Two Minutes With The Bible ~ Paul, The Pattern

Paul, The Pattern

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

Berean Bible Society
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Many religious people take the Lord Jesus Christ as their pattern in life. They call Him “The Great Example”. When problems arise, they ask themselves: “What would Jesus do?” They seek salvation by “walking in His steps”.

While our Lord’s moral and spiritual virtues are indeed worthy of emulation, there were many details in His conduct which we should not imitate. For example, none of us would be in a position to pronounce upon the religious hypocrites of our day the bitter woes which our Lord pronounced upon the Pharisees of His day — simply because we all have so much of the Pharisee in us.

Certainly we cannot be saved by “following Christ,” or striving to live as He did. His perfect holiness would only emphasize our unrighteousness and condemn us. He came to save us, not by His life, but by His death. “CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS” (I Cor. 15:3), and sinners are “reconciled to God by the deathof His Son” (Rom. 5:10).

But God has given us a pattern for salvation. It is none other than the Apostle Paul, the chief of sinners saved by grace. Hear what he says by divine inspiration:

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, THAT CHRIST JESUS CAME INTO THE WORLD TO SAVE SINNERS, of whom I am chief” (I Tim. 1:15).

Paul, as Saul of Tarsus, remember, had led his nation and the world in rebellion against God and His Christ. He was “exceedingly mad” against the disciples of Christ and “breathed threatening and slaughter” against them. Why then, did God save him? He goes on to tell us in the next verse:

“Howbeit [but] for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, FOR A PATTERN to them which should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting” (Ver. 16).

The moral: Take your stand with Paul. Admit you are a sinner and his Saviour will save you too.

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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.

A List Of Who Has The Best Donation To Help Ratio For Charitable Organizations

I found this list on-line and thought that since it "Tis the season" for contributions that this might help others make intellegent decisions before opening pocket books and hearts. It sure opened my eyes about the money flow of contributions.

The American Red Cross President and CEO Marsha J. Evans' salary for the year was $651,957 plus expenses

MARCH OF DIMES It is called the March of Dimes because only a dime for every 1 dollar is given to the needy.

The United Way President Brian Gallagher receives a $375,000 base salary along with numerous expense benefits.

UNICEF CEO Caryl M. Stern receives $1,200,000 per year (100k per month) plus all expenses including a ROLLS ROYCE. Less than 5 cents of your donated dollar goes to the cause.

GOODWILL  CEO and owner Mark Curran profits $2.3 million a year. Goodwill is a very catchy name for his business. You donate to his business and then he sells the items for PROFIT. He pays nothing for his products and pays his workers minimum wage! Nice Guy. $0.00 goes to help anyone!

Instead, please consider donating to any of the list below where all the donations will be put to good works.

 

The Salvation Army Commissioner, Todd Bassett receives a small salary of only $13,000 per year (plus housing) for managing this $2 billion dollar organization. 96 percent of donated dollars go to the cause.	The American Legion National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!	The Veterans of Foreign Wars National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!	The Disabled American Veterans National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!	The Military Order of Purple Hearts National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!
The Vietnam Veterans Association National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!	Make a Wish For children's last wishes. 100% goes to funding trips or special wishes for a dying child.	St. Jude Research Hospital 100% goes towards funding and helping Children with Cancer who have no insurance and cannot afford to pay.	Ronald McDonald Houses All monies go to running the houses for parents who have critical Children in the hospital. 100% goes to housing, and feeding the families.	Lions Club International 100% of donations go to help the blind, buy hearing aides, support medical missions around the world.   Their latest undertaking is measles vaccinations at only $1. 00 per shot.

Random Thoughts And Doings

I have been so busy working outside this week. It's a little too warm for October, well, now November, but it's still nice enough to be in the yard. The pine trees are shedding Big Time. Their spent leaves are so pretty around plants. City people have to pay for this, we get it for free. 



With all this lovely free pine straw I added copious amounts to my "Tranquility Base". One of my favorite things when the weather permits is sitting on the swing, reading an Agatha Christie and listening to the windchimes. It helps take the sting out of daily life. ~smile~

 

Now that The Boys are old enough they've started wandering farther from the house. They've figured out they can slip through the field fence ~little boogers~ that encompasses our 6+ acres, so, Sweetie is installing chicken wire to keep them in. $$cha-ching$$ Maybe now we can go for a motorcycle ride and not have to worry about their whereabouts or lock them up in their portable kennel.

Jack (left), Sam (right) laying on Lucy's legs

Good thing they're worth it. All together now ... awwwww. ~lol~
 

Now they have this new thing of sleeping in their toy basket. My step-mom, Myra, wove the basket as a gift to me over 30 years ago. I'm sure she would approve of it's use since she enjoyed dogs too.

~ Ride Safe ~

Sparky

 

Happy Hallowe'en!

Monster Mash Song

Two Minutes With The Bible ~ Justified Freely

Justified Freely

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

Berean Bible Society
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“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