Yearly Archives: 2017

The Makings of a Pastor – 1 Timothy 3:1-3

Posted on by Pastor Ricky Kurth


Summary:

A man must “desire” to be a spiritual leader like a pastor, which is what the word “bishop” signifies. One of the problems with saying God calls some men to the ministry and not others is that most pastors don’t know the mystery. Does it make sense that God called them? What He really does is use His Word to instill a desire in men to be a pastor, and if he doesn’t know the mystery before he enters the ministry, it is God’s will that he come to a knowledge of that truth after (ITim.2:4).

Paul calls the ministry an “office” (3:1), a position of authority, usually public. The priesthood was an office (Ex. 28:1), and Israel also had officers who ruled in civil matters (Deut.16:18). Being an apostle was considered an office (Rom.11:13), but Peter called Judas’ office a “bishoprick” (Acts 1:20). But Paul can’t be talking about desiring the office of an apostle, for apostles were chosen (Luke 6:13). From the rest of what Paul says in this passage it is obvious that the “bishops” he had in mind were pastors.

Pastors must be “blameless” (3:1), or saved, as the word is used in I Corinthians 1:8. What else would you expect to find at the top of the list of qualifications for a pastor? But in the parallel passage Paul told Pastor Titus that a pastor must be “blameless, as the steward of God” (Tit.1;7). Stewards were servants whom the master or lord put in charge of dispensing things to the other servants (Mt.20:8; Lu.12:42). Pastors are in charge of dispensing “the mysteries of God” (ICor.4:1). They must be “faithful” in this (v.2) and blameless in it.

“Husband of one wife” doesn’t mean a pastor can’t be divorced and remarried. “Wife of one man” (ITim.5:9) can’t disallow women who were widowed and remarried, it must mean she had to have been the wife of one man at a time. When a woman slept with a man she became his wife (Gen.16:3), so Paul is saying the church should help widows who weren’t married with a man on the side. And “husband of one wife” must mean the same. In saying this, Paul was announcing a dispensational change from the days of old when spiritual leaders often had a wife and a woman on the side, a concubine, or even many wives. That doesn’t mean a pastor has to be married any more than Verse 4 means he has to have kids. It means if he has kids he must rule them well and if he is married it must be to one wife.

A pastor must be “vigilant,” watchful of danger (IPe.5:8,9). Peter is talking about Antichrist in the Tribulation. Today Satan is “an angel of light” (IICor.11:14), but pastors must be vigilant of him in this lest men stray from the mysteries of God. Being “sober” helps with this (3:2), a word that just means a pastor must be serious about dispensing God’s mysteries, and not think too highly of himself (Rom.12:3).

Pastors must also be “of good behavior” 3:2, but not all are “given to hospitality.” This suggests that in the measure a man has these things, in that measure God can use him. For instance, God blesses all faithful teaching of His Word, but He can bless and use those who are “apt to teach” more (3:2). When spiritual gifts were given, some were given a gift of teaching (Rom.12:6,7), but since the gifts were gone by this time Paul said pastors must have an aptitude for teaching, an ability to give men joy by helping them understand God’s Word (Neh.8:8-10 cf. IICor.1:24).

Pastors can drink but can’t be “given to wine” (3:3), but if civil rulers shouldn’t drink (Pr.31:4,5) how much more spiritual leaders. The most sanctified people in the Bible didn’t drink (Num.6:2,3). Paul announces another dispensational change when he says pastors can’t be strikers (3:3 cf. Neh.13:25). Being “greedy of filthy lucre” (3:3) often leads to other sins (Pr.1:18,19). Pastors must be “patient” (3:3) because people are slow! There’s a reason Paul compares the ministry to the planting and watering and waiting of farming! “Brawlers” are noisy quarrelers (Pr.21:9), and pastors who are passionate about the Word must be careful not to let discussions degenerate into doctrinal brawls.

Finally, pastors can’t be “covetous” because the truth is never popular, and covetous men might stop preaching it to be paid more to buy the things they covet. May it never be so among grace pastors!

