Video Sermons by Archbishop Foley Beach

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A sharing of Christian video sermons delivered globally by Archbishop Foley Beach

Episodes

Friday Jan 05, 2024

The Struggle with Time -- Until I Determine How I Want to Use My Time, Others Will Determine How My Time Is Used

Friday Jan 05, 2024

The Struggle with Time -- Until I Determine How I Want to Use My Time, Others Will Determine How My Time Is Used

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

Life will never settle down until we chose to settle down in living our lives. Life is a choice more than we realize. We are given twenty-four hours in a day, and if God had wanted us to have thirty-six hours in our day, He would have given us a thirty-six-hour day. Therefore, if we don’t have enough clock in our day, we are doing some things we should not be doing. We can determine some of the time traps that keep us from serving the Lord and how we can address the traps to better serve ourselves and the Lord. Is the clock our dictator; do we allocate time to serve the Lord, our families, and our work? How do we delegate?

Life will never settle down until we choose to settle down; life is a choice. To manage our time as God would have us manage our lives: 1) Work is important and necessary, but working is not living; 2) Time is life first and then money; 3) More life productivity means more time; 4) How we use our time significantly effects our self-esteem, identity, and our fulfillment; and 5) We cannot control time, but we can control how we use time.

We must get control of the time issues in our lives. The simple formula for managing our time: Pray, Prioritize, and Plan. Managing our time better is a fundamental question as we end a year and begin a new year. We must learn to honor the Lord by "honoring our time".

TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

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): Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Ecclesiastes 9:11-17; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 6:2; Romans 8:18. (Click the blue below to read the full Bible text for these scripture references in BOLD.).

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Daniel’s Prayer Was “seeking him {God} by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting . . . ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God . . . we have sinned and done wrong’””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/

A WORDFROM THE LORD WEBSITE LINK: www.awordfromthelord.org

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Saturday Dec 23, 2023

A Christmas Message

Saturday Dec 23, 2023

A Christmas Message

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

The real meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ – the Messiah, who is the Savior of the World. Christians emphasize Christmas and Jesus’ birth because His birth: 1) fulfills many Biblical prophesies, especially n terms of the time and location of Jesus’ birth; 2) points the fact that Jesus was more than just a man; 3) and life saw Jesus claim the right to forgive sins; 4) led Jesus to call God His “Father”, which indicated that Jesus was God; 5) resulted in Jesus’ Resurrection, which validated Jesus’ claims and made Him different; and 6) was God, through Jesus’ birth, still trying to get our attention.

God, through His Grace and through the birth of Jesus, did for us what we could not do for ourselves – save ourselves from our sins and our death that would result from our sins. God, through the birth of Jesus -- the God-Man, entered into our earthly mess to save us because, after God’s Grace and Jesus’ birth, all our sin now resides on Jesus. God’s Grace through the birth of Jesus, demonstrates God’s love for us.

God wants us to know that Jesus was born for us out of His love for us. Therefore, we need to consider that God, the Creator of the Universe, entered the world, through the baby Jesus for us so that we might have a personal relationship with Him.

Have you yielded to God so that your mind’s consideration of God’s Grace, love, and Jesus’ birth can move from your mind into a commitment of both your mind and your heart to your faith in Jesus as your Savior and into God’s service? Until we yield to God’s lordship over our lives, we are saying to God that “we don’t need your love”.

Is Jesus your Lord and, therefore, your Savior? God has given you the greatest Christmas gift that you will ever receive. Have you accepted His Gift and opened His gift into your life? If not, then why not? With your hands open, you can accept God’s Christmas gift by saying: “I am sorry; thank you; and please”.

TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Luke 2:9-11; Matthew 1:21; Isaiah 53:4-6; Colossians 1:15-19; Hebrews 1-3; John 1:4; John10:30; John 14:8-11; John 3:16-17. (Click the blue below to read the full Bible text for these scripture references in BOLD.).

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Do You Struggle with Your “Prayer Life”? Find a Quiet Place for Your Personal Relationship with God and Pray to the Universe’s Creator”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/

A WORDFROM THE LORD WEBSITE LINK: www.awordfromthelord.org

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Friday Dec 22, 2023

A Christmas Message – What God Has Done For Us

Friday Dec 22, 2023

A Christmas Message – What God Has Done For Us

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

The people in and around Jesus’ birth were just ordinary people like us. In our celebration of Jesus’ birth on this Christmas, we celebrate the event that transformed world history and many of our lives. The birth of Jesus was a supernatural birth and was God’s intervention into the Universe’s natural order. This birth was foretold hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth, and these prophesies were written and recorded, for us, in the Bible. Jesus’ birth was the birth, of a child, that did for the human race what the human race could not do for itself. Jesus was born for all people.

This baby, Jesus, was born to be a Savior for all humankind. The birth of Jesus was the birth of God as both human and divine – the Incarnation, as the Angels told the Shepherds on the first Christmas Eve in Luke 2:9-11: “And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’".

In Isaiah 53:4-6, Jesus, birth, death, and Resurrection, as our means for our Salvation, were foretold more than five-hundred years before Jesus birth: “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.".

God, through His Grace, gave of Himself what we could not do for ourselves, thereby, providing, through the birth of Jesus, us with the means for our Salvation from our sins and for our Eternal Life. This Gift of and by God is what Christmas and Christianity are all about.

Is Jesus your Savior? God has given you the greatest Christmas gift that you will ever receive. Have you accepted His Gift and opened His gift into your life? If not, then why not? With your hands open, you can accept God’s Christmas gift by saying: “I am sorry; thank you; and please”.

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).

A WORDFROM THE LORD WEBSITE LINK: www.awordfromthelord.org

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “The Old Testament Law of “an eye for an eye” Was Reversed by Jesus in His “Great Commandment” in which Jesus Followers Are “to Love””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Saturday Dec 09, 2023

Why We Do Christmas

Saturday Dec 09, 2023

Why We Do Christmas

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

Introduction: We are still in the season of Advent, which means “coming” or “arrival”. The Church begins this season of “arrival” or Advent as the time we recognize and celebrate the “arrival” of Jesus – both Jesus’ “first coming” and His “second coming”. We celebrate Jesus’ “first coming” on Christmas Eve. The season of Advent is, also, a season of hope; and Advent is the beginning of our Church’s “New Year”.

Message: What does Christmas mean to you? “Could we be missing the point of what Christmas is all about”? Irrespective of all the personal, social and cultural noise we encounter around the Christmas season, we must not lose sight of the fact that Christmas is all and only about Jesus. At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of the most important person that ever lived – the God and man Jesus.

Is this birth and life of the Incarnate and unique Son of God, as both the Creator of the Universe and the Savior of humankind, true? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” because Jesus birth and life are based upon historical evidence. Also, the birth of Jesus is God coming among us in a desire to have a personal relationship with us and with all people. If God is so desirous of a personal relationship with us, why did God go to so much trouble to bring Jesus to us? Because, every time we sin, we are building a barrier between us and God – God is Holy, and He cannot relate to sin. Therefore, God’s Grace provided Jesus as both the means of our Salvation and as an intermediary (i.e. Jesus is both God and a human without sin) from which we can have God’s desired personal relationship with us. However, when Jesus died on the cross, He took on all sin and became the required and once offered sacrificial payment for all sin. Jesus birth, life, death and Resurrection became the doorway for our personal relationship with God. As Jesus tells us in Mark 10:45: “For even the Son of Man {Jesus}came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”. “God loves us because of who God is.”

Why do so few of us accept God’s offered gift of Salvation through His Grace? When those not yet believing look at the lives of those of us that believe, they, often, they see us living by the fruit of the flesh rather than by the fruit of the Spirit – our hypocrisy. Also, God’s offer is rejected because He may require us to give up some sin that we enjoy. Additionally, some believe that the cost of becoming a Christian is too great; however, the cost of not becoming a Christian is far greater than the cost of becoming a Christian and accepting God’s offer. Many refuse God’s gift because they believe that they are not worthy or good enough for God and His gift. They are correct; none of us are worthy of God’s gift, but that is the point – Jesus’ birth, life, death and Resurrection provide us with the means a path to be worthy of God’s gift.

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): Mark 10:45; John 15:13; John 3:16-17; Galatians 5:18-25. (Click the blue below to read the full Bible text for these scripture references in BOLD.).

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE LINK: www.awordfromthelord.org.

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Should Fear, Respect, and Praise God’s Power, Sovereignty, and Holiness; but in Life’s Trials They Should “fear not for I {Jesus} am with you always””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Thursday Dec 07, 2023

A Day Is Coming – Part 2

Thursday Dec 07, 2023

A Day Is Coming – Part 2

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

We are in the season of Advent, which means “coming” or “arrival”. The Church begins this season of “arrival” or Advent as the time we recognize and celebrate the “arrival” of Jesus – both Jesus’ “first coming” and His “second coming”. We celebrate Jesus’ “first coming” on Christmas Eve. The season of Advent is, also, a season of hope; and Advent is the beginning of our Church’s “New Year”.

In the book of Isaiah, Isaiah 24 through Isaiah 26 presents prophesies regarding the future about 600 years before the birth of Jesus. More specifically, Isaiah 24:1-13 describes the destruction of the world resulting from the sinful acts of God’s people. However, Isaiah 24:14-16 describes a period of joy and hope in the world. As in the time of Isaiah, we should not give credence to the prophesies, by fellow humans today, of the world’s destruction and/or a specific date for Jesus’ ”second coming” {arrival}. Jesus told us both not to be “anxious” about those things that we cannot control and that “no one knows the day and the hour” of His return (i. e. Jesus “second coming”). Rather, in this season of Advent, we recognize the hope brought to the world by God’s grace and His gift of Jesus.

Our hope is built upon Jesus’ birth, death on the cross, and His Resurrection all providing us with the means for our Redemption, Salvation, and our Eternal Life. However, there will be a day when Jesus returns again to earth (i. e. Jesus’ “second coming”) on a day that cannot be predicted by humans. Jesus’ “second coming” will establish His Kingdom and a new Heaven. Therefore, even though we do not know the when of Jesus’ “second coming” we haves God’s promise of the what Jesus’ “second coming” will mean. We need not fear the “second coming”.

The “second coming” is a promise by God and should lead us, in this season of Advent, to renew our preparation in hope and not fear and anxiety. We have God’s promise that nothing can separate us from His love, as the Apostle John tells us in 1 John 4:16-19: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us." We do not want to get so wrapped up in the details of Jesus’ “second coming” so that, like the First Century Jews, we miss Jesus.

One certainty, in Jesus’ “second coming”, is our “Judgement”. Jesus’ “second coming” will “arrive”, but we have nothing to fear if we are ready. We are “ready” by living lives of Faithfulness to the Gospel and through Repentance. Is there something in your life with which you have not dealt with in Repentance? If so, you are not “ready”. We must be willing to follow Jesus and to respond to those things He asks of us.

The Apostle John tell us in Revelation 22:20-21: “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The Grace of Lord Jesus be with all. Amen”. Do you want to be ready for Jesus’ “second coming”? If so, are you ready

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Isaiah 24:1-16; Romans 8:38-39; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:12-19; 1 John 4:16-19; Revelation 20:4; Matthew 25:31-32; Johnb5:24; 1 Corinthians 11:28-32; Romans 11:25-27; Luke 1:31-33; Hebrews 1:8; Hebrews 10:37-39; Revelation 22:20-21. (Click the blue below to read the full Bible text for these scripture references in BOLD.).

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE LINK: www.awordfromthelord.org

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “At Jesus’ Crucifixion and Death, the “Temple Veil” Was Torn; After Jesus Easter Resurrection, You Now Pray Directly with God”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Thursday Nov 30, 2023

A Day Is Coming – Part 1

Thursday Nov 30, 2023

A Day Is Coming – Part 1

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

We are entering the season of Advent, which means “coming” or “arrival”. The Church begins this season of “arrival” or Advent as the time we recognize and celebrate the “arrival” of Jesus – both Jesus’ “first coming” and His “second coming”. We celebrate Jesus’ “first coming” on Christmas Eve. The season of Advent is, also, the beginning of the Church’s “New Year”.

Today, we begin our focus for Advent on Jesus “second coming” as promised by the Jesus in Luke 21:27-28: “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”. Jesus realized that his first “arrival” on Earth was to sacrifice and to fulfil the Old Testament prophesies. Jesus knew, also, that His “first arrival” would provide a means that, through His sacrifice and Resurrection, could give all humans a personal relationship with God. However, Jesus knew that, after His sacrifice in His “first coming” into the World, that He would return to the World – Jesus’ “second coming”.

Jesus’ “arrival”, in His “second coming”, is described, in the Bible text, that 1) Jesus is coming as the Son of Man – a term Jesus used to refer to Himself, from God’s perspective; 2) Jesus is coming in a cloud; 3) Jesus’ coming is preceded with certain signs in the Universe – all the “signs”, described in the Scripture, have already happened; and 4) the time of His coming being will be “soon” but “unknown”. As we are told in James 5:7-8, Jesus is coming again: “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.". The Bible, clearly, teaches that Jesus is coming into the World again – the “second coming”.

What do we need to do given the certainty of Jesus’ “second coming”? In Luke 21:34-36, Jesus answers this important question regarding our preparation for His “second coming”: “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”. Be reminded that the “cares” and “anxieties” of our lives can trap us from being ready for Jesus’ “second coming”.

TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Mark 13:32; Luke 21:27-28; Matthew 16:27; Daniel 7:13-14; Luke 21:25; Luke 21:8-10; Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; Mark 13:32; John 14:3; Acts 1:9; 1 John 2:28; 1 Thessalonians 3:2; Hebrews 9:28; James 5:7-8; 2 Peter 3:10; Luke 21:34-36. (Click the blue below to read the full Bible text for these scripture references in BOLD.).

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “When Jesus Asked You: “Whom do you say that I am?”, Did You Answer Jesus: “You are my God and the Lord of my Life!”?”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/

A WORDFROM THE LORD WEBSITE LINK: www.awordfromthelord.org

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Saturday Nov 25, 2023

Turkeys and Eagles – Part 6: We Don’t Need to Be Wimpy Christians

Saturday Nov 25, 2023

Turkeys and Eagles – Part 6: We Don’t Need to Be Wimpy Christians

MESSAGE SUMMARY: Series Overview: This Series has been looking at Paul’s letter to the Ephesians to point out “Turkeyisms” – things by which have duped us into believing or behaving in ways which aren’t what Christianity is all about. This Series has pointed out some changes in our thinking needed so that we can be like “Eagles” -- o be the people that God wants and intended for us to be. This Sermon will focus on Ephesians 6.

Sermon: Turkey Thinking: “There is no real devil; the devil is just a concept to explain evil.” (The devil’s best trick is to get us to believe there is no devil.); Eagle Thinking: “The devil and his cohorts never sleep.” Ephesians 6:10 – “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”. How does one know if they are being tempted by the enemy? We know we are being tempted by the enemy when we are influenced to do something against Jesus -- the enemy wants to make us a weak Christian. However, we can’t blame the temptations of our flesh on the devil. We need to always be clothed in the full armor of God to be full-time soldiers of Jesus against the devil.

