If a minister compromises the message of grace and the gospel of our Lord Jesus, we begin to search for reasons. If a prominent church member becomes entangled in the world, business, or any number of interests which take him away from the fellowship or causes him to neglect things spiritual, we begin to search for reasons. One might produce a variety of reasons for this departure from Christ and strong attraction to the flesh, but there is one chief reason—this person has never seen Christ Jesus, our Lord! He has never beheld, in his heart, the great glory, beauty, and sufficiency of Christ. The Lord Jesus has never become to him, “My beloved!” As Solomon said, “I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine” (Song of Sol. 6:3).
John said, “He that seeth the Son and believeth on him hath eternal life” (Jn.6:40). To see Christ as he is, is to lose interest in all others! To see Christ as the ultimate joy, peace, rest, and glory is to cease from all other works and pursuits and enter his rest. To see Christ as God's only anointed Redeemer, complete Saviour, and effectual atonement is to trust him and him alone to save and keep us. To see even the reproach of Christ to be greater riches than all the treasures of this world is to walk away from them with no regrets and never look back! To even look back is to perish with Lot's wife. But he that seeth the Son knows that nothing back there is worth comparing to him!
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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