SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP HAS BEEN SUSPENDED DUE TO ILLNESS This site exists to provide the "Family of God" spiritual nourishment and encouragement. Whether you are one of the many folks we've met on your travels in the Western Mountains of North Carolina, or a visitor to our website, WELCOME!! Join with our church as we enlarge our "Family of God" through weekly Bible lessons published on this site, by email, and on Facebook. Our Facebook ministry is growing fast, with over 9000 "likes". These Bible lessons are sponsored through paid advertising by our church, reaching thousands of people each week. Click the links below for lessons in 2024 Your donation toward this unique ministry would help us to reach more people with the Truth of God's Word. Please join our Facebook/Mailing List. VISIT HIS GARDEN OF GRACE, __________________________________________________
12/15 “I SAT DOWN AND WEPT. I MOURNED AND FASTED AND PRAYED BEFORE THE GOD OF HEAVEN.” So begins the powerful words of a mighty prayer warrior who lived 2500 years ago. His heart heavy with the sorrow from the aftermath of war and destruction, the patriot Nehemiah petitioned the only one he knew that could restore justice where there seemed to be none.
12/08 “WHEN I CALLED, THEY DID NOT LISTEN; SO WHEN THEY CALLED, I WOULD NOT LISTEN”…For 70 years, the kingdom of Judah, the remnant nation of ancient Israel, had memorialized the attack on their capital and their nation by adding a national day of fasting to God's appointed Holy Days. Without realizing it, their appointment had taken on a life of its own, binding them to a meaningless worship of their own making. More...
12/01 HE WHO OFFERS A SACRIFICE OF THANKSGIVING HONORS ME... 'Now consider this, you who forget God, Or I will tear you in pieces, and there will be none to deliver. He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; And to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God." Psalm 50:22-23 In this Psalm written over 3000 years ago, God is livid because although His people were going through the motions of pleasing Him through ritual sacrifices of worship, what they really wanted was to please themselves. More...
11/24 THE TEMPLE WAS… For over 400 years, the Shekinah Glory of Almighty God was physically the center of ancient Israel's national life. The people brought daily offerings to Him in Solomon’s Temple and gathered as a nation to worship Him during the 3 High Holy Days of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. But over the years, the faithful worshipers became prideful of their image as God's people, placing their faith in their abilities as a nation. Today, all that remains of the magnificent temple is part of the physical foundation, known today as the "Wailing Wall". More...
11/17 “WALK IN MY WAYS AND DO WHAT IS RIGHT…” Almost 3000 years ago, fear, and the desire to be delivered from laws they didn’t like, prompted a nation who worshiped God for almost 1000 years to mistakenly pledge their allegiance to a king who didn’t take God seriously. Unwittingly, they allowed him to bring other gods into their midst by manipulating God's Word, leading them to break the very first commandment God had given them: "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." More...
11/10 “RETURN TO ME AND I WILL RETURN TO YOU.” In the 6th century BC, around this time of the year, Zechariah reminded God’s people that the Almighty’s presence was key to their restoration as His nation. The prophet assured them that God was not far away. If they would return to Him, He would return to them.
11/03 STAND UP AND PRAISE THE LORD YOUR GOD…YOU WERE RIGHT AND WE WERE WRONG. Around 2500 years ago, a nation stood united in praise to the Lord with the sole intent of honoring Him through national repentance of their sins. The longest prayer of the entire Bible was offered as a worship unto God on the 24th day of God's 7th month, which began the evening of October 27 on our 2024 Gregorian calendar. More...
10/26 “OUT OF HIS HEART WILL FLOW RIVERS OF LIVING WATER” 2000 years ago, Jesus upset and confounded the religious establishment of His day during their most important holiday of the entire year: The Festival of Tabernacles. They had been joyfully worshipping the Lord God, extolling His Word for an entire week through elaborate ceremonies of water and lights, when a mere mortal among them challenged their religious “beliefs”. More...
10/19 A FESTIVAL FOR THE LORD YOUR GOD… Imagine ALL Christians across the entire planet coming together to celebrate Jesus’ return during a week-long festival! We are in the midst of the revival of many beginning to realize what is missing in Christianity: unity in worship. God’s calendar of 7 “Jesus” Festivals throughout the year is the perfect framework for the rapid ingathering of ALL of us into ONE global Body of Christ-NOW!
10/13 S A L V A T I O N… Almighty God has an ongoing plan in place for the salvation of mankind, and He is calling us to place our trust in His plan, right now, through the power of His Everlasting Word. The evening of October 13 on our 2024 Gregorian calendar begins the 10th day of God’s 7th month, the anniversary of the very date the Almighty appropriated a blood sacrifice to cover the sins of His people. God revealed the foundation for His plan of salvation in Leviticus 16 when He said, “The Day of Atonement will be on the tenth day of the seventh month…This special day of rest continues from that evening until the next evening.” More...
