Sermons by Archbishop Foley Beach

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Sermons By A Word From The Lord with Archbishop Foley Beach

Episodes

Sunday Jul 10, 2022

Are You Willing to Speak Up and Share, Publicly, Your Relationship with Jesus?

Sunday Jul 10, 2022

Are You Willing to Speak Up and Share, Publicly, Your Relationship with Jesus?

MESSAGE SUMMARY: Are You Willing to Speak Up and Share Publicly Your Relationship with Jesus? (Resurrection Anglican Church; Woodstock, GA)

To what extent are you willing to share with others your relationship with Jesus? What price are you willing to pay, personally, so that others may know the good news of Jesus – the Gospel? What are you willing to go through to advance the Kingdom of God? In Ephesians 3:1-2, the Apostle Paul summarizes the price that he joyfully accepts to carry the news of the Gospel to the Nations: “For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentile -- assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you.".

In Acts 26:19, Paul gives his public testimony, in his hearing before King Agrippa; and told the King and everyone in attendance that he, Paul, felt privileged to testify, to the Nations, about his conversion and his relationship with Jesus: “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.".

Paul was in prison facing a trial by the despotic Emperor of Rome, Nero. However, you may never have to go to prison or face death to communicate the Gospel; but you will face both physical and emotional discomfort as you become a visible follower of Jesus. While articulating the Gospel to others is important, the most effective way to communicate the Gospel is not by what you say but how you live – walk the talk and let others see Jesus in you.

The world, the country, your friends, and your family have so many issues and hurts for which Jesus and His Gospel are the answer; but we keep this good news a secret by our unwillingness to live a visible life walking the talk of the Gospel and sharing the Gospel. Do you have the faith and courage and are you willing to share the Gospel? If you do, then pray for God’s guidance to you for His will and role for you.

TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12f

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 3:1-21; Acts 9:15; Acts 26:12-23; Psalms 124:1-8.

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Have Eternal Life, Even Before their Earthly Death, Because Whoever “believes him {God} who sent me {Jesus}””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/

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Sunday Jul 03, 2022

Wake Up America!

Sunday Jul 03, 2022

Wake Up America!

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

Paul points out to us, in Romans1:18, that God is not a disinterested bystander in either our lives or the life of our country: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.".

From the end of WWI, in 1918, through the middle of the 1930s, Hitler and the National Socialist Party coopted the Christian Churches in Germany as the National Socialists rose to power politically, thereby, reducing Germany to only one state-supported religion. Also, the National Socialists coopted all of Germany’s political parties to reduce Germany to a one-party country.

Is the Christian Church, here in the US, abdicating its role, as the Christian Church did in Germany, by not speaking with a voice that is heard against the changing culture? As followers of Jesus, we and our churches need to wake up to the cultural changes that are opposed to Jesus’ teachings and the Bible.

The US was created, by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, to be a “country of laws”; and the founding legal context for these laws was the Ten Commandments of God. However, our current and evolving culture, and its related value system, is opposed to the Ten Commandments of God.

As we adhere to the new culture and its values, we are in opposition to God and the basic tenants of Christianity. Therefore, our departure from God positions us for the Wrath of God as posited in Romans 1:18. God’s Wrath may well take the form of God turning us over to our lusts, desires and the outcomes of this changed culture – as we walk away from God, He may walk away from us.

It is not too late for the US to wake up! As God told Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:14: “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.". God has instructed us that He will forgive us if we: 1) humble ourselves: 2) seek Him, not our culture; 3) turn from wicked ways; and 4) pray. Will America wake up and follow God’s instructions?

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Romans1:18; 2 Chronicles 7:14; (Click the Bible References, in blue, below to read the full Bible text for these Scripture References.).

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “For Jesus Followers, Fasting, with Food, Will Symbolize a Victory Over Oneself and Solidify a Personal Relationship with God”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Sunday Jun 26, 2022

Be Strong & Courageous

Sunday Jun 26, 2022

Be Strong & Courageous

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

Be Strong & Courageous (Commencement -- Reformed Episcopal Seminary; Oreland, PA)

We have been equipped, as God told Jeremiah in Jeremiah 29:11-12, for God’s purposes in our lives: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.". In Joshua 1:9, God commands us to be strong and courageous because He is with us. Also, God gave Joshua truths that would confirm God’s support in His command of Joshua: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”.

