Messages from the Word of God

No Jesus, no peace. Know Jesus, know peace. From Luke 2.8-14 and Isaiah 9.6-7, we learn peace is available to whomsoever will receive it. Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us! Nothing can separate us from the LOVE of God in CHRIST JESUS! Peace is a decision to take God at His WORD. Yes! We believe, Lord, but help our UNBELIEF. Doubt, Fear, and Uncertainty can creep in and weaken our faith. Hel...

Good morning and welcome. Our texts today are from Luke 1.13-20 and Matt 1.18-25 from the thought "What would you do?" Do we truly believe that God works miracles? If we were Zacharias, what would we do? If we were Mary, what would we do? God specializes in the impossible! If we were Joseph, what would we do? Mary and Joseph said yes and amen! TODAY, what will we do when Jesus knocks on the door o...

The Blood Still Works! Scripture texts are from Exodus 6.1-13 and 1Cor 11.23-26. Pharaoh kept the Israelites in bondage, in slavery, and treated them harshly, until the LORD made it clear that it was His power and blood that truly free and protect. God sent 10 plagues to address 10 gods. Pharaoh released the people because of the Blood! The Israelites saw the power of the LORD, their God, because...

Welcome to the season of Advent. Today is the first of four Sundays leading up to the time we celebrate Jesus’ first Advent. As we consider when He first arrived via the miraculous virgin birth and when He will come again, what should we do in the meantime? I think we ought to "Walk in Courageous Humility". Let’s turn to 1Sam 17.31-37 and Acts 14.8-18 for insight. As we walk through Acts 14, we wi...

Forging an Attitude of Gratitude. Ruth 1.6-18 and Philippians 4.4-13 Saints. You and I are blessed. We can focus on the 20% of things that we do not like. That would be ingratitude. Or we can focus on the 80% of things that we are or were blessed with. That is an attitude of gratitude. Truthfully, God has done so much for us, that if He never did another thing, He has already done enough. So for t...

The Scripture is found in Num 6.22-27 and John 17.9-22. Our thought for today is Blessed and Highly Favored. God 1) preserves, 2) provides grace, and 3) presents mercy to the blessed and highly favored. His requirement of us… our acceptance of Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior and walking in obedience to Him. May the LORD make His face shine upon you today.

We have a new President-elect. We have a new VP-elect. However, it appears as if the transition may not be simple. We are still a divided nation in need of reconciliation. We are in need of a bond of peace and a chord of unity. Love must prevail. Righteousness, morality, grace, and mercy must prevail. I believe the “President and VP”-elect will do their part. But if this country is going to heal,...

2 Chronicles 15.1-7, 14-15 and Romans 13.1-7 We, the church, are chosen by God to be an instrument of change. We bring love and unity. And if we are going to be one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all, we must respect rightful authority, reject immoral authority, and elect godly authority. These are our responsibilities as Christian citizens of the USA. One nation under...

You have heard the saying, “Actions speak louder than words,” or "Do as I say not as I do," and "I cannot hear what you are saying because your actions are speaking so loudly." People will mimic what they see more than what they hear. Our actions should match our words. Our Scripture texts come from Leviticus 19.15-18 and Romans 12.9-21 from the thought, "Our Conduct Matters: Behave Like a Christi...

Greetings in the matchless name of Jesus. Our Scripture texts are found in Esther 4.5-17 and Philippians 2.1-5. Our thought for today is "A Secret Weapon Called Humility". If we are going to take advantage of this secret weapon called humility, - we need to commit to being a strand in the spiritual cord of love that binds us together, - we should become a conduit of blessings, and - we must live o...

We examine 2Kings 6.15-23 and Mark 9.14-29 as we unpack the thought, "The Power of Plugging in." The Apostles who had performed miracles in the past were unable to currently do it when a father brought his child to them for a healing. Elisha's servant was unable to see the spiritual army protecting them while they were surrounded by the enemy. Miracles can happen when we plug into the power of God...

Today is Communion Sunday. Do we fully appreciate the solemnity of the occasion? Can we imagine Jesus entering our hearts again and His blood running through our veins? Think about this as we unpack "Being Conformed to the Image of Christ" from Daniel 6.10-16 and Luke 23.32-47. Being conformed to the image of Christ 1) presupposes a right relationship with the Father; 2) requires a right relations...

