Two Minutes With The Bible

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society

Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

Thanksgiving
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


God’s verdict upon the pagan world is that “they are without excuse, because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful…” (Rom. 1:20,21).

The Psalmist, on the other hand, declares:

    “IT IS A GOOD THING TO GIVE THANKS UNTO THE LORD, AND TO SING PRAISES UNTO THY NAME, O MOST HIGH:

    “TO SHOW FORTH THY LOVINGKINDNESS IN THE MORNING. AND THY FAITHFULNESS EVERY NIGHT” (Psa. 92:1,2).

Believers today have even more to be thankful for than did the Psalmist, for we can rejoice in what God has done for us through Christ and His redeeming work. Thus Paul, by divine inspiration, speaks of…

    “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).

It is because of this “deliverance” that the humblest believer can cry with Paul: “Thanks be unto God, who always causeth us to triumph in Christ!” (II Cor. 2:14) and “Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (I Cor. 15:57). How appropriate, then, are the following exhortations:

    “In everything give thanks” (I Thes. 5:18) and “By [Christ], therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise… giving thanks to His name” (Heb. 13:15).

    “For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God” (II Cor. 4:15).

Most of all, “THANKS BE UNTO GOD FOR HIS UNSPEAKABLE GIFT,” our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! (II Cor. 9:15).

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society

Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

God For Us
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Many people, even religious people, suppose that God is against sinners. “Do what is right,” they think, “and God will love and bless you, but do what is wrong and He will be angry with you and curse you.”

Perhaps this view of God comes from the fact that many Scripture passages, especially in the Old Testament, reveal God as the Enemy of the workers of iniquity. But He is the Enemy of the workers of iniquity as such — as workers of iniquity, not as individual persons.

In Ezek. 18:23 God asks: “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die… ?” And in II Pet. 3:9 we learn that when God might have judged this world for the crucifixion of Christ. He delayed the judgment because He is “longsuffering” and “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

The Apostle Paul, referring to the crucifixion, declares that “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation” (II Cor. 5:19).

How could He have shown sinners more conclusively that He desires their good than by imputing their sins to Christ and telling them that He is not imputing their trespasses unto them? Their trespasses will be imputed to them, of course, if they reject God’s provision of salvation through Christ, but for the present it is a wonderful fact that we can go to any sinner and say on the authority of God’s written Word: “Your sins have been paid for; God is not holding them against you. Will you accept His love and receive Christ as your Savior?”

No, unsaved friend, God is not against you. He loves you and provided abundantly for your salvation by paying for your sins Himself at Calvary. This is the essence of “the gospel of the grace of God” (See I Tim. 2:4-7). Will you believe it? Will you trust Christ now, acknowledging Him as your Lord and Savior?

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society

Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

Trash Talking
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


"I'll beat him so bad he'll need a shoehorn to put his hat on!" That's what acclaimed boxer Mohammed Ali said about Floyd Patterson ahead of their championship match back in 1965. Known as "trash talking," boxers also engage in this form of verbal sparring in the midst of the actual fight itself, taunting and goading their opponents.

In the midst of the greatest fight of all time, the Lord Jesus Christ engaged in a little verbal sparring of His own. In a passage that eavesdrops on the Lord's thoughts as He hung on Calvary's cross, He first reflected on the scourging and shameful spitting to which He'd been subjected (Isa. 50:6), and then the prophet heard Him call out His foe:

    "He is near that justifieth Me; who will contend with Me? let us stand together: who is Mine adversary? let him come near to Me" (Isa. 50:8).

Just picture the scene! Outwardly, the Lord was the sacrificial Lamb of God, meekly submitting to the will of His Father. Inwardly, He was the defiant contender to the throne of the world, thundering forth a challenge toward His unseen adversary, the reigning champion who had wrested the throne away from Adam. The god of this world thought he had your Savior on the ropes that dark day, but inwardly the Lord was roaring, as it were, "Bring it on! Is that the best you've got? A little scourging? A little shame and spitting? A little crucifixion" (v. 6)? By all outward appearances, your Savior looked like a helpless victim that day, but inwardly He was the vanquishing Victor!

How could someone in such an impossibly hopeless situation feel so overwhelmingly triumphant? It was simple, really. He trusted in God, as the next verse shows:

    "Behold, the Lord GOD will help Me; who is he that shall condemn Me?…" (Isa. 50:9).

