The Shepherd's Fold Apostolic Church

Matthew 2:1-8 Luke 1:76-80 Jesus Christ came to the earth to be a LIGHT to the world- a world that was full of darkness and no hope. Even before He entered the world as that little baby in Bethlehem-- His coming was preceded by light. A special star shown in the heavens, leading the magi to the place where He was. The heavens were filled with a great light when the angels announced to the shepherds that a Savior was born in Bethlehem. In John 8:12 Jesus calls Himself the LIGHT of the world. "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in in darkness, but have the light of life." Truly He came to be a light to a dark and sin-filled world. The light drew men unto Him.  But even more than this-- He called His disciples to also be LIGHT to the world. Matthew 5:14-16 says: "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to al

Peace on earth?  At this time of the year we hear this phrase repeated in song and verse. But we ask ourselves, where is this peace on earth? Even without the recent terrorist events in the world, where is this peace on earth we hear so much about? Is it hypocrosy? Is is a myth? Is it a form of denial? Just where is this peace on earth? The global economy is collapsing, entire countries are in anarchy, civil war and blood shed. Thousands have died in Syria in the past year not to mention Nigeria, the uprisings in Egypt and Lyia over the last year. There is war within and without. Sickness and death, suicides, murders, super storms, fires, floods, earth quakes, drought and famine. Thousands homeless, unemployed, and we could go on and on. Those in our own government can't even agree with each other. So where is all that peace we talk about? Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shouilder and his nam

2 Corinthians 2:14-17 We are always led in triumph. The moment that we step out of Christ we lose. When we are in Christ, He causes us to win, to conquer- to be victorious. People begin to sense our triumph- they sense our fragrance. We are the fragrance of Christ. When we go through trials we walk in Christ's triumph, in His victory and people sense that about us. He leads us-- He is in front- He is ahead-- leading us in His victory- in His triumph. Colossians 2:13-15 Christ made a public spectacle of the disarmed principalities and powers-- triumphing over them in it. 1 John 5:4 This is the victory that has overcome the world- our faith. When Jesus did a work in us it was complete. It is already done because of His victory! It isn't how we see ourselves in ourselves-- but how we see Christ in ourselves. We walk in Christ's victory- Christ's triumph! (Taken from Pastor Keith's sermon--11/11/2012)

We at the Shepherd's Fold Apostolic Church want to wish everyone a very Blessed Thanksgiving. As we spend time with our families and friends, we take time to give thanks for all the many blessings that the Lord has given us. Several in our church have gone through physical afflictions this year and the Lord has brought them out of each one. We are so very thankful that Sister Lynne has finished up all her cancer treatments and is clear of cancer. We offer God the praise and thanks for all that He has done for her! We are so very blessed. Continue to pray for her that her strength will continually be renewed. Also the Lord brought Bro. Parsons through a very bad illness this summer and he is doing well now. Sister Parsons took a very bad fall in September and we praise God that she suffered no broken bones or severe injury. Also the Lord has brought Bro. Lanning through some illnesses and he is still praising the Lord at 93. We have come through some severe storms in the natur

Isaiah 26:20, 21 "Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut the doors behind you; hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation is past. For behold, the Lord comes out of His place, to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth will also disclose her blood, and will no more cover her slain."  Colossians 3:3 "For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Believe it or not, like it or not- there is judgment coming to the earth. We must take refuge from the coming judgment. We must enter the chamber and close the door and go into "that place" of safety. In the nuclear age, bomb shelters were a common topic. There were no windows, provisions were set up to wait out a nuclear attack. It was a place of safety. God doesn't need a nuclear attack to bring judgment on sin. But we still need a place of safety. This "place" is not a literal, physical shelter- but a spiritual

Remember that - Sunday, November 11 is the IDOP for our persecuted Christian brothers and sisters. We should be praying for all Christians on a regular basis, but this day has been set aside as an international event. Remember those who are in prison or being persecuted for their faith. As time goes on the list of nations that persecute or restrict Christians from following their faith in Jesus Christ is growing. We do not know how long our own nation will enjoy religious freedom. We need to be aware that there are thousands, if not tens of thousands who are being restricted, imprisoned and even murdered for their faith in Christ. The following link will take you to one of the websites   http://www.idop.org/    Pray that those who are being persecuted and/or imprisoned will remain faithful to the Lord. Pray that they will be released from their prisons and that the laws regarding religious freedom will be changed. Pray that they will be a witness and example to those who persecut

 John 6:1-15 (The feeding of the 5,000) In verse 5 , Christ was testing the disciples when He asked: "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" Philip's response in verse 7 shows where his faith was. He quoted a dollar amount that wouldn't even be sufficient for each one to have just a little bread. Andrew's response wasn't much better-- a young boy who had 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fish-- " but what are they among so many?" Many times, we as Christians respond to needs in the same way. We look at our insufficiency. We look at what we have and we say it's too little. Looking at what we have or don't have- we then feel insufficient and our faith is low. But the truth is--- what we have IS insufficient! Jesus told the disciples to set the men down and then He took what He had- the 5 loaves and 2 small fish-- and when He had given thanks for what He had- God created a miracle right then and there! Jesus was trying to

