Who’s slave are you? Who is your master? Jesus Christ came into this world to set sinners free from the debt of sin, the bondage of sin, and ultimately, the presence of sin. Repent and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Master! Learn to walk with Him every day, and...

Being a servant of Jesus Christ is a life of freedom, not bondage. Jesus said that no person can serve two masters. Everyyone must serve somebody or something. If you are not serving Jesus, then you are serving something or someone else. Only Jesus sets you free from...

Signs and wonders do not save people. Despite miracles, many rejected the Gospel and persecuted those who preached it. The same is true today. Like Paul and Barnabas declared, we are people of like passions. Imperfect people like us are called upon to be witnesses of...

Signs and wonders do not save people. Despite miracles, many rejected the Gospel and persecuted those who preached it. The same is true today. Like Paul and Barnabas declared, we are people of like passions. Imperfect people like us are called upon to be witnesses of...

When evangelizing, one must be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. His methods do not fit into our little how-to boxes: One size does not fit all! Though the essence of the Gospel message is always the same, God does not minister to everyone in just one way....

When evangelizing, one must be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. His methods do not fit into our little how-to boxes: One size does not fit all! Though the essence of the Gospel message is always the same, God does not minister to everyone in just one way....

When Paul and Barnabas preached to the Gentiles, those ordained by God for eternal life had faith and were saved. By God’s sovereign will, these Gentile believers, chosen by God before the foundation of the world, decided to receive God’s gracious gift. The mechanics...

  When Paul and Barnabas preached to the Gentiles, those ordained by God for eternal life had faith and were saved. By God’s sovereign will, these Gentile believers, chosen by God before the foundation of the world, decided to receive God’s gracious gift. The...

Because so many Jews rejected the Gospel, Paul and Barnabas reached out to the Gentiles. According to God’s amazing and sovereign plan, many Gentiles heard the Gospel and believed. Nevertheless, God says that if the house of Israel will repent, then He will also save...

Because so many Jews rejected the Gospel, Paul and Barnabas reached out to the Gentiles. According to God’s amazing and sovereign plan, many Gentiles heard the Gospel and believed. Nevertheless, God says that if the house of Israel will repent, then He will also save...

The most amazing feature of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that God loves us, even though we are sinners. By God’s grace, Jesus is still saving sinners, because He loves them, and, regardless of any miracles, man-made initiatives, or even opposition, this is how Jesus...

The most amazing feature of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that God loves us, even though we are sinners. By God’s grace, Jesus is still saving sinners, because He loves them, and, regardless of any miracles, man-made initiatives, or even opposition, this is how Jesus...

Today’s passage transitions focus from Peter’s ministry to that of the apostle Paul. Despite severe religious and political opposition, the Gospel of Jesus Christ was spreading. Opposition to the Gospel never hinders it from reaching the lost; it actually enhances its...

Though Herod persecuted the Church, by the end of today’s passage, God had showed Herod who was really in charge: An angel freed Peter from prison, and Herod died a gruesome death after accepting the people’s praise as a god. Ultimate victory and triumph over sin and...

Todays’ passage describes King Herod Agrippa persecuting the Church: He killed James and imprisoned Peter. However, before it was all over, God asserted His sovereign authority, and the word of God continued to grow and spread, despite the opposition. Though the...

Today’s passage shows that the Gentiles that believed the Gospel that Peter preached were saved and Spirit filled before they were baptized in water. This poses a huge problem for those who teach regeneration by water baptism. God saves people, because of what Jesus...

After witnessing the Gentile Pentecost, Peter realized and passionately proclaimed that God’s love is universal. That is, the Lord accepts anyone who honors Him and does His will, regardless of their religious background or nationality. Therefore, if you repent of...

To fulfill the Great Commission, God had to break down walls of prejudice and religious taboos. We will see how God worked behind the scenes to get the Gospel message beyond Jerusalem. Two men who, without Jesus, would have had nothing to do with one another, ended up...

Today’s passage concerns Peter preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a Roman centurion and his kinsman. Some call this account Gentile Pentecost, because, for the first time, God poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit on a group of Gentiles. Most of us listening to...

