Two Minutes With The Bible

[nChrist]

Two Minutes With The Bible - ALWAYS ABOUNDING


Dec 23

ALWAYS ABOUNDING

By Cornelius R. Stam

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (I Cor. 15:58). We should note carefully that the Apostle Paul here addresses only his brethren in Christ, those who have truly been born again -- born into the family of God.

Furthermore, he sent this appeal to Christians everywhere: to "all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord" (I Cor. 1:2). He knew that there is a tendency among all believers to be tempted to abandon the work of the Lord through discouragement or carelessness, so he pleads with us to be "stedfast" and "unmoveable," reminding us that our labor is "not in vain in the Lord."

How we need this exhortation! We do not soon abandon our businesses or homes. We toil on in spite of difficulties and obstacles, and when the outlook is darkest we often work the hardest. Sometimes our bodies suffer for it, but we do not immediately give up.

And how much more urgent is the work of the Lord! Souls are perishing all about us for whom Christ died. It is our plain duty to pray for them and tell them of His love. It is our responsibility to toil and sacrifice that they may hear and believe the good news. What shall we say when some day we stand before our Savior if we have been satisfied merely to know Him ourselves? And what will He say?

Let us then be up and doing, "always abounding in the work of the Lord." Life is too short to fritter away the precious moments God has given us to proclaim His saving grace. Let us tell them, then, by lip and by life, by our testimony and by our behavior, that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" and that "we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7).

__________________

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[nChrist]

Two Minutes With The Bible - A GOOD JOB


Dec 24

A GOOD JOB

By Cornelius R. Stam

As Loren stood with his father, gazing at a beautiful Minnesota lake, the little four-year-old asked: "Daddy, who made this lake?" "God made it," replied his dad, "and God made those trees and all this beautiful scenery."

There was a moment’s silence. Then, placing his hands on his hips, little Loren said: "He sure did a good job!"

Yes, He did, yet this scenery was nothing compared with the glory this earth will know when Christ returns to reign. If earth’s rivers and lakes, its mountains and valleys, its landscapes and seascapes can now be so breath-taking, so awe-inspiring, what will be its beauty when prophecy is fulfilled and the curse removed!

"The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them [God’s people, Israel] and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.

"It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God."

"...for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

"And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water..."

"And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away" (Isa. 35:1,2,6,7,10).

_____________________

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[nChrist]

Two Minutes With The Bible - THE NAME OF THE LORD


Dec 25

THE NAME OF THE LORD

By Cornelius R. Stam

Many people use the name of the Lord very lightly. They are quick to exclaim, "My God!" or to use the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in vain.

We should all understand that the Bible declares: "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain" (Ex. 20:7). This is one of the Ten Commandments, and its stern warning is ignored by too many people. It is foolhardy to take this command lightly, for according to this Bible passage, if you do so you will have to face God personally for it and He will not overlook your blasphemy.

Now, probably many of our readers have used the name of God and of Christ in vain again and again. They have gotten into the habit and find it difficult to stop. Now what? How can such escape the condemnation of God upon this sin?

First, one of the principal reasons for not using God’s name in vain is because of His infinite greatness. We should all bow and worship before Him as our Creator and our God. The second reason is because He -- the infinite God -- took upon Himself human form and as God the Son died for our sins at Calvary. Thus if you trust Him for salvation you will not want to curse and swear in His name. It is such a relationship with God that will help you, as His Spirit indwells you, to stop swearing.

Those who continue to have this problem, invariably have never trusted Christ as their own Savior -- as the One who died for their sins. Those who have trusted Him as their Lord and Savior usually never are tempted to use His name in vain again. Rather, like St. Paul, who once was "a blasphemer and a persecutor," they bow in reverence and join Thomas in saying with deepest gratitude: "My Lord, and my God" (John 20:28).

