UPCOMING SPECIAL DATES
Missionary Cody Groover will bring the message to us on Aug. 6th. We will plan to have a time of fellowship following the service.
We are taking up a special offering for the Groovers if you wish to contribute.
Our monthly ladies brunch will be held next Saturday, Aug. 9th at 10:30 a.m. at Panera Bread in the Ashland Town Center Mall.
We will have a pool party for all ages Sunday Aug. 10th from 7-9 p.m. at the pool at Greenbo State Park.
Pastor Todd Nibert will preach for us on Thursday, Aug 14th. There will be no service on Wednesday Aug 13th.
HE MUST INCREASE, I MUST DECREASE
Look at a candle and how it burns. The more the light shines, the more the candle diminishes. What a beautiful illustration of the believer in Christ! The more he learns the Gospel of Christ, the more precious Christ becomes and the less he thinks of himself. One who is truly the Lord’s shines forth the light of HIS righteousness, grace, goodness, mercy, forgiveness, and truth. In so shining, self does not get bigger and more noticeable – CHRIST does! The glory is not to self but to HIM. John the Baptist said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30).
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WHERE DOES PROGRESSIVE SANCTIFICATION COME FROM?
If by progressive sanctification people mean growth in grace, I do believe in progressive sanctification. Our thoughts of Christ grow bigger. Out thoughts of self grow smaller. And we do grow in the fruit of the Holy Spirit. But if by progressive sanctification people mean we progressively become more holy and less sinful, I do not believe that at all! It is certainly not taught in Holy Scriptures and it is not true to the believer’s experience. So where did this error find its birth? It comes from Satan, as does all error. And it is the logical inference of not believing that a believer has two separate natures. He has the evil nature of his first birth that never gets better and the holy nature of his second birth that cannot sin, that cannot be improved. If I do not see this I will be left with the doctrine of progressive sanctification. When I hold this view, I will either lie to myself that I am becoming more holy and less sinful, or I will stay depressed. Both of those states prevent me from the joy and peace of believing! If I hold to progressive sanctification, I cannot hold to “Christ is all”. Progressive sanctification is not, “a misguided but well intentioned position”, it is a denial of this Scripture, “You are complete in Him” (Col. 2:10).
Pastor Todd Nibert
Substitution is the heart of the gospel. Christ the Substitute must be declared to sinners. Sinful man must have a substitute to produce righteousness for us because our sin nature leaves us without strength to produce the righteousness that God requires. Sinful man must have a substitute to stand in our place because man is ungodly (the opposite of everything God is and God requires). If God will accept the ungodly, we must have a substitute who is God. The good news is that Christ died as the substitute FOR the ungodly. “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom 5:6). Sinful man must have a substitute because our sin leaves us with no acceptable sacrifice and no acceptable blood to offer to God. The good news is that Christ died as the substitute FOR sinners. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). Sinful man must have a substitute because we are born dead in sins so we don’t have any ability to do anything to please God. The good news is that Christ died as the substitute FOR His people so they would have eternal life. “Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” (I Thes. 5:10)
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