Jesus commissioned Peter to care for His sheep practically and spritually. This meant showing them love and compassion, and nourishing them with God’s word. Peter obeyed. We should follow his example. We may not understand why some people are healed and some are not,...

Jesus commissioned Peter to care for His sheep practically and spritually. This meant showing them love and compassion, and nourishing them with God’s word. Peter obeyed. We should follow his example. We may not understand why some people are healed and some are not,...

At this juncture in our study of the book of Acts, the narrative swings from Saul of Tarsus to the ministry of Peter. God used Peter to heal a paralyzed man and to raise a woman from the dead. Both miracles had a divine purpose: Many people turned to Jesus. However,...

After fleeing for his life from Damascus, Saul went to Jerusalem, but Jesus’ disciples were afraid of him. But Barnabas believed his testimony and trusted him. He brought Saul to the leaders of the Church. Only in eternity will we know how vital it was for Barnabas to...

A few years after Saul of Tarsus met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he began going into synagogues declaring that Jesus is the Son of God. It is essential for a person to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God to be saved from eternal separation from Him. Have...

For Philip to hear the angel and the Spirit, he had to have ears to hear, and he had to be listening. The same is true for us today. Jesus said that His sheep hear His voice, but oftentimes we are not listening for Him because of worldly distractions. May God give us...

Today’s passage shows divine providence in operation. God is absolutely sovereign. He alone is God, and He providentially moves in the lives of people in different ways. In today’s example, God used an angel to tell Philip that he should leave the revival in Samaria...

Simon was a man, who once amazed people with his magic. After professing faith in Christ, he saw Peter and John imparting the power of the Holy Spirit to others by laying hands on them. Simon offered them money so that he could have this power, but Peter rebuked him...

In our journey through the book of Acts, we have come to the stage at which the Gospel started to reach beyond Jerusalem into theregions of Judea and Samaria, just like Jesus prophesied. Persecution against the Church in Jerusalem was the catalyst. As common folk of...

The apostles of the early Church faced persecution, because they obeyed Christ’s commission to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Even today, those who live godly lives and take a stand for righteousness will also face persecution. It is inevitable. But know that...

Today’s passage provides a biblical example of when civil disobedience is appropriate in the sight of God. Ironically, the context of this display of civil disobedience does not concern the Roman government, but the religious Supreme Court of the Jewish nation, the...

God loves cheerful givers. In a time in which Christians were generously giving to meet the needs of others, a couple religious pretenders had a different agenda. Ananias and Sapphira are not names that young parents choose to name their sons or daughters. Why?...

The early Church exhibited a beautiful flow of unity. Filled with the Spirit, many, but not all, early Christians sacrificially loved and cared for one another. They functioned as a family, not as a business. They learned quickly that they could not follow Jesus...

After being threatened to stop preaching in the Name of Jesus, Peter and John, filled with the Holy Ghost, put their lives on the line in sharing about Jesus’ resurrection and His glorious Gospel: Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name...

In our study today, the very same religious crowds who tried and crucified the Lord Jesus Christ were coming after the apostles Peter and John. The reason? They were grieved that they taught the people, and preached of the resurrection from the dead through Jesus. Yet...

What we see happening now in the nation of Israel is but a foretaste of the restitution or restoration of all things that God promised to the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through His many prophets. God’s word is true. Be ready for Jesus’ soon return! Believe His...

Three words capture benefits of the redemption through Jesus Christ: repentance, refreshment, and restitution. The atoning work of Jesus opened the door of repentance to all. That redemption is the first fruit of the times of refreshing that comes from the Lord’s...

After Pentecost, God added to the church daily through the witness of Spirit-filled followers of Jesus. How did these brand-new Christians live? They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and in fellowship. They continued daily with one accord in the temple,...

When people hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, there are only two responses. Believing and receiving the Gospel results in eternal salvation. Any other response is a rejection of the Gospel, and, until one repents of their sins and believes that Jesus is the risen...

