Pride is a strange and mysterious thing, and our natural thoughts do not help us to understand it. In times of recognition and some success in the ministry, I have had people say, “I pray that the Lord will keep you humble.” I would much rather that they pray the Lord would give me more wisdom, grace, and the opportunity to preach his gospel to many sinners.
If a man knows Christ, rejoices only in him, and has no confidence in the flesh, how it pleases God to use him and what God is pleased to do through him does not make him proud! It is when a man moves in the strength of the flesh, tries to be what he is not, and tries to do what he is not called to do that pride is to be feared.
It all depends on one’s being where God puts him, doing what God has called him to do. The first lesson any true servant of the Lord learns is, “Without me, ye can do nothing.” From then on, whether acclaimed or criticized by men, it matters not; for the glory of God and the gospel of Christ are my chief concern.
“Saviour, fix my soul on thee,
All ambition let me flee;
Nothing want beneath, above,
Happy only in thy love.”
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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