Tag: Holy Ghost

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Bible Preaching

The Ever Present Ark

Stephen Kuntzman | April 20, 2025 | 6:30 PM

Jeremiah 3:15-16, “(15) And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.  (16)  And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.”

2 Timothy 3:1-5, “(1) This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  (2)  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,  (3)  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,  (4)  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;  (5)  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

Zechariah 8:3-8, “(3) Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.  (4)  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age.  (5)  And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.  (6)  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the LORD of hosts.  (7)  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;  (8)  And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.”

Exo 25:10-22, “And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it. And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.”

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Bible Teaching

The Cure for the Common Cold

Apostolic Life Cathedral | 10/27/2024 | 10:00 AM

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Bible Teaching

One Cup of Water

Apostolic Life Cathedral | 10/13/2024 | 10:00 AM

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Bible Preaching

The Power to Become

Apostolic Life Cathedral | 11/7/2024 | 6:30 PM

John‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭14‬, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

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Bible Preaching

The Joyful Sound

Apostolic Life Cathedral | July 28, 2024 | 6:30 PM

Text: Psalms 89:15-17, “(15)  Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance. (16)  In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. (17)  For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.”

Psalms 1:1-6, “(1) Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  (2)  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.  (3)  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.  (4)  The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.  (5)  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.  (6)  For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”

Blessed = “Happy”[1] is the condition.[2]

Go deeper = “to be straight, level, right, to go forward, be honest, prosper.”[3]

The joyful sound is the call to celebrate, to rejoice, to continually delight in:

  1. The Name of the Lord
  2. The Righteousness of the Lord

Tonight, the Holy Ghost is calling you to respond with a joyful sound for all that Jesus did for you and all that His name brings to bear in your life.

Rejoice in all that God did for you to walk a straight, level, righteousness path of prosperity and purpose.

The Samaritans knew about that joy: “(5) Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. (6)  And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. (7)  For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. (8)  And there was great joy in that city.”

“There was great joy in that city.”

How many here tonight want to see that same great joy in Huntington and the Tri-State Region?

It is God’s Will for the The Joyful Sound to echo along the riverbanks, valleys, and hillsides of our community:

We have heard the joyful sound:

Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Spread the tidings all around:

Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Bear the news to ev’ry land,

Climb the steeps and cross the waves;

Onward! ’tis our Lord’s command;

Jesus saves! Jesus saves![4]

The Joyful Sound – Jesus Saves!

Every day, Jesus Saves!

God is calling for repentance…to be part of the joyful sound.

Paul was in Athens on Mars’ hill when he saw the altar written TO THE UNKNOWN GOD and he began to tell them of the one that they, in their superstition, were ignorantly worshipping.

Saying, “that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:”

Repentance, led by true godly sorrow, will bring the joyful sound.

The fruit of mercy is restoration. The fruit of grace is maturity.

Unfortunately, life has a way of causing you to lose sight of what originally created the happy condition…the joyful sound.

What was once exciting and revealing, full of life and rewarding, has now become mundane and lost its vitality.

The daily life is at war with the joyful sound: “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah” (Psalms 68:19).

We should come daily to His storehouse of blessing.

The problem is we have become so busy doing the work we forget the relationship with the God of the work.

Oftentimes, people fail because they have their spiritual life, their prayer life, their relationship with Jesus on autopilot.

Like a pilot in a plane, or a driver in a car, you are content to sit disengaged and apathetic.

What once drove your passion has now become drudgery.

The work that inspired is now nothing more than perspiration.

The hope that enlarged your heart and gave you faith is now a vague memory, like the beauty of nature you miss will cruising by unbothered by what is just outside your window.

You have become trapped with the thought that you just need to get the job done.

You have stopped hearing the joyful sound.

This is why you are to become renewed daily in the spirit of your mind.

Turn off the of auto pilot, disengage the cruise control,

Look around you and see all the beauty, blessing, and opportunity!

The need and possibility around you

Paul wrote, “I have fought a good fight…I have kept the faith,” but he did not stop fighting.

It is time to recapture that joy that originally caught you:

  • Is. 12:3, “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.”
  • Is. 55:12, “For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”
  • 1 Peter 1:7-9, “(7)  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: (8)  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: (9)  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”
  • Is. 9:3, “…they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.”
  • Acts2:1-4

You are going to have to press into it. To reach for it. To recapture the joyful sound: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

To press means you will have to disengage the cruise control.

Revelation 19:6-7, “(6)  And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. (7)  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.”

[1] Strong’s. H835.

[2] Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible. Psalm 89:15.

[3] Strong’s. H833.

[4]  Priscilla J. Owens. (1882). We Have Heard the Joyful Sound.

Categories
Bible Preaching

Two Gardens -Melvin Kuntzman

Apostolic Life Cathedral | Sept. 29, 2024 | 6:30 PM
Categories
Bible Teaching

How are People Saved? -Harold Hoffman

“The value of truth is never diminished because of repetition.” -Harold Hoffman

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Bible Teaching

12 Stones

Apostolic Life Cathedral | 5/26/2024 | 10:00 AM

Text: Joshua 4:1-9

(1)  And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,

(2)  Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,

(3)  And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.

(4)  Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:

(5)  And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:

(6)  That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?

(7)  Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.

(8)  And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

(9)  And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.

A Memorial of Twelve Stones[1]:

Memorials are extremely important in our society, so that we will remember our heritage and the sacrifices we and others have made to make them possible.

Importance of spiritual memorials for our personal lives and for the church.

A Memorial for Israel, Joshua 4:1-8

  1. Commanded by God.
  2. Fulfilled by Joshua and the people.
  3. Twelve stones from Jordan.

What about the Twelve Stones?

  1. Represented all the people (twelve tribes), verse 2.
  2. Participation by the people, verse 3.
  3. Related to the miracle, verse 3.
  4. Permanence because of the durability and number of the stones.

The Purpose of the Memorial, Joshua 4:20-24

  1. A reminder that God is the one who performed the miracle of deliverance.
  2. Just as He did for previous generations.
  3. A sign to future generations.
  4. A sign to other nations of the power of God.
  5. So that Israel would fear—honor, respect—the Lord forever.

What about it?

  1. We need memorials in our lives. Example: our family’s testimony of conversion.
  2. We need visible memorials that every family and church member participates in.
  3. Not a dead memorial, but a living one, for the same reasons as in Joshua 4.
  4. Heartfelt and demonstrative worship.
  5. Personal and group prayer, including the prayer closet, the prayer room, and the altar.
  6. Praying in the Holy Ghost – Speaking in tongues.
  7. Visible standards of holiness.
  8. Personal witness.
  9. Of course, a memorial is no good without the continuing reality of a transformed life.

Continue shoring up the memorials in your life.

[1] Source: italicized parts – Bernard, David K. (2004). Preaching the Apostolic Faith. p. 83.

Categories
Bible Teaching

Jesus Is Alive Today

Apostolic Life Cathedral | March 3, 2024 | 10:00 AM

John 4:1-43
(1)  When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,
(2)  (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)
(3)  He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.
(4)  And he must needs go through Samaria.
(5)  Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
(6)  Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
(7)  There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
(8)  (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
(9)  Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
(10)  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
(11)  The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
(12)  Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
(13)  Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
(14)  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
(15)  The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
(16)  Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
(17)  The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
(18)  For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
(19)  The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
(20)  Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
(21)  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
(22)  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
(23)  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
(24)  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
(25)  The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
(26)  Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
(27)  And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
(28)  The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
(29)  Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
(30)  Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
(31)  In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
(32)  But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
(33)  Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
(34)  Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
(35)  Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
(36)  And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
(37)  And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
(38)  I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.
(39)  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
(40)  So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
(41)  And many more believed because of his own word;
(42)  And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
(43)  Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee.

Categories
Bible Teaching

Faith’s Report

Text: Hebrews 10:35-11:2

“(35) Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.  (36)  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.  (37)  For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.  (38)  Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.  (39)  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. (11:1) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  (2)  For by it the elders obtained a good report.” 

 There is a repayment of the faith invested in the things of God.

 Patience is faith waiting in the hallway of the hospital to hear the good report that the promised child has been born.

 A great amount of faith is tested in the waiting room of life. A promise is given and now we watch and pray, but that is sometimes a mistake.  

 You see, while we wait for the promise to come, we are also preparing our home and ourselves for the due date.

 This is why Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart, Target, and Amazon sell so much baby items. 

 People are not just waiting around twiddling their thumbs: 

• They are painting the nursery room either blue or pink – male or female

• They are shopping for rockers, baby beds, basinets, diaper bags, bottles, car seats, etc.

• They are deciding if they should breast feed the promise, or feed it a bottle

• They are worrying about cost and hoping two nickels can somehow make 50 cents.

• But, most importantly, they are preparing for the day when the promise arrives.

 It time to make a plan for arrival time. 

Faith’s Report is that everyone who lives by faith will receive a good report.

 Good Report = “to be a witness, that is, testify (literally or figuratively): – charge, give [evidence], bear record, have (obtain, of) good (honest) report, be well reported of, testify, give (have) testimony, (be, bear, give, obtain) witness.”

 The just who live by faith overcome the accuser by: 

Revelation 12:10-11, “(10) And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.  (11)  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

There is much power in faith. In fact, faith is involved in our justification:

Romans 5:1-2, “(1) Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:  (2)  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

Peace with God starts with faith in God.

Jeff Arnold said, “Faith is focus on God, fear is focus on your problems.”

Faith’s Report is the the obtaining of a good report through trust in God’s promise that propels an action on our part…an active faith. If observed from that point-of-view, trust can be seen as a step beyond faith.

 Hebrews 11:39-12:2, “(39) And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:  (40)  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. (12:1) Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,  (2)  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”