Jesus Christ has risen. Our King is alive, and He will one day be seated on His earthly throne. Just as Scripture foretold Jesus’ resurrection, we also have a sure word of prophecy concerning many other events of the last days. Moreover, Jesus is still saving all...

In Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost, he explained that what the people were witnessing had been foretold by the prophet Joel. Joel also had much to say about the Day of the Lord. Therefore, the Day of Pentecost was the beginning of prophetic things to occur in...

On the day Pentecost, the Holy Ghost anointed the disciples with tongues of men to miraculously proclaim the wonderful works of God. While all Christians might not speak with the tongues described in first Corinthians, all born-again, Spirit-filled disciples are...

Today’s passage concerns the birth of the Church on the day of Pentecost. On the Feast of Firstfruits, a priest would wave a sheaf of grain before the Lord, but on Pentecost, he presented two leavened loaves of bread to Him. In the the Bible, leaven indicates the...

To replace the vacancy left by the death of Judas, the remaining apostles chose out two men that had been with them from Jesus’ baptism by John until His ascension. After casting lots, Matthias was numbered with the eleven. That is the last time in Scripture that we...

While waiting for the promised empowering of the Holy Spirit, the apostles and other disciples gathered in prayer for ten days. During this time, Peter told them that Scripture foretold that the vacancy left by Judas would be filled, and they took action to appoint a...

Spirit-filled saints of the early Church, personally and congregationally carried out their faith with a holy boldness that could not be stopped. Remarkably, a vast majority of them (including the apostles) were considered by the religious “elite” of the day as being...

Today's message begins a verse-by-verse study of the book of Acts, which describes the birth of the Church, and it also contains a historical account of its day-in, day-out operation. Moreover, the book of Acts tells us how the Lord spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ...

When Haggai wrote of the desire of all nations, he was prophesying about Jesus Christ. Whether people realize it or not, He is the ultimate desire of every human being. Sadly, Jesus is not the desire of this fallen world system or of those whom it has deceived, which...

When the people of God began to build the new Temple, they compared its modest size with Solomon's great and glorious Temple. They could not see how this new Temple could have any significance in comparison with the previous one, but God disagreed with their...

The prophet Haggai told the people of Israel, "Consider your ways," or, more literally, "Set your heart on your path." What motivates you to live the way you do? What brings you joy? What makes you cry? At that time, Jerusalem's Temple had been just a bare foundation...

Liberated captives laid the foundation for the Jewish Temple after returning from Babylon. Then local opposition caused the work to cease. Building the Temple was important, but the people were saying that it just wasn't the right time to rebuild. Similarly, people...

Until the day that the Lord takes His people home, He knows that Satan will be hurling darts of discouragement at them. That is why Jesus gave us His promise that He would never leave us nor forsake us. Christians today have His Holy Spirit dwelling in them, but even...

Emmanuel is a Strong and Mighty Tower, the righteous run into it and are safe. Emmanuel is hope to the hopeless and strength to the weak and weary. Emmanuel means “God is With Us”, because when Jesus was born of a virgin, God came down to live among mortal men and to...

At the conclusion of his first epistle to the saints at Corinth, Paul admonished those saints to be in love with Jesus. Why? He used one Greek word as the reason, “Maranatha,” which means our Lord is coming. Are you in love with Jesus? Please listen as Pastor Ray...

After more than a thousand years of prophets speaking to Israel of a coming Messiah and several hundred more years of prophetic silence, Jesus was born in Bethelem, as the prophets foretold. He went on to preach, prophesy, and die on a cross. After rising from the...

Because of what Jesus did on the cross, believers can have a personal relationship with the God and King of the universe. Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Law so that we would not have to. Therefore,we should not focus on vain religious rituals, but on getting...

Today’s passage looks ahead to the first New Year’s celebration of Christ’s millennial kingdom. The people of Israel will greet the beginning of that Golden Age with clapping, singing, and shouts of triumph. At that time, all nations will recognize God’s kingship, and...

Man, and all the powers of darkness, oppose what God plans to do on earth and in heaven. What effect does all this opposition have on God and His plans: absolutely nothing! Not only is God at perfect peace on His heavenly throne, He laughs at their vain effots to stop...

