Author: thesingerschapel

There are two very significant testimonies of praise in the Bible that I return to often.    One would be Hannah’s prayer of praise in I Samuel at the birth of a son given by the grace of God.  And then, there was a virgin girl from Judaea who was the personification of ancient prophecy concerning the Messiah.  The one who would be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, The Everlasting Father.  She, Mary, had the literal, physical presence of God inside her as no one ever had.  If I can write without waking the neighbors with an occasional shoutin’ spell, let’s talk about that…

Turn to the Gospel of Luke chapter 1 and begin reading at verse 46.  When Mary entered the home of her cousin Elizabeth, the forerunner inside her LEAPED for Joy at the entrance of the soon to be born Lord.  Elizabeth’s glorification of what was happening in Mary’s life led the mother of the Savior to lift her voice in testimony of praise, the Magnificat.  What does her praise teach those of us who have the presence of the Lord dwelling in us in this age?

Mary magnified the Lord and rejoiced in the Savior with High Praise.  She fully realized how the God of Heaven had regarded the “low estate” of a handmaiden.  Her Humility was the cornerstone of such a testimony.  The only reason we know her name is because the Savior was in her. Then, notice Mary had a Henceforth!  She might have been a nobody in an obscure place that no one would have ever expected, but when the Lord came into her life, none of her past mattered.  Henceforth, it was all about a blessed future.  Henceforth, All generations would call her blessed. I do not know what your past is but if the Lord is in you, then you can have a Henceforth!  Can I get an AMEN!

Mary declared all the things the Lord Hath Done.  She saw the great things.  I think it is a  great thing to be able to get out of bed, get dressed, go to work, breathe, see, hear, taste, feel, think, eat, drink, love, speak and listen.  The Mighty one (v49) had shown her mercy (v50).  The Holy one had shown strength with his arm.  He scattered the proud, and put down the mighty.  He had exalted them of low degree, filled the hungry and helped his servants.  GREAT THINGS HE HATH DONE!!

What an example for all of us.  With the prospects of another common Christmas in America, I hope that we can tap into the testimony of a virgin girl who helped to change the world by simply being who the Lord needed her to be.  She was able to experience the Holy through humility.  Because of His Mercy she could Magnify the Mighty.  We only know her because of Him.  All of that is the very same for all of us.

The kids have surely forgotten all that came in wrapping paper and bows last year as they knelt around the Christmas tree, but, as we kneel beneath the tree on which He died, may we not forget the magnificent Savior that came wrapped in swaddling clothes with shepherds bowing to the new born King who changed all of our lives.

God Bless You!

BroAdamB

 

Good Sunday morning friends.  What an exciting time to be alive.  Sure, we know America has no hope of rebounding morally outside of repentance and revival, which seems unlikely.  Of course, we must keep in mind that the Bible was not written in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, New York or especially Hollywood.  It was written in a Holy Land, and that Word of God points to one place in a tiny strip of land on the shores of the Mediterranean.  It is a Holy place, a Holy land, a Promised land.  This week a major leap took place leading toward fulfilling the prophecies of the last days before the Rapture, Tribulation, and return of Jesus Christ in power and glory as conquering King, the Lion of the tribe of Judah.  God used a leader this week who some can rightfully say is unrighteous and questionable in personal practice, to make the declaration that Jerusalem is the rightful capital of Israel.  How does that happen?  Let’s talk about that…

As we have shared in recent posts, my personal studies have been in Ezra lately.  There was a return to Jerusalem from the land of bondage by the Israelites.  There were a line of Kings of Syria in that process who were moved somehow to support the effort and others who hindered the work.  In chapter 7 of Ezra we read of a pagan king named Artaxerxes who made a decision which seemed like political suicide.  He allowed Ezra, and later Nehemiah, go back to their homeland to rebuild the city of David where Solomon’s temple once stood.  Why would a pagan king who was not Jewish nor converted to full faith in the God of Heaven allow such a thing that went totally against the political grain?  Verse 27 and 28 give us the explanation as Ezra prays a prayer of praise, “Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem: And hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellers, and before all the king’s mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.”  That is how events like ones of this past week happen.  It is in God’s hand to put such things in king’s heart.

