Bethesda Shalom

Part 7 When one encounters a suspected cult member, one of the surest ways to ascertain whether they are sound in faith is to ask a simple but effective question: What must I do to be saved?  If the answer to this question is not that of Paul and Silas, then one can be almost certain that one is speaking to a cult member.  How did Paul and Silas answer the Philippian jailer?  "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).  No matter the cult, every last one will deny that salvation comes by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.  When one asks a Jesus Name Pentecostal, "What must I do to be saved?" It should come as no surprise that they cannot answer as Paul and Silas since they are a cult. For Oneness Pentecostals, salvation is not as simple as placing faith in Jesus Christ.  Other components are also required, including repentance, baptism in Jesus name, receiving the Holy Spirit with the initial sign of speaking in tongues and holiness of life. Download teaching notes (pdf) https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bethesdashalom/7_What_Must_I_Do_to_Be_Saved.pdf

Colossians 3:1-4 A series of expository sermons, walking through the Book of Colossians. Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 22nd February 2026. 

6. Shadows of the Trinity in the Old - Paul M. Williams Part 6 The charge is often put to Christians that the doctrine of the Trinity is a New Testament perversion that is nowhere present in the pages of the Old Testament.  This claim, however, is false and does not stand up to the biblical standards of scrutiny.  Christians concede that the doctrine of the Trinity is brought into full light only in the New Testament dispensation of the gospel.  However, one would be terribly mistaken to think that there are no foreshadowings of this doctrine in the Old Testament Scriptures.  What has been revealed in the New was concealed in the Old, and what was concealed in the Old has been revealed in the New. This sixth teaching shall aim to provide evidence to show that the doctrine of the Trinity is present in type within the pages of the Old Testament Scriptures.   Download teaching notes (pdf) https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bethesdashalom/6_Shadows_of_the_Trinity_in_the_Old.pdf

Colossians 2:16-23 A series of expository sermons, walking through the Book of Colossians.  Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 15th February 2026. 

Part 5 When engaging with an Oneness Pentecostal, as with all cults, they have their favourite go-to passages that they hope will prove their case for the particular doctrine they are seeking to substantiate.  Admittedly, as one gives ear to their arguments, they appear at first to be convincing.  Obscure texts and isolated verses are lifted out of context; difficult verses to understand are presented as though they support the erroneous heresies being propagated.   The man standing on the Word of God ought never to be afraid of the cultist.  No matter how convincing his opponents' arguments may be against the historical position of orthodoxy, the man standing opposite has been labelled a heretic for a reason.  He is a heretic because he has deviated from the straight path and turned aside to damnable doctrines against the clear testimony of Holy Scripture.   When dealing with the nature of God, Oneness Pentecostals have several passages that they hope to use for their own advantage.  This fifth teaching aims to discover what these are and to offer a sound exegesis of the passages to refute the error of the Oneness understanding.   Download teaching notes (pdf) https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bethesdashalom/4_The_Doctrine_of_the_Trinity_Pt._2.pdf

Colossians 2:10-15 A series of expository sermons, walking through the Book of Colossians.  Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 8th February 2026. 

Part 4 In attempting to interpret passages in the Bible which clearly point to a distinction in the persons of the Father and the Son, Oneness Pentecostals obfuscate the meaning of these passages by making an artificial distinction between Jesus' human nature and His divine nature.   In responding to this position, one cannot do so without referring to early Church history.  Does Jesus have a dual nature such that His divine self-consciousness can be distinguished from His human self-consciousness?  When Jesus forgave sins, calmed the storm, and cast out devils, did He do so as God but not as man?  When Jesus grew weary, hungered and thirsted, did he do so as man but not as God?  These questions and more shall be discussed in relation to the doctrine of the incarnation in this fourth teaching.    Download teaching notes (pdf) https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bethesdashalom/4_The_Doctrine_of_the_Trinity_Pt._2.pdf

Colossians 2:1-9 A series of expository sermons, walking through the Book of Colossians.  Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 1st February, 2026. 

