Tag: Southern Gospel Radio

Salvation is not complicated

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

I think it’s human nature to think that if something is profound, it has to be complicated. But our relationship to God is not. If salvation depended on our ability to understand, would that mean that a mentally challenged person could never be saved? Salvation has nothing to do with our ability.

No one can hide their past from God. Every action and thought is known to Him, yet His love still reaches out with an offer of rescue.

The first truth is that every human being has sinned. Scripture says all people fall short of God’s glory and none are naturally righteous. Admitting this is a good starting point.

The next truth is that Jesus Christ declared that He alone is the path to the Father. God showed love to the world by sending His Son so that believers would not perish but receive everlasting life. The purpose of His coming was salvation, not condemnation, yet those who refuse to believe remain under judgment. Jesus also said a person must be born again to enter God’s kingdom. Without accepting what He did, each person would bear the penalty of sin, which leads to spiritual death and separation from God.

God does not desire anyone to end in Hell. Christ died to give eternal life as a gift. Sin earns death, but God offers life through Jesus Christ. This life cannot be purchased or earned because the price was already paid by His sacrifice.

Here’s the part that goes against what our human nature tells us. We are not saved by something we do. It’s about not rejecting. A person has to stop trusting their own goodness and accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. The promise in the bible is that if someone confesses Him openly and believes God raised Him from the dead, that person will be saved. Anyone who calls on the Lord will be saved.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest anyone should boast.” — Ephesians 2:8–9


Cole Watson joins The Perrys as newest vocalist for 55th anniversary season

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

The Perrys have announced Cole Watson as their newest vocalist, completing a lineup that now includes Libbi Perry Stuffle, Jared Stuffle, Joseph Reed and Watson as the group marks its 55th anniversary in ministry.

Watson, a native of Gadsden, Ala., brings an extensive performance background to the group, having previously sung with Exodus, The Troy Burns Family, Gold City and most recently The Kingsmen. He credits his father, Mike Watson, with instilling in him a lifelong love of gospel music.

“I am honored to stand alongside Libbi, Jared and Joseph,” Watson said. “I grew up listening to my dad and grandparents sing The Perrys’ songs, and now I have the privilege of singing some of those same songs as a member.”

Libbi Perry Stuffle, a founding family member of the group, said the addition came after significant prayer.

“We are very honored to have Cole and his wife, Brooklyn, as part of The Perrys family,” Stuffle said. “We have all prayed fervently for God to send the right person, and He did.”

Watson and his wife, Brooklyn, join the group as The Perrys enter what the ministry is calling a new chapter. Watson acknowledged the weight of stepping into one of Southern Gospel’s most recognizable rosters.

“Brooklyn and I are thankful for this new chapter,” he said. “We know that God is in this, and we don’t take that lightly.”

The Perrys have been a fixture in Southern Gospel music since their founding and have built a following across multiple generations of gospel music fans.

Understanding salvation through faith and God’s grace

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

I did my best to boil this down to “just the facts,” and this is not intended to be anything more than getting quickly to the point: Faith is a gift. When a person dies, their time on earth ends and they face what comes next. The apostle Paul taught that death happens once to each person, and after that comes judgment. This means every human being will eventually stand before God who created them.

At this judgment, theologians explain that people will be in one of two positions. The first position is being found in Adam, which means standing in your own sin and facing the full weight of that sin yourself. The second position is being found in Christ, the second Adam, where a person is covered by Jesus who has already borne the full weight of sin on their behalf.

Humans exist in a state of spiritual death because of their wrongdoing. People are naturally inclined toward anger and follow the impulses of their sinful nature. This is the condition everyone is born into. God requires complete holiness, and no amount of human effort can reach that standard. People cannot earn their way to salvation because their best attempts will always fall short of what God demands.

God offers salvation as a gift. This gift comes through faith and grace rather than through anything a person does on their own. Nobody can claim credit for their salvation or take pride in earning it themselves. While salvation does come through works, these are not human works. Instead, salvation comes through the perfect works of Jesus Christ. His actions, not ours, make salvation possible.

