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What happens when our journey on earth comes to an end? In this final message from How God Works, Dr. Michael Youssef examines the life of Elijah, a faithful prophet who walked with God and was taken into His presence.

From 2 Kings 2, Dr. Youssef follows Elijah's final journey through Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho, and the Jordan River. Each stop reveals how God prepares His people, strengthens their faith, and leads them toward their eternal home.

But this message is also a reminder that not all roads lead to Heaven. Scripture is clear: eternal life comes only through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God and only Savior.

This episode calls believers to:

• Trust God's plan through every season of life,
• Remain faithful through trials and testing,
• Reject the lie that all paths lead to Heaven,
• Pray boldly and share the Gospel with others,
• Live each day with eternity in view.

Elijah's journey reminds us that this world is not our final home. For those who belong to Jesus Christ, the best is yet to come.

Scripture Focus: 2 Kings 2:1–12

If today’s teaching stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don’t have to walk through it alone.

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Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Jude 1:8

The Book of Jude warns us of the dangers of apostasy, which is when someone falls away from the faith. An apostate is someone who has been given the opportunity to receive the truth but has rejected it. Apostates cause great harm to the Church.

In verse 8, Jude describes apostates as “filthy dreamers,” people with imaginations that are not rooted in truth. But the church is called to contend for our faith and truth, and make sure apostates’ dreams never come true.

First, we must recognize that these dreamers defile the flesh.

Because they ridicule the truth, apostates are more prone to sexual immorality than unbelievers.

As people get away from the Word of God, they give way to their imaginations and dreams—as night follows day, they give way to their sensual sins. We see this so often with young people who have been raised in church but have never been saved. Once they enter adulthood and experience a new environment without the Holy Spirit’s restraint, they fall into ungodly lifestyles.

Apostates are also marked by how they despise the Father.

With rebellious hearts, they reject authority and despise dominion within the church. They don’t want to believe that the Word of God is truth.

The final mark of apostates is that they disgrace the faithful, or, “speak evil of dignitaries” (Jude 8).

Having rejected the truth, apostates will speak blasphemously against Almighty God and His Word.

Adrian Rogers says, “There is nothing too glorious, nothing too holy that they will not defame.”

Our world is full of these filthy dreamers, and unfortunately, apostates don’t ridicule from outside the Church—they do it from within.

With a broken heart, Jude urges us to contend for the faith, to understand it, and know how to defend it, so that we may stop these filthy dreamers in their tracks and fill our churches with people who fear God.

Apply it to your life

Are you part of a church that believes that the Bible is the Word of God? Are you equipped and encouraged to contend for your faith—to understand it and know how to defend it? Recognize these marks of an apostate so that you may stand as others fall away.

Believers have the opportunity to be salt and light in a world that desperately needs both. Our culture is marinating in sin and hopelessness, and we have the opportunity to point the way to hope and forgiveness. But will we stand up and speak out? Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us recognize the difference we can make, and make the difference so many will recognize. If you’ve ever complained about the state of the world we live in, learn how your efforts can help turn the tide.

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Giving gifts, preparing special meals, visiting with friends and family—certainly those things can bring joy to the Christmas season. But the truth is, they might distract you from what is most important about Christmas—the best part of the celebration. Join John MacArthur for a lesson that can keep you from missing “The Birth of the King.”

Generosity is often something we practice on our own. We identify a need, support a ministry, or give to a cause we care about. But what happens when we invite others to join us?

Giving circles offer a way to make generosity more collaborative, relational, and joyful. When believers come together with a shared purpose, their collective giving can make a meaningful difference—not only in the lives of those receiving support but also in the hearts of those giving.

Lacie Stevens, Senior Partner at Generous Giving, has seen this firsthand. After spending more than two decades as a financial advisor, her perspective on stewardship changed dramatically when she attended her first Generous Giving conference in 2007. Today, she helps others discover the joy of generosity through shared experiences and meaningful connections.

Her message is simple: Generosity doesn't have to be something we practice alone.

A giving circle is a group of people who intentionally come together to pool their resources, pray about needs, and decide how they can support individuals, organizations, or ministries.

The concept is straightforward, but its impact can extend far beyond the financial gifts themselves.

Lacie explains that giving becomes more personal and life-giving when it's experienced in community. Rather than making giving decisions in isolation, participants have an opportunity to learn from one another, discover needs they might otherwise overlook, and encourage each other to respond.

In a culture where many people feel disconnected, giving circles create opportunities for authentic relationships centered on a shared desire to serve others.

They also remind us that generosity is about more than transferring resources. It's an opportunity for spiritual growth.

When we talk openly about needs, pray together, and encourage one another to act, we begin to see generosity as something we're invited to participate in rather than simply another financial obligation. And sometimes, the encouragement of others helps us act on an opportunity we might otherwise hesitate to pursue.

Although giving circles may be growing in popularity, the heart behind them is hardly new.

In Acts 2 and 4, we see a remarkable picture of generosity within the early church. Believers shared their possessions, cared for one another's needs, and demonstrated a unity that reflected their common faith in Christ. Acts 4:32 describes the community this way:

"Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common."

Their generosity was an expression of their shared life in Christ. They recognized that what they possessed could be used to care for one another.

Modern giving circles may operate differently, but they reflect a similar desire to use God's resources for the good of others. And the beauty of this approach is that it isn't reserved for people with extraordinary wealth.

One of the biggest misconceptions about collaborative giving is that it requires substantial financial resources. In reality, a giving circle might consist of a few families, a Bible study group, or several friends who contribute modest amounts toward a shared purpose.

The individual gifts may be small, but their combined impact can be meaningful. Of course, some giving circles have grown into much larger efforts.

Lacie recalls a group of four women in Fort Lauderdale who were inspired to start a giving circle after attending a

Stepfamily life comes with unique challenges – and Laura Petherbridge understands them firsthand as both a stepdaughter and a stepmom. She addresses common questions about co-parenting, step-siblings, and what “blending” really looks like in everyday life. Drawing on her one-of-a-kind resource, Stepfamilies of the Bible, Laura shares timeless wisdom to encourage and equip your unique family.

Get "Stepfamilies of the Bible" free with your gift.

Overcome Common Challenges in Blended Families -- Join Smart Stepfamilies founder Ron Deal for this series of seven short videos. He’ll offer insightful, practical tips to help you and your loved ones experience harmony in your household.

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Is your faith driving your life, or is it just tagging along behind your comfort? Stop treating Christianity like a U-Haul trailer attached to the American Dream. Learn to seek the Kingdom first, stand firm against spiritual opposition, and build the daily habits that lay the foundation for your next major spiritual breakthrough.

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Our Sovereign God May Not Return to Us If Jesus Followers Do Not Lead America’s Return to God; You Are Here for These Times

MESSAGE SUMMARY: If enough of us get serious with God, then, perhaps, God will heal us and this land. When we, as both individual Jesus Followers and as a country, turn to the Lord, will we hear God’s call and answer as in Isaiah 6:8: “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’”. As Jesus Followers but in our non-Christian behavior: we are mean; we are angry; we are judgmental; and we are selfish and self-centered. Also, in our non-Christian behavior, we are often in bondage to debt, drugs, and extramarital sex. In all these non-Christian behaviors, we are not different from the unbeliever next door. Therefore, we are not very different from God’s people in the time of Hosea described in Hosea 11:7,10-11: “My people are bent on turning away from me, and though they call out to the Most High {God}, he shall not raise them up at all . . . They shall go after the LORD; he will roar like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west; they shall come trembling like birds from Egypt, and like doves from the land of Assyria, and I will return them to their homes, declares the LORD.". We need to ask ourselves: “Am I being faithful to Jesus Christ and what needs to change in me and my life? Also, we need to ask ourselves “how am I disobeying the Lord?”. Will you then say to God: “Here am I! Send me.” If NOT ENOUGH “Self-Identifying Christians” answer God’s call to lead America in our “return to God”, then God, in His sovereignty, will not return to America – you are here for times like these!

TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, I come this day inviting you to cut those deeply entrenched chains that keep me from being faithful to my true self in Christ. In doing so, may my life be a blessing to many. In Jesus’ name, amen.      Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 44). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, because I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Heartlessness. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit’s fruit of Kindness. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV):  Hosea 11:1-11; Isaiah 6:8-13; Matthew 13:13-17; Psalms 13:1-6.

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Turkeys and Eagles – Part 6: We Don’t Need to Be Wimpy Christians”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/

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Learn how lack of prayer can be one of the greatest weaknesses in the life of the believer.

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