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Two-Faced Christians
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


Our month January is named after Janus, the mythical Roman god of gates and doorways. Janus had two faces which looked in opposite directions, just as January looks back on the old year and forward to the new. Hypocritical people are often called “Janus-faced” or two-faced. Abraham Lincoln, not known for his good looks, was once called Janus-faced. He responded, “If I had two faces, do you think I’d wear this one?”

We can avoid being Janus-faced spiritually by putting off the old man and putting on the new man (Eph. 4:22-24). But many Christians find this difficult. Some feel they could more easily muster up the spiritual fortitude to live a consistent Christian life if they could just speak to the Lord “face to face” on a daily basis, as did Moses (Ex. 33:11). This blessing is of course not available to us during this dispensation—or is it?

When Paul told the Corinthians that one day they too would see the Lord “face to face” (I Cor. 13:12), he spoke not of the day when they would see His face in heaven, but of a face-to-face relationship with the Lord that they actually lived to see and enjoy. You see, as Paul wrote these words the Bible was not yet complete. Consequently, men were able to see God only as “through a glass, darkly.” The crude glass of ancient days gave men an unclear view of what was on the other side.

It reminds me of how before the launch of satellite telescopes, Earth-based telescopes labored under the limitation of having to peer at the stars through the earth’s atmosphere, which distorted man’s view of the heavens. One scientist likened it to bird-watching from the bottom of a lake! But the launch and perfecting of the Hubble telescope gave science a crystal clear image of Creation.

In much the same way, the addition of Paul’s last epistles completed the Word of God (Col. 1:25), and launched our understanding into the heavens (Eph. 1:3). Now as we look into the pages of God’s completed revelation, we are able to see God Himself “face to face.”

Paul used yet another metaphor to drive this point home. Looking into the unfinished Word of God was also like looking into the crude mirrors of those days. Mirrors in Paul’s day gave imperfect reflections, and so while everyone else knew exactly what Paul looked like, Paul himself knew what he looked like only “in part” (I Cor. 13:12). Similarly, with the Bible incomplete, men had an unclear view of the image of God. But once the Word of God was complete, Paul predicted: “then shall I know even as also I am known,” i.e., then he would know God as clearly as men knew him.

Thus there is no excuse for us to be two-faced Christians. As we peer daily into the pages of the written Word of God, we can see God “face to face,” and can sculpt our lives into His image:

    “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (II Cor. 3:18.).

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The Seventh From Adam
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


Scripture Reading:

    “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints.”
    – Jude 14

About two weeks prior to teaching the Dispensation of Conscience in my Dispensational Survey class at the Berean Bible Institute, I raised the following question to the student body. What is the significance of Enoch being addressed as “the seventh from Adam”? The entire class drew a blank — they were stumped!! Although it may seem rather insignificant at first glance, the Holy Spirit has added this phrase for good reason. In fact, this phraseology is only used in reference to Enoch.

A number of the students gave some thought to the matter and even ventured a couple of explanations, which were true, but not the answer I was looking for. Finally, one student eventually got two or three hints out of me and came up with the answer. Upon arriving at the fourth and fifth chapters of the Book of Genesis, I explained to the class that there were two Enoch’s before the days of the great flood. Therefore, we must carefully distinguish between the Enoch who descended from Cain, and the Enoch who was the “seventh from Adam” (Gen. 4:16-18 cf. 5:22-24). The first Enoch walked in the way of Cain — his descendants were morally bankrupt.

God would have us follow the example of Enoch, the seventh from Adam, who walked in the way of faith. Thus “Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found [implying everyone searched for him], because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God” (Heb. 11:5). In addition, the path of the coming Redeemer would pass through Enoch, the seventh from Adam, not Cain’s Enoch (Gen. 3:15). So then, a seemingly insignificant phrase suddenly helps us better appreciate that:

    “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (II Tim. 3:16).

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The Reign Of Grace
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


It is amazing that God should still send forth the good news of His grace in a world where His Word and will are increasingly despised.

The growing wickedness of “this present evil age,” of course, only emphasizes the true character of grace, for grace is the mercy and love of God toward those who do not deserve it (See Eph. 2:2-6).

It is interesting to observe that while the four “Gospels” and the Acts take up twice as much space in our Bibles as the Epistles of St. Paul, yet the word “grace,” in the original, appears only 27 times in the “Gospels” and the Acts, while it occurs 107 times in the Pauline epistles: a ratio of 27 to 214 in favor of the Pauline epistles! Furthermore, only a very few times in the “Gospels” and the Acts is the doctrine of grace referred to, while in the Epistles of Paul almost every reference has to do with the doctrine of God’s love and favor to undeserving sinners.

