One Duty Should Not Displace Another - Published on July 1, 2022 ... There is secret prayer, or closet prayer, when a man gets by himself alone in secret, and pours forth his heart to God; and this sort of prayer our Saviour exhorts us to; nor can a true believer live without it, though being found in this we ought not to neglect family duty any day: one duty should not displace another. "When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father," &C.... Benjamin Keach Article Length: Very Short |
Without Love Our Doctrine Doesn't Count - Published on June 30, 2022 ..."I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you." - John 16:12-15
&... Brandan Kraft Article Length: Medium |
I Will Stretch Out My Hand - Published on June 29, 2022 ...And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. - Exodus 3:19-20
Some today are anxious over the rulers of this world. The cure for anxious care is our sovereign God and Savior. (2 Cor 4:8-10; 2 Cor 4:16, 2 Cor 4:18) The Lord Jesus has told us beforehand what enemies shall do even ... Clay Curtis Article Length: Short |
Salt Water - Published on June 29, 2022 ...When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. - John 19:30
If we are to have assurance of salvation, we must not go looking to anywhere else other than Christ. "It is finished." Should we attempt to seek assurance elsewhere such as our feelings, or the works of our own hands or volition, it would be like trying to quench our thirst with salt water. Salt water c... Brandan Kraft Article Length: Short |
We Have a Rich Inheritance to Come - Published on June 29, 2022 ... If you were sailing across the sea on a ship and had very little money yet you knew when you get to the other side you will inherit the largest fortune the world has ever known would you be content though you had very little while on your trip across the sea? While on this pilgrimage the believer may possess very little. But we have a rich inheritance to come. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; hei... Clay Curtis Article Length: Very Short |
Our Attitude - Published on June 28, 2022 ... As long as we are in this flesh, we will have misunderstandings among us, unpleasantness’s, and even injustices; we will feel that our rights have been violated and others have been wrong in what they have said and done. What is to be our attitude? It is to be twofold: "FORBEARING one another and FORGIVING one another." To FORBEAR is to control our emotions, surrendering our rights for the time being in patient hope that God will reveal his purpose... Donnie Bell Article Length: Very Short |
Going Home - Published on June 28, 2022 ...Note: This article is the final chapter in Don Fortner's Book, "Going Home."
Recently, I read a sermon by a Scottish preacher named Andrew Gray. He lived from 1633-1656, leaving this world when he was only 23 years old. He was only a very young man when he preached the sermon. The title of his message was 'Returning to Zion'. I cannot tell you when I have read a message that was more delightful, or of a greater blessing to my soul. It was so ... Don Fortner Article Length: Long |
These Things Will Reveal Our Hearts to Us - Published on June 28, 2022 ... Since it is written in our hearts that, “It is appointed unto man once to die and after that, the judgment,” we have a natural aversion to death and a great fear of what comes afterward. If we have heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and professed to believe it, we have a natural tendency to look for some evidences or proof that we are, indeed, believers in Christ and heirs of God’s promise. Religion and our natural conscience are all too ready to provide... Joe Terrell Article Length: Short |
It is Our Father Who Breaks Our Teeth - Published on June 27, 2022 ... Faith in Christ and obedience to Christ does not exempt God’s saints from all the storms everybody else in this world faces; rather it intensifies them…All the heartaches, all the pains, all the sicknesses all the troubles that everybody else faces you will too, but now there’s an added difficulty. You know that your heavenly Father is the one who sends the trouble, not by accident…on purpose. Not because of anger, but because of love. It is our Father who... Don Fortner Article Length: Very Short |
Vilified, Slandered, Reproached, and Reviled - Published on June 27, 2022 ... Therefore, I bind these lies and slanderous accusations to my person as an ornament; it belongs to my Christian profession to be vilified, slandered, reproached and reviled, and since all this is nothing but that, as god and my conscience testify, I rejoice in being reproached for Christ's sake.... John Bunyan Article Length: Very Short |
Don't Cover the Altar with Your Tears - Published on June 27, 2022 ...And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand. - Malachi 2:13
When we come to the Lord in repentance and faith, our only confidence that we have is that God alone is faithful to His covenant promises. We don't deserve any mercy or grace because we have confessed our sins. Indeed, our confession ... Brandan Kraft Article Length: Short |
The Title Reverend - Published on June 26, 2022 ...He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name. - Psalm 111:9
There is only ONE who should ever be called reverend, and that is the ONE who inhabits eternity. His name is Jesus and holy and reverend is his name. And so I don't understand why men and women today allow themselves to be referenced with this title, let alone encourage their followers to do so. Have they not read the sc... Brandan Kraft Article Length: Short |
He Hath Made Him to be Sin for Us! - Published on June 26, 2022 ...For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. - 2 Cor 5:21
What was done with the Lord Jesus Christ when he was made to be sin for us? Let no one consider these things as mere matters of cold, theological speculation. They are to be studied and meditated upon only with deep reverence for him who was made to be sin for us.