Part 3 The doctrine of God as it relates to the nature of His being is no small matter.  The first three centuries of Church history were consumed with this central issue.  In the second and third centuries, men like Praxeas and Sabellius argued that God was singular not only in being but also in person.  Sabellius taught that, like an actor wearing different masks on stage, God likewise assumed different modes at different times to manifest Himself to man.  In the Old Testament, God assumed the role of a Father; in the incarnation, the role of a Son, and in regeneration, the role of the Holy Spirit.  Modalistic Monarchianism was soundly defeated in the early centuries of the Church; yet, over the last one hundred years, this ancient heresy has resurfaced amongst those identifying themselves as Oneness Pentecostals.   In this third teaching part, we begin to examine the Biblical evidence for the doctrine of the Trinity while at the same time looking at early Church history and those heresies which confounded the persons of the Godhead. Download teaching notes (pdf) https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bethesdashalom/3_The_Doctrine_of_the_Trinity_Pt_1.pdf

Colossians 1:24-29 A series of expository sermons, walking through the Book of Colossians.  Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 25th January, 2026. 

Part 2 No movement ever existed in a vacuum.  From revolutions to reformations, whether political, social or religious, no movement ever begun in a vacuum.  Each was a product of their times, and it is no different when tracing the origins of the modern Oneness Pentecostal movement.  It too has a beginning that arose out of Classical Pentecostalism in the early 20th Century.   However, the heresies espoused by Oneness Pentecostals as they relate to the nature of God are not new.  Their denial of the Trinity in favour of a modalistic view of God did not have its origins in the 20th Century but in the 3rd Century, as shall be demonstrated in this second teaching part, examining the history of Oneness Pentecostals.  Download teaching notes (pdf) https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bethesdashalom/2__History_of_Oneness_Pentecostals.pdf

Colossians 1:23 A series of expository sermons, walking through the Book of Colossians.  Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 18th January, 2026.   

Part 1 On the surface, Oneness Pentecostals have many similarities to mainstream Pentecostals, and that is what makes them so dangerous.  They affirm the deity of Jesus Christ, they believe in the continuing gifts of the Holy Spirit, they believe the Bible to be the inspired and infallible word of God, they believe in the literal Second Coming of Jesus Christ, they believe in the final judgment of the wicked and in a literal hell.  On the surface, one would not find a great deal of disagreement; YET four main fundamental beliefs set them apart from orthodox Biblical Christianity.  This first teaching part examines, by way of introduction, these four fundamental differences. Download teaching notes (pdf) https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bethesdashalom/1_Introduction_to_Oneness_Pentecostals.pdf

Colossians 1:20-22 A series of expository sermons, walking through the Book of Colossians.  Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 12th January, 2026. 

Colossians 1:15-19 A series of expository sermons, walking through the Book of Colossians.  Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 4th December, 2026. 

James 1:14 Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, New Year's Eve, Wednesday 31st December, 2025. 

Colossians 1:14 Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 28th December, 2025.

Colossians 1:13-14 Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 21st December, 2025. 

Colossians 1:7-12 Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 14th December, 2025. 

Colossians 1:1-6 Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 7th December, 2025.

Part 8 Whenever one asks a member of a cult whether they have absolute and full assurance of salvation, ninety-nine times out of a hundred, one will be met first with a stutter followed by the answer, "I hope so!"  The reason for this is that cults cannot offer their members assurance of salvation, because salvation depends on remaining a member, since there is no salvation outside that particular group.  This is true of Jehovah's Witnesses, Roman Catholics, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.   The topic of focus in this final teaching part is two-fold.  Before one can understand how a member of the LDS Church qualifies for salvation, it is essential to ask the question, What is salvation? Download teaching notes (pdf) https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bethesdashalom/8_The_Doctrine_of_Salvation.pdf 

1 Jn. 1:1-4 Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 24th November, 2025. 

Part 7 When one is dealing with a cult, there are always two main areas where the scope of the target is aimed.  Attacking either one of these is enough to designate a group a cult, but more commonly, one will find that the cults delight in destroying both.  What are these two areas of repeated attack?  The person of Jesus Christ and the doctrine of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.  No cult will ever discard the name of Jesus, as the devil seeks through subtilty to catch the unsuspected soul off guard.  Muslims have a Jesus, Jehovah's Witnesses have a Jesus, the Roman Catholic Church has a Jesus, and so do the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  The question is not whether they have a Jesus but which Jesus.  Do they have the real Jesus of Holy Scripture?   How is one to determine whether the Jesus Christ of Mormonism is the Jesus Christ of Scripture?  How is one to know whether the Jesus Christ of the LDS Church is the genuine Jesus or a counterfeit imposter?  The only way of ascertaining this is by examining LDS doctrine as it relates to Jesus Christ, they profess.  In this seventh teaching part, careful examination shall be given to see if the Mormon Jesus is the biblical Jesus.   Download teaching notes (pdf) https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bethesdashalom/7_The_Doctrine_of_Christ.pdf

