Two Minutes With The Bible

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Small Change and a Free Gift
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Has the cashier at the restaurant or the check-out girl at the supermart been asking you: “Do you have the two cents?” or “You don’t have the change, do you?” If so, it’s because there is a coin shortage all over the U.S. and will be for some time.

All kinds of coin-using machines have created a shortage of coins for other purposes. Isn’t it strange: a penny is hardly worth picking up these days, and President Eisenhower called our dollars “dollarettes,” yet people seem to be spending more money in small amounts.

You can make more and more purchases with coins these days. Some people say that you can buy anything with money, but they’re wrong — very wrong.

The things we need most cannot be bought with any amount of money. The air we breathe, the water we drink (we pay only for the service), love of family and friends. These things can’t be bought. And the most precious treasure of all: salvation, eternal life, can’t be bought at any price.

God doesn’t want our money. He calls it “filthy lucre.” He’s not going into business, selling houses and lots in heaven, much less will He pervert justice and pronounce us innocent for a consideration. But He does pity and love us and He can and will give us eternal life if we trust in the merits of the One who died to pay the penalty for our sins.

    “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

    “For by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8).

Our Lord said to the Samaritan woman:

    “If thou knewest the gift of God… thou wouldest have asked…” (John 4:10).

Have you asked?

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Common Ground
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


What do Winnie the Pooh and Attila the Hun have in common? Give up? They both have the same middle name!

What did the Apostle Paul and Titus have in common? Give up? Faith! At least that's what Paul told the young man as he opened his epistle to him, addressing his letter...

    "To Titus, mine own son after the common faith..." (Titus 1:4).

What an astounding thing for Paul to say! If you're not sure why I'd say that, it is because Paul was a Jew, "a Hebrew of the Hebrews" (Phil. 3:5), while Titus was an uncircumcised Gentile (Gal. 2:3). Jews and Gentiles didn't have anything in common before Paul came along!

They certainly didn't eat the same foods as the Gentiles. God told the Jews under the Law that certain foods were unclean (Leviticus 11). This was to remind them that certain people were unclean--the Gentiles (Lev. 20:24-26). And God gave them more reminders that they shouldn't mingle with Gentiles when He instructed His people not to wear clothing that was mingled with different materials (Deut. 22:11).

God even told them not to plow their field in the same way the Gentiles plowed, with two different kinds of animal pulling the plow (Deut. 22:10). That was to teach the Jews not to work together with Gentiles, not to harness their strength together with members of those unclean nations. God further instructed them not to plant their crops as the Gentiles did, "lest the fruit of thy seed...be defiled" (Deut. 22:9). That was to teach them not to marry the heathen, lest the "seed" of their children be defiled.

Does that give you an idea of what a pariah you would have been as a Gentile in Old Testament times? If you're not sure what a pariah is, have you ever heard the expression, "Things that make you go hmmmm?" Well, a pariah is something that makes you go eewww! Jews had nothing in common with Gentiles--least of all a common faith. But beginning with the ministry of the Apostle Paul, a Jew like Paul could write to a Gentile like Titus about their common faith, and to Gentiles like the Romans (Rom. 1:13) about their "mutual faith" (v. 12). What a revolutionary change was brought about with the ministry of the Apostle Paul!

This dispensational change made it so that Paul could even speak of a Gentile like Titus as "mine own son," as well as a Jew like Timothy (I Tim. 1:2). And when he wrote to Titus about "Christ our Saviour" (Titus 1:4), that was new too! You see, in Old Testament times, God was the Savior of the people of Israel only. He told them, "I the LORD am thy Saviour...the mighty One of Jacob" (Isa. 49:26; 60:16). The adjective "thy" is singular, indicating that God was Israel's Savior to the exclusion of the Gentile nations. And while many people think that this changed in the New Testament, Paul declared that "God...raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus" (Acts 13:23).

But beginning with the ministry of the Apostle Paul, Christ became "the Saviour of all men" (I Tim. 4:10)--especially "the Saviour of the body" (Eph. 5:23), the Body of Christ, made up of Jews and Gentiles! This was all part of "the great mystery" revealed to Paul "concerning Christ and the church" (Eph. 5:32). To learn more about this great mystery, why not sign up to receive our weekly feature, More Minutes With the Bible. You'll be eternally glad you did!

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Are All Believers Ambassadors?
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    "Someone suggested that only Paul and the other apostles were ambassadors, not all believers (II Cor. 5:20). True?"