The Genuine Article

Posted on by Pastor Ricky Kurth

Have you ever used Romans 15:16 to point out to someone that the Apostle Paul was “the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles,” only to have them argue that no, he was just a minister of the Gentiles, one of many who ministered to the nations? If you bump into someone who really knows his stuff, he may even point out that there are more verses that use the indefinite article to describe Paul as “a minister” (Acts 26:16; Eph. 3:7; Col. 1:23,25) than the lone Scripture that you can cite where he is called “the minister.”

If anyone has ever called you on this, as you’ve sought to press the apostleship of Paul, you don’t have far to go to turn the tables and give them pause and food for thought. You see, just a few verses earlier in Romans 15, Paul referred to the Lord Jesus Christ as just “a minister of the circumcision” (v. 8).

How can this be? How can the Son of God be anything other than the minister of the people He came to save (Matt. 1:21; 20:28)? I believe it is because, while the Lord Jesus was God in the flesh, He did not come into this world to sit in an ivory tower and dispatch other men to minister to the circumcision. He Himself was on the front line of the battle for the souls of men, standing shoulder to shoulder with other ministers of the circumcision, men like John the Baptist, the twelve, the seventy, and any and all others who ministered to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 10:6) in the face of opposition that came from men and devils alike.

In the same way, there is no question that the Apostle Paul was the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, the preeminent minister of the uncircumcision, as even an examination of the passages where he is called “a minister” will show (Acts 26:16-18; Eph. 3:1-7; Col. 1:24-29). But like his Lord, Paul was in the trenches, duking it out with the enemies of his gospel, standing shoulder to shoulder in the battle for truth with men like Timothy and Titus and Aristarchus and Epaphras and others.

So stick to your guns when it comes to standing for the distinctiveness of the apostleship and message of Paul. In the face of opposition from men and devils alike, continue to insist that whether he’s called by the definite or indefinite article, the Apostle Paul was the genuine article!

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.

Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Satisfaction Should NOT Be Guaranteed

Posted on by Pastor Ricky Kurth

One thing for sure about the Apostle Paul, he was never satisfied with the spiritual condition of the saints. Nowhere is this more evident than in his words to the church at Thessalonica:

“But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you…indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more” (I Thes. 4:9,10).

Did you catch that? After acknowledging that the brotherly love of the Thessalonians was so great that it had spilled over into the surrounding regions of Macedonia, rather than congratulate them, the apostle begged them to “increase more and more.” When it came to wanting God’s people to grow in the Lord, there was no end to the Apostle Paul! In this he reminds me of my father, who was never satisfied with the level of success that he had attained at any point in his life.

Years ago, my brother (who was Dad’s partner in his tool and die business) was telling me about the tremendous growth that their machine shop had experienced after I left to work for Pastor Stam at Berean Bible Society. It was no coincidence, by the way, that the shop really took off after I left, for I was never a very good toolmaker! But after hearing of the exponential growth that my father’s business had experienced, I remarked to my brother, “Dad must be very happy about all this.” Shaking his head, my brother replied with words that I will never forget, saying, “There is no end to Dad. He wants to buy more machines, hire more people.”

That was certainly my father. When the state lottery began in Illinois, he mentioned to an old friend who worked at his shop that he had bought a ticket. This friend, who had known my dad for years, just laughed at him, and asked, “What would you do if you won the lottery? You wouldn’t retire like most people, you’d just buy more machines!”

Beloved, that’s the way to achieve greatness in any field of endeavor. Never be satisfied! Paul wasn’t satisfied with the surpassing love of the saints at Thessalonica. Don’t you want to be like Paul? Are you satisfied with the level of your spiritual growth? Are you begging God to help you attain pinnacles of spirituality that would make an angel gasp? No matter what area of your spiritual life needs to flourish, are you willing to pray about it right now?

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.

Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Prayer and the Role of Women in the Church – 1 Timothy 2:8-15

Posted on by Pastor Ricky Kurth


Summary:

After telling Timothy to pray for leaders that we might lead a peaceable life so the gospel can reach “all men” (2:1-4), Paul tells him it his will that “therefore” he pray “every where,” since all men are found everywhere.

