The Twelve apostles of Jesus were not outstanding in any way, at least before they met Jesus. However, Jesus called these men personally. He knew all their flaws, faults, and apprehensions, yet He still chose them.
Bible Book: Acts
“What is the church?” Most people respond with some reference to a building, but what would be a more succinct answer? The church is not a building but is instead THE PEOPLE who gather at a building for the sole purpose of worshipping God.
This message focuses on Jesus’ birth account, where He is referred to with an earthly name as well as an eternal and divine name. Do you see Jesus as “The Lord is Salvation” or as “Jesus the Christ”? In Matthew’s Gospel we see the use of Jesus’ human, earthly name, in conjunction with His divine name. When taken together, it is safe to conclude that Matthew wants us to know that Yeshua is ““The Lord who saves is the One appointed by God.”
The gospel is the best and most important news ever given to the world. It’s good news because it comes directly from the Creator. It’s good news because it tells us what Jesus Christ has done for us. It’s good news because it transforms those who put their trust in it. The gospel is the central message of the Bible.
Both Old and New Testaments speak frequently about how people were designed and created to live in community. This foundational truth, found throughout Scripture, challenges us as followers of Christ to commit ourselves to living together for the purposes of providing support to one another, nurturing one another, and assisting one another as we grow and thrive spiritually.
One of the basic considerations of our faith is that of working in cooperation with other followers of Christ. In the last thirty years, mainstream Christian denominational memberships have declined more than 20%. This should do more than just alarm us. It should motivate us into action. We have a duty to cooperate with each other, serve those in need, serve alongside other Christian churches, serve our association, our state convention, and our national convention. We must never forget that we are in this fight together! Even though Satan is the ruler of this world, it doesn’t mean we should sit idly by and let him continue his work of destroying our ministries.
This is a re-recording of the message shared with the adults at our 2023 VBS. Our children are continually beset by a lying attack from our great enemy Satan. As parents, we have a duty to defend our children against these attacks by providing them a solid foundation of Biblical Truth by which they can fight against the lies of the enemy.
“Πεντηκοστή” (Pentēkostē), the fiftieth day from Easter is a unique and special day of celebration for the Church. This day represents the birth of Christianity and celebrates the permanent arrival of the Holy Spirit into the lives of Jesus’ followers. On this day, expressions of joy and worship flow from believers in celebration of the indwelling (fire) presence of the Spirit of God. Pentecost Sunday is a reminder for each of us that God’s Holy Spirit is now available to all who repent of their sins, are baptized, and continue to follow and obey Him.
One of the travesties found in Christianity is that we tend to overlook the significance of serving an Ascended Savior. It is vitally important for every Christian to develop a better understanding of Jesus’ Ascension and what it means for our future. Yes, we serve the one true living God. And it’s this same living God that sits next to the Father awaiting His opportunity to come back and call His bride, the Church, into our heavenly home. It is The Ascended One who saved us, who protects us, who guides us, and guarantees our access to the Father and His Kingdom.
