Based upon the word of God, human nature, and from personal experience, I conclude that many people who attend church services are merely religious. The Lord said to a group of religious folk, “Well hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written this people draweth nigh unto me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Isa. 29:13). I believe most people are religious for gain, duty, habit, social contacts and a number of other reasons. But true believers attend church services because they are in love with and desire to worship and become better acquainted with a person--the Lord Jesus Christ! The true believer (one who knows, worships, loves, trusts, and follows Jesus Christ) comes to the house of God with a real desire to worship (praise and thank) his God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. It is a person who draws him/her to the worship services, and that is just what he does—Worship! The religious need to be entertained during the service and impressed by spiritual surroundings; but believers need only to hear God's word preached, pray, and sing his praises. In fact, the simpler the service and the more preaching (of Christ), the better the believer likes it; for it is Christ he has come to hear about and worship.
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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