If those words sound familiar, it is because those are the words that the Apostle Paul chose to encourage you in whatever impossibly hopeless situation you may find yourself:

    "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us" (Rom. 8:33,34).

With all of the "tribulation" in your life (v. 35), outwardly it might look as if you are "accounted as sheep for the slaughter" (v. 36), living in the impossibly hopeless situation of a lamb about to be butchered. But knowing that "it is God that justifieth" you, you can say, as it were, "Bring it on! Is that the best you got? A little unemployment? A little cancer? A little grief when the dearest on earth is ripped from my side?"

As with the Lord Himself, God does not promise that we will be able to conquer whatever harsh trial we are going through, but He does promise that in every trial we are "more than conquerors through Him that loved us" (v. 37), for none of these things "shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (v. 39). The key is to remember that "our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (II Cor. 4:17), and to remember that we are only more than conquerors when "we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal" (v. 18).

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society

Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

Maker Of The Universe
by F. W. Pitt


The Maker of the universe
as Man, for man, was made a curse.

The claims of Law which He had made,
unto the uttermost He paid.

His holy fingers made the bough,
which grew the thorns that crowned His brow.

The nails that pierced His hands were mined
in secret places He designed.

He made the forest whence there sprung
the tree on which His body hung.

He died upon a cross of wood,
yet made the hill on which it stood.

The sky that darkened o'er His head,
by Him above the earth was spread.

The sun that hid from Him its face
by His decree was poised in space.

The spear which spilled His precious blood
was tempered in the fires of God.

The grave in which His form was laid
was hewn in rocks His hands had made.

The throne on which He now appears
was His for everlasting years.

But a new glory crowns His brow
and every knee to Him shall bow.

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society

Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

An Exhortation to Pray
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


Did you hear about the woman who bowed to pray on New Year's Eve, saying, "Lord, for the coming year, I pray for a fat bank account and a thin body. And whatever You do, please don't mix the two up like You did last year."

While Christians often forget to pray for others, most of us remember to pray for ourselves, especially when it comes to things like that!

Of course, you wouldn't think a pastor would forget to pray for others, but pastors are Christians too. So Paul wrote to Pastor Timothy, saying,

    "I exhort therefore, that, first of all supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men" (I Timothy 2:1).

Now, when Paul only exhorts Timothy to pray after charging him to "teach no other doctrine" (1:3,18), it's easy to conclude from this that praying is not as important as teaching. But an exhortation from God is a serious thing! After the Lord told the Jews that "the blood of all the prophets" would be "required of this generation" (Lu. 11:50,51), Peter chose to "exhort" them, "saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation" (Acts 2:40). That sounds serious to me! And when Paul then exhorts us to pray, we know that prayer must be just as serious a matter in the eyes of God.

As we look back to the previous chapter to see why Paul would exhort Timothy to pray "therefore," we see that Paul just finished charging him to "war a good warfare" (1:18). Well, what does every soldier do before going into battle? He prays! I don't care if he's a Christian or not. An old saying says, "There are no atheists in foxholes!"

Yet, as Christians, it is so easy to forget that God has called us to "wrestle... against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:12). After Paul went on in that passage to describe the armor God gave us to conduct that warfare (v. 13-17), he exhorted the Ephesians to pray (v.18). Naturally! After donning his armor, every Roman soldier was certain to pray to his god, and so must we.

Beloved, we must pray for the lost with whom we share Christ, and we must pray for the saints with whom we share the mystery, if we hope to "war a good warfare" against the wicked spirits that are keeping them in darkness with their "doctrines of devils" (I Tim. 4:1). If you are laboring to bring souls to Christ and then build them up in the faith, why not follow the example of Epaphras, who was "always laboring fervently...in prayers" that people might "stand perfect and complete in all the will of God" (Col. 4:12).

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society

Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

A Close Personal Relationship
by Pastor John Fredericksen


Shortly after meeting the woman who became my wife, I knew she was the one for me. It was hard to explain, but she had captured my heart. I thought about her as soon as I woke in the morning, continually during the day, and she was one of the last things I thought about before going to sleep. I consistently pursued a relationship with her allowing all other relationships to become secondary. I not only confirmed that I loved her, I also expressed to her that she satisfied and completed me like no other woman could.

Many of the same principles that make close human relationships work are the same in our personal relationship with the Lord, after salvation. Even though the program has changed from the Law of Moses to the principles of grace, walking with the Lord every day is essentially the same now as it was for David. In Psalm 63, he expresses many of the things that made his daily walk with the Lord such a sweet and joyous experience.

