In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commands us, "Go therefore and  make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The Great Commission is not merely a suggestion; it is a divine mandate given to every believer. It is the heartbeat of our faith and the purpose for which we are called. Yet, too often, we view evangelism and discipleship as separate endeavors when, in reality, they are deeply interconnected. Evangelism is not just about sharing the Gospel; it is the starting line for discipleship.

When we understand evangelism in this light, it transforms our approach to sharing the Good News. We no longer see it as a one-time event but as the beginning of a lifelong journey of discipleship. Just as a seed planted in fertile soil grows into a mighty tree, so too does the Gospel, when sown in the hearts of men, bear fruit that multiplies and sustains.

As followers of Christ, we are called to be fishers of men, casting our nets wide to draw others into the kingdom of God. But our responsibility does not end there. We are also called to nurture and disciple those who respond to the Gospel, guiding them in their walk with the Lord and equipping them to do the same for others.

Think of evangelism as the spark that ignites the flame of faith in someone's heart. But like any flame, it needs to be fed and tended to grow into a roaring fire. That is where discipleship comes in. It is the process of fanning that flame, providing the spiritual nourishment and guidance needed for it to burn brightly.

At FBC Kenova, let us commit ourselves anew to the Great Commission, embracing evangelism as the starting line for discipleship. Let us be intentional about sharing the Gospel with those around us, knowing that each encounter is an opportunity to fulfill our calling as ambassadors for Christ.

And we can’t stop there. Let us also be diligent in discipling new believers, walking alongside them as they grow in their faith and teaching them to obey all that Christ has commanded. For it is in making disciples that we truly fulfill the Great Commission and bring glory to God. May the Lord empower us by His Spirit to be faithful witnesses and disciple-makers in our community and beyond. May He give us the wisdom, courage, and compassion to proclaim the Gospel boldly and to nurture new believers in the faith.

Together, let us run the race set before us, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author, and perfecter of our faith.                                                     

--Pastor Chris

I am thrilled to share with you some exciting news regarding our worship ministry. After much prayer, deliberation, and consultation with the Budget and Finance Committee, the Council of Shepherds has obtained an approved range for salary and benefit amounts for a full-time worship leader. This decision marks a significant step forward in our commitment to enhancing our worship experience and fostering spiritual growth within our congregation.

The search process for a full-time worship leader will begin in earnest in the days ahead. This is a task we approach with great anticipation and trust in the Lord's guidance. We believe that God has already prepared the perfect individual to lead us in worship, and we are eager to discover who that person is.

I invite each and every one of you to join the shepherds in prayer for wisdom and discernment as we review resumes and conduct interviews. Furthermore, let us lift up in prayer the eventual candidate and their family, that they may be filled with peace and assurance throughout this process.

We recognize that finding the right worship leader is not just about musical talent, but about finding someone who shares our passion for worshiping the Lord wholeheartedly and leading others into His presence. Therefore, we trust that God will lead us to the individual who aligns with our church's values, vision, and mission.

In the coming days, we will provide you with a link to the job posting and application process. We encourage anyone who feels called to this ministry to prayerfully consider applying or to share this opportunity with others who may be interested.

As we embark on this journey together, remember the words of Psalm 33:3, "Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy." We hope that our worship will continue to be a pleasing offering to the Lord, and may He guide us every step of the way.

Psalm 27:14 reminds us to wait patiently for the Lord, drawing strength and courage from Him alone. Psalm 37:7 urges us to maintain a posture of silence before the Lord, eagerly anticipating His guidance and direction and Ecclesiastes 8:5 reminds us obedience to God's commands leads to discernment of the proper time and righteous path.  Because of this verse and others, we truly want to hold God’s timetable above our own.  

Ephesians 5:15-17 encourages us to walk wisely, utilizing each moment thoughtfully and purposefully in alignment with God's will.  We’d love to have a worship leader in place soon, but we are actively yielding our desire for speed and embracing God’s own timetable.

Thank you for your continued support, prayers, and dedication to the family here at FBC Kenova.

--Pastor Chris

We have an unfinished mission right here in the Tri-State. During our gathering this Sunday, we’ll sing a new (to us) hymn that has a rich Great Commission history—Facing a Task Unfinished.

The lyrics were written by Frank Houghton, a missionary with China Inland Mission. During the late 1920’s, missionaries attending to spread the gospel in China were met with staunch opposition.

