The gospel is not good advice, but good news. Grace is not an offer, but an operation. Salvation is not by man’s decision, but by God’s decree.
A Good Hope by Grace — Don Fortner (Tune: #44 — And Can it Be? — LM)
Bold shall I stand on judgment day, Though millions shall be cast away. Since Jesus Christ my ransom paid, No charge against me shall be made. While through my Savior’s blood I am Absolved from sin, and guilt, and blame, I cannot be condemned to die, For by free grace I’m justified.
Robed in my Savior’s righteousness, My soul cannot be in distress, For with His spotless garments on I am as holy as God’s Son! The Holy Spirit sheds abroad Within my heart the love of God. — His blessed gift of life and faith Has freed me from the fear of death.
Made fit for heaven by God’s grace Imparting Jesus’ righteousness, Washed in His blood and born of God, I have good hope by grace from God. While unbelieving rebels die, “Salvation to the Lord!” I’ll cry. My worth and works I’ll still deny, “Salvation to the Lord!” I’ll cry.
“If you really want to get folks to open their wallets…”
“Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?” (Ezekiel 34:2)
While eating lunch at one of our favorite restaurants yesterday, we could not help overhearing the conversation of two men sitting next to us. They were preachers. One was a young pastor. His guest was a middle-aged evangelist. I listened as the older man gave instructions to the younger. He talked about one trick and then another to get men and women to give their money, having special meetings to teach people to give, and more about money. Then, he said, “If you really want to get folks to open their wallets, you should,” and proceeded to suggests another method of religious thievery, as the young pastor sat spell-bound before his advisor. In the thirty or forty minutes it took us to eat, not one word was spoken about God, his Son, his glory, his grace, his salvation, or the souls of men. The whole conversation was about raising money!
Because it was a public place and I was not a part of the conversation, I chose to say nothing; but I said to Shelby, “I would like to say to that young man, ‘If you will preach the free, saving grace of God in Christ three times a week to them, God’s people will give generously because they want to. You will not have to get them to.’”
My abhorrence of such men is inexpressible. They are self-serving thieves! The Lord God declares that he is against them and that he will require his flock at their hand in judgment (Ezekiel 34:10). God’s people do not have to be tricked into opening their wallets, or talked into being generous; and they will not be threatened into tithing.
Givers, not Tithers
God’s people are givers, not tithers. Nowhere do I find in the New Testament that believing men are commanded to tithe. Such a commandment would be contrary to the gospel of grace and the spirit of the new covenant. Legal commandments are good enough for children of bondage, like Ishmael. But the children of promise are motivated from a better principle. For them it is enough to say, “Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 8:9). We do not divide out our tenth, like religious misers. We give ourselves and all that we have to Christ. Cheerfully we give all that we can for the cause of Christ and the support of the gospel ministry. Why? Because we know his grace.
His Grace
Here is what Christ has done for us. This, according to 2 Corinthians 8:9, is his grace. — “Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor.” The wealth of God, the treasures of the infinite, the riches of eternity are the possession of our blessed Savior. From the highest throne of glory to the lowest pit in hell, the Lord Jesus Christ owns it all. It is true that Christ became the lowly man of Nazareth. But he is more. He is the eternal God, possessing all the riches of divine wisdom, power and glory.
“Yet he became poor” (Philippians 2:5-8). The eternal Son of God took manhood into union with himself. The God of glory robed himself in human flesh. Behold the depths of his poverty at Calvary! He was betrayed, mocked and beaten. He was crucified. God made his Son to be sin for us! There he was robbed of all the joy of heaven and the comfort of his Father’s presence. His dying bed was a malefactor’s cross. His resting place was a borrowed tomb. What was the reason for such humiliation?
“That ye through his poverty might be rich.” — What riches are ours through the mediation of Christ! In him we have all and abound. The riches of grace and redemption, time and eternity are ours. Do men who know such grace need to be tricked into giving or threatened by the law to make them tithe? No! The love of Christ constrains us. And in everything grace produces more than the law. Let us then give cheerfully and bountifully.
“Fill the waterpots with water” (John 2:7)
In the story of our Lord Jesus turning water into wine we have a good picture of God’s method of grace, a picture of the way God saves sinners.
It was the Son of God who performed the miracle. Yet men were called to fetch the pots, fill them with water, draw off the wine, and carry it to the governor of the feast. The means used were human; though the power that performed the miracle was Divine. It may have seemed foolish to fill the pots with water, but water is a symbol of the written Word (Ephesians 5:26); and the way to bring joy and comfort to the human heart today is to fill it with the preached Word. God makes it effectual to whom he will (Isaiah 55:11; Romans 10:17).