David did not merely have a passive interest in the Lord. He longed for a vibrant relationship with the God of his salvation. He told the Lord, "my flesh longeth for Thee [as] in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is" (v. 1). Since David wrote these words "when he was in the wilderness of Judah", where water was extremely scarce, his description of being thirsty for the Lord pictured his surroundings. Just as only water can satisfy the need of one in the desert, David realized that only God could satisfy the thirst of his soul.

These were not mere empty words on the part of David. He promised the Lord: "early will I seek Thee" (v. 1). David, like Abraham before him (Gen. 19:27), was in the habit of beginning the early part of his day in communion with the Lord (Psa. 5:3). Just as two people in love long to see each other, David longed "to see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary" (63:2). As David went through the day, he continued to think about the Lord and talk about Him. He wrote, "…my lips shall praise Thee. Thus will I bless [or praise aloud] Thee while I live" (vv. 3b-4a). When a man and woman love each other, they talk to others about the one they love, extoling each other's virtues. It was the same with David, who happily expressed the virtues of the Almighty.

David's walk with the Lord was so fulfilling that he couldn't help but express it. He told the Lord, "My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips…in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice" (vv. 5,7b). When two people are in love and maintain a healthy, growing relationship, they too make a conscious decision to be satisfied and joyful in time together. David experienced an even richer and more complete joy by being in the satisfying presence of his God.

David not only began his day in fellowship with the Lord and spoke of Him throughout the day, he also ended his day with the Lord. He wrote, "I remember Thee upon my bed, and meditate on Thee in the night watches" (v. 6). For soldiers and shepherds, the night was divided into three watches: from sunset to 10 p.m., from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., and from 2 a.m. until dawn. In verse six, David is sharing that, throughout the night, sleep sometimes evaded him because even then he was thinking about the Lord and His greatness.

David also explained: "My soul followeth hard after thee" (v. 8). Just as a young man oftentimes pursues hard after a young woman to win her love, David fervently pursued his relationship with the Lord. Of course, David did not have to win His love. The Lord already loved David. Nonetheless, David was not casual or complacent in the way he nurtured his relationship with the Lord. His walk with the Lord meant too much to him for his efforts to be anything less than diligent and wholehearted. In principle, we should exert the same kind of effort in our relationship with the Lord as we read that David did.

Are you following hard after the Lord? We encourage you to pattern your walk with Christ after the example of David's wholeheartedness. Make a strong effort to make each day one of fellowship with the Lord from beginning to end.

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society

Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

Seven Times a Failure
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Despite man’s natural tendency to boast, history has proved again and again that he is a failure, in deep need of God and His grace.

The Age of Innocence closed with man rebelling against his Creator and becoming a fallen, sinful creature (Rom. 5:12).

The Age of Conscience opened with one murder (Gen. 4:8) and before another age was ushered in “the earth was filled with violence” (Gen. 6:11).

Then came Human Government, but the world’s first ruler made a spectacle of himself through drunkenness (Gen. 9:20,21). Little wonder we soon find the race intoxicated with its own importance so that God had to confuse their language at Babel (Gen. 11:4,7,8).

The Age of Promise came next, with Abraham failing to enter the promised land through unbelief (Gen. 11:31-12:3). It closed with Israel, his seed, failing to enter the promised land through unbelief (Heb. 3:19).

The Age of Law began with Israel worshipping a golden calf before Moses had even gotten down from Sinai. Little wonder it ended with the rejection of Christ.

The Age of Grace commenced with the Apostle Paul, God’s ambassador of love and grace, persecuted and imprisoned (Eph. 6:20). This showed man’s attitude toward God and His grace. It will be brought to a close as man continues persistently to go on in his sin rather than accept redeeming grace through Christ (II Cor. 4:4; II Tim. 3:1-5).

The Kingdom of Christ, which is to follow the present age, will begin with our Lord rebuking strong nations (Micah 4:3) and will close with multitudes, who for a time had rendered enforced obedience, following Satan (Rev. 20:7-9).

How all this demonstrates man’s need of God and salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ! “All have sinned” (Rom. 3:23) but, thank God: “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13). Though surrounded by sin and rebellion, multitudes down through history have called and have been saved.

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society

Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

Confessing Christ
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “…if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10:9,10).

