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Do We Make Too Much of Paul?
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


Here at BBS we recently received yet another email informing us that we make too much of Paul, and elevate him above the Lord Jesus. But in exhorting believers to follow Paul as he followed Christ (I Cor. 11:1), we are not making too much of Paul, and we can prove it! Do you remember when the Lord said,

    "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do…" (Matt. 23:2,3)?

Was the Lord making too much of the scribes and Pharisees when He told His followers to observe their words? Hardly! Was He elevating them above Himself? Of course not! He was simply pointing out that these spiritual leaders should be followed because they taught the Law of Moses, and the Law was God's program for that day. Today God's program is the program of grace, and it is not making too much of Paul to point out that he is the apostle to whom the dispensation of grace was committed (Eph. 3:1-5).

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Puzzle Or Picture
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Where “rightly dividing the Word of truth” (II Tim. 2:15) is concerned, our spiritual leaders are like a group of people, each one of whom holds a part or several parts of a jig-saw puzzle, but who fail to put them together and so never get to see the picture.

One sees clearly that the so-called “Great Commission” was a Kingdom commission and not ours. Another sees that the “one baptism” of Ephesians 4:5 MUST be the DIVINE baptism which makes believers one in Christ. Another sees that Paul’s apostleship was wholly distinct from that of the Twelve. Another sees that Romans 6:3,4 does not contain one drop of water. Another sees that the Christian’s position is spiritual and heavenly in character. Another sees that the Body of Christ, the Church of today, was never prophesied — even, that it did not begin at Pentecost with Peter and the eleven, but later, with Paul.

But while each sees some component part of “the Mystery”, Satan has used tradition to blind him to the rest. The result is that confusion continues to prevail and they still have a puzzle instead of a picture.

If only they would put the pieces together! What a clear picture they would see of “the Dispensation of the Grace of God”, and how eagerly they would join us in “THE PREACHING OF JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO THE REVELATION OF THE MYSTERY” (Rom. 16:25)!

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A Christian Obligation
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Three times in Rom. 1:14-16, the Apostle Paul uses the phrase “I am,” and each one carries an important message for every true believer in Christ.

First he says in Verse 14: “I am debtor” — debtor to all men, to tell them about the saving work of Christ. But why was he indebted to people he had never even seen? For several reasons.

First, he had in his hand what they needed to be saved from the penalty and power of sin. If I see a drunkard lying across the railroad track and I do nothing about it, am I not a murderer if he is killed by the train? If I see a man drowning and I have a life buoy in my hand but do not throw it to him, am I not a murderer if he goes down for the last time? If I see millions of lost souls about me and, knowing the message of salvation, do not tell them, am I not guilty if they die without Christ?

Further, Paul felt himself a debtor to others, because the Christ who had died for his sins had also died for the sins of others. As he says in II Cor. 5:14,15: “Christ died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto Him who died for them and rose again.”

Finally, the Christ who had died for Paul’s sins, had commissioned him to tell others of His saving grace. Thus he says in I Cor. 9:16,17:

    “Woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel! For… a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.”

Paul could say further what every true believer should be able to say: Not, “I am debtor, but,” but rather, “I am debtor… So, as much as in me is I am ready” (Rom. 1:15). He was ready to discharge his debt because he had that with which to discharge it — the wonderful “gospel of the grace of God.” And he did indeed make this message known to others with all that was in him.

And now the third “I am”: “I am debtor… so I am ready… for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…” (Ver. 16). Paul was always proud to own Christ as the mighty Savior from sin. Do you know Christ as your Savior? Do you tell others about Him?

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The Blessings Of Crisis
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


The Apostle Paul, who had been through one desperate crisis after another, wrote as follows:

    “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”(Rom. 8:28).

How many people have found life going along smoothly for years when, all of a sudden, they have found themselves in the middle of some serious crisis!

Perhaps the sudden death of a loved one changed life completely and presented serious problems wholly unanticipated. Perhaps it was the sudden loss of wealth, so that life had to be completely readjusted. There are hundreds of unexpected incidents that can suddenly bring one face to face with stark and stern realities completely unforeseen.

For believers in the Lord Jesus Christ such crises can prove great spiritual blessings. They tend to draw us closer to our heavenly Father, to cause us to pray more and to lean harder upon Him. They show us the insecurity of all that is temporal and give us a greater appreciation of our eternal security in Christ. They give deeper meaning to the Scriptures we study and even to the hymns we sing. They sanctify and enrich our fellowships.

