Invest in Prayer

Every Tuesday evening at 7 PM, the ministers of Grace come together for Corporate Prayer. You are welcome to join us. Thursday mornings the women are in prayer. For further details go to https://graceapostolicchurch.net/pray.html.

RECAP (update):

Deacon Dines talked about the importance of know who we are. Hey reader… be authentically you. It’s easy to mimic Kingdom assignments and live falsely. However, God wants us strong and purposely living. We are our strongest when we walk within the vocation for which we’ve been called. Wonderful prayer and word.

Get in the Word and Stay There

1 Peter 2
We have to come to a place where we yearn for and cannot rest without God. If we get to that place, we will be able to grow in God. When you desire something or someone, you spend time with it or them. We need to feel this way about God’s word. We should so attached to God that we feel we must hear from Him. If you really want to hear God’s voice, pick up your Bible. God is the Word.
We have to develop a hunger and thirst for God. If we do, we won’t have any problem yielding to the will of God.
In order to present yourself to God, you have to lay aside those things that hinder you from walking with God. (see 1 Peter 2:1) Deny yourself. The flesh will not be subject to the law of God, so we must mortify the deeds of the flesh. (see Romans 8:7; Romans 7:23; Romans 8:13) The Holy Ghost will give you power and authority over your flesh and over anything the devil has to offer. (see Acts 1:8)
Even after you receive the Holy Ghost, you must develop a deeper desire for God. If you become slack in reading, fasting, and praying, you become weak and vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy. Reading, fasting, and praying feed you spirit. Don’t grow so busy with the cares of this world that you starve your spirit, grow weak and faint.
You have to get a desire for God just as a baby gets a desire for milk. (see 1 Peter 2:2) The word is the voice, will, and strength of God. There’s nothing that can happen in your life that the Word of God doesn’t address. (see 2 Peter 1:3) At church should not be the only time you hear the word of God. You must read and study it for yourself. (see 2 Timothy 2:15; Isaiah 28: 10)
When you reject the word, you are rejecting Christ. If you truly love God, you will stick with Him, get closer to Him, and most importantly, keep His commandments.

Beware of the Adversary

Ezra 1:1-3
Do you know who your real adversary is? Sometimes we look at each other, thinking our adversary is standing in front of us. But people are not the adversaries. The adversary is the devil, who walks around seeking whom he may devour.
We must even be careful of the devil’s attempts to deceive us. He may appear to be your “friend” but he is not. He wants only to destroy you.
God, however is for you and wants to dwell in you. We are His temples. And we must be careful of how we build upon the foundation, which is Jesus Christ. Don’t let the devil derail you from your desire to work and to live for God.
(see Matthew 24:24)
Everyone that smiles in your face is not on your side. Remember God is with you and for you.
We also must remember that we are not our own. Jesus purchased us with a price. When we clean up our lives, God can dwell in us and can show His glory through us.
We must stay focused on God, otherwise the enemy will come in unaware. We must guard our temples, for they are meant for God’s glory. Especially in relationships, love is something that must be shown, not merely spoken. Women, don’t take a mere promise for love. Don’t let anyone make you destroy your temple. Love protects and shields you, it won’t cause you to defile your temple. (see I Corinthians 6: 15-20) Don’t get infatuation and lust mixed up with love. (see I Corinthians 7:1) Love will cause someone to respect you and to do nothing to hinder your walk with God. Instead, they will walk in God with you. Love God enough to make sure you see Him. It is time for thee church of God to stand up and build the temple of God the way He said to build it. Have strength enough to say NO to the devil and to go with God.
Even with ministers and pastor, make sure what they say lines up with the word of God. Allow the word of God dwell in you richly.
Don’t let anything the devil throws at you hinder your walk with God! (see Jude 1:24)

Trying to find the voice of God? It’s in His word

God’s word: The Holy Bible

Are you trying to find the voice of God? It’s in His word (see 2 Peter 1:21)!

The Bible is the word of God, not the word of men. Holy men of God wrote as the Holy Ghost led them. God left us the scriptures for our learning and for our instruction.

If you disobey the word of God, you are disobeying His voice. The word of God says Jesus is the chief cornerstone. He had to be first in the foundation of the church. The word of God lines up with the chief cornerstone and will teach us everything we need to know. We don’t have to rely on other’s opinions. The word says to “Fear God and keep His commandments.” God’s word is forever settled.

That means that even though the government bends on gay rights and calls them civil rights, we still have to rely on what God says about it. The world will change, but the church must remain the same.

We obey the law of the land as long as it does not conflict with God’s laws. God’s laws supersedes all other laws.

Hold on to God’s Love!

Romans 8:35-39
The love of God is not like anyone else’s love. It passes our understanding. God has a purpose for His people.

He wants His revelation to be revealed and it must be through us. When we go through trials, God is trying to work something in us and to get the glory.

In order for us to obtain all that God has for us, we have to go through things (see Romans 8:18).

We should be glad that God chose us to reveal His glory. However, we must be willing to go through the process to get what God has for us. If we understand what God is doing, it gives us something to hold on to through our trials.

Bishop: Walk with God!

Genesis 5:22-24 KJV 

And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. 



What exactly does walking with God entail? To walk with God is to comply with His will. God’s will is for us to walk with him, to serve Him, to love Him and to love others.

Everything we need to know concerning our walk with Christ is found in the word of God. The word comes to lead, guide, direct, and correct us. As followers of Christ, our main endeavor is to please God. To do that, we must be willing to live holy lives. 



1 John 1:5-7 KJV 

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

We can’t walk with God except we agree to follow His commands and to let Him lead us.

Ephesians 5:1-2 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us,

Walking with God also involves showing love to others, regardless of whether that love is reciprocated. Love covers a multitude of wrongs. (1 Peter 4:5) So, in the face of many the offenses that we might face from others people, we must remain consistent in our love for one another. When we resist the temptation to step out of love or to change others to meet our standards, we give God the opportunity to mold them to fit His design for their lives.

Romans 12:9-10 KJV 

Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; 



In other words, let your love be real!

If we want to let God be glorified in us, we have to live according to His word and let Him guide us to fulfill His will for our lives.

‘Are ye my disciples?’

Being a disciple

Scripture: John 13:31-35

Notes: Love one another
When Jesus went away He told the disciples there was a sign that would determine whether or not they were really His disciples. It would be by the love they have for one another and others. Love is a wonderful thing that God ordains. John 15:12 – He commands that we love others.

Jesus was the perfect example of how we treat one another. That’s why it’s important for parents to watch how they act, because character passes down from generation to generation. Jesus set an example that we are expected to model. He wasn’t commanding His disciples to do something He himself wasn’t doing. He set the stage for us to follow Him, like parents should as they train their children in the way they should go.

Make Him first
Jesus also added (written in Luke) that someone who doesn’t “hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” That is to mean that there shouldn’t be odds in your family, but Jesus should take pre-eminence in your life. When you put Him first everything else will follow and fall in line. Ever heard this cliche: “I thank God who is the head of my life…” Many may want to be disciples, but few are willing to acknowledge Him as a real priority in their lives. Do this and you won’t have to worry about what the enemy is doing. God will open doors and give you wisdom with how to deal with one another. 

Bible study: Let agape love operate in your life

Love suffers long and is kind (1 Cor. 13: 4-8, NKJ)

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13, 1 John 4: 7-21
Elder Shaw teaches on another fruit of the Spirit – love, based on Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.

Notes: You don’t have to work to get love from God. You just allow it in your life. The Bible gives us instruction and commands us to acknowledge the Lord in all our ways. The Word is there so that we may practice Agape love, be productive  and add to the body of Christ.

Q&A
Q: What is agape love?
A: Unconditional love that doesn’t want anything back in return, but requires the Holy Ghost and a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Q: What are the other types of love?
A: Three. Eros – Romantic or erotic love.  Phileo – Brotherly love.

Q: What should the saints do if they feel unloved or wounded by the church?
A: We’re going on to perfection and so is the church. We have to be strong, prayerful and watchful. Focus on God and don’t let others affect your walk with the Lord. We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. (Romans 15: 1-3). Sometimes it’s all in your perception. Let Christ’s mind be in you. Furthermore, you can consult with the pastor.

Bishop preaches ‘God’s love’ on Mother’s Day

Here is a brief recap of the lesson on Mother’s Day. Bishop Pendleton preached out of 1 John 3: 1-3 on the love of God.

-Never underestimate the love of God AND a mother.
-God is our father and we are His children. He plays the multi-faceted role of our hope, future, waymaker, burden-bearer, and He took and put this kind of love in the mother. It’s a love tha goes beyond measure.
-Being a  child of God comes with these and other privileges.
-No matter how bad you’ve been a mother will still love you
-God wants us to be mindful and aware that we His children. He takes ownership over us and provides not only love, but protection.
-If it had not been for God’s love where would we be? You know you are never without love because God loves you.
-By the love of God you will make it and you will stand. Don’t let the enemy fool you. It is God’s Holy Spirit that will sustain and keep you especially when the enemy comes in like a flood  –God lifts a standard.
-You don’t have to worry, you don’t have to fear because perfect love casts out fear
-That’s why it pays to be filled with the Holy Ghost.

Recap of a sermon on ‘Love in a whipping’

Bro. Ethan sits obediently as his father mans the church soundboard, during a sermon.

Bishop preached out of Hebrews 12:1-9, Sunday morning. Here is a brief recap of the lesson:

Do you want to go to heaven? Are you willing to do what it takes to get there? God is calling for obedient children, and we have to succumb to the discipline He has for us. God’s discipline is not like man’s. Chastisement isn’t bad. It’s a sign that God loves you. It’s hard to see “love in a whipping,” but whom the Lord loveth he chastens. If you accept this discipline principle, it will bless you and enable you to live as God’s spiritual child.

God is saying: “I love you too much to go astray, to let the devil have you.” He wants to heal something in your life in the same way that parents punish their children for wrongdoing, but we soon forget God and the things he is instructing us to do. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him.