For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. - Galatians 5:14
The Scriptures overwhelm us with this word love:
"By this shall all men know the ye are my disciples, if you love one another" (Jn. 13:35).
“He that loveth not knoweth not God;" (1 Jn. 4:8).
"…but the greatest of these is love" (1 Cor. 13:13).
“If I have not love, I am nothing" (1 Cor. 13:2).
"This is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you" (Jn. 15:12)
If this miracle of grace; this fruit of the Spirit; this nature of regeneration is a reality to me—an experience of my heart—then Christ becomes my beloved Lord; duties become pleasures; ordinances become desires; enemies become friends; and suppression of self for the good of all and the glory of God becomes a joy!
If the love of God is shed abroad in my heart by his Holy Spirit, then I am able to accept trials and afflictions from the hand of my heavenly Father with grace and submission; able to live in peace with all men; able to forgive misunderstandings; able to overlook the infirmities of others; and able to build a happy relationship with the family of God.
Love begets trust, confidence, and hope. But where love is absent Satan is able to get the advantage and sow his seed of division, doubt, fear, jealousy, envy, and strife. Nothing renders a man more unlike Christ and more like Satan than to despise love and show instead a spirit of wrath and hatred.
Love is the sweetest bud that blows,
Its beauty never dies;
On earth among the saints it grows,
And ripens in the skies.
Of all the joys we mortals know,
Jesus, thy love exceeds the rest;
Love, the best blessing here below,
And nearest image of the blest.
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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