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Thursday, August 2, 2018
Les Feldick Bible Study Book 1 All 12 lessons in 1 video!
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Two Sides Of One Coin - Pastor C. R. Stam
Two Sides Of One Coin
Pastor C. R. Stam
“I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved” (II Cor. 12:15).
The true man of God will faithfully serve the congregation which the Lord has entrusted to him without thought of reward. Like Paul, he will “gladly spend and be spent” for them even if his toil and sacrifice go unappreciated. Where the congregation is too small to support him fully he will cheerfully engage in enough secular work to supply the deficiency. This is as it should be for, in ministering to his people, he is serving God.
But there is another side to this coin, for Christian assemblies should appreciate the ministries of their pastors in their behalf. This is especially so where the minister gives himself unstintingly for his flock.
It is a sad fact that too many pastors are grossly underpaid. Most of the members of the congregation would not be willing to live on the low economic level on which they keep their pastor and his family living for years on end. He must be willing to sacrifice, but they must not be deprived of any of the luxuries to which they are accustomed. They do not realize how discouraging it can be for the pastor and his family to constantly have to do without, while the better- off members of the congregation hardly notice.
This is why the Apostle Paul reproved the niggardly Corinthians and declares: “Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel” (I Cor. 9:14). And this, too, is why he wrote to the large-hearted Philippians:
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction ….Not that I desire a gift, but I desire fruit that may abound to your account” (Phil. 4:13-17).
Where true, Bible-believing pastors are concerned, let’s not be Corinthians; let’s be Philippians.
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."
To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.
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The Christian's Prayer Life - by Pastor C. R. Stam
The Christian's Prayer Life
by Pastor C. R. Stam
Prayer to God manifestly must hold great importance to those who
would be truly spiritual. While God’s Word to us is always to have first place
in our lives, prayer must certainly have second place; indeed, we must even
study God’s Word with prayer for understanding and willingness to obey.
The Scriptures everywhere exhort God’s people to pray, and
in the Epistles of Paul we find greater cause, greater reason and greater
incentive than ever to pray — to pray “always,” “in everything,” “without
ceasing.” The example of our Lord and of His apostles — particularly Paul — is
a call to prayer.Every need, every anxiety, every heartache is a call to
prayer. Every temptation, every defeat — yes, and every victory is a call to
prayer.
Yet,
merely praying, or even spending much time in prayer, is not in itself evidence
of true spirituality. Many carnal Christians, still“babes in Christ,” and even
many unsaved people, spend much time in prayer. But the truly spiritual
believer will join the Apostle Paul in saying: “I will pray with the
spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also” (I Cor. 14:15). “With the
spirit”:earnestly, fervently, pouring out to God my adoration, my supplications
and my thanks. And “with the understanding also”: intelligently,with a clear grasp
of what the Scriptures, rightly divided, say about God’s will and His
provisions for my prayer life in this present dispensation of
grace.
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