Atlantic Gospel Chapel Messages

In 1982, Emmaus Bible College student, Steve Linscott, was convicted for the 1980 murder of his neighbor.  He came to light as a suspect when he provided details of a dream to authorities in which a young woman was violently murdered; details which paralleled the crime scene.  The problem, Steve Linscott was innocent.  Sentenced to 40 years, DNA evidence exonerated him ten years later.  During his time, he questioned God's purposes for allowing this to happen.  And while most of us are not likely to experience this same type of injustice, we are acutely aware of circumstances in our own lives which may cause us to question God's purposes.
As we return to our study in Acts, we catch up with Paul, who has spent two years imprisoned in Caesarea awaiting trial.  When he is finally given an audience with the new governor, Festus, he must defend himself against the false charges brought against him by the Jewish authorities.
As we examine our passage, we will see that Paul's two year imprisonment is not outside the purposes of God.  And if that is true for Paul, it is true for us as well.
Thank you for listening to today's teaching.  We pray you will be encouraged through the teaching of God's Holy Word.

While holidays are generally joyous occasions, for many they become times of sadness; a reminder of loved ones no longer with us.  This sadness can become more pronounced if loved ones pass around the holiday.  Aside from the loss of loved ones, many of us experience other forms of distress; from health issues, to financial troubles including loss of job, to relationship issues, etc.  In fact, someone once said, the moment you received Jesus Christ as your Savior, you had a target on your back.  Our enemy, Satan, delights in bringing suffering to God's people.
What hope is there for the believer?  What does Scripture say about these times of suffering?
In today's teaching, we examine one of the most comforting verses in Scripture, Romans 8:28, which reads, "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).
The questions we will consider as we meditate on this verse are:
What are all things?
How can we be certain these are working to our good?
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  We pray you will find encouragement and comfort through the teaching of God's Word.

As children we remember being excited about the first snow of the season.  The first snow meant winter was here, and with winter comes Christmas.  We also remember how time seemed to slow down as we anticipated the coming day.
Likewise, any mother knows the anticipation of bringing a child into the world.  And with this anticipation comes a season of suffering as she experiences the pains of child birth.  But when the child finally arrives, many speak of forgetting the pain once the child is in her arms.
In Romans 8:18-30, Paul writes, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us," (Romans 8:18, LSB).  He then begins to speak of groaning associated with the eager anticipation of the glory to be revealed in us.  We find this groaning coming from three sources:
Creation groans
We, ourselves, groan
The Holy Spirit groans
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  We pray you will be blessed and encouraged through the teaching of God's holy Word. 

As Paul opens his letter to the church in Colossae, he begins by offering praise and thanksgiving for this local body of believers.  He writes, "We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven..." (Colossians 1:3-5a, LSB).  Their faith and love for the saints flow from the hope laid up for them in heaven.
What does hope mean to the Christian?  Do we understand hope in the wishful sense, as in, "I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow"?  Or is there something deeper?
As we consider our passage today, we will discover that the hope of which the Scriptures speak is at the very core of our being as believers in Jesus Christ.
Thank you for listening to today's teaching.  We pray you will be blessed and encouraged through the teaching of God's Holy Word.

In January, 1973, a man in the Dominican Republic volunteered to be crucified as a sacrifice for world peace.  With a goal of remaining on the cross, his efforts were cut short due to an infection he developed in his right foot.  Following this event, one headline read, "Crucifixion for World Peace Falls Short."
Continuing our look at peace with God, we look again at Paul's letter to the church in Rome in Romans 5:1, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."  As we do so, we will consider three questions:
How is it that the sacrifice of Jesus truly gives us peace with God?
What are the blessings associated with peace with God?
How do we live in light of this peace with have with God?
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  We pray first, that you know peace with God.  Second, we pray you will be blessed through the teaching from God's Holy Word.

Scripture is clear that the natural state of mankind is at enmity with God.  Simply put, we are enemies.  And yet, Scripture also says that we can have peace with God.  How is this possible?
Can we have peace with God by living a good life, free from sin?  Can we have peace with God through church, either through our church affiliation, attendance or following the right ceremony?  Or can we have peace with God through obedience to all that he has commanded?
Join us as we examine Paul's answer to finding peace with God in Romans 5:1-2, and discover a peace that is not dependent upon our merits, but rather is dependent upon the merits of another, Jesus Christ.
We thank you for listening to today's lesson.  We pray you will be blessed through the teaching of God's Holy Word.

In 1 Samuel 15, the Lord instructs King Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites, "for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt." (1 Samuel 15:2 NKJV).  This included destroying all people and all livestock.  When Samuel joined Saul following the victory, the king boasted of his faithfulness to do all that the Lord had commanded.  But as Samuel approached the camp, he asked, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" (1 Samuel 15:14 NKJV).
Clearly Saul had not fully obeyed the Lord's command.  This begs the question, was Saul a believer?  Will Saul be in heaven?  This leads to an even greater question, can a person be a believer in Jesus Christ and yet disobey the Lord?
Join us for today's lesson as we examine this question.  We further examine the questions,
How does one become a Christian?
What role does obedience play in the life of a believer?
What impact does disobedience have on the believer?
What security is there for the believer?
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  We pray that as we examine these questions together that you will also be encouraged in your walk with the Lord, imperfect though it may be, because we have a sure and certain hope in Jesus Christ.

The message of the Gospel is like the check engine light on our car.  Many ignore it, but the consequences can be catastrophic.  The Gospel message calls us out for our sin.  To ignore the message of the Gospel has eternal consequences.  Through this message, the believer is called to be a peacemaker.  But this does not mean we compromise on the truth for the sake of peace.  For this reason, the world does not always respond to the Gospel message in a peaceable manner.
As we continue in our study of Acts, we find Paul appearing before the governor, Felix, to answer the charges brought by his accusers.  Among these is the charge that Paul, and the sect of which he is the ringleader, is a pest; literally a pestilence, a cancer which threatens to contaminate the nation with heresy and blasphemy.  They charge him with desecrating the temple, supposing that Paul brought a gentile into the temple.
In today's lesson we draw four lessons from Paul's responses to the charges and his accusers.
We don't need to worry about the charges against us.  Don't compromise the truth, but trust God.
We are only messengers; the message is from God.  And the message offends.
Recognize that God is working and act accordingly.
Be prepared to speak the Truth, even in difficult circumstances.
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  We pray you will be blessed through the teaching of God's Holy Word.

The modern world, if it considers God's existence, likes to emphasize God as love.  But it must be recognized that God's wrath and judgment are just a crucial.  And while we are in the day of grace, we must recognize that God still hates sin and that He does not, and will not, simply sweep sin under the rug.
In Lamentations, the prophet is forced to deal with God's wrath poured out on the nation of Judah, specifically as it applied to the fall of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonian empire.  And while we often view our circumstances from an emotional vantage point, like Jeremiah we need to take the theological view, God's view, on what is happening.  Like Jeremiah, our hope is in the steadfast love of the Lord; a love which never ceases.  But at the same time, we must come to terms with the fact that God's love is connected to discipline.  He always seeks our ultimate good, which includes repentance, restoration and a changed life.
We thank you for listening to today's lesson.  We pray that as we consider today's passage, we will be encouraged that we can trust and praise God in all circumstances.