________________________

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Two Minutes With The Bible - THE VALUE OF BIBLE STUDY


Dec 26

THE VALUE OF BIBLE STUDY

By Cornelius R. Stam

"From a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (II Tim. 3:15).

Timothy was a fortunate young man. His father was not a believer in Christ, but his godly mother made up for this lack as, day after day, from his earliest childhood, she taught him the Word of God. As a result he came to know Christ at an early age and later became St. Paul’s faithful co-worker and close associate in making known the wonderful "good news of the grace of God."

In his very last letter the great Apostle Paul recalls Timothy’s "unfeigned faith... which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice" (II Tim. 1:5).

If only we had more such mothers and grandmothers today, with husbands to help them! If only our American children were not set adrift on a restless sea of human speculation, but were taught the eternal truths of God’s Word, the Bible!

We all need to "know the Holy Scriptures," not only because they teach reverence for God and build moral character, but most of all because they "are able to make [us] wise unto salvation through faith... in Christ Jesus."

The theme of the Bible, the Old Testament as well as New, is the Lord Jesus Christ, the riches of whose saving grace are unfolded to us in the Epistles of Paul, the chief of sinners saved by grace. It was to Paul that God committed the preaching of the cross of Christ. He it is who tells us about the riches that flow from Calvary. He it is who tells us, by divine inspiration that:

"...WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH [CHRIST’S] BLOOD, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE" (Eph. 1:7).

"THAT IN THE AGES TO COME HE MIGHT SHOW THE EXCEEDING RICHES OF HIS GRACE IN HIS KINDNESS TOWARD US THROUGH CHRIST JESUS" (Eph. 2:7).

__________________

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Two Minutes With The Bible - The Love of Christ


Dec 27

The Love of Christ

By Paul M. Sadler, President

Scripture Reading:

"And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God."    -- Ephesians 3:19

The passage before us is a treasure chest of truth.  Paul contrasts the spiritual knowledge of the believer ("to know"), with human knowledge ("passeth knowledge").  We are living in a time when a high premium has been placed on intellectualism.  Technology is advancing so rapidly that a product is barely to the marketplace before it is obsolete.  Human knowledge has progressed to the point where man has now created small micro chips, the size of a pencil eraser, that can store volumes of information.  While man glories in his accomplishments in the area of high tech, God is still the infinite One in knowledge overall.  I read recently that if man were to build a computer capable of performing the functions of the human brain (memory, reasoning, thinking, functional control, etc.) it would have to be the size of the Empire State Building.  How would you like to carry that around on your shoulders?  While human knowledge has benefited us all in areas of medicine, science, and travel, man through human wisdom can never know God nor understand the things of God (I Cor. 1:20,21).

Those who are saved, however, have at their disposal a spiritual knowledge that far surpasses human knowledge.  Having the eyes of our spiritual understanding opened, we are now able to comprehend the Word of God.  It is from God's Word that we first learned of the love of Christ.  It was Christ's love for us that sent Him to Calvary to die for our sins, to redeem us back to God (Rom. 5:.  His love also keeps us secure, for as the Apostle says, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" (Rom. 8:35).  The love of Christ constrains us or motivates us to serve Him.  We can never repay what he has done for us, but out of gratitude for what He has accomplished for us we should desire to live for Him (II Cor. 5:14,15).  With this knowledge of the love of Christ we can enjoy the fullness of God.

_____________________

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Two Minutes With The Bible - "FROM FAITH TO FAITH"


Dec 28

"FROM FAITH TO FAITH"

By Russell S. Miller

"For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith" (Rom. 1:17).

What does Paul mean by the phrase, "from faith to faith", in this passage? His words in Galatians 3:23-25 may give us food for thought and substance to our faith:

"BUT BEFORE FAITH CAME, WE WERE KEPT UNDER THE LAW, SHUT UP UNTO THE FAITH WHICH SHOULD AFTERWARDS BE REVEALED.

