Bro. Ebenezer Erskine was visiting with a pastor on his way to a preaching engagement. The pastor said, “We are meeting tonight to worship around the Lord's table. Would you preach for us?” Mr. Erskine preached, and the Lord richly blessed all. One believer urged the pastor to have Mr. Erskine come again on his return and preach for them, which he did; and the same believer, who spoke so highly of the first sermon, expressed disappointment with the second. The wise pastor asked the believer two questions. “When you heard Mr. Erskine the first time, why were you here?” He replied, “I came to worship the Lord at his table.” The second question, “Why did you come to the meeting tonight?” “I came to hear Mr. Erskine;” to which the pastor replied, “Dear one, when we come to worship God, we will hear from God; when we come to hear a man, usually this will be our experience, that we hear only a man.”
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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