{"id":6994,"date":"2026-02-01T06:55:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T06:55:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=6994"},"modified":"2026-02-01T06:55:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T06:55:15","slug":"bulletin-edition-february-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=6994","title":{"rendered":"Bulletin Edition February 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A\nthin slice of godliness<\/strong>
\nover a mass of carnality!
\n<\/strong>
\n<\/em>Spurgeon, “Constancy and Inconstancy: a Contrast.”<\/em>
\n
\n“…what shall I do unto thee?” asks the Lord.<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>“for your goodness is as a morning cloud and as the early\ndew it goeth away.”<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>Hosea 6:4<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, beware of pious\nveneering!
\n
\nBeware of the religion which consists
\nin putting on a\nthin slice of godliness<\/strong>
\nover a mass of carnality!<\/strong>
\n
\nWe must have thorough going work
\nwithin; the grace which reaches the
\ncore, and affects the innermost spirit
\nis the only grace worth having.
\n
\nThe absence of the Holy Spirit is the
\ngreat cause of religious instability.
\n
\nBeware of mistaking ‘religious excitement’
\nfor the Holy Spirit, or your own resolutions
\nfor the deep workings of the Spirit of God
\nin the soul.
\n
\nAll that human nature ever paints, God
\nwill burn off with hot irons. All that human
\nnature ever spins he will unravel and cast
\naway with the rags.
\n
\nYou must be born from above, you must
\nhave a new nature wrought in you by the
\nfinger of God himself, for of all his saints
\nit is written, “You are his workmanship,
\ncreated anew in Christ Jesus.”
\n
\nOh, but, everywhere I fear there is an
\nabsence of the Holy Spirit! There is much
\ngetting up of a tawdry morality, barely
\nskin deep, much crying “Peace, peace,”
\nwhere there is no true peace. There is
\nvery little deep heart searching anxiety
\nto be thoroughly purged from sin.
\n
\nThe hopes of many hypocrites are flimsily
\nformed, and their confidences ill founded.
\nIt is this which makes deceivers so plentiful,
\nand fair religious shows so common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Gainsaying of Core\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jude 11<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All false prophets are also mimics of Korah. Korah sought to\noverthrow both God\u2019s prophet Moses and God\u2019s priest Aaron. The Korahs of our\nday are exactly like them. They oppose God\u2019s faithful servants, seek to turn\nthe people they serve against them and the gospel of God\u2019s rich, free grace in\nChrist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

           \nAgain, their behaviour is not a matter of ignorance. They know full well that\nthe men they oppose are God\u2019s servants, and that the gospel they oppose is the\ngospel of God. But false prophets are, as God the Holy Ghost describes them by\nJude\u2019s pen, men of insatiable lusts, sensual, and ungodly. They will stop at\nnothing to get your smile and pick your pocket. They think no more of\ndestroying a faithful man\u2019s name or destroying a church than they do of\nstepping on a roach. \u2014 God\u2019s servants are not like them (2 Corinthians 4:5-7).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don Fortner<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Man’sreligion <\/em>is\nto build up the creature.God’s religion<\/em>is\nto throw the creature down in the dust of self-abasement, and to glorify\nChrist.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

J.C.Philpot<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\nman needs<\/strong>
\n
\n(Horatius Bonar)
\n
\nIt is not ‘opinions’ which man needs\u2014it is TRUTH!
\n
\nIt is not ‘theology’ which man needs\u2014it is GOD!
\n
\nIt is not ‘religion’ which man needs\u2014it is CHRIST!<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\nMinisters are often desirous of . . .<\/strong>
\n
\n“And sleekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them\nnot!<\/strong>”  Jeremiah 45:5
\n
\nMinisters are often desirous of . . .<\/strong>
\n   a greater gift in preaching,
\n   a readier utterance,
\n   a more abundant variety,
\n   a more striking delivery than they possess.
\nAnd this, not for the glory of God, but for the
\nglory of the creature. Not that praise may be
\ngiven God, but that pride, cursed pride, may
\nbe gratified; that they may be admired by men.
\n
\nMy desire and aim is . . .<\/strong>
\n  not to deceive souls by flattery;
\n  not to please any party;
\n  not to minister to any man’s pride or presumption;
\nbut simply and sincerely, with an eye to God’s glory,
\nwith His fear working in my heart, to speak to the
\nedification of His people.
\n
\nA minister who stands up with any other motives,
\nand aiming at any other ends than the glory of God,
\nand the edification of His people, bears no scriptural
\nmarks that he has been sent into the vineyard by
\nGod Himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