Matthew 24:1-28 Verse 4-- "And Jesus answered and said to them: 'Take heed that no one deceives you.'" In the day we are living Christians need to KNOW the Word of God more than ever before. We need to check everything against what the Bible says. Many will come and deceive as the serpent deceived Eve. Just one or two "little" words can change an entire thought and an entire life. We need to know our Word and not just read it and memorize it, but make it an active and powerful part of our daily lives. Verse 23,24--if anyone comes to you and says Christ is here or Christ is over there- don't believe it! "For false christs and false prophets will rise up and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible even the elect."   There are two kingdoms present in the world today. The kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of antichrist. Antichrist is a spirit at work in spiritual darkness and preys on the dark areas of a person's mind

Mark 4:13-20; Matthew 25:14-30 It is our responsibility to sow- God brings the increase. If we don't sow, we can never reap. We must continue on. We can't be detoured or distracted. We will have setbacks but we can't let it stop us. Luke 12:48 "...For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more." Our requirement is to plant. God will bring the increase. Our requirement is to be obedient to sow where God has placed us. It doesn't matter whether it is in a well lit and open area, full of opportunities to be seen or whether it is in a small, dark place unseen by the masses. That choice is up to God. Our responsibility is to sow what and where God has put us. Don't try to open doors that God has left shut. Be obedient to what He is telling you to do. We will never reap if we don't sow where God has placed us. (From Pastor Keith's Sermon 7/8/2012

Mark 3:1-6 Jesus's first words to the man with the crippled hand were: "Step forward".   This means to "Arise into the midst".   Jesus next told him to "Stretch out your hand." If he wanted wholeness his first step was to take a step- forward.The man was used to the crippled hand- he had gotten used to it, had adapted to it. Between "Step forward"   and "Stretch out your hand"- there was a battle raging in the man's mind. The battle between these two statements was in his mind. He had to make the decision of what he was going to do- step forward and receive Christ's healing, or go on like he had in the past. His faith was being tested and stretched. God wants to stretch our faith. We say we want revival-- God says "Step forward" and "stretch forth". We have to win the battle in our minds. We have to believe that God is going to do what He says He is going to do. Our minds become our biggest obstac

Mathew 26:36-46 Verse 39: "He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, 'O Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.'" Jesus knew that the time of His death was coming soon. The disciples wanted Him to stay and set up His kingdom on the earth. But Jesus knew He wasn't going to set up an earthly kingdom but was going to set up a heavenly kingdom. He came to a decision that night in Gethsemane. He suffered His will that night so that He would be able to suffer physically on the cross. He had to come to the place of giving up His will for His Father's will. God won't make us do something. We must give up our own wills. We can't put if off until tomorrow. We must submit our will today. His will never takes place in our life until we give up our will. We think- we'll do it next week. We'll pray tomorrow, next week. There must be a breaking of our will. It re

Acts 8:26-40 This text describes the incidence where God used Philip to preach to an Ethiopian who was a high ranking court official. Afterwards Philip was caught up by the Spirit and ended up at Azotus, many miles away. Philip was one of seven men filled with the Spirit to help wait on tables ( Acts 6:5,6 ). He was like anyone else except he allowed the Spirit to fill him and use him. He didn't have his own agenda- he allowed God to lead and direct him. We first find Philip in chapter 8 going down to Samaria- a place where many others avoided. But because of his obedience a revival broke out and many received the Holy Ghost. Then God spoke to him and sent him into the desert and that is where he met the man from Ethiopia. Philip had a Divine Appointment from God. He didn't allow his own schedule to dictate to him. He allowed the Spirit to lead him. He stopped what he was doing and followed the Spirit. God wants the church to get to the place of "Divine" ha

Joshua 3 Verses 3,4: "And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore." To "sanctify" means to consecrate, to dedicate yourself to God alone. It involves committing your life to the Lord to live holy, pure and dedicated to Him. God is asking us to consecrate ourselves today. The Presence of God is going to move in an awesome way soon. Christians need to be ready. We need to let go of the things that cause God shame and cause our lives to be unproductive for the kingdom of God. We need to cleanse our hearts and minds. (From the Pastor's Bible Study-- August 1, 2012)

Luke 9:51-62 Matthew 8:18-22 "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God." Once we decide we are going to follow Jesus we can not look back. Longing for the past will interfere with God's plan for you for the future. When a farmer is plowing, if he is looking backward, his furrows will not be in a straight row. We can't see ahead if we are always looking back. Sometimes we feel that we are in the dark when we are following the Lord. God doesn't give us a detailed itinerary of what He has planned for us. We don't know what lies ahead. Sometimes, many times, we don't know where we are going. That is where trust comes in. We must trust the Lord with our lives. We must believe that He knows best. There is a reason why He is bringing you the way that He is. Even if you don't understand and can't see the way clearly. "For w e walk by faith not by sight"  ( 2Cor. 5:7 )-- We must trust H

2 Chronicles 7:14: "If My people who are called by My name, will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." The Lord  spoke these words to Solomon and were for the Israelites in those days. But the words hold true for today as well. The verse says- "My people"- meaning Christians- the Church. We are the ones who need to humble ourselves and pray and seek the Lord's face. God never did and will not start now- moving- until He sees the Church has a deep and true repentance. Even if you are not taking part in the sins of the Church, there must be a spirit of repentance and crying out in your hearts for the sin in the Church today. It is no wonder God is not blessing this country, but more importantly- the Church has gotten so far away from the original purpose God had in mind. We are to seek Him- not pleasures, fame, money and  a good life.

Luke 24:1-9   (1)"Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing spices which they had prepared. (2)But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. (3)Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. (4)And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold two men stood by them in shining garments. (5)Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead? (6)He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, (7)saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.' (8)And they remembered His words. (9)Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest." This Sunday, Christians world wide will be celebrating the resurrection