Often the Lord has called or commanded us to do something in His service, but tough decisions for us arise for us when we are not fully committed to obey God; and we fall into disobedience. When we obey God’s commands, He steps into lives with support for us to achieve His command. Also, God instructed Joshua, in Joshua 1:6, to be “strong and courageous”: “Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.". We must be “strong and courageous” to do the will of God when we are called. Additionally, God commanded Joshua to be committed to the Word of God.

Courage is acting and speaking even though you are afraid. If you follow God’s call and seek His will to live and act in His Word, there is no reason to be overcome by fear because “your God is with you wherever you go”. After God’s grace through Jesus, God is in us through His gift to us of the Holy Spirit. You get strong by exercising the “muscles” of your faith and commitment to God’s will and His word – often pushing your “commitment to God” beyond levels you thought possible. Spiritual strength comes from having God with you and in you.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (John 1:12f).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Jeremiah 29:11-12; Joshua 1:9; Joshua 1:6; Joshua 1:7; James 1:22; Hebrews 10:23; Joshua 1:8: 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Matthew 28:16-20. Ephesians 6:10-12. (Click the Bible References, in blue, below to read the full Bible text for these Scripture References.).

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Daniel’s Prayer Was “seeking him {God} by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting . . . ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God . . . we have sinned and done wrong’”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/

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Sunday Jun 19, 2022

Five Needs of Fathers

Sunday Jun 19, 2022

Five Needs of Fathers

Message Summary:

Introduction -- Father's, we need to understand God's expectations of Fathers. In Ephesians 6:4, Paul defines God’s expectations of fathers: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.". Also, Proverbs 22:6 presents what expectations we might have if fathers adhere to God’s expectations: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.". Dads are to bring up their children in "the way they should go" (their calling).

Discipline, wisely administered by fathers, is an important attribute and need for fathers, as the author of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 12:9-11: “. . . we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”.

Today’s Message -- The Five Needs of Dads: 1) Companionship -- Genesis 2:18, the majority of men were made not to be alone; 2) Respect – honor, appreciation, respect, as Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:33: “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."; 3) Know How to Face Temptation -- when we are tempted (temptation is not a sin) God will provide us a way out of succumbing to the temptation, 1 Corinthians 10:13; 4) Not to Be Foolish -- Proverbs 13:20; and 5) and Remember that God Expects You to Be a Dad -- Ephesians 6:4 and Proverbs 22:6, dads are to train their children so that their children are raised “in the way he should go’ and in a way that meets God’s expectations of both the dad and the child. Men are motivated when they know they will be held accountable, and God is holding us accountable for how we fathers raise our children.

There is a void of faithful men and fathers today; therefore, dad’s, should ask God to help you to be faithful as a father. Fathers should hope that, when we are judged by God, He tells us: “Well done good and faithful servant!”.

“God, how many more {hours, days, and years} do I have, as a father, to meet your expectations and to receive the joys of being a father”

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV):: Ephesians 6:4; Proverbs 22:6; Genesis 2:18; Proverbs 19:22; Ephesians 5:33; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Proverbs 13:20; Hebrews 12:9-11.

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Do You Struggle with Your “Prayer Life”? Find a Quiet Place for Your Personal Relationship with God and Pray to the Universe’s Creator: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/

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Sunday Jun 12, 2022

Our Awesome God -- Part 3: Trinity; Jesus, the Christ

Sunday Jun 12, 2022

Our Awesome God -- Part 3: Trinity; Jesus, the Christ

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

We pray and sing to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – the Trinity: one God and yet three persons in the one God. All analogies fall shot in explaining an incomprehensible God and the Trinity. The Trinity is a mystery, and the word Trinity is not found in the Bible – the Bible has inferences to the Word Trinity and each of its component persons without naming the overarching word “Trinity”. However, the authority of speaking about the Trinity comes from the Bible.