What should this awaken God’s people to?  Let us look at Ezra’s experience.  First of all, Praise the Lord that we are in living in such a time as this.  Pray that the Lord will continue to influence political figures to continue this path.  Put our hand to the plow and work to reach the lost world around us through Personal outreach, and Pocket-book offerings to Bible-believing missionaries around the globe.  Partner with others who will fulfill the Great Commission in the last days we are living in. The cooperation between Russia and Iran (Ezek 38-39, Daniel 7), the destruction that has been occurring in Damascus and all of Syria (Is 17), and so many other world powers aligning against Israel do nothing but prove the promises and prophecies of the  Word of God are true.

If God can point the heart of a world leader who lives on the fringe of belief, will you who have given your heart to the Lord allow Him to point yours in these confirmed last days?  You know what, I believe I’ll just keep believing.

God Bless You,

BroAdamB

PS:  Be sure to tune in to our preaching broadcast at noon on every Wednesday in December online at http://www.wordchristianbroadcasting.com  as we are the featured evangelist of the month.

“As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.”  Proverbs 25:25 KJB

Good Morning Friends.  WE HAVE GOOD NEWS!!  This morning we are releasing our first ministry newsletter.  Please click on the link below and read up on what has been going on the last several months, the plans the Lord has laid in front of us for 2018 and one very special thing that is happening this month.  Pastor Scott Thomas from Pine Ridge Baptist in Dallas, GA let us know that we will be the featured evangelist on the Word Christian Broadcasting Network.  The network is made up of three radio stations all over west Georgia and an online stream that anyone can listen to all over the world via the internet.  The 30 minute preaching programs will air each Wednesday in the month of December.  Click on the link below for details and to find out more about this valuable Christian Radio Resource.  This is a specific answer to specific prayer.  We are expecting God to be glorified and the Gospel to reach the ears and hearts of people.    http://wordchristianbroadcasting.com/

Enjoy the newsletter.  We love you and God Bless you.

EABDec17Newsletter

BroAdamB

thesingerschapel.wordpress.com

 

Uh oh!  That is a ten letter curse word to some people.  Bear with me because a preacher has to preach.  Have you ever had to break off from a fond habit, a friend or even a family member?  It is one of the most difficult things we can do.  Let’s talk about that…

I have recently returned to my study of Ezra and Nehemiah.  Those God called men were burdened to rebuild the Holy city, Jerusalem.  The temple worship would resume, but first the Temple would need to be rebuilt.  But before that, the homes of the city would need to be rebuilt, but before that the city walls and gates would need to be rebuilt.  As we read through all the providential favor that the Lord provided to fund the project, find the willing, and further the work we see that there were constant enemies from the outside that had to be dealt with.  But, there were some things that were close to the children of the captivity that were not unwanted outside oppressors, but near attachments of idols which came from the intermarrying of the unclean Babylonians with the sanctified children of Israel. They were supposed to live separated from worldly pollutions.

As we come to Nehemiah chapter 9, we read a confession of the path of the captivity, a repentance of the sinful practice, and confession of the sinful alliance with people who dishonored the covenant of the Lord.  Then they prayed unto the Lord and did what we used to call a Re-dedication to the Lord.  They were still His people and He still loved them but they through rebellion had become captives in a foreign land.  While in captivity they had adopted the ways of their captors.  But all of that required repentance and a separation.  Chapter 10 verse 28 says that all the people “separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God“.  They said in verse 30, “we would not give our daughters unto the people of the land nor take the daughters for our sons.”