Of course, we know that the Son of God could have supplied all the wine that was needed without employing these servants. He did not need them! But they would have missed the blessed benefit of being instruments by whom the Son of God brought his miraculous boon of mercy to the wedding guests. Before anyone else knew what the Master had done, “the servants which drew the water knew.”
What a high honor it would be for the Son of God to use you and me to draw water from his Word and carry it to one of his chosen as the wine of his grace!
You are invited to join us in worship during our
29th Annual Sovereign Grace Bible Conference
August 29th – 31st, 2008
Hosted By Grace Baptist Church of Danville 2734 Old Stanford Road Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438 Donald S. Fortner, Pastor Telephone 859-236-8235 E-mail don@donfortner.com
Dear Friends,
The Lord willing, Grace Baptist Church of Danville, Danville, Kentucky will host our 29th Annual Sovereign Grace Bible Conference on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, August 29 - 31, 2008. We want you to attend.
I have asked six faithful pastors and one of our missionaries to join us for this time of worship through the preaching of the gospel. These are men who preach the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ. I am confident that each of them will seek and bring us a message from the Lord our God that will challenge, comfort and encourage us in the knowledge of our God and exalt him in the fullness of his redemptive glory and grace in Christ Jesus. We will be blessed by their ministry to us. As always, the theme of our conference will be the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ. Our object is to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ, instruct eternity bound sinners in the way of life, and promote the preaching of the gospel.
The ladies of our church family will provide meals immediately following each of our worship services.
Also, we will have a well-staffed nursery for infants and toddlers. Mothers, your cooperation here will be greatly appreciated. I must insist that ALL CHILDREN THREE AND UNDER stay in the nursery during all services. However, because we lack the needed facilities, I must also insist that NO CHILDREN OVER FOUR be permitted to stay in the nursery.
All conference messages will be available for purchase on cassette tapes and CD and DVD disks. Information regarding the purchase of the messages is found on the back of this brochure. Please use the order form found there when ordering. Order forms will also be available at the conference.
We look forward to seeing you in Danville on Friday, August 29th. Services will begin promptly at 7:00 P.M. If you need additional information about the conference, please feel free to write or call me. I am yours in the blessed fellowship of our Lord Jesus Christ and his gospel,
By God’s Free and Sovereign Grace, Donald S. Fortner, Pastor
SCHEDULE OF SERVICES
FRIDAY – AUGUST 29th
7:00 P.M. Pastor Don Fortner — Grace Baptist Church, Danville, KY 8:00 P.M. Pastor Bruce Crabtree — Sovereign Grace Church, Newcastle, IN
SATURDAY – AUGUST 30th
10:00 A.M. Pastor Gene Harmon — Rescue Baptist Church, Rescue, CA 11:00 A.M. Pastor Donnie Bell — Lantana Grace Church, Crossville, TN
6:00 P.M. Missionary Cody Groover — Merida, Mexico 7:00 P.M. Pastor Jesse Gistand — Grace Bible Church, San Leandro, CA
SUNDAY – August 31
10:00 A.M. Pastor Rupert Rivenbark — Bethel Baptist Church, Spring Lake, NC 11:00 A.M. Pastor Henry Mahan — Rocky Mount, VA
ACCOMMODATIONS FOR OUR GUESTS
Four of our local motels are holding blocks of rooms and will give special rates to our conference quests until August 15th. When making reservations, please mention that you want a room from the block of rooms being held for the Grace Baptist Church Bible Conference. All conference guests, except those men who will be preaching to us, are requested to make their own reservations.
Hampton Inn - Telephone-859-236-6200 - All rooms $69.00 + Tax Holiday Inn Express - Telephone 859-236-8600 - All rooms $65.00 + Tax Country Hearth Inn - Telephone 859-236-8601 - All rooms $57.00 + Tax Best Western - Telephone 859-236-5525 - All Rooms $50.00 + Tax
Additional Information is available by clicking here.
GRACE BULLETIN
July 20, 2008
GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH of DANVILLE 2734 Old Stanford Road-Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438 Telephone (859) 236-8235 - E-Mail don@donfortner.com
Donald S. Fortner, Pastor
Schedule of Regular Services
Sunday 10:00 A.M. Bible Classes 10:30 A.M. Morning Worship Service 6:30 P.M. Evening Worship Service
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