In these sublime words the Apostle Paul sets forth God’s simple plan of salvation. He calls it, in the preceding verse, “The word of faith, which we preach.”

But often babes in Christ are urged to get to their feet in public testimony on the basis of the words: “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth . . . thou shalt be saved.” Thus new Christians are given to feel that a heart faith is not enough to make them secure; that not until they have risen in public testimony are they saved and safe.

But what, then, does the Apostle mean by these words? Does he not plainly say, “If thou shalt confess… thou shalt be saved?” Yes, but here again, as with so many other passages, a traditional meaning has been superimposed upon the actual words of Scripture. What does the English word “confess” mean? Why, nothing more than to “acknowledge,” to “admit.” And this is exactly what the original Greek word means too, nor does Romans 10:9,10 say anything about confessing before men.

The trouble is that the idea of confession has been changed to profession — even public profession — and multitudes have followed the tradition of the fathers instead of examining the Word to see what it actually says. And so “the Word of faith” has been corrupted.

But does not the Apostle clearly say “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth… thou shalt be saved?” Indeed! And he adds, “and shalt believe in thine heart!”Now let us ask: Is it with that physical organ which pumps blood into our veins that we believe on Christ as our Savior? Oh, no! You say that is merely a figure of speech; somehow the heart is associated with believing. Exactly! Then you would insist that it is with the physical mouth we must confess! Can mutes not be saved then?

As if anticipating the misinterpretation of his words, the Spirit-inspired Apostle adds:

    “For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Vers.11,13).

This is “the Word of Faith, which we preach.”

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society

Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

Important Contrasts in the Bible
by Pastor John Fredericksen


When parents are blessed with both a daughter and a son, there are obvious differences. Each has his or her own distinct looks, clothing, goals, and requirements. Both are recognized for their God-given differences, and loved separately, yet equally. Even after they have children of their own, this continues to be true. In a similar way, God established two distinctly different programs and peoples in the Bible. One is the children of Israel, who were given the Mosaic Law as their instructions and to whom nearly two thirds of the Bible was written, and the other is the sons and daughters of God in the Body of Christ, who are under Grace.

The Nation of Israel

There are several specific reasons why God made the nation of Israel His "special people" (Deut. 7:6). It begins with the persistent rebellion of man very early in history. We learn from Romans 1:21-32 that even "when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God." Mankind plunged so deeply into idolatry and immorality that they sank to the level where "they did not like to retain God in their knowledge." Since man was created as a free moral agent with choice, God did not force man to have a relationship with Him. However, He was not willing to stand idly by and allow the entire human race to foolishly run down a course leading to the eternal Lake of Fire, so He intervened by establishing the nation of Israel.

When Abram was called to become the father of Israel, God promised him three things: "I will make of thee a great nation… and make thy name great… and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:2-3). The first two promises amount to using the nation of Israel as an undeniable witness of God to an unbelieving world. Repeatedly, the Scripture tell us this was one of the primary purposes for Israel as a nation and all she encountered in history. Solomon's prayer was "that all people of the earth may know thy name…" (I Kings 8:43). Hezekiah prayed that the Lord would deliver them from enemies "that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only" (II Kings 19:19). Ezekiel was told to predict a future when enemies will "come up against my people of Israel…that the heathen may know me" (Ezek. 38:16). Likewise, Isaiah predicts a day when "all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob" (Isa. 49:26). Even those who do not want to retain the knowledge of God have heard of the Lord parting the Red Sea and providing a host of miracles for Israel. Israel has been God's witness to the world.

The third promise to Abram was to bless all the families of the earth through him and his seed. Ultimately, this was fulfilled in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, coming as the Son of Man and Son of God to pay the ransom for the sins of all mankind. Salvation is now available to all because God used Israel to produce a needed Savior.

The Mosaic Law of Israel

It is imperative that we understand to whom the Law of Moses was given, what it involved, and why it was given. The Lord told Moses, "I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments…that thou mayest teach them [to Israel]" (Ex. 24:12). These laws were given only to the nation of Israel. They were not given to, nor intended for, Gentiles of the past or present. Moreover, many further misunderstand the scope of the Law of Moses. It was far more than the Ten Commandments; it included volumes of strict requirements governing the social, civil, dietary, and worship life of Israel. It was an entire package to be obeyed. No one was allowed to pick and choose certain requirements and ignore others.