10/06 WATCH! The Living Word of God is exploding with depth and new meaning for us in 2024. This picture reflects not only the astounding artistry of the Almighty’s handiwork in the western NC evening sky, it also prophetically appoints the day God’s trumpet will announce the return of Jesus Christ to rule and reign over His kingdom on this earth! More...
09/22 I Confess The Sins... About 2500 years ago, the Jewish patriot Nehemiah took on the task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. He wasn’t even a citizen of the Persian kingdom where he lived. He was a second-generation Jewish refugee, born into forced exile in a foreign land. He could have pointed his finger at a multitude of other people and nations and played the blame-game. Instead, Nehemiah prayed to God Almighty and confessed His sin, his father’s sin and the sins of his entire nation. More...
09/08 J E A L O U S “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.” 3500 years ago, amidst fire and thunder, God Almighty flamboyantly announced His jealousy to millions of His chosen people. He voiced this radical statement in Exodus 20:5 as He audibly announced His Ten Commandments! More...
09/01 GIVE CAREFUL THOUGHT TO YOUR WAYS…The Hebrew figure of speech for this phrase is literally “put your heart on your roads.” God has designated the sixth month of Elul, beginning at sunset September 4 and continuing to sunset October 4 on our 2024 Gregorian calendar, as the month for "soul searching" and turning back to Him. Indeed, the Hebrew word for this month, "Elul" means to search out deeply, as in the heart. More...
08/25 THIS IS WHAT THE LORD SAYS: About 2600 years ago, the “weeping prophet” Jeremiah urged God's chosen people and their leadership to look to Him for their strength, not other people or governments. Thousands of years later, God’s Word continues to reverberate this same truth to ALL His people. The focus verses of this lesson represent a succinct synopsis of the entire book of Jeremiah. “This is what the LORD says: ‘Cursed are those who trust in mortals, who depend on flesh for their strength and whose hearts turn away from the LORD… But blessed are those who trust in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.’" Jeremiah 17:5,7 More...
08/18 I WILL NOT LISTEN TO YOU… This statement of the Almighty on the 10th day of the fifth month on His calendar, which begins the evening of August 14 on our 2024 Gregorian calendar, still reverberates His truth to us 21st century Christians. “… On the tenth day of the fifth month of the seventh year… ‘This is what the Lord God says: Have you come to ask me what you should do? I, the Lord God, tell you that, as surely as I live, I will not listen to you.’ ” Ezekiel 20:1-3. More...
08/11 "HEAR O HEAVENS AND GIVE EAR O EARTH for the Lord has spoken; Though I brought up and raised My children, they have rebelled against me.” Isaiah 1:2. This timeless scripture has been read and lamented for thousands of years at exactly this time of the year on God's calendar.
07/28 “…DO NOT TURN ASIDE TO THE RIGHT OR TO THE LEFT. Walk in obedience to all the Lord your God has commanded you, so you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.” Deuteronomy 5:32-33. The usage of “right and left” in early biblical times was so common that it had probably reached the level of a cliché. The phrase is a merism that actually means "everywhere, in any direction”, used here admonishing us not to deviate from God’s path in ANY direction. A merism is a figure of speech that expresses opposites and unity at the same time. More...
07/21 “MAKE US A GOD TO GO BEFORE US…” 3500 years ago at this time of the year, God’s chosen people attempted to control their destiny by worshipping The Almighty on their own terms. Instead of celebrating that they were created in God’s image, and destined to change the world through Him, they created a “stand-in” image of God to rally their nation toward the Promised Land of their dreams. More...
07/14 ASHAMED AND CONFOUNDED...2600 years ago, God's people petitioned Him to intervene in their national woes. They reasoned they deserved His benevolence because He had chosen them and blessed them in the past. God did not agree. "Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord God, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!” Ezekiel 36:32 More...
07/07 BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO TRUSTS IN THE LORD…During the 4th month on God's calendar, which begins the evening of July 6 on our 2024 caleBndar, the 6th century BC remnant of God's chosen people, exiled in Babylon, celebrated the death and resurrection of the pagan deity Tammuz, who supposedly died so that they could have "new life". They filled the iron idol's empty eye sockets with lead, which was ignited, resembling fireworks like tears falling. God’s chosen people celebrated these fabricated tears just inside the gate of God's Holy Temple, essentially flaunting another god in the Almighty's face. More...
