The Shepherd's Fold Apostolic Church

In a recent Sunday School lesson Bro. George Parsons taught some vital truths that we need in our walk with Christ. He spoke about how there are "seasons" in our lives and we need to recognize when they come and know how to handle them. Using the verses Acts 1:7,8; Acts 3:19-23 he brought out how there are appointed times in our lives. Act 3:19 tells us to "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." Here it is speaking directly about salvation- but as we continue on in life with Christ, there is always repenting to be done- even if we haven't done anything wrong. It is a form of humbling and submitting our wills and our lives to Christ. There is always a time of refreshing that follows repentance. We could be going through a severe trial- it's a "season" in our life. It doesn't have to consume our life if we yield it over to the Lord. We could b...

  "And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon, called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.' They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him." Matthew 4:18-22 These men were fishermen. They were hard at work either casting out their nets or mending them. Today, it is much different--I would imagine much easier to fish with a net. Back then it was very hard work to keep their nets in good working order. They had to make sure the nets were clean, free from the debris that would collect on them. Also they were constantly inspecting, maintaining and mending the nets. But when Jesus showed...

Luke 4:1-13  The word "tempted" in verse 1 actually means "tested".  James 1:13 tells us that God does not tempt us to do evil. But we are tested many times. God allows us to be put in situations where the devil can test and prove us. God already knows what's inside our hearts. When we buy a product it is always a good thing to read the label- see what the ingredients are- what's inside. Well, the devil reads labels. You say you are a Christian. The devil says-- "Prove it!" Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. Job was tested by Satan. All the apostles and anyone claiming to be a disciple of Jesus Christ will face times of testings. There is no way to get out of it. We must be proved genuine. Normally it is at a time when we are the weakest. Christ had been fasting, Job was sick. When we are in weak area- that is when the testing will come. But good news!! James 1:12 says: "Blessed is the man who endures...

We at the Shepherd's Fold Church want to wish everyone a very blessed New Year. We do not know what will happen in this new year, but we do know the One Who is in charge. Put all your faith and trust in Christ and He will surely keep you safe and direct all your ways.             A few verses to take with you into this new year:   Proverbs 3:5,6   "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."   Psalms 37:5-8   "Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, forsake wrath; do not fret-it only cause harm."   Psalm 91:...

Isaiah 9:2 "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined."     Isaiah was looking ahead to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was the Light to the world. The prophets spoke about the Light then they were silent for 400 years. Imagine, after all the prophets and the Word of the Lord to the people, God did not speak for 400 years! It was a very dark time during those centuries. Many held on to the prophecies about a Messiah, a Redeemer, a Light to come.   And then, suddenly-- it happened! The heavenly hosts came upon the scene and lit up the darkness.  Luke- 2:8-20 relates the story of how the angels came to shepherds to announce the good news-- the Savior, Redeemer- the Light-- Jesus Christ-- had finally been born.   Today- many are still in darkness, even though it has been thousands of years since the Light- Jesus Christ came to earth. At this time of year, m...

James 1:22-24  "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was."   One of my favorite hobbies is taking pictures. I love to take pictures near bodies of water and get that reflection in the picture. It is not a perfect reflection especially if the water is moving. You get a distorted reflection.   We are to be reflections of Jesus Christ. The problem is with many is that their spirit is not at rest or peace. It is not still, but is in constant motion. Others get a distorted reflection of Jesus Christ through us. There are many reasons for this in the Word. One is found in Proverbs 21:23 "Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles."   Many Christians are so busy talking about things and people that their spirits are not ...

Philippines 4:8 "...whatsoever things are pure..."    Pure means clear, chaste, clean or immaculate. It means there is nothing added. If you look at any product these days such as bottled water, food, health and beauty items- it may say on the label that it is "pure" or "100%" this or that- but when you check the ingredients- there is an entire paragraph listing all of the ingredients. It is no longer pure.   James 3:13-18 tells us about the purity of wisdom from above . "But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in  your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic, for where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there."   This is a serious message to us today! See the progression of earthly wisdom? It starts out as earthly then goes to sensual and then finally to demonic! This is serious for the Church today. Many are seeking w...