Today’s passage declares that, despite what the nations may say, the Father has set His Son Jesus Christ as King upon Mount Zion, which is His holy hill. He is a king, Whom we should cherish. A king, Whom we shoud adore. A king, Who is our Redeemer. Please open your...

Jesus is the King of Glory, and one day the redeemed will stand before Him in His eternal kingdom, not because we have resumes of good deeds, but because He has made us clean by His shed blood. Nevertheless, when Christ saves us, our hands do not do the things that...

Psalms twenty-two through twenty-four form a messianic triad in Scripture. Psalm twenty-two concerns Christ the Savior. Psalm twenty-three reveals Christ the Shepherd, and Psalm twenty-four describes the entrance of Christ, the Sovereign King, into the city of...

The holiday season can be a stressful and even depressing time for many people. However, the Father sent Jesus into this world so that everyone could experience true joy. One can only know true joy and peace by being reconciled unto God through faith in Jesus Christ....

Overwhelmed by holiday preparations? We invite you pause for a moment to refocus on the true meaning and significance of Christmas. For the next two weeks, we will broadcast a series of messages entitled “All Hail, King Jesus”. Most of these studies will focus on...

Life can be overwhelming at times, but Scripture promises that God will give us perfect peace if our minds our stayed on Him, for the Lord GOD is everlasting strength. Therefore, look to Him; abide in Him, because peace or panic stem from whatever we look to or dwell...

As we approach a new year, we must decide what it is that we are going to look at or look to in the days ahead. Our nation and the world around us is rapidly changing. All types of media bombard us with fear-mongering words and images, but men do not have the answer...

“Worthy is the Lamb!” is the declaration of heaven. The ultimate purpose and goal of the Father sending His Son Jesus Christ into this world is so that those who trust in Him as Lord and Savior would throughout all eternity declare, “Blessing, glory, wisdom,...

The purpose of every church and every child of God is to worship, pray, serve, and live for the glory of Jesus Christ. Today’s passage is a divine revelation and recognition of the slain Lamb Jesus Christ, Who takes away the sins of the world. Anyone that truly sees...

Both sin and the devil are bent on our destruction, and God sent Jesus to destroy both sin and the works of the devil on our behalf. Our Heavenly Father sent His Son, because we not only need to be forgiven and delivered from the debt of our sin, we also must be...

  One of the most remarkable thoughts of the Christmas season is that Jesus Christ, Who is God and is also the Son of God was manifested to pay for our sins and to destroy the works of the devil. So, the redemption of fallen man is God’s plan, not man’s....

The Lord Jesus declared, “Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” Those words are the...

What Christmas music do you listen to? Based on popular secular music, most people seem to think that Christmas is all about parties, snow, Rudolph, and Santa. The problem is that none of most popular songs have anything to do with the biblical reason for why Jesus...

Why did our Heavenly Father send His Son to earth? The short answer is this: He loves the people that He created. Please open your Bible to John chapter three, verse sixteen, and listen as Pastor Ray Viola discusses eleven aspects of God’s redeeming love.

Why did our Heavenly Father send His Son to earth? The short answer is this: He loves the people that He created. Please open your Bible to John chapter three, verse sixteen, and listen as Pastor Ray Viola discusses eleven aspects of God’s redeeming love.

The name Onesimus means profitable. However, when he ran away, Philemon might have been tempted to call him worthless. Fortunately, God’s grace transformed this worthless slave into someone that was indeed profitable, not only to Paul, but he would also become...

Paul wrote a personal letter to Philemon on behalf of his runaway slave Onesimus. Just as Jesus pleads our case before His Father, Paul intereceded on behalf of Onesimus. Paul told Philemon to charge him personally for any debt that Onesimus owed him, just as Jesus...

Growth in grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ requires community effort. You cannot fulfill God’s design for your life if you only watch church services on a video screen. The divine purpose behind having personal contact with other believers during the week is so...

An exhortation is an address or other form of communication that emphatically urges someone to do something. While an exhortation can be used as a warning or a rebuke, it can also be a word of comfort or encouragment. After the reading of verses twenty-four and...