06/30 SEALED WITH THE KING’S RING… Set in Persia around 479 B.C. during the reign of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes), the book of Esther is a dramatic narrative with profoundly deep spiritual insights. Several calendar dates in Esther provide timeless wisdom and encouragement for those who seek the eternal value of God’s Word. Today’s lesson revolves around a letter issued by the King, sealed with His signet ring, and delivered to God's chosen people.
06/23 GOD’S APPOINTED TIMES… During these constantly changing times, it's vital for us Christians to realize that God has everything under control. He has set forth His calendar for mankind with Jesus appointments all over it. Every single day of our lives has been set in place by the Almighty, unmovable and unshakable through His Only Begotten Son. “These are my appointed times, the times of the LORD that you will proclaim as sacred assemblies.” Leviticus 23:2
06/16 BRING TWO LOAVES OF BREAD…There are two loaves of bread, side by side, on the offering table to the Lord. This unusual offering was appointed for this time of the year for God’s chosen people. Since both loaves are leavened, they appear to be spiritually significant as sinful types of mankind. But this is a heavenly offering...
06/09 WE ARE SURROUNDED BY A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES…This is a picture of the Great Smoky Mountains literally smokin', the perfect illustration for today's lesson on faith. On God’s timeline for humanity, the 3rd day of the 3rd biblical month is June 10 on our 2024 calendar. Get ready for a lesson that not only crosses millennia but is right on target for us today.
06/02 THIS SAME JESUS… The book of Acts records the last words of Jesus, spoken from the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives at Bethany. "’...you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.’” Acts 1:8-11. More...
05/26 THEY BURIED THE PEOPLE THAT HAD A CRAVING…3500 years ago, May 27-30 on our 2024 Gregorian calendar, God sent a plague upon a nation who claimed to worship Him but were never satisfied with His direction and provision. God's Word records many of them complained to death, literally. “Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving...They buried the people who had the craving.” Numbers 11:4,34.
05/19 IN THE MORNING YOU WILL SEE THE GLORY OF THE LORD…Lately we Christians have been reduced to just plain-old grumbling about our current circumstances. Like the ancient Israelites in today’s lesson, we have been crying out to God for deliverance, and our patience is fading fast. Listen now as the Lord sends encouragement through them to us. “And in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against him...” Exodus 16:7 More...
05/12 EVERY MAN BY NAME...The Lord said to Abraham in Genesis 15:5: “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them…so shall your offspring be.” Today, astronomers estimate there are ten thousand billion trillion stars. That’s a 1 followed by 25 zeros and lots of exclamation points. 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000!!! More...
05/05 PEACE BE WITH YOU! Following the morning Resurrection of Jesus, this incredible account is recorded in John 20:19-20: “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.” More...
04/21 LET MY PEOPLE GO… 3500 years ago under a full moon during the spring season, The Almighty announced His presence to a world power that had a stranglehold over the people who worshipped Him. God announced His intention to free them through a series of plagues which rearranged their daily lives, decimated their national economy, wracked them with disease, disrupted their weather patterns, devastated their food supply, increased insects to unbearable swarms, and plunged them into darkness for days. Finally, with the 10th plague of death, even people who didn’t worship Him were brought to their knees. More...
04/14 I WILL BRING ONE MORE PLAGUE… 3500 years ago, under the midnight illumination of a full moon, God brought a final plague upon a proud, haughty nation that would convince them once and for all that He was God. He would bring death to every household. Only the life’s blood of an innocent lamb could save them. But they would have to choose that lamb themselves, care for it in their homes, and together, sacrifice it so that they might live. Appointed death would “pass over” them if the innocent’s blood marked their abode. (Exodus 11-12) More... |
04/07 IN THE BEGINNING GOD… When Apollo 8 carried mankind into lunar orbit for the first time on December 24, 1968, a billion people on Earth heard the Word of God being broadcast 240,000 miles above them. "We are now approaching lunar sunrise. For all the people back on earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message we would like to send to you. 'In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth..." More...
03/31 “WHO IS IT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR?” This is the question Jesus asked Mary Magdalene on His magnificent Resurrection Morn. It’s the same one He is asking us this Easter morning.John 20:1-18 records that unforgettable day: “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, 'They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!'” More...
03/24 FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS… It all began with an official who had an intense hatred for a group of people who had become part of his nation. He used his position to persuade the King to schedule their total annihilation. God intervened, prompting an unlikely savior of the people through these timeless words: "And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” More...
03/17 LIKE A BRIDEGROOM COMING OUT OF HIS CHAMBER… “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other...” Psalm 19:1-6. More...
03/10 I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE… During the last weeks of His life, Jesus made an earth-shattering statement that literally brought the future into the present. “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26. |
Fontana Community Church
20 Fontana Church Road, P.O. Box 93
Fontana Dam, NC 28733
828-479-2675 Leave Message