Speaking the Truth in Love

I wonder, if when we preach or teach or witness to others, does the love of Christ and love for sinners come through in our words and in our countenance? I am interested to know if our hearers detect from our presentation of the gospel of sovereign grace (whether in sermon or articles) the love, compassion, and pity we should feel; or do we come across as harsh, bitter, and with a critical spirit? Do we tend to take our disappointments in some and our conflicts with others into the pulpit or classroom or personal discussions and tear into everybody?

This is not the way of Christ. James said, “The wrath of man worketh NOT the righteousness of God.” It was His love that chose us, gave us repentance, and led us to faith; and if any other sinner is brought from darkness, death, and error to light, life, and truth, it will be by and through the love and grace of Christ.

We are quick to say that the whip of the law will not make a man righteous, but neither will the whip of doctrine make a man a believer. Pastor Henry T. Mahan (Bulletin 1986)

PERILOUS TIMES

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” (2 Timothy 3:1)

I imagine most people would say that we are living in perilous times right now. These are not perilous days because of the pandemic gripping the world. These are not perilous days because of civil unrest caused by man’s hateful nature. These are perilous days because of the many issues that take our attention off of Christ. May God be pleased to stop us from becoming obsessed with society’s issues and make us obsessed with knowing and trusting Christ. May God be pleased to give us the wisdom to not become obsessed with how to govern the world (Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. (Isaiah 45:9)) and make us obsessed with the preaching of Christ and Him crucified. May God be pleased to make us obsessed with knowing Christ and resting in Him. In a few short days all of these earthly events will be forgotten, but knowing Christ will still be all important to our souls. Pastor Frank Tate

In All Spiritual Things

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.”

Pastor Scott Richardson

BUT BY ME and EXCEPT THE FATHER

“Salvation is of the Lord.”

Many in religion today preach often from the passage found in John chapter fourteen, verse six, where our Lord Jesus proclaimed that He alone is salvation. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” however many who preach stop there without finishing the rest of the verse. I certainly understand why they do that, and I believe that they feel as though they have a good reason as to why. Those who believe that sinners are saved by man’s will, man’s work, and man’s worth, know and understand that our Lord’s words “But by me,” destroys their theology and belief of “Salvation by works.”

Dear reader, Christ said, “No man cometh to the Father, but by me.” That means that sinners are saved only by the work of righteousness that Christ provides for God’s elect. That is why our Lord also said in John chapter six, verse forty-four that, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.” That means the same thing. I love those little words like “but” and “except,” don’t you? There is no salvation for me, “But,” by Christ. There is no hope of me ever coming to Christ, “Except,” God the Father which sent God the Son draw me to Him by the cords of love, mercy and grace.

Pastor David Eddmenson

Lord of All or Not Lord at All