True, “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ,” but it was not manifested at His birth, or even during His earthly life, for He lived and died under the Law (Gal. 4:4,5). As “the law was given by Moses,” not at his birth, nor when a prince in Pharaoh’s court, nor yet when he served with his father-in-law in the desert, nor even when he returned to deliver Israel from Egypt, but years later at Sinai, so “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ,” not at His birth, nor during His earthly ministry, nor even during His resurrection appearances, but after His ascension to heaven, when He committed the dispensing of it to Paul (Eph. 3: 1-4).

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Be Strong in the Lord
by Pastor Kevin Sadler


    “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10).

As Paul begins to close the letter to the Ephesians, he addresses the spiritual warfare of the Body of Christ.  Paul’s instruction is for us to “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.”  In this spiritual battle, we need spiritual strength.  As we are on the Lord’s side, Paul points us to the Lord Almighty, from Whom we are to get our strength.  In this epistle, Paul has been showing believers that we are “in Christ,” in perfect, eternal union with Him.  Being in Christ, we find that His life is our life and His power is our power.  We, the Body, draw the strength and power for living the Christian life from our living Head.

    “What is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead…” (Eph. 1:19,20).

Being strong in the Lord and in the power of His might has to do with living by faith in the resurrection life and power which resides in every believer through Christ.  The same power that raised Christ from the dead is the same power we’re to use to stand in this spiritual battle.  The strength of the Christian life is dependence on God.  So Paul points the Church to be “strong in the Lord,” to depend upon Him.

Before salvation, Paul says we are “without strength” (Rom. 5:6).  We are weak and absolutely unable to please God or save ourselves.  Salvation is only through trusting Christ, and by Him alone we have victory over sin’s penalty and punishment.  After trusting Christ as our Savior, we are still weak in ourselves, and in the Christian life our sufficiency must be of God (II Cor. 3:5).  Victory over sin’s power in our lives occurs the same way we are saved from sin’s penalty, by wholly trusting Christ and Him alone.  His strength is more than sufficient for the battle, and we are guaranteed victory over anything Satan throws at us when we turn to our Lord (Phil. 4:13).

The question was asked in a Sunday School class: “How can we defeat Satan?”  One little girl answered, “Let Jesus answer the door when Satan starts knocking.”  To be instructed to be “strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” tells us that our might is not strong enough for us to be able to stand in this spiritual battle, and it tells us that we face an enemy much stronger than we are apart from Christ.  Therefore we need the infinite power of our Lord in this spiritual battle, and we appropriate that strength by yielding to the indwelling Spirit, through prayer and dependence on God, and by knowledge of, faith in, and obedience to His Word, rightly divided (cf. Eph. 6:17,18.).

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Good News From Calvary
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


All through the Old Testament the cross is but dimly seen. Though a hundred historical characters and a hundred more Levitical sacrifices and rituals were typical of Christ and His finished work, not once does the Old Testament state this. The silence is profound. The clearest Old Testament prophecy of Christ’s death, Isaiah 53, does not even specify who the Sufferer would be.

It was the same during our Lord’s stay on earth, for only toward the close of His ministry do we read: “From that time forth began Jesus to show unto His disciples how that He must go unto Jerusalem and suffer… and be killed…” (Matt. 16:21). And what was their response? “Then Peter took Him and began to rebuke Him” (Ver. 22). Luke 18:34 states three times that they did not have the slightest idea that He would even die, much less did they understand all that His death would accomplish. Even at Pentecost Peter blamed his hearers for the death of Christ and said to them: “repent and be baptized every one of you… for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38.). The twelve were preaching “the gospel of the kingdom” and knew little about the cross and its purpose.

Not until the Apostle Paul, that other apostle, do we have what is properly called “the preaching of the cross,” i.e., as good news. And in Paul’s great message our Lord is no longer seen as the Victim, but as the Victor, not merely after death, or over death, but in death. His death itself is seen as His greatest triumph. In Heb. 10:12,14 we read:

    “…after He had offered one sacrifice for sins [He] sat down… for by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.”

And in Col. 2:14,15 Paul describes Christ at Calvary nailing the Law to the cross and utterly defeating Satan and his hosts, “triumphing over them in it (i.e., in the cross).” Little wonder the Apostle exclaimed:

    “God forbid that I should boast, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ…” (Gal. 6:14).

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Baptism And The Remission Of Sins
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16).

The twelve apostles preached and practiced exactly this. When Peter’s hearers at Pentecost were convicted of their sins and asked: “Men and brethren, what shall we do” Peter did not tell them that Christ had died for their sins and that they could receive salvation as the gift of God’s grace, apart from religion or works. Rather he said:

    “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38.).