To those — and only those — who truly love God and are “the called according to His purpose,” all things do indeed “work together for good” — caused by God, of course, to “work together for good.”

This is why God’s Word to the Christian is:

    “Be careful [care full] for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6,7).

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Understandest Thou What Thou Readest?
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


This was the question Philip asked of the Ethiopian prince as he sat reading from Isaiah’s prophecy (Acts 8:30), and it is a question which we should continually keep asking ourselves as we read the Holy Scriptures.

There are always those among God’s people who do not much care whether or not they understand what they read, if only it warms their hearts! To them the Bible is little more than a fetish. Taking only those Scriptures which appeal to them, and leaving the rest, they actually feel themselves quite spiritual and often talk about believing the Bible whether they understand it or not!

But such “spirituality” is far from genuine, and such “faith” is blind and superstitious at best.

While it is true that the Bible teaches many truths which we believe, although they are beyond our comprehension (such as its opening verse!), yet how can we believe what the Bible says unless we understand what it says? God would have us understand what we read and believe it intelligently. Indeed, true faith will want to know and understand more and more of God’s Word. One who does not care whether or not he understands what God has said is not interested in knowing what God has said at all. His faith is based on his own will rather than on God’s Word, for regardless of the meaning of Scripture, he will take any passage that suits his fancy and use it as he wishes.

How great an emphasis God Himself puts upon the importance of understanding His Word! On one occasion, when our Lord saw the multitudes, He “was moved with compassion toward them because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and He began to teach them many things” (Mark 6:34).

And now that the secret of God’s great plan has been made known, how much more reason there is to study the Scriptures with a view to understanding them! How Paul, by the Spirit, emphasizes this as he writes of his prayers for the saints:

    “THAT the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, MAY GIVE UNTO YOU THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND REVELATION IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIM:

    “THE EYES OF YOUR UNDERSTANDING BEING ENLIGHTENED; THAT YE MAY KNOW WHAT IS THE HOPE OF HIS CALLING…” (Eph.1:17,18).

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The Triumph Of Faith
by Pastor 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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A Free Gift For You
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


It seems that everything is going up in cost these days. Nothing comes down; everything goes up — up — up. Wages too are going up, but not as fast as the cost of living, for our dollars are decreasing in value all the time. This is why former President Eisenhower suggested we begin calling them dollarettes!

We should thank God, though, that there is one thing that has never gone up in price — the salvation of precious souls. No price was ever put on this and none ever will be, for several good reasons:

    Because God is not impoverished; He does not need our money.
    Because if salvation could be bought, the rich would have an advantage over the poor.
    Salvation was fully paid for by God the Son on Calvary’s cross, and to charge one penny for it now would be to cast reflections on His finished work.

Even in Old Testament times God made it clear that sacrifices and good works could not buy His favor. In Isa. 55:1-3, the prophet cried:

    “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

    “Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto Me, and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

    “Incline your ear, and come unto Me: Hear, and your soul shall live…”

Centuries later, after “the gospel of the grace of God” had been committed to Paul, he offered even better things to those who were willing to accept them. He declared that believers in Christ are…

    “Justified freely by [God’s] grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24).

    “For the wages of sin is death, but the [free] gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

    “In whom we have redemption, through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7).

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I Have Set Thee A Watchman
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


The Prophet Ezekiel was appointed by God as a “watchman” over the house of Israel (Ezek. 33:7). He was held responsible to warn the wicked from their way, for while God must deal justly with sin, He had declared: “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live” (Ver. 11).

If Ezekiel failed to warn the wicked, they would die in their sins, but their blood would nevertheless be required at his hand. If he faithfully warned them, however, and they refused to heed the warning, they would die in their sins, but he would be absolved of all responsibility (See Vers. 8,9).

Would some Christian reader remind us that we are living under another dispensation and that our message is one of grace? True enough, but this does not diminish, it increases our responsibility toward the lost.

If we believers carelessly allow the lost to go to Christless graves are we not morally responsible for their doom, and will we not be held accountable at the Judgment Seat of Christ? (See II Cor. 5:10,11). This is why we find Paul reminding the Ephesian elders that he had not ceased to warn men “night and day with tears” (Acts 20:31).