Turkey Thinking: “There is no spiritual warfare; Christianity is love, joy, and peace. Christianity is not about war.”; Eagle Thinking: “If I am serving the Lord, then I am always engaged in a spiritual battle.”. In this battle, we are not battling our fellow humans. One of the enemy’s best strategies is to get us fighting each other, especially in the church. The devil wants us to divide and conquer. We must put on the full armor of God so that we can stand firm against the devil. The “full armor” means we are to both seek and speak God’s truth while establishing a relationship with God. We are to live a righteous life in the full awareness that God has forgiven us. In standing firm and with our relationship with God, we are to share the Gospel. We are to “take up the shield of faith” by trusting in God in our warfare with the devil.

The evil one wants us to doubt our Salvation from God’s Grace and our faith that ensure eternal life with Jesus. Finally, we are to “take up the sword of the Spirit” – the Word of God. In Ephesians 6, the sword is the only element, of God’s full armor, that is for both offense as well as defense. Paul then tells us “to pray in the Holy Spirit” – praying while fully focused on the Lord; prayer is the most powerful weapon we have in our fight against the devil. God wants us to be strong in Him” and not wimpy Christians in our warfare with the evil one.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 6:10-20; Matthew 13:19-21; 1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 4:12.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “For a Jesus Follower in Difficult Circumstances, God: “is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Monday Nov 13, 2023

Turkeys and Eagles, Part 5: Following Jesus Changes Everything in Our Families

Monday Nov 13, 2023

Turkeys and Eagles, Part 5: Following Jesus Changes Everything in Our Families

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

Series Overview: This Series has been looking at Paul’s letter to the Ephesians to point out “Turkeyisms” – those things of our culture and some worldviews by which we may have been duped into beliefs inconsistent with the Gospel of Jesus or behaving in a manner that is not what Christianity is all about. This Series has pointed out some changes in our thinking needed to be like “Eagles” so that we can be the people that God wants and expects us to be.

Today’s Sermon: A look into Ephesians 5 provides a perspective on many “Turkeyisms”; however, the focus today is just on one: Turkey Thinking – “My Christianity has no effect on my family relationships, but my upbringing does”; but Eagle Thinking – My Christianity places me in the Kingdom of God with a radically different view of family relationships”. Being in the Kingdom of God Changes everything for those that follow Jesus.

Marriage in America is having a rough time, and we can’t say that Christian marriage is different. Too many of us, who say that we follow Jesus today, don’t let Christianity follow us through the front door as we live our secular lives. In the First Century of the Ephesians, both Jewish and Greek laws greatly diminished the roles, respect for, and value of women. In the Roman world, of the same period, women and children were just passed around – women had many husbands. It was into this world of Judaism and Greco Roman culture that Jesus walked in; and we found Jesus respecting and honoring women. Jesus raised the status of women – Jesus brought a whole new way of thinking about family, marriage, children, and divorce into First Century culture that has provided an ethical context for two thousand years.

In the same period and culture, Paul came along; and he set up churches. He wrote letters, which were written in the culture of this period, to the Christians in churches like the church in Ephesus. These early Christians were a part of the Kingdom of God – the blessed followers of Jesus – they were called to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to be imitators of Jesus. Therefore, followers of Jesus were to be vessels of His light to the world. Followers of Jesus were to be different from this culture of the period. By being different in their families, followers of Jesus would transform the culture (which, eventually, they did!!!).

From Ephesians 5:21, we are to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ”. “Submitting” is treating others like you wish to be treated. In Ephesians 5, Paul applies this principle of Christianity to the family (i.e. wives, husbands, and children) and to the workplace (i.e. employees). The Kingdom of God calls us to loving family relationships; therefore we, as followers of Jesus, are called to be different and not a part of the culture.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, 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): Ephesians 5:21-33, 6:1-4; John 4:25-28; Mark 10:6-10; Proverbs 31:10-31; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13.; Psalms 73a:1-14.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Are Given the Incredible Gift of the Holy Spirit - “your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way’””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Friday Nov 10, 2023

Turkeys and Eagles, Part 3: A Child of God’s Light

Friday Nov 10, 2023

Turkeys and Eagles, Part 3: A Child of God’s Light

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

Introduction – When God looks at us, our actions and the situations in our lives, God sees us as if we had never sinned – we are Justified through the blood of Jesus. While we are forgiven of our sins, we are instructed to confess our sins (1 John 1:9) because this “confession” is for us – it is so that we might be healed and renewed in the Holy Spirit. Also, this “confession” is for us to forgive as Christ forgives -- we are to unconditionally release those we believe have offended us just as Christ released us. Also, by our forgiving others, we are released. We were created to be like Jesus – to soar like the eagle and not to be “Turkeyized”!