If our churches are going to come under the repair that they need, there must be some families and individuals who are willing to separate from worldliness.  If the enemies are going to be fought off there are going to have to be some walls and gates installed to keep harmful things out and protect the precious things that are within.  If the repair will be complete there must be a separation from the things we have learned from the world.  Sadly, there will also be some personal influences that we must separate ourselves from.  To be clear, God is not looking for hermits but he is in search of someone who will cleanse their temple (chapter 13), set things in order and not ‘marry themselves’ to the world in word, practice or appearance.  We are in the world but not of the world. ( John 17:14-16, I John 2:15-16).

What do we need to separate from?  You don’t need a list from me.  What is going in us; eyes, ears, mouth, heart?  What have we married ourselves to (not just in matrimony)?  What would hurt to let go of or put away from our life?  What do we love or allow in our lives that the sinful world loves and allows?  If we pray, the Holy Ghost will show us.

God Bless You!!

BroAdamB

 

Our hope and prayer for you today is that the bread of life will be broken at your church to the nourishing of your soul.  Physical Bread that we eat has to be broken down for us to be able to swallow it.  Let’s talk about that…

Several times in the gospels, the Lord Jesus took break, blessed it, broke it and gave it to His disciples.  In Matthew 14 the Lord took the bread, looked to heaven and blessed the bread, broke the bread and gave it to His disciples to give to the multitudes.  As Jesus gathered with His twelve disciples in chapter 26 verse 26 He took bread, blessed it, and broke it as a symbol of His broken body and gave it to his disciples.  Finally in Luke 24 after a journey down the road to Emmaus, Jesus went to supper with two downtrodden disciples. He took bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to them.  As soon as He did, their eyes were opened, “and they knew him.”  Did you notice a pattern?

In every one of these instances of the New Testament, Jesus did the same thing.  He Took The Bread.  The bread is symbolic of the scripture, The Bread of Life, the living word, Jesus Christ.  We must take the Word into our hands for it to make a difference in our hearts.  Next, He Blessed The Bread or Gave Thanks for the bread.  How do we view the Word of God.  How thankful are we for the Word of God in all its aspects of instruction, doctrine, correction, reproof, rebuke and exhortation?  Then Jesus Broke The Bread.  His body was broken for our salvation.  When we take the Word, and we thank God for the blessed Word, the Holy Ghost will break it into pieces that we can chew on and swallow.  Oil is a type of the Holy Spirit in the scriptures as used for anointing, joy and healing (I Samuel 16:13, Ps 45, Lu 10) .  Nothing helps fresh hot bread go down like dipping it in olive oil.  When the Bread is Broken and soaked in the oil of the Spirit it makes it much easier to chew and swallow.  Finally, Jesus Gave The Bread to His disciples.  Jesus has given us His Word.  In a day when it seems the word of man cannot be trusted, we can be thankful that God has given His Word that we can trust.

So, if we Take the bread, ask that the Lord Bless the bread, ask the Spirit to Break the bread, and Give us the bread what will happen?  The same thing that happened when Jesus did the very same thing in the gospels.  We will be nourished by the Word, we will find our salvation in the Word, and Jesus will reveal Himself to us in His Word (Luke 24:30-31). In the coming days that we celebrate Thanksgiving, we should take the precious Bread of life in our hands and thank the Lord for nourishing us, revealing Himself to us, showing us salvation in His Word, and then give it to someone else.

God Bless You,

BroAdamB

Our hope and prayer is that the witness of the Holy Ghost inside you has calmed fears, eased burdens, driven away doubts, prompted praises, challenged unto commitments, and imparted peace beyond understanding.  ‘Preacher, I have no idea what you are talking about.  I never get relief inside.  Could it be that I am not saved?”  Let’s talk about that…

These last few days I have attempted to mine out the abundant treasures of Paul’s writings in Romans.  It is always intriguing to me how Paul, through inspiration of the Holy Ghost, justifies faith in Christ as the exclusive avenue into salvation.  He explains how it was not Moses’ law, nor Abraham’s works, nor an earthly bloodline that insures a place in God’s heaven, but faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Look at this verse in chapter 4 verse 16.  “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is in the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all;” He went on to say in verse 20 “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.”  Then verse 24 says, “But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;”

Have you put your faith in Christ?  Let us not assume that people who put Bible verses on their FB page are saved.  I cannot truly know the depths of your heart, if you are saved, but you know.  Possibly you have a question in your heart that will not go away, “Am I really saved or not?”  THE QUESTIONS:  Either your communion with the Lord is distant and you need to come to a place of repentance and rededication of your commitment, restoration of communion and communication with the Lord.  This happens many times with new Christians who are unfamiliar with the daily conviction of the Holy Ghost for the slightest of sins.  If you have ever been saved you cannot get unsaved.  You just need to make things right.  The only other explanation for the lack of peace, silence of the Savior concerning your problems, and absence of any assurance is that you are lost.

THE POINT:  Have you placed your faith on the Lord Jesus Christ?  It is possible to be certain (I John 5:13).  When I got saved, I remember being under conviction.  I was uncomfortable, had unbelievable uncertainty about what would happen if I died.  I prayed a prayer that I could not recite to you right now, but I repented of my sins and asked God to save me.  I believed He would and He did.  If you are not saved, Jesus Christ will do the same for you.  Why wait?  Pray now.  If you have questions you can call me or email me (I will put that info below).  I pray that if you are lost, today will be the day you call on His name for salvation.  Is he speaking to you?  He is the Answer.

This is one post that I would ask that you share because this is The Point of our life, to be saved and tell others how they can be saved.

God Bless You,

BroAdamB

615-785-5682 / broadamb@gmail.com

 

Our hope and prayer is that you got the most out of that extra hour of beauty rest this Sunday morning.  You will get up and go through your Sunday morning rituals of preparing for services at your church, making sure that everything looks just right.  I believe that we should do the best we can to look the best we can when we meet with our church family, but the most important part of our preparation may be things that are invisible.  Let’s talk about that…

Yesterday morning I was fortunate to feast on Romans 1 and found myself hung up on verses 19 and 20 which talk about “the invisible things” of God.  One of the obstacles that the lost and found world cannot get past is that we cannot see what God looks like.  Well, verse 19 tells us that there are things “which may be known of God”, because He has shown them to everyone.  In Genesis 1:26 “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”  Jesus came to earth as a man, not a cow, bird, fish, planet, star, river, cloud or any other of His creation.  Verse 27 says “so God created man in his own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created he them.”  When you look at God’s creation you can see what you cannot see about Him.  Man looks like God, with the after effects of the curse of sin.  God is the image of man in fullness of perfection.

But, what about those Invisible things.  We cannot see God’s physical body, but there are invisible things about God and people that we can see.  A person’s Intellect is invisible, until they open their mouth (Mt 12:34, Prov 10:14).  I say there are two things you cannot hide, money and ignorance.  They will always show up.  A person’s Intentions are invisible, evil or good (Col 3:17, I Jn 3:18, Ps 28:4), but they will eventually manifest themselves.  A person’s Immortality is invisible.  The condition of the soul is a hidden matter between the soul and the Savior, but may be seen in the fruits of their life (Gal 5:22-23, II Tim 3:1-5, Phil 2:12).  A person’s Influence may be invisible until many years pass by (Prov 27:17, Mk 10:28, Prov 12:11, Gal 5:7).  All of these things  are inanimate aspects that we cannot hold in their hand. BUT, we can see them in what is manifested, made, revealed… what is created in and by a person’s life.

Same with God.  We cannot see His face (Ex 33:20-23) but we can see Him in His creation, what is manifested, made and revealed for all to see.  His Intellect is seen in His WORD (Ps 199:140) and His physical creation (Psalm 8:3, 19:1).  His Intentions are revealed in the fruit of those that He has created (Psalm 51:10, Mt 12:34, Rom 2:6).  His Immortality was made known when Jesus rose again from the grave.  His Influence shows the ‘eternal power and Godhead’ of the creator (Ps 23:2, 139:10, John 10:27).  We can see all these invisible aspects of God in what he creates and has created.  The same can be said about us.  The invisible things of our lives, our intellect, intentions, integrity can all be seen in our inventions, what our life creates.