Years ago, in a series of debates on dispensationalism, the author asked his opponent: “Suppose, after a Sunday evening service, some of your hearers were convicted of their sins and asked you and your co-workers: ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’ Would you tell them what Peter told his convicted sinners at Pentecost?”

“Why, of course!” he exclaimed.

“In those words?” I persisted.

He thought for a moment and then replied: “Well, I guess not exactly in those words.”

The fact is that this pastor would not at all have said to his hearers what Peter said to his. Even though a Baptist, he would not have said: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins,” for he believed that subjection to water baptism should be left to each person’s conscience, and he did not believe that it had anything to do with salvation. He would doubtless have said to any inquirers what Paul said when the convicted Gentile jailor asked: “What must I do to be saved?” Like Paul, he would have replied: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.. .” (Acts 16:31). Peter at Pentecost preached what he was commanded to preach under his commission: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16), but when God raised up Paul, that other apostle, He sent him to proclaim “the gospel of the grace of God” and the finished work of Christ.

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The Wonders Of His Grace
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


Scripture Reading:

    “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.”
    – II Corinthians 8:9

Whether the occasion is a holiday, a birthday celebration, or a graduation, it is customary to give a gift. While some gifts are given out of necessity, for the most part, a gift is an expression of our love. We normally bestow these tokens of our affection on those whom we feel deserve the honor. But God’s ways are not our ways. He gave the gift of His beloved Son to His enemies. That’s a true love story! Oh, the wonder of His grace that God sent His only begotten Son, the Son of His love, to save sinners like you and me while we were fleeing from the glory of His presence. Little wonder the Apostle Paul says, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” (II Cor. 9:15).

The word “unspeakable” here has the idea of “indescribable.” The gifts I’ve received through the years were all describable. Some may have been a little harder to describe than others, but describable nonetheless! But the gift of God’s dear Son is indescribable. Who can explain the incarnation, how the eternal Son of God left heaven’s glory and took upon Himself the form of human flesh, yet was not tainted with our sin. Who can explain how Christ was wholly God and wholly human in one person? These wonders can only be received through the eye of faith.

The manger and the Cross stand at the two extremes of our Lord’s life, but they are connected by the tapestry of redemption. Hence, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” A love story that ends with a death is tragic; in contrast, the death of Christ is the greatest demonstration of love this world has ever seen. How much does God love you? He gave His only begotten Son to die on your behalf. You see, Christ wasn’t dying for His sin, He knew no sin; He was dying for your sins and my sins at Calvary. He was made sin for us that we might receive the righteousness of God in Him. Have you trusted Him?

Surely you would never think of paying for a gift; why, the giver would be highly offended — how much more so with God. The payment for your sins has already been furnished by the Giver; simply receive Him as a gift from God. If you have, then why not thank Him today for His unspeakable gift? After all, this is the Gift that includes all others!

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Demon Possession
by Pastor 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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Mother Mary's Advice
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it” (John 2:5).

When, at Cana’s wedding feast, the mother of Jesus had seen that the wine had run out, she had at first approached Him for help, but had received a reply which all the theologians of the centuries have not been able to soften: “Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come” (John 2:4).

She must learn the painful lesson that as Son of God He must deny the claims of any who would boast a closer relationship to Him on grounds of physical birth.

Mary must not think of Him as “My son”. She must, like every one else, learn to know Him as Her Lord and Saviour.

Humble, believing Mary could take the lesson well, however. Before this, when He had spoken in similar fashion she had “kept all these sayings in her heart”. Now she goes to the servants and says: “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it”.

Mary would do the same today. If she could speak she would direct her worshippers to the Lord Jesus Christ, and say: “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it”.

Strangely, the vast majority seem to think of His words only as the words which He spoke while on earth. They have forgotten or have never known that our Lord Jesus spoke again from heaven by revelation to the Apostle Paul and that in his epistles we have the words of the Lord Jesus to us today (See Galatians 1:11,12; 2:7-9).

Paul was, in a special sense, the ambassador of the rejected Lord. To him was committed “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24) and the mystery of God’s “eternal purpose” (Eph. 3:1-11). In bringing his first Epistle to Timothy to a close, he wrote: “If any man teach otherwise [than he had been teaching] and consent not to wholesome words, EVEN THE WORDS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST…he is proud, knowing nothing…from such withdraw thyself” (I Tim. 6:3-5). Likewise, to the unruly Corinthians he wrote: “…If I come again, I will not spare: SINCE YE SEEK A PROOF OF CHRIST SPEAKING IN ME…” (II Cor. 13:2,3).