Message – God has made us to be “Eagle Christians”, but so many times we are “Turkeyized”. Often, we have been taught things that are not in line with the Christian faith. In Proverbs 23:7: “As a man thinks within himself, so he is.”. As a Christian, our behavior follows our thinking. – If we think right, the presence of the Lord will be with us.

In Ephesians 5:1-14, Paul explicitly defines for us how we are to be “imitators of God” as God’s beloved children (i.e. God is our father). From Ephesians, we can differentiate between “Turkeyisms” vs. “Eagle Thinking “: 1) My circumstances are such there is no way God could be honored in my life Vs. God gives me the ability to represent Him in my life and the world; 2) Sex is dirty and is not appropriate for Christians Vs. Sex is a gift from God, and it is beautiful within the context of marriage; and 3) My life doesn’t make much of a difference Vs. I am a vessel of God’s light – when we are not living for Jesus as our Lord, we are living in darkness. We, as followers of Jesus, are the light of the world – we need to live as we were created to be; and then we will be blessed and soar like eagles.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, 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): Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:1-14; Proverbs 23:7; Philippians 4:8; 1 Corinthians 6:9; John 8:12; Psalms 70a:1-12.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Are the Enemy’s {devil’s} Target to Mess You Up and To Destroy Your Relationship with God”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

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Monday Oct 30, 2023

Turkeys and Eagles, Part 2: Created to Be Like God

Monday Oct 30, 2023

Turkeys and Eagles, Part 2: Created to Be Like God

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

Introduction – In Part 1 of this series, “Called as an ‘Eagle’ But Saved as a ‘Turkey’” we learned, from the story about “Bubba the Eagle” and from relating this story to Ephesians 4, that many of us Christians have been “Turkeyized”. We learned that, rather than practicing New Testament Christianity, we have been practicing, in too many places, “Churchianity”. Now, we are looking at Paul’s letter to the Ephesians to help break us out of this “Churchianity”. Rather than soaring with the eagles, too many of us are gobbling with the turkeys.

Message – In this teaching today, we will look at “Created to Be Like God”. We live in a world that has many people with no desire to soar, and they will never reach the heights that God intended for us. Too many Christians are grounded because we have not been taught how to soar like an eagle. Now, “turkey thinking” posits that “living as a Christian is no different than living like everyone else”. However, “eagle thinking” posits that “as a Christian, I think different from everyone else” In Ephesians 4:17-18, “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.”. Analogous for us today, we can substitute “nonbeliever” for “Gentile” in this passage. The key to how we live is how we think. This behavior is, also, illustrated in Romans 1:21 where Paul describes where he cannot tell if a group is really Christian because their thinking is so messed up.

“Turkey thinking” says “I am a sinner always in need”, but “eagle thinking” says “I am created to be like God”. When becoming a follower of Jesus, we become a new creation, and the Spirit of God indwells us; therefore, God is in our lives as we live our lives. In this context, “turkey thinking” would say “I’m just a sinner and I’m stuck”; but “eagle thinking” says “I’m created in the image of God”. We should be different from those nonbelievers living in today’s culture because we have Jesus living in us. However, many of us have been “Turkeyized”; but with Jesus in our lives, we can soar with the Eagles!

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): Ephesians 4:17-32; Romans 1:21-23; Genesis 2:5; Colossians 1:15-20; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Psalms 67:1-7.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Letting God Be Lord Over Your Finances, which Are His but He Entrusted to You, Will Liberate Your Life!”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/

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