As we go about getting the ‘seen’ things of our self just right this morning, let us take stock of the Invisible things of our life.  Think about the manifestation of what you create; peace or conflict, selfish things or selfless things, eternal or temporal, deception or transparency, truth or fallacy, a worthy vessel or a whited sepulcher, friends or foes.  What we create reveals the invisible aspects of our life.  Be sure just as the heavens declare the glory of God, that your life declares the invisible parts of who you really are.

God Bless You,

BroAdamB

Earlier this week I had an impromptu conversation with a coworker of mine (we will call Ron) that made my spirit search for clarity from the Holy Spirit.  We are of a similar age where a body can begin to hurt for no apparent reason.  Go to bed, no pain.  Wake up, pain.  Ron recalled a statement his grandfather used to say, “As long as I feel pain, I know I’m alive.  If I stop feeling pain, that’s when I’m in trouble.  I’m dead.”  Does that strike you as odd?  I felt spiritual restraint against rebuttal and kept listening to see if he would offer any explanation for such a curious philosophy on pain.  Let’s talk about that…

Ron went on to say that his grandfather was in WWII.  He stormed the beaches at Normandy and fought the Battle of the Bulge with Patton and lost count of how many of the enemy he dispatched.  Ron’s recollections transported my mind to the horrors of hand to hand combat, near starvation, survival, kill or be killed, and all the unfathomable gory glory of war.  His grandfather was shot in the Battle of the Bulge.  When he and the 18 remaining G.I.’s in their battalion made it back to Patton, he cauterized the wound and marched them right back to battle where Ron’s grandfather was shot 9 times by a machine gun nest.  So, Patton gave him light duty guarding prisoners on a transport ship from France to England on crutches till he was well enough to march back again. Pain was the only thing that let him know this was not a nightmare, but a living reality.

Ron does not indicate any evidence, by conversation or testimony, that he knows the Lord Jesus Christ as his savior.  I believe he’s lost.  Pain is his indicator of being alive.  He does not know the promise that Christ came to give us life, and that we [sic] might have it more abundantly (John 10:10).  The pain of life is not our evidence of living, but, rather the peace which passes all understanding.  It is not hurt which gives us relief that we are still breathing, but it is healing which quickens us unto refreshment of heart.  Our assurance, the blessed hope (Titus 2:13), the divine love that is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us (Romans 5:5) endows the comfort that any pain we might experience in this life is temporary and not what life is about.  Being alive here is only the rehearsal for life eternal where God shall wipe away all tears from our [sic] eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more PAIN: for the former things are passed away (Rev 21:4).  Ron doesn’t know about that, but, if the Lord will give me courage, opportunity and discernment, I will walk the tightrope of workplace witnessing and let him know that there is something more than pain that let’s us know we are alive.

Jesus Christ,  for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame (Hebrews 12:2), felt pain, the utmost, ultimate pain, on the cross to take away our pain.  To give us life.  His death gave us the opportunity to experience being truly alive.

God Bless You,

BroAdamB

 

 

Our hope and prayer is that the presence of the Lord has brought you communion, the power of God has given courage, and the accountability of the Holy Ghost has kept you clean before Him.  Let’s talk about that…

Since most of you were not with us last Wednesday night at Wahoo Baptist, I will share part of our preaching.  Matthew 8 gives us the scene of Jesus ministering to four sets of people with very different problems. But, all needed to find one common thing; the Will of God.  They all needed His Word and His touch.  Take the time to go back and study these accounts.  Today, though, let us focus on the first person in verses 1 through 3.