In Verse 18, Paul says, "God… hath reconciled us to Himself… and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation." Here we see that the people who have been given the ministry of reconciliation are the same people who have been reconciled to God. This cannot be limited to Paul and other leaders; it must include all believers, for we have all been reconciled.

Paul then defines the ministry of reconciliation as that which takes place when "ambassadors" say to the lost, "be ye reconciled to God" (v. 20). This means that the ambassadors proclaiming reconciliation in Verse 20 must consist of all the reconciled people who were given the ministry of reconciliation in Verse 18.

This also points out that, while "the world" has been reconciled to God (v. 19), the unsaved have not been reconciled in the same sense as believers, or else they would also be Christ's ambassadors. The reconciling of the world is that which God gave Jews and Gentiles corporately, once the Jews had been cast away (Rom. 11:15), just as the Gentiles had been at the Tower of Babel.

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Is God Dead?
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand…” (I Kings 18:15).

Is God dead? According to the above passage He certainly was not dead to Elijah, who knew Him intimately as the living God. The prophet had used similar phraseology on a previous occasion when he had declared to the wicked King Ahab:

    “As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word” (1 Kings 17:1).

Elijah’s prediction had come horribly true. For three years and six months there had been no rain nor even dew in Israel. Rivers and brooks were drying up. The land lay parched and cracked in the sun. There were no crops, nor any grazing land for the cattle and they had been dying like flies.

The king himself had been brought down from his throne to search for a bit of green grass along the remaining streams “to save the horses and mules alive,” lest they “lose all the beasts.” The king’s humiliation had in turn enraged the haughty Queen Jezebel, so that she hated Elijah with a deep and bitter hatred.

Indeed, so intensely was the prophet hated by Ahab himself that the king had sent far and wide to find Elijah and had not given up until he had taken oaths from the heads of the surrounding nations that he was not to be found. It was under these circumstances that “the word of the Lord came to Elijah…saying, Go, show thyself unto Ahab…” (1 Kings 18:1). God was about to use the prophet to publicly expose the sham and impotence of Jezebel’s god Baal.

As the prophet went to look for Ahab he met Obadiah, the governor of the king’s house, and said: “Go tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here” (1 Kings 18:8). Obadiah shuddered at these words and begged Elijah not to make him go. He knew the bitter hatred which the king harbored toward Elijah and he feared that while he went to convey the news the Spirit of God might take Elijah away to some other place.

It was now, when it meant far more than it had meant three and a half years before, that Elijah replied: “As the Lord God of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself unto him today” (1 Kings 18:15). As we know, he kept his word.

Is all this now changed? Some say yes, that God died in Christ at Calvary and is now dead! They also deny, of course, that Christ rose from the dead. But if this be true, then the story of Elijah is but a stirring memory and the Christian today is actually an ambassador, a representative of no one!

[nChrist]

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The Old Nature In The Believer
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


The believer who would be truly spiritual must recognize the presence of the old nature within. It would be dangerous not to recognize a foe so near.

The old nature in the believer is that which is “begotten of the flesh.” It is called, “the flesh,” “the old man,” “the natural man,” “the carnal mind.”

Just as “they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:8) so that which is of the flesh, in the believer, cannot please God. “The flesh,” as we have already seen, is totally depraved. God calls it “sinful flesh” (Rom. 8:3), warns that it seeks “occasion” to do wrong (Gal. 5:13), and declares that “the works of the flesh” are all bad (Gal. 5: 19-21).

Nor is the old nature in the believer one which improves by its contact with the new. It is with respect to “the flesh” in the believer, even in himself that the Apostle declares that in it “dwelleth no good thing” (Rom. 7:18), that it is “carnal, sold under sin” (Rom. 7:14), that it is “corrupt according to the deceitful lusts” (Eph. 4:22), that it is at “enmity against God,” and is “not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Rom. 8:7).

“The flesh,” even as it remains in the believer after salvation, is that which was generated by a fallen begetter. It is the old Adamic nature. It is sinful in itself. It cannot be improved. It cannot be changed. “That which is born [begotten] of the flesh is flesh,” said our Lord (John 3:6), and it is as impossible to improve the “old man” in the believer as it was to make him acceptable to God in the first place.

The “old man” was condemned and dealt with judicially at the Cross. Never once is the believer instructed to try to do anything with him or to make anything of him, but always to “reckon” him “dead indeed” (Rom. 6:11), and to “put him off” (Col. 3:8-10).

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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 Counsel Of Kindness
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Eph. 4:32).

While probably everyone has an idea of what it means to be kind, the precise definition of kindness might surprise you! Let's begin by seeing how the Bible defines this word, as we compare Scripture with Scripture:

In II Chronicles 10, Rehoboam had just inherited the throne of Israel upon the death of his father Solomon (9:29-31). When the people asked if he would ease the financial burden that his father had placed upon them (10:1-5), Rehoboam "took counsel with the old men that had stood before Solomon" (v. 6). These elders wisely replied,

    "If thou be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be thy servants for ever" (v. 7).

However, the parallel passage in I Kings 12 records their words differently:

    "If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever" (v. 7).

Far from a discrepancy, this variation in what these men were heard to say that day is God's way of defining kindness. To be kind to a man means to be a servant to him. This agrees with Webster's definition of the word "kind": "Disposed to do good to others, and to make them happy by granting their requests, supplying their wants…," etc.

How important is kindness? When Rehoboam "forsook the counsel of the old men" (I Kings 12:8), and determined to be more unkind than his father ever dreamed of being (vv. 14,15), "Israel rebelled against the house of David" (v. 19). This was the beginning of the great division in the twelve tribes of Israel, as Jeroboam led ten of the tribes in revolt away from the house of David, driving a wedge between the ten tribes of Israel and the two tribes of Judah (I Kings 12:20-33). In other words, millions of people were divided for a thousand years--all for the lack of a little kindness!

In closing, while your lack of kindness is not likely to have that kind of monumental effect in the world, it will affect someone. Why not rather decide right now to be Pauline in practice as well as in doctrine, and "be ye kind one to another!"

[nChrist]

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Is The Mystery In The Old Testament?
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


No, of course not! Then why does Paul often quote the Old Testament to substantiate the Mystery (e.g., Rom. 15:9-12)? Let's start in Acts 26:22, where Paul testifies:

    "I continue unto this day…saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come."

This statement seems to belie Paul's insistence that his message was "hid from ages and from generations" (Col. 1:26). However, he explains himself in the next verse:

    "That Christ should suffer, and that He should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles" (Acts 26:23).

The death and resurrection of Christ was not a mystery, nor was God's plan to show light unto "the people" (of Israel) and "to the Gentiles." Thus Paul is saying that while his message did not fulfill the prophets, generally speaking it did not contradict the Old Testament. We see the same in Acts 15, where the leaders in the church met to decide what to make of Paul's new gospel.James concluded:

    "Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His name. And to this agree the words of the prophets…" (v. 14,15).

James didn't say that Paul's new message fulfilled the prophets. Rather he said it agreed with them, i.e., God always intended to visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His name. Of course, according to Prophecy this was supposed to happen through Israel's rise (Isa. 60:3), not through her fall (Rom. 11:11). Someday in the kingdom it will. But in the meantime, James could not deny that generally speaking Paul's new message was in accord with the Old Testament.

When most New Testament writers quote the Old Testament, it is to show fulfillment of prophecy. However, when Paul quotes the Old Testament, it is to show harmony, not fulfillment.

Let's close with an example. In Romans 10:19 Paul quotes Deuteronomy 32:21, where God vows to provoke Israel to jealousy by "a foolish nation." This cannot be the Gentiles, for they are "the nations," plural. Peter rather identifies the believing Jews to whom he wrote as the "holy nation " that God originally used to provoke the apostate nation of Israel to jealousy (I Pet. 2:9 cf. Matt. 21:43; Luke 12:32) and fulfill Deuteronomy 32:21. But in the next chapter of Romans, Paul says,

    "…I am the apostle of the Gentiles…if by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh…" (Rom. 11:13,14).

Here Paul declares that God was now using the Gentiles to provoke Israel to jealousy. Not in fulfillment of Deuteronomy 32:21, but certainly in harmony with it!

So while the Mystery is not in the Old Testament, Paul can quote it freely to show how his new message was in agreement with it.

[nChrist]

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The Gift Of Righteousness
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, refers to those who receive “the abundance of grace” and “the gift of righteousness” (Rom. 5:17) which God in love bestows upon all who trust in His Son for salvation.

The Bible declares that no man can ever stand uncondemned in the sight of God, the Judge of all, unless he receives righteousness as the gift of God’s grace.

Quoting from the Psalms, the Apostle says in Romans 3:10; “It is written, there is none righteous, no, not one“. This is why Paul pitied those who continued to go about “to establish their own righteousness” (Rom. 10:3). He knew that their struggle was utterly futile, that they needed to be saved (See Verse One).

Let us thank God that the Lord Jesus Christ took the condemnation and judgment of our sins upon Himself at Calvary so that His righteousness might be imputed to us by grace through faith. Regarding Abraham’s justification before God, the Apostle says: “What saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Rom. 4:3).

Abraham’s justification, of course, was based on the fact that Christ was to die for sin, but Christ’s death is now past; it is an historical fact. Thus righteousness is now proclaimed through Christ and offered to all as a gift. “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). “God hath made Him to be sin for us…that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (II Cor. 5:21).

But we must receive this righteousness as a gift, for “to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, HIS FAITH is counted for righteousness” (Rom. 4:5).

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The Least in the Kingdom?
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    "What did Jesus mean when He said the least in the kingdom was greater than John?"

    "...Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he" (Matt. 11:11).

Some feel that the Lord was speaking of Paul, since the apostle uses the word "least" to describe himself twice (1 Cor. 15:9; Eph. 3:8). However, "the kingdom of heaven" of which the Lord spoke was the kingdom that will one day be established on earth for the redeemed in Israel, and Paul was never a part of that kingdom, nor will he ever be.

In that kingdom, all the redeemed will be filled with God's Spirit, who will "cause" them to walk in His statutes (Ezek. 36:27). Because of this, the least member of that kingdom will be incapable of sinning, and so will exceed the righteousness of even a man as holy as John. Speaking of the kingdom, the prophet declared,

    "...he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them" (Zech. 12:8).

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Here Comes the Just
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    "Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: HE IS JUST, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass" (Zech. 9:9).

When this writer was young, there was a trendy catch phrase among young people that some of you may still remember: Here comes the judge! Drawn from a skit on a popular television comedy show, this phrase could be found on many a poster hanging on many a teenager's wall back in the day. Never having seen the show, we have no idea what it meant, but the phrase comes to mind every time we read the above text. A clear prediction of the Lord Jesus Christ, Matthew quoted these words the day He entered Jerusalem on a colt just days before His crucifixion:

    "Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass" (Matt. 21:5).

It is always interesting to see the way in which the Old Testament is quoted in the New Testament. When this writer taught hermeneutics (how to interpret the Bible) at Berean Bible Institute, an entire chapter of the textbook was dedicated to the subject of New Testament quotations of Old Testament texts. While many theologians find the New Testament's use of the Old Testament to be problematic in many cases, we taught the students that there is often a doctrinal significance to the changes and omissions found in these quotations, and we believe that Matthew's citation of Zechariah's words here is no exception.

Did you notice that in Matthew's quotation, the words "He is just, and having salvation" are conspicuous by their absence? We feel this omission was purposeful on Matthew's part, and instructive on our part. You see, at the time Zechariah made his prophecy, there was no doubt in his mind that when the day came for the Lord to fulfill this prophecy, He would be "just," and yet "having salvation." The prophet didn't yet understand how a holy God could give salvation to sinful men and still be "just," but his trust in God was implicit. He knew that God would never be so unjust as to sweep the sins of men under the rug, and sneak them in the back door of the kingdom of heaven when the devil wasn't looking.

The Apostle Peter spoke about this very thing in his first epistle. Speaking of the salvation of souls (I Pet. 1:9), Peter added,

    "Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently…" (v. 10).

Peter then went on to make it clear that the prophets did not understand the glory that would follow the sufferings of Christ (v. 11), and that this glory would include the glorious way that God dealt with the sins of men by having His Son pay for their sins with His death on Calvary's Cross. These were some of the things that, as Peter says here, "the angels desire to look into" (v. 12).

Angels love to learn about the Almighty and all of His ways (Eph. 3:10), and we believe that in Old Testament times, they were as clueless as Zechariah and the rest of the prophets as to how the Lord could be "just, and having salvation." We feel their angelic curiosity about this was symbolized by the cherubim that overlooked the ark of the covenant. As they looked down at the mercy seat below their outstretched wings, they no doubt wondered how the blood of the bulls and goats that was sprinkled there could justly take away the sins of men.

On the day of our Lord's "triumphal entry" into Jerusalem, it was clear to Matthew that Zechariah's prophecy was being fulfilled. His Messiah was indeed meek and lowly enough to enter the city of the great king sitting astride a baby donkey. What was not yet clear to him, however, was how He could be "just, and having salvation." We feel that this was the reason he purposely omitted that segment of the prophecy from his quotation.

It was the Apostle Paul who broke the story of how God could be "just, and the Justifier of him which believeth in Jesus" (Rom. 3:26). Speaking of Christ, Paul revealed:

    "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins…" (Rom. 3:24,25).

Whenever we use our leafblower to sweep the front porch, we never have to lift the welcome mat. The tremendous blast of air from the leafblower is powerful enough to levitate the mat as it blows away all the dust and debris beneath and around it. This always makes us think of how, rather than sweeping our sins under the rug, the Lord Jesus Christ blew them away at the Cross on which He shed His blood!

And so it is, if you keep Paul's revelation in mind, you can just picture the Lord's entry into Jerusalem on that fateful day, and say with Zechariah: "Here comes the Just!"

[nChrist]

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Are You A Pauline Epistle?
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    "Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men" (II Cor. 3:2).

Since the Corinthians were saved by Paul's gospel (I Cor. 15:1-4), the apostle calls them his epistles. Webster said that an epistle is "a writing... communicating intelligence to a distant person." Surely the "intelligence," i.e., the information that the Corinthians communicated to the world was that even the most sinful of men could be justified by God's grace (I Cor. 6:9-11).

But if Paul could say to the Corinthians, "ye are our epistle," why does he go on to say that they were "manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ" (3:3)? Ah, a letter written by an apostle under the inspiration of the Spirit was a letter from Christ! And since everyone who is saved today is also saved as a result of having believed Paul's gospel, you too are a Pauline epistle! And so the debate over whether Paul wrote 14 or just 13 epistles is over! The apostle penned millions of letters over the past many centuries.

It has often been said that you are the only Bible that some people will ever read, and this is sadly so. What a responsibility this places on us to live lives worthy of the Lord! Handwriting experts can tell who a letter is from by the way the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed, etc. Can men tell who sent you, Christian friend? Are you dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's when it comes to godliness? Many Christians who wouldn't dream of corrupting the written word of God found in Paul's epistles (II Cor. 2:17) carelessly corrupt the living epistles of their lives by inconsistent godliness. Remember, letters don't get time off! They read the same today as they did yesterday, and we too should be as consistent in our Christian testimony. If you are holy on Sunday and a holy terror the rest of the week, this is unacceptable to God (Rom. 12:1,2).

Since the epistle of our life is "known and read of all men" (II Cor. 3:2), we want to make sure we don't give men a faulty "reading" of Christ. All men understand by the stars that God exists, as the stars too are known and read of all men (Psa. 19:1-3). But while all men understand by the stars that God exists, all men understand by us what kind of God He is. When we live "soberly, righteously, and godly" (Titus 2:12), we prove to others what is acceptable to the Lord (Eph. 5:8-10).

[nChrist]

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The Danger of the Occult
by Pastor Kevin Sadler


"Joe Gutierrez tells five stories from his 42 years as a steelworker in the book, The Heat: Steelworkers' Lives and Legends. In one story, called 'Snow Danced in August,' he describes a scene of silvery dust flakes that frequently floated to the floor in an area of the mill where steel strips rolled over pads in a tall cooling tower. For years, workers and visitors alike flocked to the sight, which was especially picturesque at night.

"Then they discovered the dust was asbestos. 'Everybody breathed it,' wrote Gutierrez. He now suffers from the slow, choking grip of asbestosis, as do many plant workers.

"'Who am I? I'm everybody. Can't walk too far now. I get tired real fast and it hurts when I breathe, sometimes. And to think we used to fight over that job.'

"How many things in our culture resemble the silver flakes in that steel mill? Enchanting but deadly." ["Deceptive Appeal," Preaching Today, October 2001, excerpted from "Steelworkers Break the Mold," Chicago Tribune, June 2001, https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2001/october/13312.html.]

The practice of the occult is one of the things in our culture that resemble the silver flakes in that steel mill. For many, there is a constant temptation to dabble in it. Reading horoscopes is thought to be a harmless, innocent activity. A survey once estimated that more than 50 million Americans read their horoscopes every day to see what they should do or what they should expect that day. Horoscopes are readily available. They can be found online easily. A daily horoscope is found in nearly every newspaper across the country.

The occult comes in many different forms: fortune-telling, tarot cards, palmistry, numerology, astrology, seances, rune stones, the I ching, ouija boards, and tea leaves. You can easily find places of business dedicated to these things. Shows featuring mediums are on television now. Witchcraft, satanism, and spiritism are practiced openly.

The English term occult comes from the Latin verb occultus, which refers to hidden or concealed things. As we use the word today, it refers to dealings with the spirit realm. The Scripture forbids any participation in the occult. Paul, our apostle, warns the Body of Christ about practicing idolatry, worshipping the creation and false gods, and having "fellowship with devils" (1 Cor. 10:19,20). The stern warnings to Israel in the Mosaic Law teach us what God thinks about astrology and the occult, and that is enough for us to know that we need to avoid these things.

    "Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves...Lest ye corrupt yourselves...And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them…" (Deut. 4:15,16,19).

    "There shall not be found among you any one…that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord…" (Deut. 18:10-12).

What many consider an innocent activity is an abomination in the eyes of God. Consulting mediums, tarot cards, horoscopes, palmists, etc., belittles God. Doing so is to say, "I believe that God is either unable or unwilling to tell me all that is good for me to know." In essence, it demonstrates the belief that God lacks the love or goodness to guide me, so I will take matters into my own hands.

For our own good, the people of God should shun the evil snare of all practices of the occult. All that we need to know about the future or the supernatural realm comes through the Word of God. By faith, we take our stand on the sufficiency of the revelation of God's Word. And we trust the One who is with us each step of our journey through life, guiding, caring, and helping us all the way.

[nChrist]

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Only Going Through the Motions
by Pastor John Fredericksen


Throughout much of the Old Testament, God's people, the nation of Israel, had a very shallow, distant walk with the Lord. Even though given the unique privilege of having God's written Word available, the Lord told the prophet Amos, "they have despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept His commandments" (Amos 2:4). This did not mean they completely ignored the Scriptures. In some cases, they simply neglected the Word. Often they only went through the motions of having it read to them without internalizing the truths of God and allowing it to change their daily lives. In other cases, after time in a distant, meaningless walk with the Lord, they completely abandoned the sacred Scriptures to worship false gods made by the hands of men.

Israel still had priests, but when God's true prophets came with a message too close to home, they responded with words such as, "prophesy not again any more" (Amos 7:13). Resistance, even anger and violence, was a frequent response. Yet, in many cases, they still worshipped the Lord, but only in a halfhearted way that the Lord would simply not accept. Therefore, God's message to them was, "I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer Me burnt offerings…I will not accept them…Take thou away from Me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols" (Amos 5:21-23). Even worship toward the Lord can be meaningless, or worthless, to the Lord. This is so when worship is offered with a cold heart, only going through the motions, and without seeking to be continually transformed into the person God wants His child to become (Rom. 12:1-2).

Why would the Lord not accept their worship? It boils down to the explanation recorded in both Isaiah and Matthew: "This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me" (Matt. 15:8; Isa. 29:13). Simply going through the motions of worshipping the Lord is not enough. He desires that we come to Him in sincerity, with biblical truth being paramount, allowing His Word to transform our lives, and desiring a daily walk that knows Him in a real, close, and meaningful way.

Believer, don't settle for just going through the motions of worship. Come to the Lord with a genuine desire to know Him intimately, be "conformed to the image of his Son" (Rom. 8:29), and do His will. Then, and only then, will your worship of the Lord be truly pleasing to the One who gave His life for you.

[nChrist]

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Heroes Of Faith
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


In Rom. 4:12 the Apostle Paul declares that Abraham was the father, not of his physical offspring alone, but also of those who “walk in the steps of that faith” which Abraham had.

Have you ever noticed that God does not hold the great men of Scripture up to us because of their personal virtues? Almost invariably their records are marred by failure and sin. But God bids us observe their faith and what their faith gained for them (See Rom. 4:3,9,11,12).

There is a whole chapter on this subject in the Book of Hebrews. Hebrews 11 is properly called “the great faith chapter,” and its heroes “heroes of faith,” for it tells how Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and scores of others “obtained a good report” before God. They all faltered and failed again and again, but Heb. 11:39 declares that “these all… obtained a good report THROUGH FAITH.”

This is why Rom. 4:9-12 states that God’s blessing is bestowed upon those who “walk in the steps of that faith” which Abraham exhibited, just as it was bestowed upon Abraham himself.

This truth is driven home in Verses 3 to 5 of the same chapter:

    “For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

    “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

    “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Rom. 4:3-5).