During the first few centuries of the Church, Christians wrestled with how to describe and communicate God in writings and teachings. These early Christians, in their study of the Scriptures, saw that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were all Devine; however, they knew that God was one. Therefore, these early Christians concluded that the Scriptures taught that there was only one God; but that the Father is God, the Son is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God – what we now call the Trinity.

Today, we will look at the second person of the Trinity – Jesus. Jesus is the rock upon which Christianity is built. Typically, we refer to “Jesus Christ”; however, “Christ “is not Jesus last name. “Christ” is a title that means Messiah. Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, is viewed from three perspectives: 1) the pre-incarnate Christ; the incarnate Christ (God man); and the post-incarnate Christ.

In John 1:1-5, the Apostle John tells us that the pre-incarnate Christ was the Word (Logos) and in the beginning. Also, the pre-incarnate Christ was a person, but He was: with God, a deity (God), and a participant in the Creation. Also, the pre-incarnate Christ, in the Old Testament, is referred to as “The Angel of the Lord” (Exodus 3:1-18). Whenever The Angel of the Lord appears in the Old Testament, God ends up being referenced as the person speaking. In John 8:58, Jesus removes all doubt that He was God, The Angel of the Lord, speaking to Abraham in Exodus 3: “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’".

In John 1:14, the Apostle John identifies the God-man Jesus, the incarnate Christ, as God: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.". Jesus was the person of God’s Son and He was Devine. In the year 325, leaders from all over the Church met in Nicaea to debate and understand who Jesus was. These Church leaders came out of this meeting saying that Jesus was co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father. In the Incarnation, Jesus remained God; but, also, Jesus became fully a sinless human – Son of Man and Son of God.

The incarnate Christ was crucified, and He was resurrected; and He is living today as the post-incarnate Christ. As the post-incarnate Christ, Jesus is the reigning and redeeming Christ. Also, we are told that the post-incarnate Christ will return. Therefore, Jesus is the visible expression of the invisible God. It is because of Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, that we are able to have access to the first person of the Trinity – God the Father. God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are inseparable because they are one God together in the Trinity.

We are God’s children; but God, our Father, has no grandchildren. Jesus tells us in John 14:6-7: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’". The understanding of the Godhead and the Trinity are a gift to us through our Salvation brought to us by Jesus.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 1:1-5; Exodus 3:1-18; John 8:58; Exodus 17:1-6; 1 Corinthians 10:4; John 1:14; Luke 1:35; John 14:6-12; 1 Corinthians 15:3-11; Ephesians 1:7; Ephesians 1:19-24; Revelation 19:1-21; Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:15; Ephesians 2:18.

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “The Old Testament Law of “an eye for an eye” Was Reversed by Jesus in His “Great Commandment” in which Jesus Followers Are “to Love”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/

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Sunday Jun 05, 2022

The Day of Pentecost – The Promise Fulfilled (All Saints Anglican Church; Peachtree City, GA)

Sunday Jun 05, 2022

The Day of Pentecost – The Promise Fulfilled (All Saints Anglican Church; Peachtree City, GA)

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

The Day of Pentecost – The Promise Fulfilled (All Saints Anglican Church; Peachtree City, GA)

In 1900, a Roman Catholic Nun obeyed the voice of the Lord, and she wrote to Pope Leo encouraging him to pray for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This request began a chain of events: a nun wrote a letter; a Pope and his Cardinals prayed; and the world received a Pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Spirit through many Christian denominations during a great revival in the early twentieth century.

Today, the world, along with all of us, needs to be renewed with a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost, initially, was about: people being filled with the Holy Spirit; people received Spiritual gifts; and people witnessing for Jesus. On this initial day of Pentecost, Peter stood up and preached a sermon. Afterwards, he was asked: “What must we do to be saved?”. Peter responded in Acts 2:38-39: “And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.’". These events of the initial Pentecost and from the various revivals of the 20^th Century relating to the Charismatic Movements are normal Christianity; this outpouring of the Holy Spirit is what God intends for His people. If we are going to have a growing relationship with Jesus, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit who enables us to know and commune with the Lord. The Holy Spirit will never lead followers of Jesus in any thing that contradicts the Bible, God’s Word. In recent times, there have been teachings, regarding the Holy Spirit, that do not conform to the Bible.