We read that there came a leper.  His horrible existence was marked by an incurable disease and isolation from all society.  His illness was part of the Curse of Humanity, sin, which brought all pain upon mankind.  But, he Came to Jesus.  Verse 2 says the leper Worshipped Jesus; Man’s Humility (I Peter 5:6).  He called Jesus Lord; Recognized His Deity, Divinity (Philippians 2:9).  The leper proposes unto the Lord, If Thou Wilt; Acknowledges God’s Authority, Sovereignty, and Seeks His Mercy (John 5:27).  Think of this regarding God’s Sovereignty… It is God’s Avenue of Approved Action or Allowed Suffering.  If ‘it’ is not His Will, He Won’t.  If it is, He WILL (Philippians 2:13).  When the leper says Thou Canst he is Exalting God’s Ability as Almighty.  He said, GOD CAN!!  The greatest soul-winner I have ever known, Brother Sammy Scruggs says ‘God can do anything but fail!’

The heart of the leper’s request was, Make Me Clean.  He needed God’s Purifying, His Purging.  Our logical reason focuses on the fact that Jesus, by His will and word, “be thou clean,” cured that leper and gave him a new life free from the pain of sickness.  Our message today is that our prayer to the Lord today might just need to be, Make Me Clean.  ‘But I’m not a leper…’  Maybe, but think of how the issues of our life could be cured if we prayed, Make my ___________ clean.  If the works of our hands were clean we would find a more pure service for Him.  If our walk was clean we would draw more men to the Cross of Calvary.  If our words were clean we would have fewer criticisms and conflicts, arguments and apologies.  If what we wore were clean our witness to the world would be noticeable and consistent.  If our thoughts were clean, oh my… oh me.  If only our thoughts were clean, what a ripe field for revival our churches would be.  Come to think of it, if our thoughts were clean then our works, walk, words, and what we wore would all be clean.  Let us band together in prayer this week that the Almighty God of Heaven upon His throne would make our thoughts clean.  I believe we would see that our life would be more Joyful and productive, more gracious and peaceful.  We can be certain He Can and He Will answer that prayer.

God Bless You,

BroAdamB

Our hope and prayer is that you have met God this week with great expectation of what He will do in, through and for your life.  Isn’t it curious, though, when God actually comes through with what we ask?  Did we really think He would…could answer a prayer so serious, so difficult, so impossible?  Can we really put that kind of expectation on God?  Let’s talk about that..

Psalm 62:5 says “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him.”  We can set down a sure expectation on God to be true to His Word (Ps 119:160), to forgive those who repent (I Jn 1:9), and to save those who believe and call upon on His name (Rom 10:13).  We can expect God to shelter those who trust in Him (Ps 62:8), and to reward those who labor, give and believe (Ps 62:12, I Cor 3:8, Heb 11:6, Lu 6:38).  In soberness of spirit, we must also expect the just God of heaven to punish those who reject Him (Rev 21:8).  There are certain expectations we can place on God with confidence.

There are also expectations that we place on man.  We expect kids to behave like grown ups.  There are unrealistic expectations like Lost people acting like Saved people (Ps 62:3-4).  Unfounded expectations that our prideful flesh convinces us of (I Cor 10:12).  I remember when I was faced with the truth that God will not hear my prayer if I regard iniquity in my heart (Ps 66:18).  We have unrealistic expectations that God will bless us, use us, or condone us if we operate in any way that is contrary to His word.  GET THIS.  The Will of God will NEVER contradict the Word of God.  If someone says, I think it is OK for me to get a tattoo of scripture or a cross or blah blah blah then you can expect that person has no regard whatsoever to the truth of scripture (Leviticus 19:28).

There are some expectations that are reasonable.  We should expect God to be true.  We should expect God to lead us according to His Will, His Word, and His Spirit.  We should certainly have a realistic expectation for Saved folks to act like Saved folks and not the world.  How can born again believers be a set apart people whom lost people see a difference in, if they can see no difference in Saved people???  God expects us to obey, serve and trust Him.  He expects us to be conformed to His image and transformed by His Word.  Those are Great Expectations which lead us to an Expected end (Jer 29:11).

God Bless You,

BroAdamB