Mary’s advice today would be to believe the gospel that Paul preached, “…how that CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS according to the Scriptures…was buried, and…rose again the third day…” (I Cor. 15:3,4).

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The Bible and Its Author
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Back on the shelf she placed the book with a sigh. It was too dull and uninteresting to wade through. She didn’t feel like reading anyway; in fact, she was utterly bored, and didn’t feel like doing anything.

The next night was different — very different. At a party she had met the kind of man she could really go for. He seemed interested in her too, and in the weeks that followed they saw more and more of each other, until she was sure she loved him.

One night he mentioned something about a book he had written, and somehow the title rang a bell with her. Where had she seen it? It bothered her that she couldn’t remember. When she reached home, however, it dawned on her all of a sudden. This was the book she had found so boring. She hadn’t even noticed the name of the author.

Taking the book down from the shelf again, she began reading. As she read page after page, she asked herself:  “Why did I think this book was dry? Say, this is some book! I had no idea he could write — and so well!” And thus, avidly, she continued reading far into the night.

Yes, it makes a great deal of difference if you know the Author — and especially if you love him! How many believers in Christ there are whose most precious hours are spent in reading and studying the Bible — a Book which once seemed dull and uninteresting to them!  The reason? They have come to know and love the Author!

Our Lord said: “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent” (John 17:3). But how do we obtain the “life eternal” with which this knowledge is bound up? Our Lord said: “He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life” (John 6:47). Salvation is, after all, a love story to be believed, and by which we come to know Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.

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The Water Of Life
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


For almost twenty-four hours, recently, Chicagoans had to boil their drinking water! Millions of small fish had jammed the water intakes far out in Lake Michigan, and had died there. It was, of course, a major operation to clear them all away and to make sure that Chicago’s drinking water was uncontaminated.

It is of the utmost importance, always, that the water we drink is pure and fresh, and this is no less so where spiritual matters are concerned. The Bible has much to say about stagnant water, and foul water, and poisoned water, but the water which God would give to us is called in Scripture, “the pure water of life,” doubtless because it is so wholesome and refreshing.

Perhaps the reader will recall the picture our Lord drew for that fallen Samaritan woman at the well of Sychar. John 4:10-14 tells how he and this woman had discussed Jacob’s well. Somehow she seemed to sense that He was contrasting her vain pursuit of pleasure with eternal life, when He said:

    “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again, but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him, a [fountain] of water, springing up into everlasting life” (Vers. 13,14).

How true this is! The pleasures of this world do not satisfy. Men go on “pursuing pleasure” to keep from being bored, but the everlasting life that God gives to those who trust in Christ is a never-ending source of refreshment and joy. Also, it provides the greatest incentive to serve Him. Those who possess the joy of sins forgiven and of peace with God naturally long to serve and please Him, and God desires no service except that which springs from genuine gratitude and love.

    “We love Him because He first loved us” (I John 4:19).

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That Blessed Hope
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

    “Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2: 13,14).

A rich harvest of blessing was reaped for the Church in those years before and after the turn of the century when the great truth of the Lord’s coming to catch away His own was recovered by men of God and the expectancy of His appearing became once more “that blessed hope” to multitudes of believers.

Now some are pointing to such passages as Matthew 24:6-9 and 29, 30 to prove that the Church will go through the tribulation. Others have adopted a “mid-tribulation” view, holding that the Church will go through only the first half of the tribulation period, and will be caught away before the fearful outpouring of God’s wrath in the “great tribulation.” Still others hold the so-called “partial rapture” view on the basis of our Lord’s exhortation to His disciples in Luke 21:36. According to this view only those “counted worthy” will be caught up at the rapture.

And thus the glorious prospect that Paul, by inspiration, holds out to the members of Christ’s body as “that blessed hope,” is again being lost to growing numbers of sincere believers, simply because they fail to recognized it as a distinctly Pauline revelation.

It is a significant fact that in the very first epistle from Paul’s pen he already refers to a prior hope for the members of the Body of Christ, the hope of a coming of Christ which precedes His return to earth to reign. In I Thessalonians 1:9,10 he recalls:

    “…how ye turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God,

    “AND TO WAIT FOR HIS SON FROM HEAVEN….”

And in I Thessalonians 4:16-18 he explains:

    “…We which are alive and remain…shall be CAUGHT UP TOGETHER WITH THEM IN THE CLOUDS, TO MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

    “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

To those who remain blind to this important fact such passages as Matthew 24 must qualify, if not contradict, I Thessalonians 4, and any attempt to harmonize the Gospel records as to Christ’s return with Paul’s special revelation as to His coming for His own, must end in the most bewildering confusion.