You can pray lifting up your hands if you want to (v.8 cf. Ps.141:2), but when Paul talks about lifting up “holy hands,” some think he was thinking of how under the law God didn’t answer prayer if your hands weren’t holy (Isa.1:15; Ps.66:18). Under the law you also couldn’t pray with “wrath” (v.8 cf. Mark 11:25) or “doubting” (v.8 cf. Mark 11:23,24). But we’re not under law (Rom.6:15), so Paul’s not thinking of all that.

In the context of praying for leaders in government, if men aren’t lifting up holy hands it might be because their hands are involved in unholy activities like resisting the government they are supposed to submit to (Rom.13:1-8). They shouldn’t be full of “wrath” against them, “doubting” their leadership. That’s how the Greek word for “doubting” is often used. The 12 doubted the leadership of one another, thinking they could lead better (Mark 9:33,34). Paul also used that Greek word when he said that we should receive weak brethren but not to doubtful disputations (Ro.14:1). Some men accept the leadership of leaders but are always second-guessing them.

Paul isn’t changing the subject when he begins speaking about “women” (2:9). Married women also have a leader whose leadership they are tempted to question and second-guess, thinking they could lead the marriage better than their husband. This is something they should pray about “in like manner” instead of being wrathful about.

The first way a woman accepts the leadership of her husband is by dressing “modestly” (v.8 cf. Pr.7:10) “with shamefacedness,” a lack of being restrained by shame. “Sobriety” means making good decisions while dressing, unlike the bad decisions women make when they are drunk. “Broided” or braided hair was associated with immodesty back then but it isn’t now. But if there’s nothing wrong with wearing gold (Gen.24:53) or pearls or costly array (Ezek.16:10-13), why’s Paul say that there is? Well, Peter couldn’t have been saying he was against the “putting on of apparel” (IPe.3:3) in general, he must have been against excesses in putting on apparel and gold. The Greek word for “adorning” he used (3:3) is elsewhere always translated “world,” so he’s saying if a woman’s whole world revolves around her adorning it’s a problem. By the way, the Greek word is kosmos, from which we get cosmetics. A woman’s’ cosmetics should be “a meek and quiet spirit” and “good works” (2:9cf.Eph.2:10), specially the “good works” women excel at (ITim.5:10).

“Silence” (2:11) can’t mean total silence (Acts 21:40; 22: 2), but if it did, that was probably a custom then, not now, like how they wore hats instead of rings to show they were married (ICor.11:1-11). “Subjection” (2:11) doesn’t mean inferiority (Lu. 2:51), but it does mean a woman can’t teach men (2:12). They can teach children like Timothy himself (IITim.2:5 cf. 3:15) and other women (cf.Tit.2:2,3) for that isn’t usurping or seizing authority that belongs to a man.

Paul says women shouldn’t lead men since they were designed to be followers not leaders (2:13). In addition to being second in creation they were first in the fall (v.14) because they are more easily deceived, as when Solomon’s mother didn’t know giving his brother David’s wife to his older brother would give him a claim to the throne (IKi.2: 17-22 cf. IISam.12:7,8). Paul knew women are more easily deceived doctrinally as well (IICor.11:3), and Satan loves it when women become pastors, get deceived, and lead others in deception.

A woman can’t lead men but they can bear children and lead them (2:15). Women naturally “desire” to rule their husbands (Gen.3:16), but their part of the curse is that he must override this desire and rule them (cf.Gen.4:7). Of course, these women who started on the right path by choosing to have children must “continue” on the right path (2:15) by ruling their children well, or they’ll become unruly and she’ll return to wanting to rule her husband.

Contextualizing the Gospel

Posted on by Pastor Paul M. Sadler

“I have a question regarding something I believe is called contextualizing of the gospel message…I would like to understand more about this….”