"Wherefore the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

"BUT AFTER THAT FAITH IS COME, WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER A SCHOOLMASTER"  (Gal.3:23-25).

Hence, the Apostle’s use of the phrase, "on whom the ENDS of the ages are arrived", and the Greek word, telos, in I Corinthians 10:11, is pertinent here, for Paul’s gospel is the unveiling of God’s "eternal purpose" in Christ. In his epistles alone we learn that "the time of reformation" had come as "works" gave place to the Age of Grace (Heb.9:10-14). This, then, and the passage in Galatians, gives us additional light and under-standing upon our text, "from faith to faith", in Romans 1:17. When God does something, it affects the whole Universe as is evidenced in the Epistles of Saint Paul concerning the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and His finished work on Calvary’s cross.

"FOR HE HATH MADE HIM TO BE SIN FOR US, [CHRIST] WHO KNEW NO SIN; THAT WE MIGHT BE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM" (IICor.5:21). Therefore in Paul’s gospel, both Jews and Gentiles can "now" live "without the law":

"Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

"WHOM GOD HATH SET FORTH TO BE A PROPITIATION THROUGH FAITH IN HIS BLOOD, TO DECLARE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS THAT ARE PAST, THROUGH THE FORBEARANCE OF GOD:

"TO DECLARE, I SAY, AT THIS TIME HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS: THAT HE MIGHT BE JUST, AND THE JUSTIFIER OF HIM THAT BELIEVETH IN JESUS" (Rom.3:24-26).

Thus in Hebrews 9:26 Paul’s words about our Saviour, and His finished work of redemption, are most significant:

"For then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: BUT NOW once in the end of the world hath He appeared to PUT AWAY sin by the SACRIFICE of Himself."

In the book of Romans we see that God’s righteous standards are maintained, "from faith to faith". Whereas God once required obedience to the Law of Moses for acceptance with Him, now, in this Age of Grace, you must accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior today, for
His righteousness is "witnessed" by the Law and the prophets:

"EVEN THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD WHICH IS BY FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST UNTO ALL AND UPON ALL THEM THAT BELIEVE..." (Rom.3: 21,22).

How important Paul’s words are then, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved..." (Acts 16:31), and do it today.

________________________

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[nChrist]

Two Minutes With The Bible - ONENESS WITH CHRIST


Dec 29

ONENESS WITH CHRIST

By Cornelius R. Stam

"I am [have been] crucified with Christ" (Gal. 2:20).

What is salvation? It is actually coming into oneness with the Lord Jesus Christ.

"The wages of sin is death" and "the soul that sinneth it shall die," but Christ was not a sinner. Even Pontius Pilate, after having examined Him carefully, said: "I find no fault in Him" and "I find no cause of death in Him."

It was therefore not His death that He died at Calvary. It was ours. He had come from heaven to be born into the human race as one of us in order to die our death.

It is when we view that death at Calvary and say: "This is not His death He is dying. It is mine;" it is then that, by an act of faith, we become one with Him. His death was ours; the penalty for our sins, but it is not applied to us until by faith we accept it as ours. Thus the Apostle Paul declares by divine inspiration:

"I have been crucified with Christ" and he adds: "the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith [the fidelity] of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).

Since the believer has been united with Christ in death, he is united with Him in resurrection life also. Col 2:12 says that believers are "buried with Him in baptism." This is not baptism by water. This is a divine baptism, the work of the Holy Spirit, for he goes on to say: "wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God."

Little wonder the Apostle begins this lesson for believers with the declaration:

"For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the godhead bodily, and ye are complete in Him" (Col. 2:9,10).

________________________

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Two Minutes With The Bible - WHAT GRACE IS


Dec 30

WHAT GRACE IS

By Cornelius R. Stam

Never let the devil deceive you into supposing that God planned sin as "a gracious means to a glorious end," for then salvation from sin would be simple justice, not grace. No, you cannot legitimately charge God with your sin. It is to the guilty, the undeserving, far and wide, that God offers "the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7).

