Someone wrote that Martin Luther’s strength and confidence lay in the fact that he believed so strongly that the ministry in which he was engaged was not his own but the Lord’s. He often prayed, “Lord, this is your cause, not mine.”
What would this persuasion do for you and me? Is not most of our depression and unhappiness caused by the desire to see more than we are seeing, do more than we are doing, have more than we have, and to be what we are not?
If this is the Lord’s cause and not mine, then I ought to be content to serve diligently where he has placed me, with the gifts he has given me, doing all that I find to do, and rejoicing in his love. “Where two or three are met in my name.” Enoch walked with God in a day few did. Paul rejoiced in the Lord when all had forsaken him except Luke.
“Wherefore lift up the hand that hangs down, and the feeble knees” (Heb. 12:12). “The Lord God omnipotent reigneth” (Rev. 19:6). “When the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive tree shall fail, and the fields yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls; yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (Hab. 3:17-18).
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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