• Email: hpaulsilas@hotmail.com
• https://apostolicinternational.com/
• Statement of beliefs: https://apostolicinternational.com/statement-of-beliefs
• The sermon: https://apostolicinternational.com/sermons/GODS_CLAIM_ON_THE_FIRSTBORN.pdf

• This sermon explores the deep biblical significance of the firstborn and God’s rightful claim over the future of His people. In the ancient world, the firstborn represented strength, inheritance, leadership, and continuity. Nations invested their hopes and power in their firstborn children, which explains the severity of God’s warning to Pharaoh and the devastating judgment of Egypt’s firstborn. When God declared, “Israel is my son, even my firstborn,” He revealed both His covenantal love for Israel and His determination to free them from oppression.

  God’s judgment against Egypt was not arbitrary; it was a declaration that Egypt’s future would no longer dominate God’s people. The battle was not merely political but generational. God sought to claim the youth for Himself before corruption could shape them. Scripture consistently shows that the future of a nation depends on its young people. This is why Babylon targeted Judah’s best youth—Daniel and his companions—seeking to reshape their identity, faith, and loyalty. Their captivity stands as a tragic consequence of adult disobedience, where children bore the cost of their parents’ sin.

  The doctrine of the firstborn ultimately points to Jesus Christ. At Passover, a lamb died so that the firstborn might live. That lamb foreshadowed Christ, whose blood delivers humanity from death. Because the firstborn were spared by blood, God declared them His. Later, God substituted the tribe of Levi for the firstborn, reinforcing the principle of redemption rather than ownership by force.

  Jesus Himself is called the Firstborn, and believers belong to the “church of the firstborn.” The firstborn symbolizes the future, promise, and continuity of God’s plan. Having given His best—His Son—God now calls the youth to give their best to Him. Youth is a sacred offering, a clean slate upon which God desires to write His purposes. To give one’s youth to Christ is the greatest sacrifice and the strongest foundation for a godly future.

• Email: hpaulsilas@hotmail.com
• https://apostolicinternational.com/
• Statement of beliefs: https://apostolicinternational.com/statement-of-beliefs
• The sermon: https://apostolicinternational.com/sermons/THE_WITCH_OF_ENDOR_TRUTH_IN_THE_WRONG_PLACE.pdf

• This sermon presents a sobering warning about the danger of seeking guidance outside the will of God. Centered on King Saul’s visit to the medium of Endor in 1 Samuel 28, the sermon exposes how spiritual desperation, when unaccompanied by repentance, can drive a person toward forbidden and destructive sources of truth.

  Saul’s tragic descent began long before Endor. His pattern of partial obedience, fear of people, and rejection of God’s commands ultimately led to the departure of the Spirit of the Lord. By the time the Philistines threatened Israel, Saul was spiritually hollow. When he finally sought God, heaven was silent—not because God was cruel, but because Saul had consistently treated God as a last resort rather than Lord. Instead of humbling himself in repentance, Saul turned to the very occult practices God had explicitly condemned and that Saul himself had outlawed.

  The consultation at Endor reveals a chilling truth: the occult may provide information, but it never provides hope. Saul received confirmation of judgment, not deliverance. The appearance of Samuel served as divine judgment, not guidance, sealing Saul’s fate rather than rescuing him from it. Seeking truth in the wrong place led not to salvation, but to despair.

  The sermon then draws powerful parallels to modern “Endors”—astrology, psychics, tarot, false prophecy, and spiritual practices that bypass Scripture and the Holy Spirit. These practices are exposed as acts of idolatry and unbelief, inviting demonic deception rather than divine guidance. Scripture consistently warns that such practices provoke God’s anger and align people with darkness.

  Yet the message ends with hope. In Christ, believers have no need to fear the occult. Jesus has triumphed over all spiritual powers, offering true guidance, protection, and life. The lesson is clear: when God seems silent, the answer is repentance and trust—not forbidden shortcuts. We need not go to Endor; we are invited instead to the cross and the empty tomb, where truth, mercy, and life are found.

This Bible study presents marriage as a divine covenant established by God, not a human invention or mere social contract. From the beginning, marriage was designed to reflect God’s purpose, order, and redemptive plan. Rooted in Genesis 1–2, marriage reveals equality in essence between man and woman—both created fully in God’s image—while affirming distinction in function. God declared that it was “not good” for man to be alone, establishing marriage as a partnership of companionship, strength, and shared purpose. The covenant formula of marriage is clear: a man must leave his parents, cleave to his wife in steadfast commitment, and become one flesh—forming a new, unified life together.\nThe New Testament deepens this foundation by revealing marriage as a living picture of Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5). The wife’s calling is one of respectful, voluntary submission that mirrors the Church’s devotion to Christ, while the husband’s calling is to love sacrificially, as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it. Biblical headship is defined not by dominance, but by service, self-giving, and responsibility shaped by the cross. Together, husband and wife proclaim the gospel through daily acts of love, respect, forgiveness, and faithfulness.\nThe atmosphere of a godly marriage is sustained by agape love—patient, kind, humble, forgiving, and enduring (1 Corinthians 13). Scripture emphasizes mutual honor, shared prayer, and spiritual unity, warning that marital discord can hinder communion with God (1 Peter 3:7). Marriage also sanctifies physical intimacy, which is to be honored and protected within the covenant (Hebrews 13:4).\nIn a fallen world, covenant-keeping requires intentional communication, continual forgiveness, and guarded unity. God Himself stands as witness to the marriage covenant and takes covenant faithfulness seriously (Malachi 2:14-16). Ultimately, a marriage built on obedience to God’s Word, empowered by grace, and centered on Christ will stand firm. When the Lord builds the house, the union becomes a testimony of His faithful love to a watching world.