The contextualizing of the gospel is a concept that has been popularized by the emergent churches out west, which in itself is a cause for concern. It is essentially an attempt to accommodate social change, culture, tradition, and religious views of other so-called faiths when presenting the gospel. The Word of God is then conformed, as needed, to adapt to these areas more effectively to minister to others.

For example, the Muslim holds a monotheistic view of Allah. That is, there is only one true God. Contextualizing theology asks the question whether this is compatible with Christianity since it also holds to a monotheistic view of God. With what appears to be common ground they feel they have an open door to advance the gospel. While this is only one facet of contextualizing, it is a practice that is questionable at best, and in some cases heretical.

The Word of God stands alone as the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. It does not need the assistance of concepts, which only serve to undermine the Scriptures. There is one true and living God whose name is Jesus Christ, “For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9). All other gods or views of gods are false!

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.

Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time.

A Solemn Challenge

Posted on by Pastor Paul M. Sadler

“Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you” (Phil. 4:9).

With this we challenge you! Heed these words of the Apostle Paul, and you will find fulfillment in your Christian life.

LEARNED

What things had these believers at Philippi learned from the apostle? They had “learned” the Mystery from him and all that it entails. They understood they were members of the Body of Christ. Paul had communicated effectively to them how Christ is carrying out His heavenly ministry today, and that they were the recipients of a heavenly hope and calling. You must do the same!

RECEIVED

They also “received” these teachings of grace as their own. They could defend Paul’s gospel with the best of them. You see, it is one thing to know the message of grace; it is a completely different matter to accept it fully and stand for it without compromise. These saints were fully committed to Paul’s apostleship and message, which God expects every believer to embrace in the age of Grace.

HEARD

The Philippians had “heard” the gospel of the grace of God, not secondhand mind you, but directly from Paul himself when he visited Philippi. They had heard him proclaim the secret of the gospel regarding what God was doing in Christ at Calvary. Now they were sharing the good news that Christ died for the sins of the world.

Furthermore, they had heard Paul emphasize the importance of church planting and the need to train faithful men to serve as pastors “who shall be able to teach others also” (II Tim. 2:2).

SEEN

These saints had “seen” firsthand how Paul handled adversity. He didn’t lash out in a tirade at his persecutors when he was beaten unmercifully before the very eyes of these saints. Nor did he curse the Philippian jailor when he threw Paul into the inner prison and put his feet in stocks. He rather prayed and sang songs of praise to God, which so moved the jailer that he trusted Christ immediately after the earthquake took place (Acts 16).

Paul had been a spiritual father to them. It is far more beneficial for a son to see his father living for the Lord, than to hand him a list of dos and don’ts.

DO

You see, Paul not only taught these things, he lived them! With this in mind, the apostle challenges these brethren to “do” these things, in the sense of performing them repeatedly, to which he adds, “And the God of peace shall be with you.” This charge is as relevant today as it was when Paul first gave it—a solemn challenge.

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.

Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time.

The Purpose of Peace and Quiet – 1 Timothy 2:3-7

Posted on by Pastor Ricky Kurth


Summary:

Paul says that “God our Savior” would have “all men to be saved,” but God wasn’t always the Savior of all men. The word “thy” in Isaiah 49:26 is singular, meaning in time past God was the Savior of the Jews only. And that didn’t change as we come to the New Testament (Acts 5:30,31).

“Does that mean back then God didn’t want all men to be saved?” It sounded that way (Isa.46:13), even in the New Testament (John 4:22), until you remember verses like Isaiah 45:22. But as you may know, God placed salvation in Jerusalem because He intended to get the Jews saved, then use them to reach the Gentiles (Micah 5:7). So He didn’t just put salvation in Jerusalem, He put it in the Jews themselves (Joel 2:32), and the Gentiles were supposed to come to God in response to the light that shone off Israel when she rose to receive the Lord (Isaiah 60:1-3).