God had several important purposes for giving these laws. They were to be a testimony to all who "hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people…who hath God so nigh unto them" (Deut. 4:5-8). It was intended to draw lost souls back to God, but it was never intended as a way to merit eternal life. Paul taught, "Ye could not be justified [from sin] by the law of Moses" because it was given that "all the world may become guilty before God… for by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:19,20). The law was a beautiful system for Israel, but even Peter acknowledged that it was a heavy "yoke…which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear" (Acts 15:10). God's ultimate purpose for the law was to prove man's guilt, to prove his inability to be righteous through good works, and to become "our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith" (Gal. 3:24). It is absolutely not intended for the practice of believers today.

How Long Did the Mosaic Law Last?

The Lord Jesus clearly said, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 15:24). He told His disciples, "Go not into the way of the Gentiles…but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 10:5-6). In the early chapters of Acts, it is clear that Israel was still the exclusive focus of ministry (Acts 2:5,22,36; 3:12,25; 7:2,51,52; 11:19,20). Moreover, these Jewish believers were still operating under the law. The Lord Jesus taught, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do" (Matt. 23:1,2). They were still to keep the law because Christ said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law… but to fulfil" (Matt. 5:17).

For many present-day Christians, much confusion exists because they incorrectly attempt to apply instructions or promises that were given exclusively to Israel under the law. Only Israel was to "take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat…or drink…but seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6:25-33). Only Israel was promised, "And these signs shall follow them that believe… In my name shall they cast out devils… speak with new tongues… they shall lay hands on the sick" (Mark 16:17,18). Only Israel was promised, "If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it" (John 14:13,14; 16:23; Matt. 18:19). When we read the Old Testament, the Gospel accounts, and the early chapters of Acts, we are not to claim promises or instruction intended exclusively for Israel. These books were included as part of our present-day Bible because God intended them "for our learning" (Rom. 15:4). Let's learn the lessons God intended without claiming Israel's promises.

The Body of Christ

Believers today are not part of the nation of Israel. In the early part of the Book of Acts, God set Israel aside from her favored and exalted position due to repeated waywardness (Rom. 11:11,12). Today, "There is neither Jew nor Greek…for ye are all one in Christ" (Gal. 3:28). Those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ today are placed into a new group of believers called "the church, which is His Body" or the Body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23). This is a brand new group of believers that began with the Apostle Paul. Dr. C. I. Scofield said it well in his reference Bible when he wrote: "In his [Paul's] writings alone we find the doctrine, position, walk, and destiny of the Church." (Taken from notes on Ephesians 3:6)

The Apostle Paul teaches us, "Ye are not under the law, but under grace" (Rom. 6:14). God saves us by His grace (Eph. 2:8,9), keeps us Growing in God's Grace secure because grace "reigns" (Rom. 5:21), and grace provides a lasting daily peace "wherein we stand" (Rom. 5:1,2). Finally, "…the grace of God [is]… teaching us that, denying ungodliness… we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world" (Titus 2:11-13). As we live in this current Age of Grace, we are to depend on grace in every area of our lives, and look consistently for our promises and instructions in the letters of the Apostle Paul.

Israel (under the law), and the Body of Christ (under grace), are like a brother and sister. God is the Father of both, yet each is distinctly different. These differences are not intended to be diluted until they are indistinguishable. We are to recognize, respect, and maintain these distinctions. This is a key to understanding our Bible.

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society

Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

True Thanksgiving
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Many people entertain only vague notions about thanksgiving, just as they do about faith.

They confuse faith with optimism, will power, presumption, imagination, and all sorts of other things. A doctor tells his patient that but for his faith, he never would have come through his illness. Somehow the patient was “just sure” he would recover. A smiling mother encourages her married daughter to “have faith, that everything will turn out all right.” But faith in God is believing God; believing what He has said. True faith is based on the written Word of God (See Rom. 10:17).

But unregenerate men have vague ideas about thanksgiving. A man escapes some great harm and thanks his “lucky stars.” Another says: “I’m grateful for a healthy body,” but to whom is he grateful? He doesn’t say. In many cases it doesn’t even occur to him to ask. He’s “just thankful”!

How refreshing, then, it is to open our Bibles, especially to the Epistles of Paul, the chief of sinners, saved by grace, and to see him giving thanks for specific blessings, and to a specific Person — God!

    “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).

    “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift!” (II Cor. 9:15).

    “Thanks be unto God, who giveth us the victory!” (I Cor. 15:57).