In 1929, the Lord laid a vision on the heart of CIM leaders to see 200 new workers plunge into the darkness and share the light of Christ, knowing that it could well cost them their lives. As Houghton reflected on Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:14 he wrote these lyrics we’ll sing on Sunday:

“Facing a task unfinished, that drives us to our knees. A need that, undiminished, rebukes our slothful ease. We, who rejoice to know Thee, renew before Thy throne, the solemn pledge we owe Thee to go and make Thee known.”

By 1932, the last of the 200 missionaries had set sail for China to spread the good news of the Gospel. Since that time, the church of China has grown from an estimated 100,000 who claim Christ as their Lord to millions, and the Lord continues to work in great ways because of the faithfulness of those that gave their lives proclaiming that Jesus died and rose. Our unfinished Great Commission task isn’t just across the ocean. Our unfinished task is right here in our own backyard. Every day, there are folks longing for hope, searching for something more.

Just like those missionaries, we might face challenges along the way. But we’re not alone. The same Spirit that gave them courage lives in us too. That means we’ve got what it takes to share the Good News, no matter what comes our way.

Evangelism isn’t just for special occasions or certain people. It’s a way of life. That means whether you’re at work, school, or grabbing groceries, you’ve got opportunities to show God’s love in action.

So, as we gather for worship and lift our voices in song, let’s remember our mission. Let’s be bold, intentional, and ready to share Jesus wherever we go. After all, our unfinished task isn’t just a job – it’s a calling. And when we step out in faith, who knows what amazing things God will do through us?

--Pastor Chris 

What an incredible Holy Week and Easter Sunday we experienced together! From Palm Sunday through our daily C-K Ministerial Alliance gatherings to the jubilation of Resurrection Sunday, each day was marked by the presence of God and the love of our church family.

First and foremost, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you who volunteered your time, talents, and resources to make Holy Week a meaningful and unforgettable experience. From setting up to preparing meals for our fellowship gatherings, to stuffing Easter eggs, and dozens of duties in between your dedication and selflessness did not go unnoticed. I’m especially grateful for our children's team and their outstanding work in crafting a memorable children's production. Your commitment to serving the Lord and our congregation is truly inspiring.

Speaking of inspiration, I am thrilled to share that the Lord brought an incredible crowd together on Easter Sunday. With 695 in attendance, we marked our largest worship gathering since November 2019. This remarkable turnout is a testament to God’s goodness, the power of community and the faith of our congregation. Together, we lifted our voices in praise and worship, rejoicing in the hope and promise of Easter.

But our journey does not end here. As we bask in the afterglow of Holy Week, let us remember that our faith calls us to keep pressing forward, to continue pursuing God's purpose with passion and perseverance.

Let’s remain steadfast in our commitment to grow in faith, to deepen our relationships with one another, and to serve our community with love and compassion.  In the storms of life (both literal and metaphorical) let’s bring hope to the Tri-State together!

In the words of the apostle Paul, "let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.  So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Ephesians 6:9-10) Together, as a family of believers, let us press on toward the prize that awaits us, knowing that our labor in the Lord is never in vain.

Once again, thank you for being part of the family of faith at FBC Kenova. May God continue to bless and strengthen each one of us as we seek to fulfill His purposes in our lives and in the world around us.     

--Pastor Chris

What makes the local church truly special? It's not just a beautiful building or our vibrant gatherings—it's the incredible fellowship within a congregation, all bound together by one thing: the gospel.

Take a moment to look around during a Sunday service. You'll see faces from various backgrounds—different generations, regions, social circles, and ethnicities—all finding a home in FBC Kenova. God has woven a rich tapestry of church members into one single body of Christ and we are a testament to the unifying power of the gospel.

We don't shy away from our differences; instead, we embrace them with love and understanding. This sets us apart from other organizations. We understand that unity doesn't mean uniformity. We can disagree on certain issues yet still choose to love each other wholeheartedly.

Paul, in his letter to the Colossians, reminds us that the gospel doesn't erase our differences. Instead, it enables us to stand together, celebrating our unique identities and learning from one another. We may come from different backgrounds, but we are united by our shared beliefs and our commitment to being a loving church family.

Our goal is to reflect the church of the heaven, where people from every tribe, language, and nation come together as one body in Christ. This means transcending not only ethnic boundaries but also economic and social divides.

Paul's own experiences highlight the messy yet beautiful reality of the gospel in action. From aristocrats to runaway slaves, his team exemplified the diversity within the early church. Despite the challenges, they stood united, overcoming divisions through their shared faith.