There are two significant phrases in Eph. 2 which shed clear light upon the character, the nature, of grace. They are found in Verses 2 and 3, which speak of the unsaved as

"children [Gr., huiois, full-grown sons] of disobedience" and

"children [Gr., tekna, born ones] of wrath."

Meditate for a moment on these phrases: "Children of disobedience" and "children of wrath."

It is against this dark, black background of deserved wrath, that we read further:

"BUT GOD, who is RICH IN MERCY, for His GREAT LOVE wherewith He loved us,

"Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us [given us life] together with Christ (BY GRACE YE ARE SAVED),

"And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

"That in the ages to come He might show THE EXCEEDING RICHES OF HIS GRACE IN HIS KINDNESS TOWARD US THROUGH CHRIST JESUS" (Eph. 2:4-7).

Somehow it takes a load off one’s heart and mind to come to the end of his rope, as it were, and admit that he is a sinner, deserving God’s wrath. How sweet to the ears of such is the wonderful message of redemption by grace, through the finished work of Christ at Calvary. We were all the "children [full-grown sons] of disobedience": and therefore "by nature the children [born ones] of wrath":

"BUT GOD!" When hope seemed gone, He intervened and now offers salvation to all by grace, through faith. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" (Acts
16:31).

________________________

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Two Minutes With The Bible

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[nChrist]

Two Minutes With The Bible - DEMON POSSESSION


Dec 31

DEMON POSSESSION

By Cornelius R. Stam

The modern revival of E.S.P., fortune telling, astrology, magic, the Ouija board, the spirit seance and a score of other occult practices have caused many to wonder whether human beings may be possessed or controlled by evil spirits.

Many Christian people recall the cases of demon possession recorded in the Bible in connection with our Lord's earthly ministry.

There is indeed much evidence that there was a great outbreak of demon activity when Christ was on earth. This outbreak seems to have abated soon after the Lord's ascension to heaven, but many are asking: Has another such epidemic broken out?

Whatever the answer to this question, the Scriptures clearly indicate that the best defense against the activity of Satan and his hosts is sincere faith in Christ, of whom we read that, "having vanquished" the powers of evil at Calvary, "He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it" (Col. 2:15). It is on the basis of Christ's finished work of redemption that St. Paul joins believers in...

"Giving thanks unto the Father, who hath made us meet [fit] to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son" (Col. 1:12,13).

Not only is the true believer in Christ "delivered... from the power of darkness," but upon believing he becomes "the temple of the Holy Spirit," a living shrine where Christ is worshipped. Thus St. Paul says again: "What! Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit" (I Cor. 6:19). How then could the Christian's body also be the dwelling
place of an evil spirit?

________________________

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Two Minutes With The Bible

Mailing Address:
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Two Minutes With The Bible - A Challenge for Our Parents


Jan 1

A Challenge for Our Parents

By Paul M. Sadler, President

Scripture Reading:

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."

  -- I Corinthians 15:58

Probably the most commonly asked question of a seven year old is, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"  Usually the little one is so frozen with fear that the one inquiring must resort to a form of interrogation: "a doctor, lawyer, policeman; I know, a fireman!" These are noble professions indeed, but why are children almost never encouraged to pursue the ministry?  Is the Lord's work any less meaningful?  Are the callings of pastor, evangelist, missionary and Christian counselor unworthy of our childrens' consideration?  Parents do well to remember that there is no higher calling in life than the Lord's service.

Sadly, our young people are so preconditioned to aspire to worldly professions that the ministry is not even a viable option.  Timothy's mother had no way of knowing whether or not God would call her son into full-time service.  But to her credit, she trained Timothy from a small child in the Scriptures to prepare him for the things of the Lord.  Shortly after his conversion to Christ, he was called into the ministry where he delivered many from a Christless eternity (II Tim. 1:6).

