Giving Is Not Loss But A Great Gain

The average person who gives money, gifts, or charity to others may think that this gift or whatever he gives should be regarded as LOSS, certainly not called ASSETS nor INVESTMENT nor GAIN. This is NOT SO! Gifts, money, and alms given to others is no more loss than the SEED planted by a farmer is loss. Anything given to others in the name of Christ, for the glory of our Lord, is not loss but gain in every way.

Our Lord said in Luke 6:38, “Give and it shall be given unto you…for with the same measure that you give withal it shall be given to you.” This is saying that God uses the same container or measure for His gifts to us as we use to give to others. The more generous the farmer is with the seed, the greater the harvest; and the more generous and loving and giving we are enabled to be, the greater the blessing.

NO! Giving is not loss but great gain. A person may say, “I can’t afford to give.” If we have an understanding of the grace of God, we can’t afford NOT to give. Pastor Henry T. Mahan (bulletin 1992)

The Black and White Of The Gospel

There are no gray areas in the Gospel. Salvation is all of grace or all of works. There is no in-between. Christ is either All in salvation or He is nothing in salvation. There is no in-between. Man is either completely sinful and unable to save himself, or he is his own savior. There are no gray areas. The Bible is either God’s infallible Word, or the production of fallen man. How we thank God for this! I find the older I get, the more gray other things become. Things I once felt strongly about, I no longer feel so assured! I do not have enough information to make a proper judgment and there are other points of view that have as much validity as mine! How Paul’s words, “We see through a glass darkly” describe my sight! With so much gray, how thankful I am for the black and white of the Gospel!

Pastor Todd Nibert

Misapplying the Word of God

It is a great evil when preachers take what is written to the church or to believers individually and apply it to everyone in general. Example: 2 Peter 3:9; “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

To whom is Peter writing? 2 Peter 1:1; “Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”

Peter is not writing to everyone in general, he is writing, “to us-ward who have obtained like precious faith” – he is writing to believers. God is not willing that any of His elect should perish but come to repentance. Let us not be like Job’s three friends who said things that were true but applied them in the wrong way to the wrong person. If we keep the scriptures in context, we will never be guilty of making them a pretext. Pastor John Chapman

How That Christ Died For Our Sins

"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures" (1Cor. 15:3).

The gospel is not just that Christ died. The gospel is how that He died for us according to God's eternal and immutable decree, "the scriptures" (Acts 2:23: Rev. 13:8).

The scriptures declare that His death was appointed (Gen. 3:15; 22:8; Psa.22; Psa. 69; Matt. 16:21; Gal. 4:4).

The scriptures declare that His death was voluntary, He willingly laid down His life for us (Isa. 53:7; John 10:17-18).

The scriptures declare that His death was substitutionary (Isa. 53:4-6; 2Cor.5:21; 1 Pet .3:18 ).

The scriptures declare that His death was to accomplish definite atonement for His people (Isa.53:8; Matt. 1:21; John 10:15; Heb. 2:17).

The scriptures declare that His death satisfied all the demands of God's holy Law and justice (Isa. 42:21; 53:10-12; Dan. 9:24).

The scriptures declare that His death was most effectual to put away all the sin of the covenant people (Psa. 103:12; Isa. 38:17; Micah 7:18-20; Heb.9:26; 10:17; 1John 1:7).

Every pledge and promise of salvation has its accomplishment in the Lord Jesus Christ, "For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us (2Cor. 1:21). All that God has promised concerning salvation in Christ is certain and sure, "And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform." (Rom. 4:21).

Our Lord said, "But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?" "But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." (Matt. 26:54,56), "It is finished" (John 19:30).