When the Jews refused to be God’s channel of blessing to the Gentiles, God raised up Paul and introduced a new program under which salvation went to the Gentiles through Israel’s fall (Rom.11:11), not her rise. God also gave Paul a whole new truth for us to come to a knowledge of, a truth now available to all men. In time past only the Jews had the knowledge of the truth (Rom.2:17-20) in the law. But now that God has revealed that He wants all men to be saved, the truth that God wants men to come to a knowledge of resides in Paul’s epistles (ITim.2:5-7).

“What’s new about the truth that ‘there is one God’ (v.5)?” Just that that the “one God” who used to save Jews “by faith” (Rom.3:30) plus the works of the law like circumcision, sacrifices and baptism now saves Gentiles “through faith” without works (Romans 3:30 cf.Tit.3:5). But there is more new truth. Christ used to only be the mediator between God and Isaiah’s people (Isa.53:8), who were also the Lord’s people (Mt.1:21), the Jews. But to become a Jew to die for the Jews, the Lord had to become a man to die for men (Heb.2:14-17). So while Christ was only supposed to be the one mediator between God and the Jews, the Jew Christ Jesus, Paul broke the news that He was the one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

All men are in bondage to sin (John 8:34) and need to be ransomed, but it wasn’t until the “due time” of Paul’s ministry that God testified Christ would “ransom” the Gentiles too (ITim.2:6). We pay ransom money to kidnappers, but Bible ransoms were paid to God (Ex.30:12) because they had to do with redemption (Ps.49:6,7; Jer.31:11). Christ didn’t die to satisfy Satan’s greed, He died to satisfy God’s holiness.

Before Paul, all anyone knew was that Christ was to die a ransom for the “many” in Israel (Mt.20:28), but Paul broke the news He was the ransom “for all” (ITim.2:6). It is “whereunto” he was made an apostle (v.7). This was news that would have come out in the kingdom when Gentiles started coming to Israel’s light and getting saved, but Paul was born “out of due time” (ICor.15:8) in part to break this news.

Paul is the only New Testament writer who swears oaths like the one in v.8 because other writers could quote the Old Testament to authenticate what they said, but Paul preached things like Christ’s ransom for the Gentiles and other things that were not in the Old Testament. So he’s the only one who had to swear an oath to authenticate what he said.

If you’re not saved, you should know that just because God “will” have all men to be saved (ITim.2:4) doesn’t mean all will be saved. God doesn’t always do what He wants, He rather always does what is right. And it wouldn’t be right to let you into heaven without your sins being paid for. Even Job knew you can’t sit down with God and work something out with God about your sins (Job 9:32,33). He knew God’s holiness demanded perfection, perfection that he couldn’t give. He knew his only hope was a “daysman,” a mediator who could put his hands on both God and man and mediate the dispute of sin. He knew that if God found such a one that He could be gracious to those who would believe in Him (Job 34:24).

It’s No Contest!

Posted on by Pastor Ricky Kurth

During his recent visit to the United States, the pope stirred up quite a bit of controversy when he canonized an 18th-century friar named Junipero Serra. The pontiff sought to recognize the friar for his work in bringing Catholicism to California, but there are some who claim he treated Native Americans harshly. This explains why a statue of Serra was vandalized after his elevation to sainthood was announced. As you can see, when your sainthood depends on your conduct, there will always be someone who will stand up to contest it.

How different it is with the saints mentioned in Scripture! The Corinthians were known for their carnality (I Cor. 3:1), yet Paul calls them “saints” (I Cor. 1:2). If you are wondering how this could be, it is because Paul knew that the verb form of the noun “saint” is sanctify, and while the Corinthians were carnal in their conduct, they were “sanctified in Christ Jesus” (I Cor. 1:2). In the Bible, men are “sanctified by the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 15:16), not by any earthly church. They are “sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ” (Heb. 10:10), and not by their behavior. Rome awards sainthood to men who are known for good works, but the Lord says that men are “sanctified by faith that is in Me” (Acts 26:18).

So it is that while the canonicity of all Rome’s saints can be contested by men, not even the devil himself can contest the sainthood of the believer in Christ. It’s no contest! Just remember, sainthood is a high calling, so make sure “that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called” (Eph. 4:1).

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.

Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time.