This does not mean that what believers do has no importance. People are not saved by their good deeds, but they are saved for good deeds. Those who believe are God’s creation, made new in Christ Jesus for the specific purpose of doing good works. God prepared these works in advance for believers to do. What people do in their lives matters as a demonstration and expression of their faith. Faith is not just a pass to enter heaven but something that shows itself through actions.

God gave the law to serve a particular function. The law works like a mirror that reflects God’s holiness and shows people their sinfulness. When someone looks into this mirror, they see how unclean they are. A common mistake is trying to clean yourself with the mirror itself. The law reveals the problem but cannot fix it. Just as a mirror shows dirt on your face but cannot wash it away, the law shows sin but cannot remove it. To become clean, a person needs something external to the law, something that can actually cleanse them, much like a shower washes away dirt that a mirror only reveals.

The foundation of salvation rests on three essential truths. Salvation happens through faith alone, not through any human achievement. It comes through Christ alone, not through any other means. And it exists for the glory of God alone, not for human pride or accomplishment. These pillars support the entire understanding of how God saves people.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9

Eighteen Mile’s debut album ‘Peace Be Still’ set for June 12 release

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

Eighteen Mile, the bluegrass gospel group that emerged after years backing evangelist Steve Pettit, will release its debut album for Mountain Home Music Company on June 12. Peace Be Still is now available for pre-save and pre-add on streaming platforms.

The album marks a creative turning point for the group. All but two of its tracks are original compositions, a first for the band.

“As a band of songwriters, this album is special,” said guitarist and vocalist Carson Aaron. “It’s the first project we’ve worked on where we’ve written almost every song.”

The two covers are a reading of Kristyn and Keith Getty’s “Living Waters” and a rendition of Ron Block’s “He’s Holding on to Me.”

The 12-track project was produced by Andy Leftwich and moves between straightforward bluegrass and arrangements drawn from contemporary folk. Themes centre on doubt, faith, fear and the certainty of salvation.

Eighteen Mile has steadily built an audience since releasing its first single, “Above the Clouds,” written by bassist Hallie Ritter. The track has appeared on the Bluegrass Today gospel chart for more than six months. Subsequent singles “What Mercy Means” and “Living Waters” have continued to draw attention to the group.

The title track, written by Aaron and sung by multi-instrumentalist Jack Ritter, features resonator guitarist Rob Ickes, a frequent collaborator of Leftwich’s.

“We know the stories behind each song because they are our stories,” Aaron said. “The common thread through all these songs is the grace of God that has transformed our lives.”

Peace Be Still is available for pre-save now ahead of its June 12 release on Mountain Home Music Company.

Yes, sinners appear in Jesus’ family line

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JEFF TURNER

The Gospel of Matthew contains a genealogy that lists the ancestors of Jesus. Within this family record appear some surprising names. Tamar had an incestuous relationship with her father-in-law Judah. Rahab worked as a prostitute in the city of Jericho. Bathsheba committed adultery with King David. These three women all engaged in conduct that brought scandal and shame. Their presence in this ancestry raises an important question about why God would include such troubled history in the lineage of Christ.

The answer reveals something essential about our relationship with God. Every person has different failures and wrongdoings in their past, but ultimately God must choose from among sinners because that describes all of humanity. Nobody comes to God with a clean record.

These women appear in the genealogy. Their inclusion demonstrates grace. The family line also contains Abraham, who displayed his sinfulness through his failure to trust God. David appears as well, and his actions as both an adulterer and a murderer mark him as someone who committed serious wrongs. Yet these women carry particular significance because they illustrate how God’s plan to redeem humanity moves forward through people who have received grace rather than earned their place.

If God’s purposes depended on people who deserved to participate in them, nothing would ever happen. Everyone who receives anything from God receives it through grace, not merit. The apostle Paul described himself as a murderer and someone who spoke against God, yet he received grace and God placed him in ministry. This pattern shows how God works.

God accomplishes his remarkable plan to rescue and restore people by working through individuals who are what they are solely because of grace. Their presence in scripture shows us that God’s redemptive work does not require perfect people. It requires people who acknowledge their need for mercy and receive what God offers freely.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV).