Happy Hallowe'en!

Monster Mash Song

Two Minutes With The Bible ~ Justified Freely

Justified Freely

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

Berean Bible Society
Printer Friendly Version

“Being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24).

It is wonderful to know that we sinners are not justified by praying, or paying, or saying, or sighing, or crying, or doing anything. We are justified freely, by the grace of God. But this passage from Romans will mean more to us when we learn how the word rendered “freely” here is translated elsewhere in the Bible. The same expression is found in John 15:25, where our Lord, quoting from the Psalms, said: “They hated me without a cause.”

Why did men hate Him? He went about doing nothing but good: healing the sick, giving the blind their sight, causing the lame to leap for joy, preaching good news to the poor and deliverance to those who were bound. There was no good reason for crying, “Away with Him!” and “Crucify Him!” They hated Him “without a cause.”

But in the same way we might ask: “Why should He die for sinners? Why should He pay for their sins? He had done nothing wrong.” Ah, it was in love that He deliberately gave Himself into the hands of sinful men, that He, the sinless One, might pay for their sins. He did not die His own death, for death is “the wages of sin.” He died our death, paying for our sins. So, as men hated Him “without a cause” (except their own sinful condition), so Christ has “Justified” believers “without a cause” (except His own divine love).

And so it is that we can now proclaim the glorious news that God has sent us to tell all mankind, that His righteousness is conferred “upon all those who believe,” and that believers are “justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

---

To the Reader:
Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

 

 

Two Minutes With The Bible ~ How Do You Wrestle A Spirit?

How Do You Wrestle a Spirit?

by Pastor Ricky Kurth

Berean Bible Society
Printer Friendly Version

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12).

Wrestling is a sport that is usually associated with boys and men, only a few of whom engaged in organized wrestling in high school or college.  But whether you are a man or a woman, the Apostle Paul says that you are engaged in a life-long wrestling match against the members of Satan’s host.

But did you ever wonder how you are supposed to wrestle a spirit?  And what is this wrestling match all about, anyway?  Paul doesn’t say, but we believe he was thinking of Daniel 10.  Here an angel was sent to Daniel to deliver a message from God, but a fallen angel “withstood” him for 21 days (vv. 11-14).  Since Paul says of our wrestling match that we must “withstand” (Eph. 6:13), we feel he had this passage in mind, especially when we consider what was happening in Daniel 10.  The Prince of Persia, one of “the rulers of the darkness of this world,” was fighting to keep a message from God from getting through to a man of God.  It is our firm conviction that “the rulers of the darkness of this world” are still fighting to keep a message from God from getting through to men and women of God—the grace message.  Today, however, God is not using angels to deliver His message to His people, He is using grace believers.  Because of this, the members of Satan’s host are no longer withstanding angels, they are withstanding us.

And so if you’ve been wondering how you are supposed to wrestle against the devil’s principalities and powers, wonder no more.  Every time you share the grace message with someone, you walk out onto the wrestling mat.  Every time you try to “make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery” (Eph. 3:9), you engage your wicked opponent.  And every dollar you invest in grace ministries helps defeat the adversary’s attempts to keep men and women of God from obtaining the message that unlocks the Scriptures, the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery.  Why not reach someone with the message today, and know the thrill of pinning a Satanic combatant to the mat, and liberating a bewildered believer from the dark shackles of religious tradition that envelope every saint who has not yet learned to rightly divide the Word of truth.

Lucy And The Sky With Diamonds

Lucy, our beloved boxer, was very ill at the start of this week.

Last Saturday, a holiday weekend, she and I began our daily walk around the property. I try to always walk about two miles each and every day. Helps clear the cobwebs. By the time I approached the workshop a few feet from the house, she went into convulsions, salivating uncontrollably. I thought maybe she was having a heart attack or a stroke. Scared me good! Even though it was the weekend Hubby immediately tried calling the Vet. Living so far out in the country, with no large towns close by, Vet had previously told us to always try calling him in an emergency. (Good man!) Unfortunately, Vet and family where out of town all that day. I tried comforting Lucy as best I could. Got her back inside in the air conditioning. She seemed to improve a bit that afternoon. Vet finally could call late that evening. To make a short story long -smile- she ended up suffering all weekend long. Monday, Hubby and Vet coordinated a time to meet at his closed office late in the evening. Hundreds of dollars worth of tests -groan- later, she was diagnosed with a severe intestinal bacterial infection! My baby! Vet gave us a list of what the culprits could have been from dirty water dishes (nope, bleached them anyway), to a tick (nope), some other things.

Finally, he asked are there any mushrooms in the yard?

“With all this rain we’ve had this summer?”, said I, “Well, yeah.”

Vet laughed, then said “Aw ha!” We found the culprit.

Apparently, Lucy had picked up a mushroom somewhere along the line, chewed on it, and ended up with a life-threatening, budget busting intestinal bacterial infection. Thanks to all the blood work she was saved just in the nic of time. From the blood work, Vet also determined that Lucy is having a bit of liver trouble. (Hope that’s temporary.) She’s 10 ½ years old, and I know that big dogs don't live as long as little dogs, but I’m hoping she’ll be around awhile longer.

So, nursing her back to health has been our goal this week. She is on four separate twice daily medications. It seems she is on the mend as I “pen” these words.

Hey, did you hear the latest? Scientists claim they can tell from recent studies that the planets Saturn and Jupiter may be raining diamonds?!

Holy Cow! I need a spaceship! NOW! -ha ha-

Another situation I‘ve had to deal with this week is The Boys, Jack and Sam. Thanks for asking, they are coming along nicely. At now 13 weeks of age, I “think” they are finally housebroken. (Now that I've said that ...) They’re using the pet door, playing in the yard unsupervised and returning to the house, all without my reminding them what to do. I'm so weary of having to get up at 3 am and take them outside for a pee break. So rather than pin them in their little sleeping box last night, I decided to leave them “loose”. Happily they took themselves out all without reminding them to do so! -yay- They’ve also already figured out the automatic feeders and the many peculiarities of living in our home. They love Lucy. I think she takes them with a grain of salt but everyone seems to be getting along swimmingly.

I can relax a little now.

To celebrate Hubby said he’s going to fix one of my favorite Bad For My Diet meals tonight. -smile- No, it’s not the Mac ‘N Cheese by Kraft and all beef hotdogs. -drool- It’s homemade hamburgers on whole wheat buns with everything but the kitchen sink on them. I go all out dressing my ‘burgers too with ketchup, mayo, mustard and so forth. Want fries with that? No, but I will have a beer. I think I deserve one.

Hope everyone has a very nice weekend.


~ Ride Safe ~


Sparky

Article By Maureen Scott: Obama, The Architect Of Destruction

Cartoon by Prickly City

Maureen Scott is an ardent American patriot who was born in Pittsburgh, PA, and retired to Richmond, VA, in 2000. Free from the nine-to-five grind of writing for employers and clients, she began writing political commentary to please herself and express her convictions. Our Pledge of Allegiance, a military band playing the National Anthem, and the wisdom of our Founding Fathers, inspire her passion and views. Her life is guided by a firm belief that truth is the most important virtue, and that God knows what He is doing with her.  Please take the time to read and listen to this good American woman. I believe you will be glad you did. I give you Maureen Scott.

=============================

The Architect of Destruction

By Maureen Scott 

Barack Obama appears to be a tormented man filled with resentment, anger, and disdain for anyone of an opinion or view other than his. He acts in the most hateful, spiteful, malevolent, vindictive ways in order to manipulate and maintain power and control over others. Perhaps, because, as a child, he grew up harboring an abiding bitterness toward the U.S. that was instilled in him by his family and mentors and seems to have never left him.

It is not the color of his skin that is a problem in America.

Rather it is the blackness that fills his soul and the hollowness in his heart where there should be abiding pride and love for this country.

Think: Have we ever heard Obama speak lovingly of the U.S. or its people, with deep appreciation and genuine respect for our history, our customs, our sufferings and our blessings? Has he ever revealed that, like most patriotic Americans, he gets "goose bumps" when a band plays "The Star Spangled Banner," or sheds a tear when he hears a beautiful rendition of "America the Beautiful?" Does his heart burst with pride when millions of American flags wave on a National holiday - or someone plays "taps" on a trumpet? Has he ever shared the admiration of the military, as we as lovers of those who keep us free, feel when soldiers march by? It is doubtful because Obama did not grow up sharing our experiences or our values. He did not sit at the knee of a Grandfather or Uncle who showed us his medals and told us about the bravery of his fellow troops as they tramped through foreign lands to keep us free. He didn't have grandparents who told stories of suffering and then coming to America , penniless, and the opportunities they had for building a business and life for their children.

Away from this country as a young child, Obama didn't delight in being part of America and its greatness. He wasn't singing our patriotic songs in kindergarten, or standing on the roadside for a holiday parade and eating a hot dog, or lighting sparklers around a campfire on July 4th as fireworks exploded over head, or placing flags on the grave sites of fallen and beloved American heroes.

Rather he was separated from all of these experiences and doesn't really understand us and what it means to be an American. He is void of the basic emotions that most feel regarding this country and insensitive to the instinctive pride we have in our national heritage. His opinions were formed by those who either envied us or wanted him to devalue the United States and the traditions and patriotism that unites us.

He has never given a speech that is filled with calm, reassuring, complimentary, heartfelt statements about all the people in the U.S. Or one that inspires us to be better and grateful and proud that in a short time our country became a leader, and a protector of many. Quite the contrary, his speeches always degenerate into mocking, ridiculing tirades as he faults our achievements as well as any critics or opposition for the sake of a laugh, or to bolster his ego. He uses his Office to threaten and create fear while demeaning and degrading any American who opposes his policies and actions. A secure leader, who has noble self-esteem and not false confidence, refrains from showing such dread of critics and displaying a cocky, haughty attitude.

Mostly, his time seems to be spent causing dissension, unrest, and anxiety among the people of America , rather than uniting us (even though he was presented to us as the "Great Uniter"). He creates chaos for the sake of keeping people separated, envious, aggrieved and ready to argue. Under his leadership Americans have been kept on edge, rather than in a state of comfort and security. He incites people to be aggressive toward, and disrespectful of, those of differing opinions. And through such behavior, Obama has lowered the standards for self-control and mature restraint to the level of street-fighting gangs, when he should be raising the bar for people to strive toward becoming more considerate, tolerant, self-disciplined, self-sustaining, and self-assured.

Not a day goes by that he is not attempting to defy our laws, remove our rights, over-ride established procedures, install controversial appointees, enact divisive mandates, and assert a dictatorial form of power.

· Never has there been a leader of this great land who used such tactics to harm and hurt the people and this country.

· Never have we had a President who spoke with a caustic, evil tongue against the citizenry rather than present himself as a soothing, calming and trustworthy force.

· Never, in this country, have we experienced how much stress one man can cause a nation of people - on a daily basis!

Obama has promoted the degeneration of peace, civility, and quality of cooperation between us. He thrives on tearing us down, rather than building us up. He is the Architect of the decline of America , and the epitome of a Demagogue.

Maureen Scott

Two Minutes With The Bible ~ Facing Up To Facts

Facing Up To Facts

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

Berean Bible Society
Printer Friendly Version

Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, Chapters One and Two, present a dark picture of the human race, but acknowledge the facts they record and you have taken the first step to salvation. By nature we shrink from facing up to our sins, but we are better off if we do.

If a man has early indications of cancer, and his physician keeps the truth from him, the patient will die of cancer. A good and wise physician will say: “You have cancer and we should do something about it without delay.”
Thus God, in His Word, tells us very frankly about our sinful condition, but only to save us from it.

This is where most philosophies and the Bible clash head-on. Most philosophies close their eyes to man’s sinful nature. They presume that man is good by nature when overwhelming evidence bears witness that he is sinful by nature. Thus human philosophies offer no salvation from sin and its just penalty. Only “the gospel of the grace of God” does that.

The Bible says of the whole human race: “All have sinned” (Rom.3:23), and to each individual: “Thou art inexcusable” (Rom.2:1). But the same Bible says: “Christ died for our sins” (ICor.15:3), and “We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, accord-ing to the riches of His grace” (Eph.1:7).
Trust in Christ for salvation and you have accepted God’s great message to the world. Then, as you consider that great Book, and especially the Epistle to the Romans, you will say with Fawcett:

“It shows to man his wand’ring ways
And where his feet have trod;
But brings to view the matchless grace
Of a forgiving God.”

---

To the Reader:
Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

Funny Friday ~ #Obama Taking Hostages

Click To Enlarge

Courtesy Anti-Anti Underground

~ Ride Safe ~

Sparky