As the Apostle looked back over his ministry among the Ephesians he could say: “I take you to record this day that I am pure from the blood of all men” (Ver. 26). And this had been true of his ministry in general. Indeed, it was now his desire that, whatever the cost, he might finish his course with joy, and the ministry which he had received of the Lord Jesus, to testify “the gospel of the grace of God” (Ver. 24).

God give us who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, a greater sense of our responsibility toward the lost!

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Christ's Death For All
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Paul preached Christ’s death for all men. In I Tim. 2:4-7, he states emphatically that this glorious truth was first committed specifically to him:

    “Who will have ALL MEN to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

    “For there is one God, and one mediator BETWEEN GOD AND MEN, the man Christ Jesus;

    “Who gave Himself A RANSOM FOR ALL, to be testified in due time.

    “WHEREUNTO I AM ORDAINED A PREACHER, AND AN APOSTLE, (I SPEAK THE TRUTH IN CHRIST, AND LIE NOT;) A TEACHER OF THE GENTILES IN FAITH AND VERITY.”

Note the words “to be,” “in due time” and “whereunto I am appointed.” Thus this glorious message of Christ’s death for all was not part of prophecy or of the so-called “Great Commission,” but was later committed to Paul.

Nowhere in Old Testament prophecy do we read that Christ would die for all, including the Gentiles. Even in that famous prophecy, Isaiah 53, which Gentile believers are so apt to apply to themselves, the Hebrew prophet says: “All we like sheep have gone astray ,” and “the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Ver. 6). Now, if I tell you that “we all,” or “all of us” are going on an outing, this does not mean that all the world is invited. And in this case Isaiah’s meaning is especially clear and emphatic for, speaking still as a Hebrew prophet, he goes on to say: “For the transgression of my people was He stricken” (Ver. . How then could Paul have meant in I Cor. 15:3 that his preaching of the cross as good news for all, was in fulfillment of prophecy? Indeed, he distinctly states that it was a “mystery,” a secret, first revealed to him.

    “For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

    “If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

    “How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery…” (Eph.3:1-3).

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The Living God
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God” (Psa. 42:2).

The recent “God is dead” theory had little true comfort or satisfaction for men in trouble or sorrow.

For years we supposed that the term “the living God,” in the above passage, had reference to God’s power to help, in contrast to the impotence of dead heathen idols. A careful examination of the context, however, leads us to believe that it has rather to do with His ability to respond. The gods of the heathen, by contrast, were like children’s dolls; they could not even change their countenance or respond in any way.

    “The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.

    “They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not;

    “They have ears, but they hear not, neither is there any breath in their mouths” (Psa. 135:15-17).

But the true God is a living God. He does see, hear and respond. The Psalmist, in Psalm 42, compares himself to a stag, panting with thirst. It is sometimes supposed that the scene is one of a stag pursued in the chase, but the passage says nothing of this. Palestine is a dry land and entirely apart from being hunted down, a deer might well pant for streams of running water.

Be this as it may, the stag, in this passage, is not seeking for help; he is thirsting for refreshment, and so did the Psalmist long for the refreshment of fellowship with God, the living God.

How wonderful it is that we may know the living God through faith in Christ! This is why the Apostle Paul declares in Heb. 10:19:

    “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus… a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, His flesh. “

By His death at Calvary our Lord tore away the veil that kept us from entering into God’s presence, and now in response to our need He says:

    “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).

Yes, God is a living God!

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Grace Abounding
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


In a letter to his spiritual son, Timothy, Paul wrote, some 1900 years ago, about his conversion:

    “I was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious, but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. AND THE GRACE OF OUR LORD WAS EXCEEDING ABUNDANT…” (I Tim. 1:13,14).

And he follows this with the now-famous declaration:

    “THIS IS A FAITHFUL SAYING, AND WORTHY OF ALL ACCEPTATION, THAT CHRIST JESUS CAME INTO THE WORLD TO SAVE SINNERS, OF WHOM I AM CHIEF” (Ver 15).

Upon reading this statement by Paul, those who know their Bibles will immediately recall the words of Rom. 5:20,21:

    “…the law entered, that the offence might abound, BUT WHERE SIN ABOUNDED, GRACE DID MUCH MORE ABOUND; THAT AS SIN HATH REIGNED… SO MIGHT GRACE REIGN…”

These two passages from the pen of Paul have a closer connection than may appear on the surface. The Apostle Paul, once Saul of Tarsus, had led his nation and the world in rebellion against Christ. “As for Saul,” we read in Acts 8:3, “he made havoc of the church,” and he himself testified to the Galatians: “Ye have heard… how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and laid it waste” (Gal. 1:13).

Yet God, in infinite mercy, had saved Saul, not only for Saul’s own sake, but to make him the living demonstration of His grace. Thus in writing to Timothy, the Apostle goes on to explain:

    “Howbeit, FOR THIS CAUSE I OBTAINED MERCY, THAT IN ME FIRST JESUS CHRIST MIGHT SHOW FORTH ALL LONGSUFFER1NG, FOR A PATTERN TO THEM WHICH SHOULD HEREAFTER BELIEVE ON HIM TO LIFE EVERLASTING” (I Tim. 1:16).

Let us, then, take our places with Saul, the sinner, and find salvation by grace through Christ, the Savior. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

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A New Body
by Pastor John Fredericksen


The older we get, the more our bodies wear out and are filled with aches and pains. It reminds us of our heavenly home, and helps prepare us for the time when we step into eternity. In the fall of 2013, a dear saint in our assembly was having increasingly severe health problems. One day he stood and said to us all: "Enjoy your aches and pains now because one day soon we will be with the Savior in heaven. There we will be given new heavenly bodies. We will have no pain, no sorrow and no death. A glorious future awaits us. Rejoice in this."

The above expectation is right on target. When John the Apostle explained the physical eternal state, he wrote, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is" (I John 3:2). Gospel accounts of our resurrected Savior describe Him with a body similar in appearance to His previous state. We would surely expect that as God Himself, the Savior no longer experienced any pain. Revelation 21:4 confirms this when it refers to the eternal state of the kingdom saints. John wrote, "And God shall wipe away all tears...there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away." The Apostle Paul explains there will be vast differences in our new eternal body. It will be a "celestial" body (I Cor. 15:38-40), meaning it will fitted by God to thrive in the atmosphere of the heavens. In contrast to our physical bodies that are weak, degenerating and eventually corrupt, our new bodies will be "raised in incorruption...glory...power...[and as] a spiritual body" (I Cor. 15:42-44). Paul continues his explanation by saying: "...flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God...behold I show you a mystery...we shall all be changed" (I Cor. 15:50-51). To summarize our change he says, "...as we have born the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly" (I Cor. 15:49).

Whenever you get weighed down with physical pain, remember, one day our Lord is going to give us new bodies without weakness or pain. Believe it, rejoice in it and look forward to it with thanksgiving. Keep looking up for His return in expectation and faithfulness until He comes.

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Mind Your Magistrates
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    "Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates..." (Titus 3:1).

Who are these "principalities and powers" to whom we must be subject? Well, we know there are different kinds of principalities and powers, since in Ephesians 6:12 we are told to "wrestle" them, while here we are told to "be subject" to them! Ephesians, of course, speaks of the unseen demonic host, "the rulers of the darkness of this world," who wrestle with us as we proclaim God's Word. But Titus 3:1 speaks of the human rulers of this world, the "magistrates" in government to whom God says we must be subject (Rom. 13:1-7).

You wouldn't think Christians would need to be told this, but once we learn we are already citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20), it is easy to think that this somehow negates the responsibilities of our earthly citizenship. But remember, while there is "neither bond nor free" in Christ (Gal. 3:28), Paul still tells servants to "be obedient unto their own masters" (Titus 2:9). While there is also "neither male nor female" in Christ (Gal. 3:28), Paul still tells wives to "submit yourselves unto your own husbands" (Eph. 5:22). And while in Christ we are already citizens of heaven, we must still be subject to magistrates.

Solomon warned, "fear thou the Lord and the king; and meddle not with them that are given to change" (Prov. 24:21). This refers not to voting men out of office, but rather to getting involved in subversive anti-government activities. God has said that the meek in Israel will inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5), and so He plans to fix all of earth's governments for them prior to the establishment of His kingdom (Rev. 11:15). But this world is not our inheritance, we're "just a-passing through" it, and so fixing her governments is not our fight.