But we who do recognize the distinctive character of Paul’s apostleship and revelation have no such problem to vex us. To us “that blessed hope” glows — surely should glow — brighter as the days grow darker.

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Two Things We Know
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


In Romans 8 St. Paul points to two great truths which every true believer knows. The first (Verses 22,23) he knows by experience; the second (Verse 28.) he knows by faith.

    Rom. 8:22,23: “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”

The words “until now,” in this passage, are significant, for our Lord came to earth healing the sick, cleansing the lepers, making the blind to see, the deaf to hear and the lame to leap for joy. But He was rejected by sinful men and nailed to a cross.

After His resurrection and ascension His persecutors were given another chance, however, as Peter called upon them to repent so that “the times of refreshing” might still “come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19,20). But again the King and His blessed kingdom were rejected so that, in the words of Paul, the whole creation continues to groan and travail in pain “together until now.”

But in this passage the Apostle points out that even God’s children are not exempt from this suffering, for the most sincere believer, the most consecrated saint, must still partake of the sufferings and sorrows of the world while he waits for “the redemption of our body,” when “we shall all be changed” (I Cor. 15:51).

But while every believer knows about suffering and sorrow by experience, there is something else he knows by faith. Verse 28 speaks of this:

    “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”

The true Christian is not a mere optimist; he is a believer in God’s Word, and God has much to say about how He is working all out for the good of His own. We have room here to quote but two passages:

    II Cor. 4:17: “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”

    Rom. 8:18: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

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Why Not a Wall?
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    “And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries…” (Ezra 3:3).

At first glance, this verse doesn’t seem to make much sense.  Back in Ezra’s day, a city’s walls were its main line of defense.  The citizens of Jericho felt very secure within the confines of the massive wall that surrounded them.  So here, if fear had fallen upon the Jews because of the enemies that surrounded them, why would they build an altar, and not a wall?

Well, as you may know, at one time Jerusalem had a wall, but when Nebuchadnezzar conquered Israel, his armies “brake down the wall of Jerusalem” (II Chron. 36:19).  And the people of Israel knew why God had allowed this to happen.  He had warned them,

    “…if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God…a nation of fierce countenance…shall besiege thee…until thy high and fenced walls come down…” (Deut. 28:15,50,52).

So God’s people knew that, if they continued in sin, the strongest of walls could not protect them.  But they also knew that if they hearkened unto the voice of the Lord, He would protect them.  And now that God had allowed them to return to the land after their captivity in Babylon, hearkening to the voice of the Lord included building this altar so that they could keep the Law by observing the feast of tabernacles with a burnt offering (Ezra 3:4 cf. Lev. 23:34-36).

In the coming kingdom of heaven on earth, when God’s people will be filled with the Spirit and caused to hearken to His voice (Ezek. 36:27), God has promised them that He will be “a wall of fire round about” them (Zech. 2:5).  In that day, “salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks” (Isa. 26:1).  That’s part of what will make it heaven on earth!

But here we have a dispensational difference.  Your salvation is no defense against earthly enemies.  You are not in the kingdom of heaven on earth, and you are not under the Law that promised Israel that God would protect them if they were good.  As a responsible member of the Body of Christ, you need to take whatever precautions necessary to protect yourself from wicked men.

We once knew a teenage girl who would go out jogging at night, assuring her mother that “the Lord will protect me.”  She had obviously been listening to preachers who had applied the promises of the Law or the promises of the kingdom to us.  While what she said sounds very spiritual, please don’t follow her example!  This is one area where a failure to rightly divide the Word of truth could cost you your life.

[nChrist]

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First Communion
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


For some years a little girl passed our window at Berean Bible Society each day on her way to and from school. Every time she passed she would smile, wave and throw a kiss.

Occasionally she would come in to tell me something special, and I was always impressed by her natural refinement. One would not have wished to meet a sweeter child.

One day she came in to show me a picture of herself, all dressed up for her “first communion!” “How pretty!”, I exclaimed. “But do you know what happened at the very first communion supper?” “Yes,” she said, “they killed Him.” “That’s right,” I agreed, “but there’s much more than that.”

She had given me a wonderful opportunity to breathe into her little ears, what St. Paul calls “the preaching of the cross”, “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth”.

If only we could persuade all of our readers of “the truth of the gospel”, (I Cor. 15:3), and that “by Him all who believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses” (Acts 13:39). This is why St. Paul could tell the trembling Philippian jailor: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).