Atlantic Gospel Hour

During the Jerusalem Council recorded in Acts 15, the early church affirmed that salvation did not depend upon adherence to the Mosaic Law, but solely upon accepting, by faith, the grace shown to all through the atoning work of Christ on the cross.  Anything else only served to add burden to believers.
Following this Council, Paul set out to revisit the churches established during his first missionary journey in order to encourage and strengthen these churches.  He also planned to enter into Asia to bring the Good News of this Gospel message to more people.
It is here, in Acts 16, where Paul first encounters Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who believed the Gospel, and a Greek man.  A young man of high character, Paul brought Timothy along on the journey; finding in him a kindred spirit for the work of the Gospel.  But despite Paul's intentions, the Holy Spirit had other plans, closing doors to bring Paul into the European continent.
In today's passage, we see the importance of close bonds with those of like faith, of passing down the Gospel to future generations and the wisdom in setting aside our own preferences and liberties for the sake of the Gospel.  We learn that God is the ultimate missions director, closing doors we sought to open while opening doors we may have never considered.  And finally, we learn that it is God who changes the heart.  And while our words are not what brings salvation, the Holy Spirit honors us with using us to reach the lost.
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  May you be encouraged and blessed through the teaching of God's Holy Word.

As Paul closes out his first letter to the church in Thessalonica, he does so by encouraging to live lives in light of the Gospel and in the hope of the soon return of the Lord Jesus.  This hope is the certain expectation based upon the faithfulness of who God is and what He has done for us in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Join us for today's lesson as we explore living life in light of the Gospel, drawing four lessons from today's passage.
The Corporate Life of the Believer
The Individual Life of the Believer
The Dynamic Life of the Believer
The Power to live the Life of a Believer
Thank you for listening to today's message.  May the Word of God richly bless you.

Today's lesson is the second and last lesson on Romans 8:28-30, sometimes referred to as the Golden Chain of Redemption with each of its five links holding us to Jesus Christ.  
In the first part of this series, we considered the first two links of this Golden Chain:
Foreknown
Predestined
That is, that those whom He foreknew he has predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.
In part two, we consider the remaining three links:
Called
Justified
Glorified
This "Golden Chain of Redemption" encourages us with the truth that our salvation is not dependent upon us, nor is our security dependent upon us.  Rather, it is God who is the One who save and ensures that our salvation is brought to its full completion.
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  May you be richly blessed as we consider God's intimate knowledge of us, His creation and His purpose to conform the believer in Jesus into the image of His Son.

When we look at the Bible as a whole, we can think of it as a great symphony of a rescue story, of how God saved a people to Himself.  All of the Bible is about who God is, what He has done and what He is going to do.  This rescue story is a story of which we are a part.  But we must also remember that we are not the center of this story; rather we are the ones requiring rescue.
Today's passage has been referred to as the Golden Chain of Redemption, with each of its links holding us to Christ.  It is the central theme of the rescue story of Scripture and fixes our gaze upon the subject of this story...God the Father working through God, the Son, Jesus Christ.
In part one, we will consider the first two of the five "links" which make up this Golden Chain:
Foreknew
Predestined
Called
Justified
Glorified
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  May you be richly blessed as we consider God's intimate knowledge of us, His creation and His purpose to conform the believer in Jesus into the image of His Son.

Immediately following His baptism by John, the Gospels record that the Spirit led, or better drove, Jesus into the wilderness for forty days.  We know little of that time other than he fasted those many days alone; a time which echoes the forty years Israel spent in the wilderness following their exodus from Egypt.  In a sense, Jesus fulfilled in the wilderness what Israel could not.
It was at the end of these forty days that the Devil came to Jesus in order to tempt Jesus.  At each of these temptations, Jesus' response was the Word of God, "It is written..."  In the end, Satan failed in his attempt to keep Jesus from going to the cross.  It was this temptation which led the writer of Hebrews to conclude, "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all thing as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15 NASB)
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  May you be blessed and encouraged by our Great High Priest who is solely qualified to take our place in judgment.