1 Jn. 1:1-4 Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 16th November, 2025.  Download the audio for this sermon (mp3) https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bethesdashalom/1_John_Pt1.mp3 Visit us here and subscribe to the latest ministry updates: http://www.bethesdashalom.org

1 Jn. 1:1-4 Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 9th November, 2025. 

Mark 5:25-34 Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 2nd November, 2025. 

Part 6 When a Christian is asked to explain why heaven will be heaven for him, it does not take him long to give his answer.  Heaven will be heaven because God is there!  Yet, when a Mormon is asked to explain the hope that they have in Christ, their whole concept of eternity is fashioned by the doctrine of Exaltation, namely the belief that man might one day become a god, possessing all power, glory, dominion, and knowledge. For the Bible believing Christian, the leap from man to God is an eternal gulf that can never be spanned.  Man will never be God for the simple reason that God is the creator and man is the created.  However, in an ever-evolving universe, Mormons believe that God the Father was once a man who, through specific actions, achieved exaltation himself.  If such a formidable feat were possible for God, then the Mormon hope is that it is also possible through Christ for them.  The purpose of this sixth teaching is to understand the Mormon position and examine such claims in light of Holy Scripture.   Download teaching notes (pdf) https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bethesdashalom/6_The_Doctrine_of_Man_.pdf

Matthew 14:28-30 Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 25th October, 2025. 

Part 5 Of the many teachings contained in the Bible, there is one teaching that the Bible is unequivocal about and absolute in its declaration: there is but one true and living God.  Monotheism oozes out of every page of God's sacred record in both the Old and New Testaments.  Orthodoxy demands that the adherent of Christianity hold to the belief in the existence of only one God!!  Every prophet from Moses through to Jesus taught that there was but one God.  At first glance, it appears that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are on the same page.  However, as one begins to dig beneath the surface of its conventional publicity statements, one discovers layer after layer of heresy from the denial of the Trinity to the human anatomy of God the Father. If one is to understand the Mormon hope as it relates to eternity, one must first understand the particular God whom they serve.      Download teaching notes (pdf) https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bethesdashalom/5_The_Doctrine_of_God.pdf

Proverbs 16:9 Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, England, Sunday 19th October, 2025. A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps. 

Part 4 The Mormon Church claim that over the centuries, the Bible has suffered the loss of many plain and precious parts.  They believe that the most reliable way to measure the accuracy of the biblical text is not by comparing the many translations available today, but by comparing the Bible with the Book of Mormon.  The Book of Mormon is the measuring stick for truth, and according to Joseph Smith, it is the most correct of any book on earth.  That is a very bold claim!   As we continue to examine the Book of Mormon, consideration shall be given to its historical reliability.  What artefacts (if any) have archaeologists unearthed to support the historicity of the Book of Mormon?  How does one explain the historical errors contained within it?  How did whole portions of the 1769 King James Bible make their way into the Book of Mormon if the gold plates from which the book claimed to be translated predate the King James Bible by more than a millennium?  These questions and more are answered in this fourth teaching on Mormonism.   Download teaching notes (pdf) https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bethesdashalom/4_The_Book_of_Mormon_Pt_2.pdf

Genesis 6:9 Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, Sunday 12th October, 2025. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. 

Part 3 The Book of Mormon is just under one and a half times larger than the New Testament. It comprises 15 books, which the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints say were written by Nephite prophets.  The LDS Church believes that whilst the Bible documents the events of God's chosen people, Israel in the Eastern Hemisphere, the Book of Mormon documents the lives of the Israelites inhabiting the Western Hemisphere, namely the ancient Americas.  Interestingly, much of what the LDS Church believes doctrinally is not actually found in the Book of Mormon but in the other writings of Joseph Smith: Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price.  Despite this, Joseph Smith said of the Book of Mormon: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts than any other book.” Joseph Smith was known for making bold statements, and the quote above is surely numbered among them.  As with any claim, it ought to be able to withstand scrutiny and examination.  In this teaching, the Book of Mormon will be held to the standard of modern science to see if indeed it is the most correct book on earth.    Download teaching notes (pdf) https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bethesdashalom/3_The_Book_of_Mormon_Pt_1.pdf  

Revelation 2:24-25 Preached in the Sanctuary of Bethesda Shalom, Sunday 5th October, 2025. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. 

