to be dependent upon and determined by the will and work of man. But the Bible declares that salvation is determined by and dependent upon the will and work of God alone. If you and I obtain God’s salvation, if we enter into the gates of glory and sing the songs of the redeemed in heaven, it will be because of God’s grace, grace alone, grace plus nothing.

Pastor Don Fortner

Faith Lives On The Promises Of God

The promises of the gospel do not deal with feelings, but reality. By the gospel we ARE accepted in the Beloved, even if we do not FEEL accepted. We ARE forgiven in Christ, even when we do not FEEL so. Many a struggling believer has doubled his struggles by polling his feelings for proof of grace. But we live by faith, not by sight; that is, we live by believing even when there is no discernable proof of the things we believe.

We are prone to think our faith most strong when we most “feel” it, but faith is best proven when it has no supports. He who can trust Christ and cling to Christ when he has no emotional testimony to verify his faith is truly the one who has that faith which is the gift of God. The faith generated by the flesh must be continually supported by the flesh. But that faith which needs no support but lives on the bare promises is that faith which comes from God.

Pastor Joe Terrell

Psalm 119:71;“It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.”How are afflictions good for me?

1). They conform me to the image of Christ. Need I say more?

2).They turn me to God’s word for instructions. They make me teachable. I learn the promises of God by experience.

3). They teach me my dependence on Christ. John 15; “Without me ye can do nothing.”

4). They teach me my frailty. Ps. 39:4; “Teach me how frail I am.”

5). They make me compassionate towards others. “A brother born for adversity.” (Proverbs 17:17).

6). They wean me from this world and set my heart on things above. (Colossians 3:2).

7).They make me experience the sufficiency of God’s grace. “My grace is sufficient…” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

8). They teach me submission. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Luke 11:2).

9). They prove and strengthen faith. Every stormy wind that blows makes my faith to be more deeply rooted in Christ (1 Peter 1:6-7).

10). They are the thorns sent by the Rose of Sharon to hedge me in on the path of righteousness.

11). They are divinely ordered by my heavenly Father. Job 23:14;“For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.”

12). They prepare me for glory. As Christ went to prepare a place for me, He also prepares me for that place (John 14:1-6).