Our Lord Jesus Christ voluntarily took upon himself an intimate, infinite a... Don Fortner Article Length: Medium |
Preach the Gospel - Published on June 26, 2022 ...And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. - Mark 16:15
When I was a young man, I listened with astonishment to a conversation between two older preachers, pastors who believed and preached the doctrines of grace. They were talking about the deadness of their churches, the apathy of the people, and the fact that they were seeing no results from their ministries - their churches were not growing . One of the men said, &q... Don Fortner Article Length: Short |
Distinction Between Eternity and Time Illustrated - Published on June 26, 2022 ... Time is transitory presence in contrast to eternity which is abiding presence. Since time presently coexists with eternity, man who is a creature of time has difficulty differentiating between them. The puritans spoke of eternity as an “eternal duration.” Duration, however, can be measured; but eternity is immeasurable. The dictionary defines “duration” as continuance in time or the length of time during which something continues or exists. Eternity cannot b... W.E. Best Article Length: Medium |
Do Not Trust in Riches - Published on June 26, 2022 ... Do not trust in riches; for all such things are left here, faith alone will accompany you. And righteousness indeed will go with you if faith has led the way. Why do riches entice you ? Ye were not redeemed with gold and silver, with possessions, or silk garments, from your vain conversation, but with the precious Blood of Christ. He then is rich who is an heir of God, a joint heir with Christ. Despise not the poor man, he has made you rich. This poor man cried, and... Ambrose of Milan Article Length: Very Short |
Double Predestination - Published on June 26, 2022 ... Indeed, just as He [God] predestined all of the elect to life through the gratuity of the free grace of His kindness, as the pages of the Old and New Testaments very clearly, skillfully, and soberly show those seeking wisdom on this matter, so also He altogether predestined the reprobate to the punishment of eternal death, of course, through the most righteous judgment of His immutable justice. (Reply to Rabanus Maurus)... Gottschalk of Orbais Article Length: Very Short |
The Danger of Words Outrunning Experience - Published on June 25, 2022 ... Many who claim to believe in free grace talk about the faith of God’s elect (Titus 1:1), but they do not manifest obedience of that faith (Rom. 16:26). What value is there in a mere academic understanding of Biblical principles if those principles are not evidenced in life? Saving faith, which is the fruit of Divine election, is a refining grace. It purifies the heart (Acts 15:9). Refining faith does not take away all sin from the life of the believer, but it removes the love... W.E. Best Article Length: Short |
Time is Life's Book - Published on June 25, 2022 ... Time is life’s book. Out of this book the elect extract, by redeeming the time, wondrous wisdom. The nonelect let the book lie unopened and die as fools. While the elect are receiving precious fruit that will abide eternally, the nonelect are perishing with hunger. Furthermore, while the elect are gaining new spiritual heights every day, the nonelect are sinking deeper into shame and degradation. The elect treat serious things seriously, but the nonelect treat trivial things ... W.E. Best Article Length: Very Short |
Time is not the Same to All Men - Published on June 25, 2022 ... The significance of time is not the same to all men. To the elect, time is a precious possession. It is a time of redemption and deliverance (Gal. 1:4; I Pet. 1:18-20), regeneration (John 3:8; Eze 16:8), salvation (II Cor. 6:2; I Pet. 1:21-25), sanctification (I Thess. 4:4-12), and growing in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (II Pet. 3:18). On the other hand, the nonelect know not the value of time. They do not know how to spend time anticipating eternity. They inquire what they... W.E. Best Article Length: Short |