J.C.Philpot<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pride, that ancient\nsin, creeps into our hearts like a serpent!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

C.H.Spurgeon
\n
\n“When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly\nis wisdom!” Proverbs 11:2<\/strong>
\n
\nIn the quiet chambers of every Christian’s heart, a battle\nrages\u2014a struggle as old as humanity itself. It is the battle . . .
\n  between pride, and humility,
\n  between the exaltation of self, and the surrender to God.
\n
\nLet us peruse the Scriptures as we contemplate the dangers of pride and the virtues\nof humility.
\n
\nPride, that ancient sin, creeps into our hearts like a\nserpent<\/strong>\u2014whispering lies of self-sufficiency and self-importance. It\nblinds us to our own faults, and leads us down the path of destruction. Pride\nis an ugly, mother-sin<\/em>\u2014which gives birth to a whole family of\nhorrid sins.
\n
\nPride is the most deceitful sin!\nWhen pride reigns in the heart\u2014it exalts the creature above the Creator,\nseeking its own glory rather than God’s.
\n
\nBut oh, the beauty of genuine humility! Humility is the most lovely grace, and it is the mark of\na soul surrendered to God. Humility is a sense of our own sinfulness and\nweakness, combined with a quiet confidence in God’s sovereignty and\nsufficiency.
\n
\nHumility is thought to be the chief virtue, for it is the\ngateway to wisdom and grace. With humility comes . . .
\n  the fear of the Lord,
\n  the beginning of wisdom,
\n  and the knowledge of the Holy One.
\n
\nConsider the example of Christ, the humble King who stooped down\nto wash His disciples’ feet. In His humility, He demonstrated the true nature\nof greatness\u2014not in power or prestige, but in service and self-sacrifice. We\nshould strive to imitate Jesus in all things, including His humbleness. He\ncommands us: “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart.” Matthew 11:29
\n
\nLet us then, heed the wisdom and the counsel of Scripture. Let\nus crucify the prideful desires of the flesh, and clothe ourselves with\nhumility\u2014that we may walk in wisdom and grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nmother and mistress of all the sins!<\/strong>
\n
\n“Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the forward\nmouth, do I hate.” Proverbs 8:13<\/strong>
\n
\n<\/strong>“Every one that is<\/em> proud in heart is<\/em> an\nabomination to the Lord: though<\/em> hand join<\/em> in\nhand, he shall not be unpunished.” Proverbs 16:5<\/strong>
\n
\nOf all sins, pride seems most deeply imbedded in the\nvery heart of man<\/em>. Unbelief, sensuality, covetousness, rebellion,\npresumption, contempt of God’s holy will and word, deceit and falsehood,\ncruelty and wrath, violence and murder\u2014these, and a forest of other sins have\nindeed struck deep roots into the black and noxious soil of our fallen nature;\nand, interlacing their lofty stems and gigantic arms, have wholly shut out the\nlight of heaven from man’s benighted soul.
\n
\nBut these and their associate evils do not seem so thoroughly\ninterwoven into the very constitution of the human heart, nor so to be its very\nlife-blood, as pride.
\nThe lust of the flesh<\/em> is strong, but there are\nrespites from its workings.
\n<\/em>Unbelief<\/em> <\/strong>is powerful, but there\nare times when it seems to lie dormant.
\nCovetousness<\/em> <\/strong>is\nensnaring, but there is not always a bargain to be made, or an advantage to be\nclutched.
\nThese sins differ also in strength in different individuals.\nSome seem not much tempted with the grosser passions of our fallen nature;\nothers are naturally liberal and benevolent, and whatever other idol they may\nserve, they bend not their knee to the golden calf<\/em>.
\n
\nBut where lust<\/em> may have no power, covetousness<\/em> no\ndominion, and anger<\/em> no sway\u2014there, down, down in the inmost\ndepths, heaving and boiling like the lava in the crater of a volcano, works\nthat master sin<\/em>\u2014that sin of sins<\/em>, pride!
\n
\nPride is the\nmother and mistress of all the sins<\/strong>; for where she does not\nconceive them in her ever-teeming womb, she instigates their movements, and\ncompels them to pay tribute to her glory.
\n
\nThe ‘origin of evil’ is hidden from our eyes. Whence<\/em> it\nsprang, and why<\/em> God allowed it to arise in His fair creation,\nare mysteries which we cannot fathom. But thus much is revealed\u2014that of this\nmighty fire which has filled Hell with sulphurous flame, and will one day\nenvelop earth and its inhabitants in the general conflagration, the\nfirst spark was pride!<\/em>
\n
\nPride is therefore emphatically the devil’s own sin.<\/em> We\nwill not say his darling sin, for it is his torment\u2014the serpent which is always\nbiting him, the fire which is ever consuming him. But it is the sin which\nhurled him from heaven, and transformed him from a bright and holy seraph, into\na foul and hideous demon!
\n
\nHow subtle, then, and potent must that poison<\/em> be,\nwhich could in a moment change an angel into a devil! How black in nature, how\nconcentrated in virulence that venom<\/em>\u2014one drop of which could\nutterly deface the image of God in myriads of bright spirits before the\nthrone\u2014and degrade them into monsters of uncleanness and malignity!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