Those of us who have been on a flight through a storm know the anxiety this produces.  The turbulent, bumpy ride of this sort would make anyone nervous.  But then, as the pilot flies the plane above the storm we find peace.  The sun, previously hidden from the storm, still shines brightly and beautifully above the storm.  It can be like that for us in turmoil when all we see is the storm...but the sun is still there even when we cannot see it.
This is also true for us spiritually.  We had no hope, but what we find is that the Son has always been there, so that now, through the obedience of the One, many will be made righteous.  Jesus made the way for us to be reconciled to God.  Now, if we will receive that gift, we have a glorious and abundant future in heaven awaiting us; a place, as it were, above the clouds of this earth and all the trials and temptations that bring us so much turmoil.
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  May you be blessed through the teaching of God's Holy Word.

When we read about the heroes of Scripture we do not see heroes larger than life who can do no wrong.  Instead, we see people like us used mightily by God to do extraordinary things.  But what Scripture does not do is gloss over the imperfections of its heroes.  Instead, we see imperfect characters, warts and all.  Life is messy and we as human beings are messy people.  Scripture shows that God's people are still messy people and that there are still fights and differences between us.
Paul and Barnabas were close companions who took the Gospel beyond the region of Palestine into Asia Minor, planting many churches.  When the issue of the role of circumcision in salvation, Paul and Barnabas confronted this false teaching together.  But when Paul approached Barnabas about a second missionary journey, a great difference arose between these two close friends regarding the inclusion of John Mark in the journey.  In the end, this disagreement proved irreconcilable, and the two parted ways.
We will see from today's lesson that God works even in these circumstances.  We also see the importance of discipleship in Christian ministry; it's not just about winning converts to the faith.
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  May you be blessed and encouraged through the teaching of God's Holy Word.

Psalm 73:1, "Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart."  As Asaph wrote Psalm 73, he opened reminding himself of God's promises to Israel.  But, as he looked around, he saw something which seemed to contradict God's certain promises; for it appeared the wicked prospered rather than the righteous.  This observation nearly caused this man, a worship leader within the church, to stumble; that is until he entered the Sanctuary of God.
Upon entering the God's Sanctuary, he sees first who God is.  And perceiving God's person, he then understands the ultimate end of the wicked.
Just like Asaph, we may be tempted to look around and wonder, why do I keep working so hard to please the Lord?  What good does it do when the wicked have it better than me?  May today's lesson be a comfort and encouragement to us as we consider the person and character of God.
Thank you for listening.

Following the spread of the Gospel in Jerusalem and Judea, we read in Acts how the Gospel came to the Samaritans through Philip.  This follows the Lord's instructions to His disciples in Acts 1, to take the Gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the world.  Therefore, following the introduction of the Gospel into Samaria, an angel of the Lord instructs Philip to a desert road from Jerusalem to Gaza.
As Philip obey's the Lord's guidance, he has a "chance" encounter with an Ethiopian eunuch in which Philip finds him deep in the study of Isaiah 53.  Invited into the chariot, "Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him."
From this passage, we learn three important truths:
There are no chance meetings
The importance of preaching Christ from Scripture
The right response to what Christ has done
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  May God richly bless you and encourage you in the work of the Gospel from His Holy Word.

One of the themes throughout Paul's first letter to the church in Thessalonica is the imminent return of Jesus Christ.  As he continues this letter, he takes time to answer some concerns of the believers there.  Of great concern was the fate of loved ones in Christ who had died.  When Jesus returns, which they fervently believed would be at any time, what will happen to those who have died?  Will they share in the blessings of eternal life with Jesus?
Paul's answer to this question was likely a great comfort to the believers there, just as it is a great comfort to believers today.  There is good reason why this passage, particularly 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 is often read at funerals, because if we are honest with ourselves, we are concerned about the fate of our loved ones in Christ who have passed.
As we study this passage, we will focus on three main points:
The Certain Hope for the believer 
The Certain Judgment for the world
The Certain Foundation of the believer
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  We pray you are blessed through the teaching of God's Holy Word.