• 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.

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

• “The Proof of the Pierced Hands” presents a profound and compassionate exploration of the apostle Thomas, moving beyond the shallow label of “Doubting Thomas” to reveal a disciple marked by fierce loyalty, realism, and deep grief. Long before his doubt, Thomas proved his devotion when he declared, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (John 11:16). His faith was not weak—it was concrete, courageous, and willing to follow Jesus even unto death. Yet this same realism made the resurrection incomprehensible to him.

  When the risen Christ was announced, Thomas demanded proof—not out of rebellion, but out of a need for continuity. He did not ask merely to see Jesus alive; he asked to see and touch the wounds. This fixation reveals a deep theological truth: the risen Christ is forever the crucified Christ. The wounds are not erased by resurrection but carried into glory as eternal testimony to sacrificial love. For Thomas, the wounds authenticated identity—only the crucified Jesus could bear those marks.

  Eight days later, Jesus graciously meets Thomas at the exact point of his doubt, inviting him to touch His hands and side. Whether Thomas physically touched the wounds is not recorded; the invitation itself breaks him. His response—“My Lord and my God”—is the highest confession of Christ’s divinity in the Gospels. The tangible proof leads him to transcendent faith.

  Thomas’s story affirms that Christian faith is not blind irrationality but historically and physically grounded. God is not threatened by honest doubt and meets sincere seekers with grace. The sacraments echo Christ’s ongoing invitation to “reach hither.” Most importantly, the wounded Christ assures believers that suffering is not discarded but redeemed. Our wounds, like His, can become places where resurrected life is revealed. Thomas stands as a witness that honest doubt, brought to Christ, can lead to the deepest and most enduring faith.

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

• “The Theology of Silence” explores the profound spiritual power of restraint, obedience, and quiet faith through the life of Joseph, the earthly guardian of Jesus. While the Christmas narrative is filled with angelic proclamations and prophetic songs, Joseph stands at the center without a single recorded word. His silence, however, is not emptiness—it is active righteousness expressed through mercy, listening, and obedience.

  Joseph’s crisis begins when Mary is found to be with child during their betrothal. Under the Law, he had the right to expose her publicly, yet as a “just man,” he chose compassion over condemnation, resolving to put her away privately. This reveals the first principle of divine silence: a silence that conceals rather than exposes, reflecting God’s own merciful character. Joseph absorbs potential shame himself in order to protect another, foreshadowing the heart of the gospel.

  The second principle emerges when God speaks to Joseph in a dream. Because Joseph did not fill his anguish with loud protest or self-justification, he was able to hear the voice of God clearly. His response is immediate and unquestioning obedience. He takes Mary as his wife, later flees to Egypt by night, and returns when instructed—each time without recorded complaint or debate. His silence becomes the soil in which divine guidance grows.

  Joseph’s life demonstrates that God often entrusts His greatest mysteries to those who do not need to explain themselves. The Son of God was placed into the hands of a quiet, faithful man who knew how to listen and act. This theology of silence aligns Joseph with biblical figures such as Moses, Elijah, and ultimately Jesus Himself, who stood silent before His accusers.

  In a noisy world obsessed with visibility and opinion, Joseph teaches that true spiritual power is found not in many words, but in humble obedience. Silence, when rooted in faith, becomes a vessel for God’s greatest work.

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

• Acts 16 gives us one of Scripture’s most stunning portraits of salvation: the conversion of the Philippian jailer. This man was no spiritual seeker—he was a hardened Roman officer, defined by authority, discipline, and the power of the empire. His identity depended on maintaining control, for Roman law demanded his life if a prisoner escaped. Yet in one divinely orchestrated moment, everything he relied on collapsed.

  Paul and Silas had been beaten and imprisoned for delivering a slave girl from a spirit of divination, disrupting her masters’ income. In the darkest part of the prison, instead of despair, they prayed and sang praises—an act of spiritual defiance and faith. At midnight, God responded with a violent earthquake that shook the foundations, opened every door, and broke every chain. The jailer, assuming escape and fearing execution, prepared to take his own life. But Paul’s cry—“Do thyself no harm, for we are all here”—stopped him. This act of mercy broke him in a way no earthquake could.

  Overwhelmed, he fell before Paul and Silas and asked the most important question any human soul can ask: “What must I do to be saved?” His fear of temporal ruin became the doorway to eternal redemption. Paul’s answer was simple and profound: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Salvation required not works, rituals, or punishment—only faith.

  The jailer’s transformation was immediate. The man who once guarded wounds now washed them. The oppressor became a servant. He and his household were baptized, and joy filled his home. His story mirrors our own: God often shakes the foundations of our lives so we will finally look upward and ask the saving question. And the answer remains unchanged—believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

This sermon is about the saving identity of who our Lord Jesus Christ is.

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

• Many seek divine direction yet remain motionless, waiting for a sign from heaven. But Scripture reveals a sacred principle: God leads those already walking in obedience. His guidance comes not through passivity but through faithful movement. Eleazar, Abraham’s servant, discovered this truth when he declared, “I being in the way, the LORD led me.” He found God’s direction only after he had begun his obedient journey.

  From Genesis to Acts, this principle repeats. Moses was not led by God while tending sheep in Midian but after obeying the call to return to Egypt. The Red Sea parted, manna fell, and the pillar of fire appeared only as he walked in faith. Guidance unfolded step by step, not before he began but while he was “in the way.”

  Peter experienced the same on the Sea of Galilee. When Jesus said “Come,” Peter had to step out of the boat before he could walk on water. Divine power sustained him only while he moved in obedience. The miracle was found on the path, not in the safety of hesitation.

  Philip also illustrates this truth. Called to leave a thriving revival in Samaria for a desert road, he obeyed without question. On that road, he met the Ethiopian eunuch—a divine encounter that spread the Gospel to a new continent. His initial obedience positioned him for God’s specific direction.

  God’s guidance always follows obedience. We often pray for revelation, yet neglect the last instruction He gave us. The question is not “Will God lead me?” but “Am I in the way?” When we step forward in faith—however uncertain the road—God meets us there. Like Eleazar, every believer who walks in obedience will one day testify, “I being in the way, the LORD led me.”