    “Thanks be unto God, who always causeth us to triumph!” (II Cor. 2:14).

It is our prayer for all our readers that you may be especially thankful for “the gift of God [which] is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society

Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

The 23rd Channel
by Unknown


The TV is my shepherd, I shall not want for entertainment.
It maketh me to lie down on the sofa.
It leadeth me away from the Scriptures.
It destroyeth my soul.
It leadeth me in the path of sex and violence for the sponsor's sake.
Yea, though I walk in the shadow of my Christian responsibilities,
There will be no interruption,
For the TV is with me, its cable and remote, they control me.
It prepareth a commercial before me in the presence of worldliness;
It anointeth my head with humanism,
My coveting runneth over.
Surely laziness and ignorance shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell in the house watching TV forever.

--Author Unknown

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society

Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

The Resurrected Body
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


Winter is a great time of the year to sit down by a crackling fire with a cup of hot coffee and read a good book. But thankfully, winter's blast eventually turns into the warm breezes of spring when the flowers begin to bloom. We go from the barreness of wintertime that symbolizes death, to springtime when life wondrously springs forth, a fitting illustration of the resurrection.

After the Apostle Paul addressed our heavenly citizenship in Philippians, and how we are to be looking for the Lord's return, he made an interesting statement: "Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself" (Phil. 3:21). Paul believed in the resurrection!

Notice when the Lord comes, He is going to transform this body of humiliation that is prone to suffering and corruption, and conform it to His glorious body. Therefore, our resurrected body is going to be like His resurrected body, with the exception of His being God. If we understand the nature of our Lord's resurrection, it will give us a better understanding of our future body. For example:

    The Lord appeared in a visible form (Luke 24:36,37).
    He had a body comprised of flesh and bones(Luke 24:39;John 20:24-28).
    The molecular structure of His body was such that He could pass through solid objects, such as a door that was closed (John 20:19,26).
    His identity was preserved in the resurrection. The disciples recognized Him (Luke 24:31; John 20:20).
    He had the ability to speak and reason with them (Luke 24:25-27).
    The Lord had a memory of past events (Luke 24:44).
    He ate with the disciples on more than one occasion (Luke 24:41-43;John 21:12-15).
    He retained His knowledge of the Scriptures (Luke 24:46,47).
    The Lord had the ability to appear in another form (Mark 16:12).
    He could instantly vanish out of sight (Luke 24:31).

Our resurrected body is going to be very adaptable to its surroundings. While these natural bodies are given to weakness and fatigue, our new ones will be raised in power. Since it is controlled by the Spirit, we will have an endless source of energy to serve the Lord throughout eternity.

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society

Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

Redeeming the Time
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


    "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Eph. 5:16).

Time is a very precious commodity--here one minute, gone the next! It is said that Jonathan Edwards wrote in his diary at the age of twenty: "Resolved, never to lose one moment of time, but improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can." If we were to paraphrase "redeeming the time," it would probably come out something like this: "Making wise use of the opportunities we are given." This, of course, transcends every area of our Christian experience.

We must take advantage of the opportunities which come our way to tell others about the Mystery. You would be amazed at the number who have written us to share how their search for the truth came to an end when one of our "grace people" opened Paul's gospel to them. The letters usually go something like this: "I sensed there was something more, but I just couldn't put my finger on it until I heard the Word, rightly divided!" We tend to rationalize that our Christian friends are so entrenched in denominationalism that they would never receive this message, even if we did tell them. This may be true, but how many opportunities have been passed by due to our reluctance to open our mouth boldly to make known the Mystery?

Perhaps we need to write these words anew on the tablets of our hearts:

    "Walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Eph. 5:15,16).

    "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit...for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel... that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak" (Eph. 6:18-20).

    "Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time, Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man" (Col. 4:5-6).

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society

Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

Will There Be Recognition in Heaven?
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


There are two notable distinctions between the two programs of God regarding the hereafter, both of which have to do with the hope of believers. In the twenty-third Psalm, David, whose hope was earthly, was willing to go, but wanting to stay. Contrariwise, the Apostle Paul taught that believers today have a heavenly hope, and as a result, he was willing to stay for the sake of the Church, but longing to go, which he knew would be much better (Phil. 1:23,24).