An example from Israel's past might serve to illustrate this. As Israel was passing through the wilderness on her way to the Promised Land, Edom refused to let her pass through their land (Num. 20:14-22). Why didn't Israel fight, as they later fought those who resisted them in Canaan? Because God had instructed them to "meddle not with them," since Edom was not their inheritance (Deut. 2:1-5)--they were just a-passin' through! Just so, this world is not our inheritance, and so we should "meddle not with them that are given to change" its governments. We are called to "fight the good fight of faith" (I Tim. 6:12), and "no man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please Him who hath chosen him to be a soldier" (II Tim. 2:4).

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The Pillar and Ground of the Truth
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    "...the house of God...is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth" (I Timothy 3:15).

The word "pillar" should remind every Bible student of the pillar that God gave Israel to guide them through the wilderness to the promised land (Nehemiah 9:12). After the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea, they needed a guide. They had been slaves for 400 years, and didn't have a clue as to where they were going! It's not like Pharaoh let his slaves take exploratory vacations. So God had to lead them every step of the way with the pillar.

Once Moses had written the Book of the Law, however, the pillar disappeared. Of course! Now they had a Book to guide them every step of the way. No matter where they went in life, they had a reliable Guide to teach them how to walk and please God. And now that Book has been completed and resides in the local church! No wonder God calls the church the pillar of the truth! God's people should follow that Book as closely as the Jews followed their pillar. How closely was that?

    "...when the cloud tarried... then the children of Israel...journeyed not... when the cloud... was taken up... then they journeyed..." (Numbers 9:18-22).

When the pillar moved, they moved. When it rested, they rested. In other words, they didn't make a move without the benefit of its guidance. Does that sound like a good way to follow the Book today? Beloved, God has graciously given us a Guide that can help us navigate the most treacherous paths of life. The One who steers the stars (Job 38:32) has deigned to guide the lives of His people. May we never forsake His direction!

This great Guide has further equipped us with a place to meet to hear His Book taught. If there is no church near you where God's rightly divided Word is taught in all its clarity, continue to share the gospel with the lost and Pauline truth with the saved. The people with whom you share God's guidance just might want to start meeting at your house to discuss it. And God has a word for such meetings--He calls it church (Rom. 16:5; I Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15; Philemon 1:2).

These references to churches that met in homes are especially significant when we remember how small the homes were in those days. There's a reason the Lord had to send the apostles out to find a home large enough for twelve men to eat the Passover (Mark 14:12-16). Such rooms are not that uncommon today, but they were then! Thus Paul's allusions to churches that met in those humble homes tells us that the smallest of gatherings is a church in God's eyes, one that He will be pleased to call His house, the pillar and ground of the truth in your community.

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It Is I
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid” (Mark 6:50).

They thought they had seen a ghost!

Already bone-weary from “toiling and rowing” against a “contrary” wind, and still “in the midst of the sea” though the night was far gone, they saw something in the distance that frightened them even more than the storm itself.

It was a ghost — they thought — and a chilling fear gripped them as they were made to face something they had never experienced before. At first, doubtless, they were petrified, gripped with unspeakable terror. Then they “cried out” and in response came the reassuring voice of their own blessed Master and Lord: “Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid”. The grim specter that had filled them with stark dread had turned out to be the Lord Himself, the One whom they loved more deeply than any other on earth. See their faces! Looks of terror have given way now to looks of relief and joy. Their faces now are wreathed in smiles.

What a lesson for God’s people in times of crisis! When caught in the grip of unspeakable fear, unable to face what seems to lie ahead, it is infinitely blessed to hear His voice, saying, “It is I“; not merely “I am here too”, but “it is I”. “I am in this trouble you fear to face. Indeed, it is I you will find in all your troubles if you will look at them more closely.”

Those who are so careless as to confuse the believer’s standing with his condition and experience should take note that it is Paul, the one who writes of our position in the heavenlies, who says in his very last epistle and in its very last chapter: “At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me… Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me…” (IITim.4:16,17).

It was a frightening experience to have to stand as a Christian before the wicked monster, Nero. And standing there alone, forsaken by all, served to add hopelessness to fear. Ah, but in his darkest hour “the Lord stood with him, and strengthened him”. Yes, Paul knew something of this, and so might we when crises alarm us. So might we hear those encouraging, comforting words: “Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid”.