Jesus designed His Church to be prayer driven, not program driven. For the Church to effectively stand, serve, and evangelize, Christians must pray with and for one another. Prayer is a gift from God that creates a spiritual union that binds us together in our...

In “The Lord’s Prayer,” Jesus mentioned forgiveness twice: Forgive us as we forgive our debtors, and if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your...

The Bible tells us of two types of forgiveness: God forgiving us and us forgiving others. It is God’s grace and faith in Jesus Christ that makes both types of forgiveness possible. Jesus is our example for forgiving others, and we must recognize that the Father...

We do not live out our Christian experience in a bubble; we are a family. Therefore, we must realize that a very important aspect of our Christian witness takes into consideration the impact that our personal convictions have others, both saved and unsaved. We want to...

Within the body of Christ, believers can have very different convictions about some things, and both sides can even use Scripture to defend their position! The sin about which Paul wrote in today’s passage is not about where you stand on any given issue, but about...

Biblical Christianity is a relationship that is first and foremost vertical between us and God, and then secondarily horizontal among one another. Over the next several broadcasts our pastors from Koinonia Fellowship will be leading us through a series of divine...

The Word of God is faithful and true. Jesus actually called Himself The Way, The Truth, and The Life. Belief is the defining factor between those that follow Christ and those that don’t. Do you believe in Him? Do you trust Him? Please open your Bible to Revelation...

We have been learning about the second coming of Jesus, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!” Let all who are weary say, “Come!” This longing to be with Him—our Savior, Who will make all things new—should be something that burns...

As the Body of Christ, living and breathing, touching and healing as we minister in Jesus’ name here on earth, we have the ability to affect people around us in incredible ways. Each of us has a calling and a role in the kingdom of God here on earth. What is your...

As followers of Christ, we are promised a crown that will not rust. What crown are you running to receive? The Father looks at our hearts. May our motivation for serving Him and His people be pure. Please open your Bible to Revelation chapter twenty-two, and listen as...

In a life filled with storms and turmoil, it can be difficult to see God’s greater purpose, but He is the one, Who is faithful and true. He is the one, Who parts the seas and calms the waves. He will make a way. No matter what your circumstances are, God is with you....

In a world filled with corruption, it can be hard to know who you can trust, but we worship a God, Who is called Faithful and True. These words not only describe what He does, but they describe Who He is. He is trustworthy. He is true. We can be confident in His...

A common ancient unit of measure was the cubit, which was the distance between a man’s elbow and the tip of his finger. John used the cubit in his description of New Jerusalem’s walls. We can imagine physical measurements in our own terms, but what about in God’s...

In a world where the lines between right and wrong are blurry, because that system was founded in corruption and personal agendas, what is the standard? You see, in God’s economy, the lines between right and wrong are clear, because corruption has no place in the eyes...

One can draw many parallels between the Tree of Life, spoken of in the book of Revelation and the cross of Calvary—the tree upon which Jesus hung as He paid for the sins of the world. Jesus is the one true giver of life. Where is your life source found today? Please...

Reports of pestilence, famine, hatred, and war dominate the daily news cycle. In so many ways this shows us that God’s work is not finished. He must make all things new, and He promises to do this. Today’s passage teaches us about a new heaven and a new earth—a place...

In our lives we are surrounded by pain, suffering, and death. At times it feels like we cannot escape from these things, but God has a plan and a promise: The old things shall pass away; all will be made new. Trust in the One, Who makes all things new today! Please...

In today’s passage we will learn about a new heaven and a new earth, which will be God’s perfect creation and our eternal home. Please open your Bible to Revelation chapter twenty-one, and listen as Pastor Ray Viola tells us about what God has in store for those who...

In today’s passage, we learn about the Great White Throne Judgment. This is where the Holy One, Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords sits and judges the unrighteous. This is Judgment Day. Please open your Bible to Revelation chapter twenty, and listen as...

Eternal life and power over death is only found through Jesus Christ—the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In today’s passage, we see how that plays out in Jesus’ thousand-year reign on the earth. To learn more, please open your Bible to Revelation chapter twenty, and...