A book could be written on misconceptions about heaven. The majority of these have been handed down from generation to generation, but they have absolutely no Scriptural basis. Here are some common examples: we will one day become angels in heaven; Peter stands at the pearly gates to determine who will enter; we will float on clouds, playing harps for eternity; there will not be recognition in heaven. These are well-known folklores that Satan uses to divert attention away from the Word of God.

In the eyes of the world, most everyone who dies goes to heaven. But the fact of the matter is that only those who place their faith in Christ will be the eternal residents of this glorious realm. But will we know one another there?

Recognition in the hereafter is a principle that transcends all the ages and dispensations, whether we're talking about the disembodied state or after the resurrection. For example, Saul knew Samuel when God allowed the prophet to return from paradise years after his death. The rich man of Luke 16 recognized Lazarus, who appeared with Abraham, and requested that the patriarch send Lazarus with some water to cool his tongue.

Paul also makes a strong case that we will know one another in the hereafter. The apostle says to the saints at Philippi,

    "For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body" (Phil. 3:20,21).

This particular passage substantiates that our identity will be preserved in the resurrection. After our Lord was resurrected from the dead, He appeared to His disciples in the upper room. When He entered the room, He first calmed their fears with words with which they were very familiar: "Peace be unto you!" They immediately recognized the Lord and rejoiced when they saw Him (John 20:19-21).

Afterward the disciples shared the good news with Thomas, who was not present that day, that they had seen the Lord. Thomas, however, refused to believe it until he saw the nail prints in His hands. Eight days later, the Lord appeared again to His disciples, but this time Thomas was present. When he saw the Lord, he was so overwhelmed by the visitation that he declared, "My Lord and my God!" There was no question whatsoever in Thomas' mind that he had seen the Savior and undoubtedly touched the nail prints in His hands, prints that will forever be a reminder of His death at Calvary (John 20:24-29).

Now, if our Lord's identity was preserved in the resurrection and the brethren recognized Him, then the same will be true of us. This conclusion is based on the fact that our vile bodies will be "fashioned like unto His glorious body" in the coming resurrection. If the Lord's followers recognized Him, there is no doubt that we will recognize one another in the hereafter. Further evidence is presented by Paul a little later in the epistle:

    "And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow laborers, whose names are in the book of life" (Phil. 4:3).

What's in a name? The importance of this question cannot be overstated. Of course, we use names to distinguish one person from another. In biblical times, names had specific meanings attached to them, some of which were in fulfillment of prophecy. Today, as in time past, our names are set in stone; they will be with us for time and eternity. If there isn't recognition in heaven, as some teach, why would there need to be names in eternity? Clearly the names of Euodias, Syntyche, Clement, and the other fellow workers of Paul, are all recorded in the Book of Life. The reason our names are recorded there is that we will be known in the resurrection by name and appearance, even as we are known here.

I look forward to seeing those with whom I've had the privilege of ministering the Word, along with all my family members and friends who believed the gospel. You won't have trouble finding me at that day; I'll be the tall one in the background. Yes, even our stature, voice, personality and mannerisms will all be preserved. See you there!

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society

Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

Mercy Upon All
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Have you ever wondered how the pagan world got that way: idol-worshipping, wicked, gripped by superstition and fear?

The Bible supplies the answer in Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. Three times in Chapter 1 we read of the Gentile world: “He gave them up… He gave them up… He gave them over….” Why? Because they had given Him up: “And even as they did not wish to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient [becoming]” (Rom. 1:28).

It would have been difficult to believe 30 or 40 years ago, that our young people would be dancing to the wild, exotic music of pagan lands (if this can be called music), or that our studios would be selling the twisted, hideous paintings of pagan art (if this can be called art).

When you wonder why the lovely melodies and harmonies of yesteryear have given place to the noise and din of today’s “music”; when you wonder why the beautiful paintings of those days have been largely replaced by the masterpieces of chaos that surround us now — why in so many ways we seem to be reverting to paganism — read Romans 1.

All this is the natural result of a departure from God and His Word. Yet there is hope and assurance and joy in store for any individual who will yet heed the message of God — particularly in the Book of Romans. Here we read how Jew joined Gentile in rejecting Christ, and God had to give them all up. But listen to this passage from Rom. 11:32: “For God hath concluded them all in unbelief THAT HE MIGHT HAVE MERCY UPON ALL.”

That is, He gave up the Jewish and Gentile nations so that He might show His grace to any individuals who might turn to Him by faith in Christ, thus reconciling both (Jewish and Gentile believers) unto Himself in one body, by the cross (Eph. 2:16).