Too many of us are trying to live the Christian life without the Holy Spirit. The question is asked: “When do we receive the Holy Spirit?”. We cannot put God in a box regarding a timing for the receipt of the Holy Spirit. However, a better question is: “Have we received the Holy Spirit?”. We are told in John 3:8: “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.". Therefore, the real question should be: “Does the Holy Spirit have me?”. Until we surrender our lives to Jesus, the Holy Spirit cannot indwell our lives and lead us. The best answer to the timing our receipt of the Holy Spirit is: “We should receive the Holy Spirit every day.”. We should pray every day for the Holy Spirit to fill us.

We know that, if we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are given the “fruit of the Spirit”, as described by Paul in Galatians 5:16-26: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." If we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will bear the fruits of the Spirit and not the flesh. However, if we sin, we are not in the Holy Spirit. Pentecost reminds us that if we yield our lives to the will of God through the Holy Spirit, we are filled with the Holy Spirit; and we are given Spiritual gifts to witness for Jesus. If we are filled with the Holy Spirit; others see Jesus in us – this countenance of Jesus, seen through our lives, is the most powerful tool a Christian can have for evangelism.

Are you grieving the Holy Spirit or are you filled with the Holy Spirit?

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12f

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Acts 1:5; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; Acts 2:38-39; Galatians 5:16-26; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Philippians 4:13; John 3:8; Luke 11:13; Ephesians 5:18; Romans 12:9-31; Ephesians 4:30-32.

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Should Fear, Respect, and Praise God’s Power, Sovereignty, and Holiness; but in Life’s Trials They Should “fear not for I {Jesus} am with you always””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/

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Sunday May 29, 2022

Are You Filled with the Holy Spirit? (Highland Chapel; Chattanooga, TN)

Sunday May 29, 2022

Are You Filled with the Holy Spirit? (Highland Chapel; Chattanooga, TN)

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

Are You Filled with the Holy Spirit? (Highland Chapel; Chattanooga, TN)

As we follow Jesus in our daily lives, it is difficult to be “filled with the Holy Spirit” as we are instructed in Ephesians 5:18: “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,". When we believe in Jesus the Christ as our Lord and Savior; accept God’s Grace of Salvation; and follow Jesus, then God provides us with His incredible gift of the Holy Spirit – God Himself who comes to us in His presence, in the third part of the Holy Trinity, as the Holy Spirit. Paul tells us, in Ephesians 1:13, that when we become a follower of Jesus, we are “sealed with the Holy Spirit”.

Paul, in Ephesians, tells us that we only have two choices in our life relationship with the Holy Spirit: we either “grieve the Holy Spirit” or we are “filled with the Holy Spirit” – these two options, regarding the Holy Spirit, mean that, as we live our lives, we are either “strong in the Lord” or “we are not strong in the Lord”. In Ephesians 4:30, Paul speaks of “grieving the Holy Spirit”: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”. “Grieving the Holy Spirit” means that we hurt or wound God’s expectations for us as Followers of Jesus, as we live our lives, by not being “filled with the Holy Spirit”.

Most of Ephesians 4 and Ephesians 5 describe the binary positions of lives that “grieve the Holy Spirit” or are “filled with the Holy Spirit”. When we “grieve the Holy Spirit”, we limit the power of the Holy Spirit and our access to God through our personal relationship with Him. Therefore, anytime we sin we “grieve the Holy Spirit”. God, through the Holy Spirit, will make us aware of when we grieve Him: and we then have the opportunity for Confession and Repentance of our sin; therefore, we can continue to “be filled with the Holy Spirit” as God wishes and expects.

Are you grieving the Holy Spirit or are you filled with the Holy Spirit?

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 5:18; Ephesians 1:13; Ephesians 1:17; Ephesians 4:1; Ephesians 6:17-18; Ephesians 4:31; Ephesians 4:32; Ephesians 5:1-2; Ephesians 5:3-4; Ephesians 5:5; Ephesians 5:6; Ephesians 5:7-11; Ephesians 5:12-14; Ephesians 5:15-17; Ephesians 5:18; John 7:38-39; 1 John 1:8-9.