During those formative years we need to encourage our young to seek the face of the Lord as to what area of Christian service the Lord might use them.  Perhaps you have a quiver full of teenagers who don't know what vocation to pursue.  What better place to search for an answer than to have them attend the Berean Bible Institute here in Milwaukee.

________________________

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Two Minutes With The Bible - RETARDED GROWTH


Jan 2

RETARDED GROWTH

By Cornelius R. Stam

What joy and fellowship there is in gatherings where the newly-saved are present!  In the spiritual realm, as well as in the physical, everyone loves a baby!  But the joy that fills the hearts of loving parents is turned to bitter sorrow and disappointment if their babe fails to grow.  The latter condition is as unspeakably sad and embarrassing as the former is joyous.  Just so it is in the realm of the spirit. The "carnal" Christian has failed to grow.  He continues in a state of protracted infancy.  He must be kept exclusively on a milk diet because, though saved for years, he is still unable to "bear," or digest, solid food, still "unskillful in the Word" and needing to be taught the elementary things.

Retarded spiritual growth is evidenced in many ways, all of which come under the heading of carnality or fleshliness. The Corinthians, so sternly rebuked for their carnality by the Apostle Paul, are said to have been careless about morals (I Cor. 5:1), puffed up (I Cor. 4:18; 5:2), inconsiderate of each other (I Cor. 6:1-7; 8:1,9,12), stingy (II Cor. 8:6-11; 11:7-9).  While possessing the Spirit, they walked after the flesh.

One of the most marked indications of retarded spiritual growth is self-interest and party strife, as seen in the case of the Corinthian believers.  They were spiritually small and petty, so that the Apostle had to write to them: "For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? "For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?" (I Cor. 3:3,4)

Thus Peter’s exhortation to "newborn babes" to "desire the pure milk of the Word" that they may "grow thereby," is prefaced by the words: "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings" (I Pet 2:1).  The carnal nature is not appropriate soil for spiritual growth.

________________________

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Two Minutes With The Bible

Mailing Address:
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Two Minutes With The Bible - WHICH GOSPEL?


Jan 3

WHICH GOSPEL?

By Cornelius R. Stam

A friend asks: "Have you heard the good news?" and you reply: "What good news?" Naturally! All good news is not the same. Yet few people follow this procedure when they read in the Bible the phrase "the gospel" -- which simply means "the good news." They have been taught that "the gospel is the gospel" and "there is only one gospel," but this is simply not so in the light of the Bible itself.

God has not proclaimed only one gospel, one item of good news, down through the ages, but many. He has qualified the word "gospel" by distinctive titles, just as a woman labels her preserves to distinguish the different goodies she has put up for the winter.

The "gospel of the kingdom" and the "gospel of the grace of God" are not the same, and certainly the "gospel of the circumcision" and the "gospel of the uncircumcision" are not the same.

When we come upon the phrase "the gospel" without any qualifying title, we should immediately ask: "Which gospel?" and invariably the context will provide the answer. Luke 9:6, for example, simply states that the twelve disciples went about "preaching the gospel," but Verse 2 of the same chapter explains how the Lord had sent them "to preach the kingdom of God" -- not the cross, but the kingdom, since He, the King, was in their midst. These disciples could not have engaged in "the preaching of the cross," as Paul later did, for it was not until at least two years later that the Lord "began" to tell them how He must suffer and die (Matt. 16:21) and Peter "began to rebuke Him" (Ver. 22) and none of the twelve even understood what He was talking about (Luke 18:34).

But whereas "the gospel of the kingdom" had been committed to the twelve while Christ was on earth, "the preaching of the cross" (as good news) and "the gospel of the grace of God" was later committed to the Apostle Paul and to us (1 Cor. 1:18; Acts 20:24).

Today we do not proclaim the kingdom rights of Christ. Rather we proclaim "redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph.
1:7).

