John Bunyan once said, “A believer is seldom long at ease; when one trial is gone, another doth him seize.” We can be sure that when we are on the mountain top, the valley is not far away. We have many joys, but we must have afflictions. The apostle called it, “trouble in the flesh” (1 Cor. 7:28).
Sometimes these troubles come from our family relationships. Those whose lives are interwoven with ours NATURALLY cause us great grief SPIRITUALLY. Christ said, “A man’s enemies will be those of his own household” (Mt. 10:36). How can it be otherwise? The people of this world never did understand the people of God and they never will. “Light came into the world and the DARKNESS COMPREHENDED IT NOT” (Jn. 3:19). How can darkness do anything to light but oppose it? Light and darkness can’t mix; oil and water will not mix; and it cannot be expected that the believer shall have peace with the unbeliever, whether they live across the street or in the same house.
When King David came home from that high and holy adventure with God, when he brought the ark back to the tabernacle, who should meet him at the door with sarcasm, criticism, and ridicule but his own wife! When I look at David singing and dancing before the ark, how happy he is! How filled with the joy of the Lord! But I know what is ahead and so do you. And it will hurt more because it will come from the most unexpected source – his own dear wife! Satan works in this manner; “wounded in the house of my friends” (Zech. 13:6).
Husbands, wives, children, parents, and close friends who do not know our Lord and His sovereign, free, and redeeming grace will not help us on our heavenly journey but will do all they can do to wound and hurt. This, too, we will endure and accept as the good providence of the Lord!
About Henry Mahan
Henry T. Mahan was born in Birmingham, Alabama in August 1926. He joined the United States Navy in 1944 and served as a signalman on an L.S.T. in the Pacific during World War II. In 1946, he married his wife Doris, and the Lord blessed them with four children.
At the age of 21, he entered the pastoral ministry and gained broad experience as a pastor, teacher, conference speaker, and evangelist. In 1950, through the preaching of evangelist Rolfe Barnard, God was pleased to establish Henry in sovereign free grace teaching. At that time, he was serving as an assistant pastor at Pollard Baptist Church (off of Blackburn ave.) in Ashland, Kentucky.
In 1955, Thirteenth Street Baptist Church was formed in Ashland, Kentucky, and Henry was called to be its pastor. He faithfully served that congregation for more than 50 years, continuing in the same message throughout his ministry. His preaching was centered on the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified, in full accord with the Scriptures. He consistently proclaimed God’s sovereign purpose in salvation and the glory of Christ in redeeming sinners through His blood and righteousness.
Henry T. Mahan also traveled widely, preaching in conferences and churches across the United States and beyond. His ministry was marked by a clear and unwavering emphasis on Christ, not the preacher, but the One preached. Those who heard him recognized that his sermons honored the Savior and exalted the name of the Lord Jesus Christ above all.
Henry T. Mahan served as pastor and teacher of Thirteenth Street Baptist Church in Ashland, Kentucky for over half a century. His life and ministry were devoted to proclaiming the sovereign grace of God and directing sinners to the finished work of Christ. He entered into the presence of the Lord in 2019, leaving behind a lasting testimony to the gospel he faithfully preached.
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