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “At Jesus’ Crucifixion and Death, the “Temple Vail” Was Torn; After Jesus Easter Resurrection, You Now Pray Directly with God”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/

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Sunday May 22, 2022

Come Holy Spirit

Sunday May 22, 2022

Come Holy Spirit

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

Special Introduction – The Spiritual Discipline of Giving: We are challenged by God to bring our whole tithe into the storehouse (church) because God tells us that we cannot out give Him. After all, everything we have is from God. Our gifts to God should be from our first fruits and not our last fruits. Developing the discipline of returning our first fruits to God breaks the hold of materialism on our lives.

Today’s Message – Come Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is God Himself. The Holy Spirit is a presence of God in the Trinity of one God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells us, as our counselor, always pointing to Jesus in truth. People are not convicted and converted in their hearts and minds to become followers of Jesus without the Holy Spirit. Without the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our churches, not much will be accomplished.

It is impossible to be a Christian and to live the Christian life without the Holy Spirit. The character of Jesus’ followers is manifested through their lives bringing forth the fruits of the Holy Spirit, as presented in Galatians 5:22-23: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control . . .”. Otherwise, our lives will only reflect the fruit of the flesh as presented in Galatians 5:19-21: “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these . . .". The Holy Spirit seeks to work through us in a way that those around us see the fruit of the Spirit and not the fruit of the flesh.

What do people see when they look at Your life? As followers of Jesus, we need to live through God’s gift to us of the power inherent in the Holy Spirit.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Malachi 3:8-12; Proverbs 23:5; Genesis 1:2; Psalms 1:39; Acts 1:4-5; 1 Corinthians 2:10; Hebrews 9:14; Luke 1:35; Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 3:17; John 14:16; Acts 2:42; John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:6-7; John 3:4-8; John 14:16; John 16:7; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 5:18.

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “When Jesus Asked You: “Whom do you say that I am?”, Did You Answer Jesus: “You are my God and the Lord of my Life!”?”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Sunday May 15, 2022

The Resurrection -- Part 3: Jesus Gives Us His Great Commission Just Before His Ascension

Sunday May 15, 2022

The Resurrection -- Part 3: Jesus Gives Us His Great Commission Just Before His Ascension

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

Introduction from “The Resurrection -- Part 3: Jesus Gives Us His Great Commission Just Before His Ascension:

At Jesus last appearance to His Eleven Disciples as a group and just before His Ascension, Jesus gives His Great Commission to us and to His Disciples. In Matthew 28:16-20, Jesus commissions or, indeed, commands us: “Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”.

Jesus, in Matthew 28:16-20, has commissioned us and commanded us to: Go, Make Disciples, Baptize, and to Teach everything that he has taught us (e.g., the Bible, our walk with the Holy Spirit) to the “ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Remember again, that this commission and commandment (i.e. “as you go”) was the last thing that Jesus, as the Incarnate God-Man, told His Disciples and, therefore, us before His Ascension into Heaven to become solely God again.

Because of the Resurrection and God’s Grace, we have the opportunity for Salvation and Eternal Life; and God has given this opportunity to others next door and around the world, through us, if we Go, Make Disciples, Baptize, and Teach!

Today’ Message – Hearing God’s Voice:

In John 10:1-18, Jesus presents the picture of the Shephard and the Shepherd’s relationship to His flock. Shepherding, in the First Century, was an intense and demanding occupation with the need for the Shepherd to lead and communicate with His sheep and to prevent “false shepherds” from stealing sheep. In communicating with His sheep, the sheep learn and listen for the Shepherd’s voice which protects the sheep from “false shepherds”. Jesus tells us, in John 10:7-11, that He is the Shepherd and only through and with Jesus can we enter into the Gate, which is our Salvation and Eternal Life:’ So Jesus again said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.’”.

Jesus tells us that the sheep will hear His voice; therefore, if we are followers of Jesus, we should hear Jesus voice – we are all called to be Jesus’ sheep.

