"GIVING THANKS UNTO THE FATHER" Colossians 1:12-14

The Apostle is continually giving thanks to God for His mercies on us. Here he gives thanks that God (by His grace in Christ) has QUALIFIED US (had made us fit) to enter and partake of heaven, the bright and glorious inheritance of the saints. Every man by birth and by nature is unfit for God's presence! But in Christ, the Father has given us all we need to ENTER there and made us holy that we may DWELL there. For He has drawn us out of that corrupt state in which we were born and translated us into the STATE OF GRACE, called the KINGDOM OF HIS DEAR SON.

No way of redemption can be accepted which does not fully honor God's holiness, satisfy His holy justice, fully ransom the sinner, and give that sinner a nature meet for the very presence of God. "Absent from the body and PRESENT WITH THE LORD" means a whole lot more than changing our residence. It involves a totally new creation and perfect conformity to God. This we have and will have in Christ our Redeemer. Pastor Henry T. Mahan (1994)

If there is a Holiday worth keeping it is THANKSGIVING. We have much to be thankful for.

Psalm 69:30; “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.”

Psalm 100:4: “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

Psalm 107:22; “And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.”

Jonah 2:9; “But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.”

2 Corinthians 9:11; “Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.”

Philippians 4:6; “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

Colossians 2:7; “Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”

Colossians 4:2; “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.”

1 Timothy 4:4; “For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving.”

Revelation 7:12; “Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.”

THANKSGIVING…for the believer is a spiritual THANKSGIVING. “Thank you Lord for saving my soul, thank you Lord for making me whole.”

Pastor John Chapman

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 5:11-12).

This is the record or the witness of the gospel: God has given eternal life to His people. They didn’t earn it or deserve it. They were dead in trespasses and sins but God gave them eternal life as a free gift of His grace.

If you desire to have this life, go to Christ. Eternal life is not in our decision, our morality, or our religious activity. Eternal life is in Christ because Christ is life. There is nothing more important than knowing and trusting Christ. Knowing Christ is so important that whoever knows Christ and believes on Him has eternal life and whoever does not believe Him cannot have life. (John 3:36)

Pastor Frank Tate

Salvation In Christ Alone

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

We don’t believe and therefore we do not preach salvation is in a church. We do believe and therefore we do preach that salvation is in Christ and that Jesus Christ is all our salvation (Col 3:11).

The religion of men teaches salvation by what the sinner must do. The religion of the Bible teaches salvation by what the Lord Jesus Christ has done; He accomplish all of salvation for us and there is nothing for the sinner to contribute, to bring or to add (Col 2:9-10). The salvation that is revealed in the Bible is always described by God as determined, dependent and accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:3; Heb. 9:11-12; Heb. 9:26; Heb. 10:14-17).