Bethesda Apostolic Church

06/05/2026

The Word for Today, June 5, 2026…

Colossians 2:13-15
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Before we believed in Christ, we disobeyed, rebelled, and ignored God (even at our best, we did not love him with all our hearts, souls, and minds). Every Christian, however, has a new nature. God has crucified the old, rebellious nature (Romans 6:6) and replaced it with a new, loving nature (Colossians 3:9-10). The mortal penalty for sin was removed when Christ died on the cross. God has declared us not guilty if we believe in Christ’s work on the cross, and we need no longer live under sin’s power and give in to sin’s compulsions. God does not take us out of the world or make us like robots—we will still feel like sinning, and often we will sin. The difference is that before we were saved, we were slaves to our sinful nature; but now we are free to follow Christ, and we can resist sin in his power (Galatians 2:20).

Commentary shared from the Life Application Study Bible
Blessings & Love,
Pastor Dale

06/04/2026

The Word for Today, June 4, 2026…

Proverbs 3:16-17
Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.

Proverbs contains many strong statements about wisdom’s many benefits, including long life, wealth, honor, and peace. If you aren’t experiencing these benefits, does this mean you are short on wisdom? Not necessarily. Instead of guarantees, proverbs give general principles to make us think and reevaluate what we are doing. They are not written to be infallible promises. In a perfect world, wise behavior would always lead to these benefits. Even in our troubled world, living wisely usually results in obvious blessings—but not always. Sometimes sin intervenes, and some blessings will be delayed until Jesus returns to establish his eternal Kingdom. That is why we must “live by believing and not by seeing” (2 Corinthians 5:7). But we can be sure that wisdom will ultimately lead to blessing.

Commentary shared from the Life Application Study Bible
Blessings & Love,
Pastor Dale

06/03/2026

The Word for Today, June 3, 2026…

1 Peter 2:21-22
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

We may suffer for many reasons. Some suffering comes as the direct result of our own sin; some happens because of our or someone else’s foolishness; some comes from living in a fallen world. Peter is writing about suffering that comes as a result of doing good. Christ never sinned, yet he suffered so that we could be set free. Jesus’ suffering was part of God’s plan (Matthew 16:21-23; Luke 24:25-27, 44-47) and was intended to save us (Matthew 20:28; 26:28). All who follow Jesus must be prepared to suffer (Mark 8:34-35). Our goal should be to face suffering as he did—with patience, calmness, and confidence that God is in control of the future.

Commentary shared from the Life Application Study Bible
Blessings & Love,
Pastor Dale

06/02/2026

Half way through the year and expecting greater and greater! Join us on June 20th for another great women’s session! Mark your calendars and share the date with your sisters!

06/01/2026

06/01/2026

We invite you to join us in celebrating our wonderful leaders on their 16th Pastoral Anniversary! We thank God for blessing them with another year of ministry. We believe God for GREATER in the coming year!

06/01/2026

The Word for Today, June 1, 2026…

Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

These who are not “flesh-and-blood enemies” are demons over whom the devil has control. They are not mere fantasies—they are very real. We face a powerful army whose goal is to defeat Christ’s church. When we believe in Christ, these beings become our enemies, and they try every device to turn us away from him and back to sin. Although we are assured of victory, we must engage in the struggle until Christ returns, because Satan is constantly battling against all who are on the Lord’s side. We need supernatural power to defeat Satan, and God has provided this by giving us his Holy Spirit within us and his armor surrounding us. If you feel discouraged, remember Jesus’ words to Peter: “Upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it” (Matthew 16:18).

Commentary shared from the Life Application Study Bible
Blessings & Love,
Pastor Dale

05/30/2026

The Word for Today, May 30, 2026…

Galatians 4:4-5
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Jesus was born of a woman, so he was human. He was born as a Jew, so he was subject to God’s law, and he fulfilled it perfectly. Thus, Jesus was the perfect sacrifice because although he was fully human, he never sinned. His death bought freedom for us who were enslaved to sin so that we could be adopted into God’s family.

“When the right time came,” God sent Jesus to earth to die for our sins. For centuries the Jews had been wondering when their Messiah would come—but God’s timing was perfect. We may sometimes wonder about God’s timing. Do you wonder if God will ever respond to your prayers? Never doubt him or give up hope. At the right time he will respond. Are you waiting for God’s timing? Trust his judgment and trust that he has your best interests in mind.

Commentary shared from the Life Application Study Bible
Blessings & Love,
Pastor Dale

05/29/2026

The Word for Today, May 29, 2026…

Psalm 4:7-8
Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

Two kinds of joy are contrasted here—joy that comes from knowing and trusting God, and joy that comes as a result of pleasant circumstances. Both are good, but the joy that comes from a deep relationship with God is strong and steady and can’t be shaken. There is nothing wrong with being happy about pleasant circumstances (for example, a family gathered around a table with plenty of good food). But pleasant circumstances are unpredictable; they come and go. And when they go, can you still be happy? Can you still have that strong and steady joy that defeats discouragement? Make sure you have the kind of joy in the Lord that is lasting, and then you can be happy no matter what circumstances come your way.

Commentary shared from the Life Application Study Bible
Blessings & Love,
Pastor Dale

05/28/2026

The Word for Today, May 28, 2026…

1 Peter 4:14-16
If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

Again Peter brings to mind Jesus’ words: “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers” (Matthew 5:11). Christ will send his Spirit to strengthen those who are persecuted for their faith. Peter creates no illusions—God’s plan for your life may include pain and hardship. When trouble comes, don’t be surprised.

This does not mean that all Christian conduct causes suffering. Peter distinguishes between suffering for being a believer and suffering for doing wrong things. For example, a Christian may feel picked on for being a person of faith when it is obvious to everyone else that it is his or her own unpleasant behavior that is causing the problems. Careful thought or wise counsel may be needed to determine the real cause of our suffering. We can be assured, however, that whenever we suffer because of our loyalty to Christ, he will be with us all the way.

Commentary shared from the Life Application Study Bible
Blessings & Love,
Pastor Dale