How do we know the voice of Jesus our Good Shepherd? To hear and know Jesus’ voice, we need to consider: 1) we must “enter through the Gate” – the “Gate” is only Jesus; 2) we must be a sheep (i.e. must be saved and have a personal relationship with Jesus) of the Good Shepherd to hear and distinguish His voice from the “false shepherds”; 3) we must learn to listen – God’s voice can present to us in many ways, especially through the Holy Spirit – the Holy Spirit gives us an insight into the mind of God and puts our mind in sync with God; 4) the voice of Satan is discernable from the voice and message of Jesus; and 5) we must obey the Lord as we listen – in the New Testament, the words “hear” and “obey” are the same; and God wants to guide and direct us.

Ultimately, God tells us: “Be still and know that I am God.”.

He is Risen, and He is alive today!

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 28:16-20; John 21:1-14; Acts 1:8; John 3:3-8; John 10:1-27 ; Ezekiel 34:22-24,31; Psalms 23:1-6; John 5:25; Ezekiel 1:28; Ezekiel 43:2; 1 Kings 19:12; Isiah 30:21; Ephesians 1:17-18; Hebrews 3:7.

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “For a Jesus Follower in Difficult Circumstances, God: “is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/

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Sunday May 08, 2022

Marriage – A Current Assessment (Christ the King Anglican Church; Birmingham, AL)

Sunday May 08, 2022

Marriage – A Current Assessment (Christ the King Anglican Church; Birmingham, AL)

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

Marriage and the family, in current decades, have been under attack to the degree that marriage is now losing its value in our culture.

In Mark 10:6-9, Jesus speaks to God’s plan for marriage: “But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.’”

In our culture’s attacks on marriage and the family, we see ten ways in which marriage and the family have been and are being perverted: 1) US Supreme Court’s decision on same sex marriage – as followers of Jesus, we don’t believe the courts have the right to define/redefine marriage as established by God; 2) sex before marriage is becoming the norm; 3) sex outside of marriage has become acceptable; 4) the prevalence of divorce; 5) acceptance of cohabitation; 6) birth of children out of wedlock; 7) multi-spouse marriage; 8) escalation and the acceptance of pornography; 9) the acceptance and practice of abortion on demand; and 10) the acceptable “choosing” one’s own gender by some people. These perversions of marriage and the family are chiping away at the value and importance of marriage and the family in the US – even among Christians. Too many of our Christian young people don’t know why they should get married -- this diminution of marriage’s value is a failure, mostly, of the Christian Church.

Many Christians, today, are being deceived and led away from God’s Word by the Evil One (e.g., John 10:10). Therefore, we need to read and understand God’s Word, especially as it relates to His plan for marriage that Jesus posits in His quote from Genesis in Mark 10:6. Throughout history humans have corrupted God’s beautiful plan for His Creation. In Mark 10:7, we see God’s pattern for marriage. In Mark 10:8, we are provided with God’s purpose for marriage; and the product of this “one flesh” is children. By becoming “one flesh” in marriage, the man and women become a “new trinity” – husband, wife, and the Lord. In this “marriage trinitarian relationship”, each child is brought into this family relationship in the same way that we, as followers of Jesus, are brought into our personal relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit through the Gospel. In Mark 10:9 we see God’s expressed permeance of marriage.

God’s design and plan for marriage, as presented by Jesus in Mark 10, is ideal for us as humans, our nation and our culture; but His plan is being increasingly perverted. Therefore, what should we do, as followers of Jesus, about these “attacks on marriage”? We can: 1) stand up, speak up and speak God’s truth – Christians need to stop be trampled upon by this divergent culture; 2) model good and Godly marriage and family life to the culture; 3) you teach your children, you not the church/school/government, about God and His plan for marriage and the family; and 4) pray and ask God to intervene in these attacks and to support our seeking to achieve His plan for our own marriage and the family – prayer does change things, and it brings the power of God.

We are blessed to live in an incredible time in history, but the plan and fabric that God designed to keep us together and thriving – marriage and the family – is being perverted. However, we, as followers of Jesus, hold the key to stopping this perversion though getting our own family and marriage in line with God’s plan and then witnessing and voting to stop this perversion – the time is now.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12f

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Mark 10:6-9; John 10:10; Genesis 2:21-25.

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Are Given the Incredible Gift of the Holy Spirit - “your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/

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