12/24/23 THE GIFT OF THE SPIRIT Ephesians 6:17 Be Strong Series Pastor Joshua Kennedy
Release Date: 12/24/2023
5/19/24 THE BATTLE OF THE SOUL Psalm 13 & 35
praise tabernacle's podcast
THE BATTLE OF THE SOUL Psalm 13 Amid life’s trials and tribulations, it’s common to echo the words of the Psalmist, asking, “How long, O Lord?” In Psalm 13, we see a heartfelt cry of desperation and longing for God’s intervention. As we delve into this passage, let’s reflect on our moments of waiting and how we can find hope and faith in their midst. The Cry of the Psalmist: The opening verses of Psalm 13 express the raw emotion of the Psalmist as they pour out their heart to God. They feel abandoned, forgotten, and overwhelmed by their circumstances. Have you ever experienced...
info_outline
5-12 Anchored Psalms 6 Lorraine Kennedy
praise tabernacle's podcast
5-12 Anchored Psalms 6 Lorraine Kennedy
info_outline
Restore Us, O Lord Love Returned Series Lamentations 5
praise tabernacle's podcast
Restore Us, O Lord Love Returned Series Lamentations 5 Often, it takes reaching the depths of exhaustion and despair before we muster the resolve to change. Once we've tasted the richness of God's grace and strayed from its embrace, the stark contrast of a life steeped in sin becomes painfully evident. We find ourselves akin to forsaken wanderers (verse 3), cast onto the unforgiving streets, vulnerable and pleading for redemption. Deep within, we acknowledge that we ultimately bear responsibility for our circumstances. While we may inherit patterns of transgression from our...
info_outline
Hope Amidst Despair Lamentations 4 Love Returned Series Minister David Robert
praise tabernacle's podcast
info_outline
4/21/24 YET, STILL, I DARE TO HOPE Love Returned Series Lamentations 3 Joshua Kennedy
praise tabernacle's podcast
YET, STILL, I DARE TO HOPE Love Returned Series Lamentations 3 As we delve into Lamentations 3 and confront the harsh reality of our existence, we realize that despite being children of God and bearing the kingdom of heaven within us, we remain entrenched in a world marred by sin and suffering. Our anguish may stem from our transgressions or the wrongdoing of others. Jeremiah, the prophet, bore witness to the suffering of his people, a consequence of their refusal to heed divine warnings. While he could have harbored resentment and turned away,...
info_outline
4/14/24 It's Never Too Late! Pastor Steve Rahter Lamentations 2
praise tabernacle's podcast
4/14/24 It's Never Too Late! Pastor Steve Rahter Lamentations 2 Anger, Justice, Judgment, Mercy
info_outline
4/7/24 From Desolation to Redemption Lamentations 1 Joshua Kennedy
praise tabernacle's podcast
In the tumultuous voyage of life, we inevitably encounter storms that shake the very foundations of our being. Amidst the struggles, our souls are tested, and our faith is challenged. How do we maintain our love and devotion to the Lord in the throes of despair? The Book of Lamentations serves as a beacon of light in the darkness, offering profound insights into the human experience of suffering and the enduring power of faith. As we journey through the verses of Lamentations 1, we are confronted with the raw agony of a city laid waste by affliction. Tears flow freely, and trusted companions...
info_outline
3/31/24 NO GREATER LOVE pt. 2 (Resurrection Sunday) The Resurrection - Triumph over Death Joshua Kennedy
praise tabernacle's podcast
NO GREATER LOVE pt. 2 (Resurrection Sunday) The Resurrection - Triumph over Death Continuing our exploration in "Love Returned," we turn our attention to the transformative power of Christ's resurrection, as echoed in John 15:13: "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." Defying Death: In the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we witness the ultimate triumph over death. Despite the darkness of the tomb, Jesus emerged victorious, breaking the chains of sin and death once and for all. His resurrection is a testament to the depth of his love and the power...
info_outline
3/24/24 Youth Sunday Love and the Heart Loving God & Others 1 John 4 & 5 Minister Joel Eugene
praise tabernacle's podcast
3/24/24 Youth Sunday Love and the Heart Loving God & Others 1 John 4 & 5 Minister Joel Eugene
info_outline
3/17/24 LOVING OTHERS Pastor Joshua Kennedy 1 Peter 4, 1 John 3
praise tabernacle's podcast
LOVING OTHERS LOVE RETURNED SERIES 1 Peter 4, 1 John 3 Loving God inherently involves loving others. It's not enough to claim devotion to God while harboring hatred for our fellow humans. As 1 John 4:20 asserts, if we fail to love those we can see, how can we claim to love God, whom we cannot see? 1 Peter 4 offers guidance for navigating adversity, with verse 8 as a poignant reminder: "Above all, maintain fervent love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins." This fervent love requires deep compassion, even towards those who may...
info_outlineTHE GIFT OF THE SPIRIT
BE STRONG SERIES
Ephesians 6:17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
I am a big football fan. My favorite teams have a strong defense, yet if their offense is not good, they usually do not win. If the offense is poor, the team will spend most of the game on defense, and eventually, the defense will wear out, and the opponent will score. In football, the helmet is the most essential part of the uniform, protecting the head. The sport is controversial because of the number of people having concussions, and so new helmets have been designed for better protection.
As Christians, our helmet is salvation; our opponent will attack us with lies, but because we are saved, we are protected through our faith in Jesus Christ. We once had no helmet, so the enemy would get in our heads, and we could do nothing about it. In Christ, we have authority over the enemy. He is a defeated foe, so we don’t have to listen when he tries to get in our heads. The Bible says we can cast down imaginations (2 Cor. 10:5), we can resist the enemy by submitting to God, and he will flee from us (James 4:7). To submit to God means to stand on the Truth of His Word against the darts of lies he has thrown at us. It is not just our helmet on our heads to protect us from harm; we have a sword to drive the enemy back and put him in his place. We have already won; the game is over; the devil should not even be on the field. Our battle is not to win or lose but to enforce our victory in Christ.
Even though we have much more defensive gear than offensive weapons, all we need is the Sword, for the enemy cannot stand against Truth. The enemy works through people, but as we learned in Ephesians 6:12, we don’t fight flesh with flesh, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of Truth, when spoken goes into the heart of man as seen in Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”
The key to staying strong in the Spirit is praying in the Spirit, as verse 18 says on every occasion. We are not just praying for ourselves but, as the rest of the verse says, for all believers everywhere. Speaking in tongues is a heavenly language; it is praying the perfect will of God. This gift has been given to us to remain strong in the Lord. We can become quickly weary (Isaiah 40:31) and want to give up; tongues keep us built up, and the gift empowers us for effective ministry. Only through the Holy Spirit can God touch people, so we must be continuously filled with the Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues to be agents of God on earth.