Matthew 28:1-10 And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. 

Part 2 Like every movement, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has had a beginning, a period of development, and a time of stability.  The LDS Church has typically been separated into three distinctive periods. 1.    “Early History” under the leadership of Joseph Smith, Jr.  2.    “Pioneering era” under the leadership of Brigham Young. 3.    “Modern Era” beginning around the turn of the 20th century The purpose of this second teaching part is to explore this history.  To understand the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today, one must first understand the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as it began and developed.  The Church makes great claims for itself and prides itself on outlandish doctrines which run counter to the Word of God.  It had a founding prophet who claimed to be visited by God the Father and  Jesus Christ His Son, along with a whole host of biblical characters who have long departed from this world – John the Baptist, Peter, James and John.  It claims to have restored the fullness of the lost Gospel, even though it was never lost.  It has three additional books of authority besides the King James Bible  -- The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price.  This is more sources of extra-biblical revelation than any other cult.  Such claims call for a thorough examination, and what better way to begin to do this than to start at the beginning.   Download teaching notes (pdf) https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bethesdashalom/2_History_of_Mormonism.pdf

Luke 9:51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.  Visit us here and subscribe to the latest ministry updates: http://www.bethesdashalom.org      

1 Samuel 3:10 And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth

The Sanctuary Conference 2025@Cloverley Hall 

The Sanctuary Conference 2025@Cloverley Hall 

The Sanctuary Conference 2025@Cloverley Hall 

The Sanctuary Conference 2025@Cloverley Hall 

The Sanctuary Conference 2025@Cloverley Hall 

The Sanctuary Conference 2025@Cloverley Hall 

The Sanctuary Conference 2025@Cloverley Hall  

The Sanctuary Conference 2025@Cloverley Hall 

Part 1 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a cult whose membership is twice the size of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. As of December 2024, the official membership of the LDS Church stands at 17.5 million. By far, the largest proportion of this amount – nearly 7 million (40%) is located in the founding country of the United States of America, with some 2.2 million living in the State of Utah. Excluding the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the second-largest Christian cult in the world with a global presence in more than 160 countries. It has 80,000 active missionaries on every mission field of the planet. It boasts more than 200 Temples worldwide, with a further 60 currently under construction and 114 more announced for future building. According to the independent research group, The Widow's Mite, the Mormon Church received an estimated $8 billion in tithes and offerings in 2024. It is estimated that over the course of the same year, its wealth increased by $28 billion, with a significant portion of this growth coming from investments. This took the total assets in 2024 to an estimated $293 billion, making the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints one of the richest religious organisations in the world. In this introductory teaching part, we begin to examine the core teachings and practices of Mormonism. What you shall discover will shock you.   

1 Kings 18:21 The title of this morning's sermon is a very searching one; one that demands an honest and forthright answer.  It calls aloud to the lukewarm fence-sitter to get off the fence; it beckons the double-minded to depart from his unstable ways and to make a solid stand for Christ.  It pleads with those living in the murky shadows of the twilight dawn to step out into the morning light.  It forces one's hand if you like to make a decision — for me, or against me?  In or out? — HOW LONG HALT YE!!  If ever such a cry needed to be heard in the hour in which we live, it would be this cry.  If ever men were to be awakened out of their slumber so as to be brought to their senses, I can think of no better question that should be put to them than that which Elijah confronted the nation with in his day — HOW LONG HALT YE? 

Luke 18:1-8 Sometimes there's a delay in the place of answered prayer. This sermon explores some of the reasons why this may be the case. While waiting on God, we must never lose sight of His omnipotence. We ought always to intermingle with our prayers the faith of expectation!     

Acts 11:26 This sermon is an urgent call to discipleship.  May God both challenge you and encourage you to go on with Jesus, NO TURNING BACK!

Brother Ryan preaches the Word of God passionately, touching on the social and moral issues of the day with great poignancy. May the Lord minister to you through this sermon. For more sermons from Ryan, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/@lastdayspulpitministry8796