Have you ever been in a situation where you thought, “Somebody ought to say something or do something? Am I the only one who sees the wrong in this? Am I the only one who is going to speak up? Does anybody else care? I should not do anything because nothing is going to change. I would do it if I had help.” If you have had any of these thoughts or are thinking either of them now, you are not alone....

Because none is perfect, we continue in a process of becoming. And in this day and age, it is imperative that we become anti-hypocritical. Our texts (Pro 27.5-6 and Gal 2.11-14) provide three points from the topic - "Becoming an Anti-Hypocrite". 1. We must know how easily hypocrisy can sneak up on us. 2. We need to know how contagious hypocrisy really is. 3. We must accept rebuke and repent accord...

If we are honest with ourselves, especially during these troubling times, we want to ask God, "Are we living under a curse?" And if so, how do we get away from it? Let's review Genesis 50.15-21 and Luke 17.11-19 to hear the answer. Our topic today is Reverse the Curse. According to the NT text, if we are going to reverse the curse we must 1) get sick and tired of being sick and tired, 2) live like...

Passover represents the covenant God made with the Israelites. See Exodus 12.12-14 and 26-28. Communion represents the New Covenant God made with His people via the sacrificial atoning death of the Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ. See 1Cor 11.23-32. We remember (commemorate) what He has done. We recognize (celebrate) what He is doing and how we should respond. We realize (anticipate) He is coming agai...

Uncle Sam wants you for the US Army. Do you remember the posters? God wants us to join his Christian Army becoming spiritual soldiers. He called Moses, Timothy, and others who had several excuses. We, too, make excuses not to answer His call for our specific purpose. However, all He wants to hear from us is Yes and Amen. Listen as we unpack "Yes, You!" from Exodus 3.1-12 and 1Tim 4.12-16.

According to Exodus 18.13-24 and especially Acts 6.1-7, we are to choose wisely. Choose and vote for those who have a good reputation, are led by the Holy Spirit, and have the wisdom to get the job done. Pray and examine the fruit (consider their track record) of those who would represent you before making a choice.

Especially during these unpredictable times, during these vicissitudes and vacillations of life, during these times of social unrest, we need to reassess who will occupy a front seat in our lives, who will take a back seat, and who should not be in the vehicle. Perhaps it is time for us to conduct "A Friendship Reassessment". The Scripture texts come from Psalm 15 and Acts 15.30-41.

During discouraging moments in our lives we can use Psalm 23 and 1Tim 4.9-18 to encourage us. Today's topic is Encourage Yourself in the LORD. By examining Paul's second letter to Timothy, we can encourage ourselves in the LORD by 1) admitting what is discouraging us, 2) taking action and moving towards encouragement, and 3) realizing we are never alone... Jesus is with us. Speak victory to yourse...

We are to be a community in communion with the LORD Jesus Christ and with each other. According to Lev 19.15-18 and Acts 4.32-35, to be a community in communion we recognize our connection is by the love of Jesus, use our ability to bless others by the grace of Jesus, and make a commitment to follow the model of Jesus. During Holy Communion, we commemorate (remember what He has done), celebrate (r...

God wants us to live an authentic life, the uncompromising life without hypocrisy. Listen to Psalm 66.16-20 and Matthew 5.13-16. Remember, as believers, we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. God placed His light on the inside of us so that we might reflect His glory on the outside. Let your light shine!!!

Taken from Acts 4.23-31 with Isaiah 55.6-11 as a backdrop, Peter, John, and the Apostles went to the LORD in unity for purposeful prayer through persecution. They acknowledge the sovereign God. They assess the situation and told God all about it. They then asked the LORD for the boldness and courage to stay the course despite the persecution. When endeavoring to live a righteous life and follow Je...

If an egg can unite oil and water and produce mayonnaise, surely Jesus can bind us together into the Body of Christ with a spiritual cord of love that cannot be broken. He is the great Emulsifier. There is Unity in Christ! According to Psalm 133 and Luke 9.46-56 we are told to serve one another, embrace each other, and love others. This will help us achieve unity.

Physically, we are free. But systemic racism is found interwoven throughout the fabric of this country. Spiritually, the believer is free. But sin continues to run rampant like wild stallions. What are we to do? According to 1Cor 11.23-30 with Exo12.1-14 as a backdrop, we are to 1) develop and embrace a positive outlook, 2) live a righteous life, and 3) constantly examine ourselves.