Atlantic Gospel Chapel Messages

In today's message, we continue through the Atlantic Gospel Chapel Statement of Faith.  "We Believe – there is one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14."  Today we examine the doctrine of the Trinity and consider the implications for the believer today.
Thank you for listening to today's message.  May you be blessed through the teaching of God's Holy Word.
We invite you to examine our Statement of Faith by visiting our website at https://atlanticgospelchapel.com/statement-of-faith/.

We continue our look into the first article of the Atlantic Gospel Chapel Statement of Faith.  Here we take a further look into the Bible itself to gain a deeper understanding into how we received the Bible in its current form.  How was it determined which books were the Word of God and which were not.
We invite you to read our Statement of Faith in its entirety at https://atlanticgospelchapel.com/statement-of-faith/.
Thank you for listening to this lesson.  May you be blessed through the teaching of God's Holy Word.

In today's lesson, we begin a series on the Atlantic Gospel Chapel Statement of Faith.  Each week, a member of the leadership team will expound upon each of the articles in our Statement of Faith.
Today, we examine the first article, We Believe – the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God; without error in the original writings; the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men; and the Divine and final authority for all Christian faith and life. 2 Timothy 3:16,17.
You can read our Statement of Faith in its entirety at https://atlanticgospelchapel.com/statement-of-faith/.
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  May you be blessed through the teaching of God's Holy Word.

A recent video posted online asked the question, "Why do we celebrate Christmas?"  Then answers seem to reflect the modern, American culture as regards the Christmas season.  We celebrate because there are presents.  We celebrate time with family and friends.  But only one of the responses shown indicated a Biblical understanding of Christmas as the time we remember and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
But what does this truly mean?  As believers, do we really dig into the depths around the wonder and glory and truth of Christmas?  As one put it, "Jesus had the birthday but we got the gift."  In today's lesson, preached on Christmas morning, 2022, the Atlantic Gospel Chapel leadership team examines four aspects of the Incarnation:
The Pre-Incarnate Christ
The Old Testament prophecies which foretold the birth of Jesus
The Event of the birth of Jesus
What this all means for us
Thank you for listening to this special message.  May you be blessed as, together, we consider the awe and wonder of Immanuel, God with us.

As we continue in Acts 17, we find Paul in Athens addressing the men of the Areopagus to answer questions aroused by his preaching in the market place.  And just as we are today, we find that the people of Athens in Paul's day were very religious by nature.  But in our sin we worship things that are not God, who is the only One deserving of our worship.
As Paul presents his case before the council, he presents God as the creator of all things.  He presents God as the self-existent One who does not depend upon anyone or anything for His existence, but instead gives to all life, breath and all things.
Thank you for listening to today's message.  And as we consider the God who is, my you be blessed by the teaching of God's Holy Word.

As we enter into the Christmas season, our thoughts often go to all things Christmas.  The trees and decorations, the lights and presents.  Sunday School programs rehearse the Christmas story, and we return to passages such as Matthew 1, or Luke 2.  But what we don't often associate with Christmas is the story of creation.
When John opened his Gospel in John 1, he wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”  Later in John 1:14, he wrote, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us..."  The Second Person of the Trinity, the One who created the universe, became a man.  This is the story of Christmas.
So, as we look back to Genesis 1 at the story of creation, may we get a glimpse at eternal character and nature of God.  And may this cause us to stop and wonder, as David did, “When I see Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have established; What is man that You remember him, and the son of man that You care for him?” (Psalm 8:3-4 NASB)
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  May you be blessed as we consider who God is and what He has done for us through His Son.

In our modern world, the idea that life should be ordered on Scriptural principles is  often seen as a silly notion.  Belief in God is seen as quaint; but to believe that God's Word should play a part in public life is seen as dangerous.  And to insist on belief in the Bible is to de-legitimize other religious beliefs and is therefore a bigoted view.  The COEXIST bumper stickers, on which each letter is formed from a symbol representing a different major religion, is the mantra of the day.
When Paul entered Athens, we read in Acts 17:6, "his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols."  In other words, Paul ran right into a culture not that different than our own modern culture.  He observed a very religious culture with objects of worship abounding.  And to make sure their bases were covered, they even included an altar to an unknown god.  And when Paul began to speak to the crowds in the Athenian market place, he received the same response Christians receive today, "What would this idle babbler wish to say?"
As we look at Paul's response to the culture of his day, what lessons can we draw to help us respond to the culture of today?
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  May you be blessed through the teaching of God's Holy Word.

As a city in the ancient world, Corinth could be compared to Las Vegas of today.  A port city, and an important city within the Roman Empire, this city was a mecca of idolatry and moral corruption.  To find a church in this city was, in many ways, a miracle in itself.
Sadly, the church in Corinth was a church with many problems, not the least of which were the divisions which existed.  What lessons can we gain from this church and Paul's handling of the issues which plagued this local body of believers?
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  May you be blessed through the teaching of God's Holy Word.

Thanksgiving is something that should mark our whole life.  How often do we thank God for our existence or His many blessings in our lives?  Or how often do we thank God for our jobs or our fellow believers?  The list of things for which we should be thankful becomes a rather lengthy one.
In today's lesson, we conduct a survey of what Scripture has to say on the topic of giving thanks.
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  May you be blessed as we consider who God is and what He has done.  And may our hearts, minds, and lives pour out in giving thanks to God.

In his play, "The Crucible," Arthur Miller made this comment, "Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets."  It is easy for us to cast stones at many of the characters of Scripture.  And perhaps one of the characters attracting the most condemnation of believers is Lot, the nephew of Abraham.
Most of what we know about Lot comes from the account in Genesis, beginning in chapter 12, where we find Lot joining his uncle as Abram leaves his land following the Lord's call.  And from the Scofield notes, we would conclude that Lot ended his life in a completely back-slidden state.
But the most important things we know about Lot comes from 2 Peter 2:4-9, in which we read that Scripture counted Lot as a righteous man whose heart was tormented by the wickedness of Sodom where he dwelt.
As we consider the character of Lot, what applications can we make to the life of the believer today?  What encouragement, as well as warnings, can we draw from this man's life?
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  May you be blessed through the teaching of God's Holy Word.