Atlantic Gospel Chapel Messages

Throughout Paul's letter, he has overflowed with praise for this young church.  He has been impressed by their faith in the face of persecution.  Despite their young status, this church already distinguished itself as an example of faith and love to the churches in Macedonia and Achaia, that is, Greece.
But now Paul moves on to so-called practical matters.  Answering questions as well as addressing issues within the church, Paul starts by noting their faithful walk with God, encouraging them to excel still more.  And Paul starts in an area which has the potential to deeply influence the church, both then and today; the area of sexual immorality.  This is a topic which affects us today, drawing away both young and old from a faithful walk with the Lord.
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  May the Lord bless you through the teaching His Holy Word.

For those with children, especially thinking of fathers, there is nothing sweeter to the ear than to hear your young child call to you, "Daddy!"  We remember the days when, after a long day of work, we walk into the door to excited exclamations, "Daddy's home!!" and often to the relief of a weary mother.  An ideal picture for us might be sitting at the breakfast table, coffee in hand, and have your child come in and say, "Good morning, Daddy!"
But as we get older, most of us stop calling our father, daddy; opting instead for the simple Dad, or Father.  Why is that?  And why do we not approach our heavenly Father in the same way, opening our prayers with, "Good morning, Daddy."  Many of us cannot imagine this, as it sounds too irreverent.  And certainly, we must approach the Lord with awe and reverence, recognizing His holiness and power.  But is there a place for this kind of intimate language, approaching our Heavenly Father as Daddy.
In the New Testament, various passages, for example, Romans 8:15, point to the fact that we have "received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father'".  Most of us recognize, "Abba" as being the Aramaic equivalent of "Daddy".  And what we find, in a survey of just a few New Testament passages, is that approaching God as Daddy:
Reminds us of how we can relate to God the Father
How God the Father relates to His Children
The position we have as His Children through Christ
Jesus' own position before His Father
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  May you be blessed through the teaching of God's Holy Word.

For those with children, especially thinking of fathers, there is nothing sweeter to the ear than to hear your young child call to you, "Daddy!"  We remember the days when, after a long day of work, we walk into the door to excited exclamations, "Daddy's home!!" and often to the relief of a weary mother.  An ideal picture for us might be sitting at the breakfast table, coffee in hand, and have your child come in and say, "Good morning, Daddy!"
But as we get older, most of us stop calling our father, daddy; opting instead for the simple Dad, or Father.  Why is that?  And why do we not approach our heavenly Father in the same way, opening our prayers with, "Good morning, Daddy."  Many of us cannot imagine this, as it sounds too irreverent.  And certainly, we must approach the Lord with awe and reverence, recognizing His holiness and power.  But is there a place for this kind of intimate language, approaching our Heavenly Father as Daddy.
In the New Testament, various passages, for example, Romans 8:15, point to the fact that we have "received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father'".  Most of us recognize, "Abba" as being the Aramaic equivalent of "Daddy".  And what we find, in a survey of just a few New Testament passages, is that approaching God as Daddy:
Reminds us of how we can relate to God the Father
How God the Father relates to His Children
The position we have as His Children through Christ
Jesus' own position before His Father
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  May you be blessed through the teaching of God's Holy Word.

Happy Easter and thank you for listening to today's lesson.
In today's lesson, the leadership of Atlantic Gospel Chapel share the pulpit to consider Easter considering four factors:
Who is Jesus?
Why does the life of Jesus matter?
Why did Jesus have to die?
What does the resurrection accomplish?
We pray you will be blessed through the teaching of God's Holy Word.

Most of us have experienced loss of one sort or another.  This includes the loss of money and possessions, the loss of position or job, or even the loss of friendships and the loss of loved ones.  For many, these times of loss, times of suffering, become a true struggle as we try to reconcile the concept of a loving God with the reality of suffering.
During these times, many questions arise.  If God is all powerful, all knowing and all loving, why does he not intervene to prevent suffering?  How can a loving God allow suffering to exist in the world?  Does God even care?
These are real questions which which we must wrestle.  Fortunately, Scripture has much to say regarding suffering.  As we consider the themes around the central verse of today's lesson, Romans 8:28, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (NASB), we find that God is indeed working through suffering to accomplish His purposes.  We find there is comfort in a sovereign God.  Further, there is great comfort in Jesus' promise to His disciples in Matthew 28:16-20, that all authority is given to Him and that He is present with us always, even to the end of the age.
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  May you be blessed through the teaching of God's Holy Word.

Many of us grew up on stories told in books and movies in which we imagined what it might be like to live in that world.  The world of George Lucas in a galaxy far, far away, where we imagine what it might be like to be a Jedi knight, or perhaps a smuggler.  Or perhaps it was the world of J.R.R. Tolkien, where we imagine ourselves in Middle Earth, joining the fellowship to destroy the one ring of power in the fires of Mount Doom.  Who would we be in these stories?  What would be our purpose?
While these are the things of fanciful imaginations, there is a story in which we have a part and a purpose.  This is God's story, set in the world He created, and we are its characters.  Today's lesson is the second part in our look at "Living in Light of the Risen Lord," in which we discover we are part of God's continuing story of the Gospel.  And we not only have a part to play, but also a purpose.
What is our purpose?  As the Lord met with His eleven remaining disciples in Galilee, He instructed them to go.  Go and make disciples of all nations.  But what does it mean to be a disciple?  And does this apply to us today?
Thank you for listening to today's message.  May you be blessed and encouraged through the teaching of God's Holy Word.

Most of us have lost loved ones.  These losses often have a lasting impact upon our own lives.  But suppose, for a moment, that one of those lost loved ones returned from the dead; what impact would that have on our lives.
The truth is, there is One who has died and rose again.  Jesus suffered the death of the cross, but rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.  So the question really is, what impact does that have on our lives.  How do we live knowing that Jesus has risen from the dead.  Fortunately, God has given us the answer.
Sometime in the 40 days between His resurrection and His ascension into heaven, Jesus called His disciples together in Galilee, where, as our passage notes, His disciples worshiped Him.  But it also notes that many had doubts; doubt in the midst of faith.  But again, the Lord provides the comfort.
In what is often referred to as, "The Great Commission," Jesus comforts his disciples, and us, through four "All" Statements:
All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit
Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you
And lo, I am with you always (literally, all the days), even to the end of the age.
Today's lesson looks at this first statement.  Jesus is the authority in all areas of life.  How does this truth comfort us, and how doe it impact how we live in light of the risen Lord?
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  May you be blessed through the teaching of God's Holy Word.

The old Sunday School song reminded us as children, "O be careful, little eyes what you see," and "O be careful, little ears what you hear," and again, "O be careful, little feet where you go."  The exhortation and implied question is, do the things to which we expose ourselves, together with our walk, align with what we claim is in our hearts?  Or has been said, do you walk the talk?
But the song also urges, "O be careful, little tongues what you say."  Scripture has much to say about our language.  And just like our walk, the question for the believer is, do you talk the talk?  This is not about speaking in a Christian lingo.  Rather, it is understanding, as Jesus instructed His disciples, "You are the salt of the earth."  Does our walk reflect our faith?  Does our talk reflect our faith?  These are important questions for the Christian.
In today's lesson, we look at several passages that speak to the importance of our language, as we live out our lives not only before men, but before a Holy and righteous God.
Thank you for listening to today's message.  May the Lord bless you through the teaching of His Holy Word.

Mankind shares a single destiny.  At some point, unless the Lord returns, every one of us will die.  Death is the just penalty of a Holy God for our sin (Genesis 2:61-17; Romans 6:23).  But while we all share a common destiny, we do not all share the same destination.  The truth of Scripture is that our existence does not end at death.  Rather, we will continue to exist in the presence of God in His glory, or we will exist separated from Him in Hell.
In today's lesson, we are introduced to two characters.  One simply known as "Rich man," the other is given a name, "Lazarus."  Both die, joined together in that single destiny.  But while the poor man is found after his death in the bosom of Abraham, that is heaven, the rich man finds himself in the agony of Hades; that is, Hell.
From our passage, we will draw five lessons:
All die and share the same destiny, but there are different destinations
The nature of Hell
The eternity of Hell
God's Word provides the means of escape from Hell
If we don't accept what God says in the Scriptures, we won't listen to anything else.
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  May you be blessed and encouraged through the teaching of God's Word.

False religions tend to have one thing in common, they will elevate the teaching and traditions of men to the same level of Scripture.  In today's lesson, the Pharisees take on Jesus for the fact that His disciples eat without washing their hands.
This is not an issue of cleanliness for the Pharisees; they are not concerned that they are eating with dirty hands.  Rather, the concern of the Pharisees is spiritual defilement, equating external cleansing with spiritual purity.  Taking the purity laws, the religious leaders expanded them with their traditions, treating them as if Moses himself had handed them down.  Promoting themselves as the protectors and teachers of God's Law, the Pharisees instead prohibit the people from following the true Law of God.
Following a scathing rebuke which drew upon Isaiah, Jesus condemns the practices of the Pharisees, reminding them, along with His disciples, that defilement does not come from the outside in.  Nothing we take in can defile us.  Rather, defilement is a matter of the heart; coming from within.  The heart of the matter, then, is the human heart, which is filled with evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murder, adulteries, etc.
If the problem is our heart, is there a solution?  Is there any hope for us?
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  May you be blessed through the teaching of God's Holy Word and learn the hope for the defiled heart.