________________________

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Two Minutes With The Bible

Mailing Address:
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Telephone:   262-255-4750

[nChrist]

Two Minutes With The Bible - GOD: A JUST JUDGE


Jan 4

GOD: A JUST JUDGE

By Cornelius R. Stam

How just are the judgments of God! In Rom. 2:16 St. Paul says: "God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel." Notice carefully what this involves:

1.  He will judge "the secrets of men." In human courts there are often miscarriages of justice because all the facts are not brought to light. But at the "Great White Throne" there will be a Judge with "eyes... as a flame of fire" (Rev. 19:12), before whom no secret can remain hidden. (See also Heb. 4:13).

2.  He will judge the secrets of men "by Jesus Christ." Not the Father, but the Son will preside at the judgment of the unsaved. John 5:22 declares that "the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son" and Verse 27 adds that the Father has given the Son this authority "because He is the Son of man." This insures just judgment, for, men will be judged in that day by the One who loved them enough to become a man that He might understand and help men, and even die for their sins.

3.  He will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ "according to my gospel," says Paul. How eminently fair and just this is. If He judged men according to the law of Moses no one ever would be saved, for all of us have broken the Law. Moreover the children of fallen Adam, because of their depraved nature, cannot consistently keep the Law. Thus they will not be judged on the basis of that which they were unable to live up to. This is why He will judge men according to the good news proclaimed by Paul, which is the great truth that salvation is denied to no one who takes God at His Word and approaches Him in His way. His way for today?  "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."

"To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Rom. 4:5).

________________________

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[nChrist]

Two Minutes With The Bible - CHURCH ON FIRE


Jan 5

CHURCH ON FIRE

By Cornelius R. Stam

The Chicago newspapers carried an account the other day of a large church, burned to the ground, at a loss of about half a million dollars. Our sympathy goes out to the pastor and congregation who, at best, will have to carry on for a time under makeshift arrangements.

But the account reminded me of the story of another church on fire. The crowds had gathered to see the fire engines pour water on the burning building, when one man spotted a friend in the crowd. "Hi Bob!" he shouted: "This is the first time I’ve seen you at church!" "Well," responded the other, "This is the first time I’ve seen a church on fire."  We write this as a special appeal to true, born-again Christians. Isn’t it true that if believers were more "on fire" for Christ, more completely sold out to Him, those who are now disinterested would be more apt to become interested and come to know Him as their Savior? We so soon lose interest or become discouraged, and quit. This is why the Apostle Paul, that tireless ambassador for Christ, wrote:

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (I Cor. 15:58).

This, we repeat, is his exhortation to believers only, for God will not accept our money or our good works, until we have first accepted "the gift of God," which is "eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23). Accept this gift; trust the Christ who died for your sins and He will give you plenty to do -- the most rewarding service any man could possibly render.

________________________

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[nChrist]

Two Minutes With The Bible - THE TRIUMPH OF FAITH


Jan 6

THE TRIUMPH OF FAITH

By Cornelius R. Stam

"This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (I John 5:4).

There are many who look upon faith as an abstract sort of thing. Some suppose faith is merely looking on the bright side of things; to others it is will-power; still others confuse it with a person’s view-point.

In the Bible, faith is simply believing God. "Faith" is the noun and "believe" the verb. This is seen in Rom. 4:5, where the Apostle Paul declares:

"To him that worketh not but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." The above passage from I John 5 also makes this plain, when seen in its context:

"This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

"Who is he that overcometh the world but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God" (Vers. 4,5).

It is, then, the believer in Christ, and only the believer in Christ, who can overcome the world. Unbelievers are swept away by the attractions and the pretentions of this world-system, but the believer in Christ need not be.

St. Paul declared by divine inspiration that unbelievers follow "the course of this world," directed by Satan, "the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2).

We do not mean to imply that believers are not often tempted to follow "the course of this world." Indeed the world would sometimes entice or intimidate us, but "this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."

________________________

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