J.C.Philpot
\n
\n <\/em>
\n
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Broken\npeople!<\/strong>
\n
\n(Don Fortner)
\n
\n“The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart<\/em>,\nand saves such as have a contrite spirit<\/em>.” Psalm 34:18
\n
\nA broken heart<\/em>, a contrite spirit<\/em>, and\na subdued will <\/em>are rare <\/em>things, especially in\nthis age in which men everywhere are taught to demand their rights; and the\nchurch has become a place where man <\/em>is exalted and enshrined\nas though he were God. Self-esteem, self-worth, and self-promotion is the cry\nof the day. Every man does that which is right in his own eyes. All men by\nnature are exceedingly proud, selfish people.
\n
\nPreachers today, knowing man’s natural pride, have capitalised\nupon it. They have developed a flesh-pleasing theology of pride<\/em>.\nOur forefathers exalted the dignity, the majesty, and the supremacy of the\neternal God.<\/em> But the smooth-tongued preachers of deceit<\/em> in\nour day have set themselves to exalt the dignity, majesty, and supremacy\nof puny man!<\/em> It seems that religion today is dedicated not to\nthe honour of God<\/em>, but to the honour of man<\/em>. Its\npurpose is to make man feel good about himself. Therefore we hear little about\n. . .
\n  brokenness of heart,
\n  contrition of the soul, and
\n  the subduing of man’s will.
\n
\nThe Lord God declares, “To this man will I look, even to\nhim that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at My Word!”\n(Isaiah 66:2). God will have broken hearts with which to build His kingdom.\nSooner or later, the Lord God will bring us to nothingness before His presence.\nGod’s people, all of God’s people are a broken\npeople<\/strong>.
\n
\nNo man has ever experienced the grace of God in salvation, until\nhis heart is thoroughly broken before the holy Lord God, revealed in the\ncrucified Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. If ever a man finds out:
\n  who he <\/em>is,
\n  who God <\/em>is,
\n  who the Lord Jesus Christ<\/em> is,
\n  and what He has done for sinners
\n \u2014 he will be a broken man!
\n
\nWhen Job saw himself in the presence of his three miserable\nfriends, he vindicated himself. But when he stood in the presence of God, he\nwas a broken man; and he spoke as a broken man. He saw himself <\/em>in\nall the hideousness of his sin; and he saw God <\/em>in all the\nholiness of His glorious majesty. Then he said, “Behold I am vile!<\/em> I\nhave heard of You by the hearing of the ear: but now my eye sees You.\nTherefore I abhor myself<\/em>, and repent in dust and ashes!” There\nis no pride and egotism here, no haughtiness, no self-vindication. Once Job had\nseen the Lord \u2014 he was broken, he loathed himself and blamed himself. Once Job\nsaw the Lord \u2014 he honoured God and vindicated Him. The truly broken heart will\nalways vindicate God, no matter the cost.
\n
\nThis brokenness can\u2019t be produced in proud, stubborn, sinful men\nand women \u2014 only by the saving revelation of Christ in our hearts. Brokenness\nis found at the cross \u2014 only at the cross. Have you been to the cross? Have you\nhad the crucified Christ revealed in your heart? Has your heart been broken by\nthe knowledge of the Lord? O Lord, evermore break our hearts before You!
\n
\n“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a\ncontrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” Psalm 51:17<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A thin slice of godliness over a mass of carnality! Spurgeon, “Constancy and Inconstancy: a Contrast.” “…what shall I do unto thee?” asks the Lord. “for your goodness is as a morning cloud and as the early dew it goeth away.” Hosea 6:4 Oh, beware of pious veneering! Beware of the religion which consists in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bulletin-editions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6994"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6994\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6995,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6994\/revisions\/6995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}