Saul of Tarsus was a moral man, a man with an excellent public record, a Pharisee and more. He was also a religious man, highly esteemed among his peers and a religious teacher taught by the greatest teacher of his day, Gamaliel. But after God was pleased to reveal His Son in Him, he made this confession: "Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief." (1 Timothy 1:13) Think about it, the very things men and women count as modern Christianity, the very professions they cling to and the very things most dare not question, he called blasphemy and unbelief! He was at that time an unbeliever. His preaching, religious activity and the righteousness he thought he had established before God was blasphemy. When did he find out what he was before? AFTER Christ stopped him on the road to Damascus and caused him to know the truth about who He was! Only in the "after" of regeneration, faith and being brought to the knowledge of the truth. How do men find out who Christ is? By the Spirit of truth taking the things of Christ and showing them to them! When He shows us in the gospel who Christ really is by showing us there what Christ did. What did Christ do? He, by His life and death on the cross, saved His people from their sins! When the Spirit of God revealed Christ to me a lost preacher years ago, He did so by teaching me what the scriptures actually say about His glorious Person and accomplished work. I was brought from one of the ways of death to the way of life, righteousness and peace in Christ. When I looked back and weighed what I believed before that, my view of God and the work of Christ before that, I too had to confess, "I was before a blasphemer.." Like Paul and the Ephesian believers, I trusted Christ "after I heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation." (Eph. 1:13) If there never was a before, then there's not an after! The word of truth is not "how to be saved" but rather "the gospel of your salvation." How that Christ saved you all by Himself through His sufferings and death, all by Himself and for His glory! His blood shed for me and His righteousness imputed to me is all my salvation. His life laid down is my hope, not my life lived for Him! We see what we were before, lost blasphemers, when God is pleased to open our eyes to the truth!

Gary Shepard

"WE PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED"

Any view of our being in Christ or being righteous by our union with Him that minimizes our death with Him and His death for us is error. If we could have been saved simply by being "in Him," He would not have needed to come into this world and die the death of the cross in our place. He had to come and die because of our sins. The wages of sin is death. That's why the true gospel is not about Christ as some mystical person but about "Christ crucified." It isn't about what I don't do in Him but about what He did for me. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." Why? "It is God that justifieth" "so who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died." (Rom. 8:1, 33,34)

GS

Here's something an old preacher told me years ago. He said, "The only man that will defend the profession of a lost man is another lost man." How true.

"The Lord has heard all your grumblings against Him!"

Exodus 16:8

Does God really hear every discontented word which I ever speak? Does He hear when I grumble about the weather . . . about the hard winter, about the late spring, about the dry summer, about the wet harvest? Does He hear when I grumble about the frosts, about the drought, about the high winds, about the storms? Does He hear when I grumble about my circumstances, about the hardness of my lot, about my losses and disappointments?

If we could get into our heart, and keep there continually, the consciousness that God hears every word we speak—would we murmur and complain so much as we now do?

We are careful never to speak words which would give pain to the hearts of those we love. Are we as careful not to say anything that will grieve our heavenly Father?

"I tell you this—that you must give an account on judgment day of every idle word you speak!" Matthew 12:36

"He who complains of the weather—complains of the God who ordains the weather!" William Law

J. R. Miller

JESUS CHRIST , THE SHEPHERD SAVIOR

Merciful is the Shepherd's calling,

"Come unto me.

Sinning ones who are heavy laden,

Rest all in Me."

Refrain:

Jesus, the Shepherd

Whose blood and righteousness,

Satisfied all that God demanded,

Set His sheep free.

Once on the cross the Shepherd Savior,

Laid down His life.

In the place of the sheep He suffered,

Ended the strife.

Then from death and the grave in vic'try,

He then arose.

All His sheep hear His voice and follow,

Where 'er He goes.

Jesus calls by the mighty gospel,

Showing His face.

By His pow'r life and faith He gives them,

Hail sovereign grace!

Graciously He has all provided,

All full and free.

All the glory be His forever,

Eternally!

Gary Shepard