Our Apostle Paul wrote, “All Scripture…is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were written to and for the nation Israel under the law, in accordance with her earthly, millennial hope. It is in the epistles of Paul that we find the doctrine, position, walk, and destiny for us, the Church, the Body of Christ, today under grace. However, there is great value in studying the four Gospels. They are “profitable” for our spiritual lives.

When I was taking classes at Berean Bible Institute in Slinger, Wisconsin, I took a Missions class. Pastor and missionary Joe Watkins was my instructor. In one class, he pointed out what he perceived to be a weakness in the grace movement: that we were too often guilty of neglecting the four Gospels. He said, “That is our Savior too. There is much we can learn from His love, humility, compassion, and kindness.” Then Pastor Watkins shared an example: the healing of the leper in Mark 1.

“And there came a leper to Him, beseeching Him, and kneeling down to Him, and saying unto Him, If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth His hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean” (Mark 1:40-41).

Pastor Watkins pointed out that nobody touched a leper. But in healing this man, the Lord was “moved with compassion, put forth His hand, and touched him.” He didn’t need to touch him to heal him. All He needed to do was say the word. But that man hadn’t felt a human touch in years. Thus, out of His great compassion, the Lord reached over, touched him, and said, “Be thou clean.”

Like Paul, we are to teach “all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). In my pastorate at Kettle Moraine Bible Church in West Bend, Wisconsin, in both the Sunday School and Worship Service, I taught series of messages from the four Gospels. I shared how the Lord lived under the law and kept it perfectly, how He taught Israel in light of the coming Tribulation and her hope of the earthly Kingdom, and how the Gospels portray the Lord as Prophet, Priest, King, God, and man. Most of all, as Pastor Watkins had shown me, I made sure to teach about the love and mercy of our Savior. And as a result of a series on the miracles of Christ, one woman in the assembly shared that, although she had known about rightly dividing the Word for years, it was the differences in the four Gospels that really helped her to see the truth of grace for the Body of Christ today. There is value in learning the four Gospels!

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 is now available on Alexa devices. Full instructions here.

An excerpt from Pastor Kevin Sadler’s new booklet, based on episode 70 of Transformed by Grace.  You can also watch episode 70 on YouTube.

“This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.

“He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.

“This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.

“This is he, that was in THE CHURCH IN THE WILDERNESS with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us” (Acts 7:35-38).

Much confusion exists today about the biblical use of the word church. Without understanding the term in light of Scripture, many people conclude this word refers to a building that is used for worship.

The Bible teaches that the church is not always a building, but that believers themselves are the church. Others assume that any time they find the word church in Scripture, it refers to them or truth about them; this is not true either, this assumption can lead to many practical and doctrinal errors.

First, we must establish the definition of the word church in the Bible. The word church, does not always mean the same thing, every time we find it, and it doesn’t always refer to the same group of people. As it is with many biblical words, it is critical to look at the context in which they are used to understand their meaning.

The Bible refers to several different churches. First, in Acts 7, we find a reference to a church, but it is not the Church, the Body of Christ. It is a different church. Acts 7 refers to “the church in the wilderness,” referring back to the days of the books of Exodus and Numbers in your Bible. We see here that God had a “church” long before Christ said, “upon this rock I will build My church” in Matthew 16:16-18. Who is this church in Acts 7?

Stephen, in his discourse before the religious leaders in Israel explained how the people of Israel initially “refused” the leadership of Moses (Acts 7:35) but later accepted him and followed him out of Egypt “after that he shewed wonders and signs” (v. 36). Then, God gave the “lively oracles” to Moses on Mount Sinai “to give unto us” (v. 38). The “us” is Israel.

Here the word church is referring to the people of Israel in the wilderness after their deliverance from Egypt. Thus, we learn that there was a “church” in the past. This church in the wilderness had laws, requirements, and instructions specifically for them. They had a place to worship at the tabernacle. They had Moses as their leader. This church was Israel.

When we read about this church in the Old Testament, it does not refer to us. It is not the church of this dispensation of grace. It was a different church, a different group of people who lived under the law.

The word church is translating the Greek word ekklesia, and it simply means a called-out group or a called-out assembly. It is a general term and can be used to describe any group of people, from an angry mob (Acts 19:32,41) to a group of saints gathered for worship….

The context will always make clear which church is in view. Israel was a church, a called-out group. They were called out of Egypt and out of the world to be a special people unto God. Today, we are a called-out, special group of people. We are called out, not as a chosen nation as Israel was but, instead, we’re called out to be members of the Church, the Body of Christ.

We, too, are a church, but we are not Israel. Israel was a church, but they were not the Body of Christ. These must be kept separate. In doing this, it clarifies many misunderstandings about God’s instructions for Israel under the law as well as God’s instructions for the Body of Christ under grace. When we rightly divide between these two, we understand the Bible much more clearly.

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 is now available on Alexa devices. Full instructions here.

One person can always make a difference. By one vote Texas was added to the union, Andrew Johnson was saved from impeachment, and Adolf Hitler gained power over the Nazi party. In the spiritual realm, one person has frequently made an enormous difference. Only Jehosheba hid young Joash from being killed, enabling him to become a godly king (2 Kings 11). Elijah stood alone against hundreds of false prophets, and a wicked king and queen (1 Kings 18). Jonathan alone protected David from the murderous plots of Saul (1 Sam. 19). Nathan stood alone to rebuke David, influencing him to get right with the Lord (2 Sam. 12). God used one man, Paul, to reveal our new dispensation of grace, and Onesiphorus to encourage Paul in a time of great trial (2 Tim. 1:16-18). God can also use you to make an important difference in your sphere of influence. “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10), seeking to make a difference through ministry to others.

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 is now available on Alexa devices. Full instructions here.