Our ladies brunch will be Saturday, Aug 13 at 10:30 a.m. at Panera Bread in the Ashland Town Center Mall.

FORGIVENESS

Believers are commanded to forgive one another as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven us (Eph. 4:32). When we forgive one another, we say, “I forgive you” but the wrong is not forgotten. Try as we might, we cannot erase it from our memory bank. So the best we can do is try not to bring it up anymore.

I am thankful God does not forgive sin that way. When God forgives sin, God forgets that sin. God said, “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jer. 31:34). God forgets the sin of His elect because that sin does not exist once it has been forever purged under the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Only the blood of Christ can purge sin. Thank God that He has forgives and forgets the sin of His people for Christ’s sake!

Believers make no apologies for the glorious truth of God’s sovereign and distinguishing grace in Christ Jesus. His word shall endure forever and we rest completely in the revelation that He shall have mercy and compassion on whomsoever He will.

Pastor Marvin Stalnaker

Do I do an altar call? No, never. The reason for this is quite simple. Altar calls are not scriptural. Scripture does not record a single altar call. I think it wise to do what the Lord and all of the apostles did – preach the gospel and leave the results to the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will never miss calling God’s sheep. If I did an altar call, I would be trying to call goats.

I also do not do an altar call because I have never seen an altar. An altar is either made of stones or incorruptible wood covered with brass and is used to slaughter animals and burn their bodies with fire. I have never seen an altar in a church building so I wouldn’t do an altar call. We do have a table in front of the pulpit that we set flowers on and where we put the elements for the Lord’s Table, but that is a table not an altar. I don’t call anyone to come talk to me beside that table because salvation is not done there. Salvation is not done between the preacher and the sinner. Salvation is done when the Savior is alone with the sinner. So in every message I command sinners to come to Christ our altar (Heb 13:10) to find the sacrifice for their sin.

I also do not do an altar call because altar calls are begging sinners to do something. My friend, God is not a beggar. God never pleads with anyone to do anything. God commands sinners to repent of their sins and to believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. So as part of every message, on the authority of God’s Word, I command sinners to go to Christ. Christ is our altar. Christ is the sacrifice offered on the altar. And Christ is the High Priest who offers the sacrifice for sin that the Father accepts. So go to Christ! Once a sinner goes to Christ, no one will have to convince them to confess the Savior publicly.

In all spiritual things, all your temptations, all your darkness, all your wanderings God will overrule. It shall be well with you. There shall never be a night, but that morning shall come; there shall never be a day of trouble, but a day of prosperity shall follow; there shall never be an emptying, but there shall be a filling; there shall never be a bringing down, but that He will raise you up again. Let it be either darkness or light, sorrow or grief, night or day, life or death, time or eternity, “it shall be well with the righteous.”