Episodes
Saturday Jul 03, 2021
Saturday Jul 03, 2021
God Says: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I . . . will forgive their sin and heal their land."
MESSAGE SUMMARY: As we prepare to celebrate our nations independence today, Archbishop Beach confesses that: “I come this day with a heavy heart for our nation; for our people; for our children; for our grandchildren; and people of faith.”. Over the past months, we have seen an unprecedented removal of ethical, moral, and spiritual foundations. These foundations have allowed this country, in the past, to be blessed by God; to be civil; to be protected; and to be successful. John Adams, signor of the Declarations of Independence and second President of the US said: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It {the US Constitution} is wholly inadequate to the government of any other {people}.”.
St. Paul referenced this “moral and religious” point of John Adams, succinctly, in 1 Corinthians 9:21: “to those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.”. St. Paul referred, again, to the “Law of Christ” in Galatians 6:2,9-10a: “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ . . . And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone.”. Clearly, St. Paul’s “Law of Christ” was referencing Jesus’ admonition to us in John 15:12: “This is my commandment is that you love one another as I have loved you.”. “Doing good”, “love one another”, “Law of Christ” were the “moral and religious” concepts that John Adams, when he referred to the Constitution being made “only for moral and religious people”, believed that, in their absence, the Constitution would fail. Is America there yet?
In the times of Jeremiah, the nations of Israel and Judah were having their problems. The people were neglecting God; abandoning God’s commandments; and doing things God considered abominable – in summary, Jeremiah’s people had no fear of God. Given this situation, God says, in Jeremiah 5:29, “’Shall I not punish them for these things?’ declares the LORD, ‘and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?’”. Given these situations in Scripture as a comparative context, we are now, like in the times of Jeremiah, pushing God’s patience. Therefore, we cannot expect for things to continue to go well. God’s laws are meant for blessing and protecting us, and our actions now are mocking God. Again, we can refer to St. Paul and Galatians 6 when St. Paul instructs us, in Galatians 6:7, that God cannot be mocked: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”.
Great Britain declared that February 21, 1781 would be a day of prayer and fasting. On this day, the Anglican pastor John Newton, who wrote Amazing Grace, preached a sermon on Jeremiah 5:29. Several comments from Newton’s sermon enlighten us on God and the affairs of nations.
Since we have had a public covenant with God through Jesus’ Great Commandment, do you thank that God will not take notice of our public divorce from Him through our actions and the turning of our backs on Him?
God tells us, in 2 Chronicles 7:14, that “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.". Following God’s command for prayer when a nation has gone away from his blessings, Paul’s instructions to Timothy, in 1 Timothy 2:1-6, are valid for everybody today as we now live in what some, who are not Jesus Followers, are referring to these times in our country as a “post-Christian culture”: 1) we should remain diligent in our prayers, and our prayers should concern and consider everyone, including all those in authority (e.g., presidents, cabinet members, legislators, governors, mayors, judges); 2) our hearts should be concerned for everyone’s Salvation; and 3) our message (i.e. there is one mediator between God and mankind – Jesus the Christ) should concern everyone.
Nations come and go; civilizations come and go; and institutions come and go; but God and His Word abide forever. Therefore, we all should throw ourselves on the mercy of God because it is only by God’s mercy that His hand will be stayed. Remember, God’s justice is getting what we deserve, but God’s mercy is not getting what we deserve.
Are we praying? Are our churches houses of prayer, are we repenting for ourselves and our nation; and are we praying for a spiritual awakening in our nation and in the world, which will turn this nation and world back to God, before there is no more mercy?
As in Isaiah 6:8, “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me.’” – YOU CAN do something in the name of Jesus the Christ as He calls and leads you; and if not you then who?
TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, everything in me resists following you into the garden of Gethsemane to fall on my face to the ground before you. Grant me the courage to follow you all the way to the cross, whatever that might mean for my life. And then, by your grace, lead me to resurrection life and power. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 100). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11:13).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Jeremiah 5:11-31; Galatians 6:1-18; Matthew 11:21-24; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Timothy 2:1-6; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Isaiah 6:8; 1 Corinthians 9:21.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Have a Personal Relationship with the Creator of the Universe So Pray, Listen, and Be Patient for God’s Call”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL:https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Saturday Jun 26, 2021
Saturday Jun 26, 2021
Today’s World Is Fertile Ground for a Spiritual Awakening that Calls Jesus Followers to Obey and be “Strong and Courageous” – God Is with Us and In Us
MESSAGE SUMMARY: We have been equipped, as God told Jeremiah in Jeremiah 29:11-12, for God’s purposes in our lives: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.". In Joshua 1:9, God commands us to be strong and courageous because He is with us. Also, God gave Joshua truths that would confirm God’s support in His command of Joshua: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”.
Often the Lord has called or commanded us to do something in His service, but tough decisions for us arise for us when we are not fully committed to obey God; and we fall into disobedience. When we obey God’s commands, He steps into lives with support for us to achieve His command. Also, God instructed Joshua, in Joshua 1:6, to be “strong and courageous”: “Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.". We must be “strong and courageous” to do the will of God when we are called. Additionally, God commanded Joshua to be committed to the Word of God.
Courage is acting and speaking even though you are afraid. If you follow God’s call and seek His will to live and act in His Word, there is no reason to be overcome by fear because “your God is with you wherever you go”. After God’s grace through Jesus, God is in us through His gift to us of the Holy Spirit. You get strong by exercising the “muscles” of your faith and commitment to God’s will and His word – often pushing your “commitment to God” beyond levels you thought possible. Spiritual strength comes from having God with you and in you.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, grant me wisdom and prudence to see the larger picture, to wait, and to discern the seasons in my life with you. Forgive me for fighting the “deaths” you send into my life in order to plant something new. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 107). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Jeremiah 29:11-12; Joshua 1:9; Joshua 1:6; Joshua 1:7; James 1:22; Hebrews 10:23; Joshua 1:8: 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Matthew 28:16-20. Ephesians 6:10-12.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “To Be a Jesus Follower, You Must First Enter the Only Door to God’s Kingdom and that Door is Jesus – the Door to Eternal Life”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Thursday Jan 14, 2021
Thursday Jan 14, 2021
We Need to Create a Culture of Grace and Kindness in Our Country Today Which Gives Others the Benefit of the Doubt and Visibly Values Other People
MESSAGE SUMMARY: We need to create a Culture of Grace and Kindness in our families, our churches, our work, and in our country. What is a Culture of Grace and Kindness? This Culture of Grace and Kindness involves: 1) an atmosphere or environment in which there is no griping or complaining – no putting people down; 2) giving others the benefit of the doubt; 3) visibly valuing other people; and 4) being filled with the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
A Culture of Grace and Kindness flows from: 1) keeping Jesus Lord – as Jesus instructed us in Mark 12:29-30: “Jesus answered, ‘The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”; 2) loving your neighbor as yourself – as Jesus instructed us in Mark 12:31: “’The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.’”. 3) practicing the “Golden Rule” – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”; and 4) “having the attitude of the Canaanite Woman” – in Matthew 15:25-28, she exhibited humility without pride: “But she came and knelt before him, saying, ’Lord, help me.’ And he answered, ‘It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed instantly."
Too often in our families, work, and church, we forget, in the way we treat others, that we to are sinners and not perfect. Therefore, we exhibit a culture without grace and kindness. Without a Culture of Grace and Kindness, we miss many blessings from God. In Matthew 15:25-28, the “Canaanite Woman” received the blessing, in her faith and humility, from Jesus when “her daughter was healed instantly”.
Additionally, some are unhappy in their current “Christian walk”. Those who are unhappy in their Christian walk have forgotten that what Jesus wants from them is for them to “love Him”. The Lord, in Revelation 2:4, was telling the Church in Ephesus the three things that will enable us to get back to our love of Jesus: 1) remember – remember how we loved God when we first started walking with the Lord; 2) repent and return to the Lord – ask God to fill you with a sense of longing for Him; and 3) repeat the things we performed when our faith was on fire for God. Do not get away from doing those things that provided a direct link for you to have a personal relationship with God and made you, in your eyes and the eyes of others, a Follower of Jesus.
Is your life “ communicating”, through your works, actions, words, and deeds, the Culture of Grace and Kindness expected of a Follower of Jesus? If not, why not?
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Inconsistencies. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit’s fruit of Faithfulness. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Galatians 5:22; Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31; Matthew 15:21-28; Ephesians 4:29-32; Colossians 3:12-17; Revelation 2: 1-7.
THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Without Jesus In Our Lives and the Life of Our Country There Is No Person or Institution to “Face Our Difficult Circumstances” With Us", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “We All Need “Hope” in Today’s World of Fear, Doubt in Our Faith, and Feelings of “Hopelessness”; and God Is this “Hope””: www.AWFTL.org/watch
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Saturday Jul 18, 2020
Saturday Jul 18, 2020
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Be Strong & Courageous (Commencement -- Reformed Episcopal Seminary; Oreland, PA)
We have been equipped, as God told Jeremiah in Jeremiah 29:11-12, for God’s purposes in our lives: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.". In Joshua 1:9, God commands us to be strong and courageous because He is with us. Also, God gave Joshua truths that would confirm God’s support in His command of Joshua: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”.
Often the Lord has called or commanded us to do something in His service, but tough decisions for us arise for us when we are not fully committed to obey God; and we fall into disobedience. When we obey God’s commands, He steps into lives with support for us to achieve His command. Also, God instructed Joshua, in Joshua 1:6, to be “strong and courageous”: “Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.". We must be “strong and courageous” to do the will of God when we are called. Additionally, God commanded Joshua to be committed to the Word of God.
Courage is acting and speaking even though you are afraid. If you follow God’s call and seek His will to live and act in His Word, there is no reason to be overcome by fear because “your God is with you wherever you go”. After God’s grace through Jesus, God is in us through His gift to us of the Holy Spirit. You get strong by exercising the “muscles” of your faith and commitment to God’s will and His word – often pushing your “commitment to God” beyond levels you thought possible. Spiritual strength comes from having God with you and in you.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (John 1:12f).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Jeremiah 29:11-12; Joshua 1:9; Joshua 1:6; Joshua 1:7; James 1:22; Hebrews 10:23; Joshua 1:8: 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Matthew 28:16-20. Ephesians 6:10-12.
THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “America Will Not Survive as a Nation Unless the People of God Stand Up and Plead for Our Survival - Pray for America", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB