A Father Who Never Fails

While some of us may remember our earthly fathers with deep affection, and others with more complexity or pain, there is one Father who never fails: our heavenly Father. His compassion surpasses all understanding, offering lasting comfort, stability, and security to all who seek Him.

God is preparing us for what lies ahead, namely, the Kingdom that Jesus will establish upon His return. Our focus must not be just on the external political, economic, and religious chaos in society, but more so on what is happening in our own lives. In short, "Are my priorities right before God?" Brother Sam stresses that though we may have attended church faithfully for a lifetime, without a personal encounter with the Lord, we will have wasted our time.

We do not attend church merely out of tradition or to receive an emotional fix. Instead, we gather to reprogram our minds with the thought patterns of Christ. Two verses form the cornerstone of our Pastor's life: "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly… But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night" (Psalm 1:1–2). To avoid ungodly counsel, we must become students of the Word—ready to apply it whenever it is needed, empowering us with wisdom and discernment.

After several saints testified, Brother Sam watered Wednesday's lesson, Concentrating particularly on "setting our affections on things above, not on things of earth" (Colossians 3:2). Mortify, or put to death, therefore, the components of our earthly nature: Sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.  Because of these behaviors, the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.

Concerning the church in the last days, Jesus warned, "Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold" (Matthew 24:12). This sobering statement highlights how iniquity numbs our love for truth and one another.

"Iniquity" is often misunderstood. While some modern translations refer to it as "lawlessness," Brother Singh provides a more precise definition: "Iniquity is religious worship or service performed against God's will."

Brother Singh shared a deeply personal moment with our congregation: His grandson, angry at God, had asked, "Why does God allow so much suffering when He could fix it instantly?" It's a question that echoes in many hearts—a cry born of pain and confusion that even the most faithful believers occasionally feel.

A favorite chorus sung by our assembly includes the chorus: "And the God on the mountain is still God in the valley; when things go wrong, He'll make them right. And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times—the God of the day is still God in the night." Brother Singh and Sister Carol Smith combine to lift the spirits of saints in the valley of trials and afflictions. Many need healing and deliverance in these troubling days. We are powerless without God.

A few years ago, Brother Singh wrote an article titled "I Beg to Differ," challenging popular teachings in our fellowship that conflict with scripture.

This lesson summary focuses on two commonly misunderstood and emotionally charged doctrines often promoted: 1) A restored church at the end of the age. 2) Latter rain blessings (Acts 2:15-19).

Building on Saturday's message, today's message reinforces Romans 12:1-2: "...present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service, and be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. Br. James shared the stark realities facing youth today in a world that defies God, whereas Br. Sam entreats God's people to stand firm on the word of God, using it as the foundation for every aspect of our lives.

Emphasizing that God measures success much differently than humans, Brother Singh equated what the world calls a loser to be a winner in God's eyes. By worldly standards, Paul's ministry is a failure. In 2 Timothy 4:16, he lamented, "At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me." Fellow workers like Demas left him for worldly pursuits (2 Timothy 4:10). All the churches he founded quickly fell into apostasy, like the Corinthian assembly, abandoning the foundation of truth for another gospel that pleased them. Paul suffered the loss of all things, counting them but dung, that he might win Christ (Phil. 3:8).