In our community, too, we encounter challenges and discomforts as we navigate relationships. Yet, it's within these messy moments that the gospel shines brightest, fostering authenticity and deepening our bonds.

As we move toward Easter, let's embrace our differences, knowing that they enrich our community and strengthen our unity in Christ. Let's strive to mirror the kingdom of Jesus Christ here on earth.

Together, let's embody the fullness of reconciliation, extending grace and understanding to one another as we walk hand in hand on this journey of faith.                     

--Chris Baker

In the vast narrative of missions, certain names emerge as beacons, guiding us through the tumultuous seas of history and adversity. Among these luminaries stands John Gibson Paton, a colossus of missionary endeavor whose life continues to inspire generations. Paton's journey was marked by unwavering dedication, unfathomable trials, and an unyielding commitment to the Gospel's call.

Born in Scotland, in 1824, Paton’s upbringing in a devout family laid the groundwork for a life wholly dedicated to God's service.

His departure for the South Seas in 1858, amidst personal loss and unimaginable challenges, exemplifies a spirit undeterred by adversity. Despite enduring the tragic loss of loved ones and facing hostility, Paton and his wife, Margaret, forged ahead, pioneering missions on the island of Aniwa.

Their labor bore fruit as they mastered the local language, translated Scripture, and established churches, illuminating the darkness with the light of Christ. Paton's advocacy mobilized countless others for missions, catalyzing a wave of fervor that rippled across the globe.

His legacy transcends mere historical record; it embodies timeless principles that resonate today. 

Three key lessons of his life serve as guiding lights for modern missionaries:

First, Paton's upbringing instilled in him an unshakeable foundation of faith and courage. His childhood home, characterized by prayer and Scripture, cultivated a legacy that spanned generations, with descendants continuing his mission to the ends of the earth.

Second, Paton viewed missions through the lens of Gospel opportunity, prioritizing the unreached despite success elsewhere. His unwavering focus on those devoid of the Gospel challenges contemporary missionaries to discern where their gifts are most needed, irrespective of personal comfort or accolades.

Third, Paton's vision transcended earthly concerns, rooted in an eternal perspective. His commitment to Christ, illustrated by his famous retort regarding cannibalism, reflects a faith that transcends temporal threats, embracing the promise of a heavenly homeland.

As we navigate the complexities of modern evangelism, John G. Paton's legacy remains a guiding beacon. His life exemplifies sacrificial service, unwavering faith, and a relentless pursuit of Gospel opportunity. Whether traversing oceans or clocking-in to work on Monday, Paton's enduring example inspires us to press onward, fueled by the conviction that, in serving Christ faithfully, we serve a Kingdom much bigger than anything seen by human eyes.

--Pastor Chris

In a world where the fabric of family life is under attack, it's vital to anchor ourselves in the timeless wisdom of Scripture. Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3 remind us that a hallmark of the Spirit-filled life is mutual submissiveness. This isn't about domination or suppression but rather a beautiful mingling of humility and respect within the family unit.

God designed the family to be the bedrock of society, a stronghold of love, security, and moral truth. Yet, it's no secret that the very essence of family is being threatened by divorce, moral relativism, and the redefinition of traditional values. 

Ephesians 5:18 reminds us to be filled with the Spirit, the foundational principle for nurturing healthy family relationships. Just as a drunkard loses control to alcohol, a Spirit-filled individual exhibits self-control, essential for maintaining harmony within the family (Galatians 5:23).

Furthermore, Ephesians 5:21 exhorts us to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. This is a recognition of the diverse roles and responsibilities within the family. Submission here is not a sign of weakness but a demonstration of humility and love.

Even in the local church, submission is key to lasting unity. Philippians 2:3 urges us to consider others above ourselves, fostering an atmosphere of mutual respect and honor. It's about valuing each person’s unique contribution and embracing unity over personal preferences.

But does submission mean the absence of leadership or authority? Not at all. Parents still bear the responsibility of providing guidance, discipline, and oversight within the family unit (Ephesians 6:1-2). However, this authority is exercised in love and humility, mirroring the sacrificial love of Christ for His Church (Ephesians 5:25).

As believers, our actions are guided by a reverence for Christ, a deep-seated desire to honor Him in all we do. This is our reasonable response to His love and grace, recognizing that true freedom is found in submission to His will.

So, can the family be restored in our culture? Absolutely. By embracing God's design for family life, rooted in mutual submissiveness and reverence for Christ, we can build resilient, God-honoring families that stand firm in the face of adversity. Let's commit ourselves to be filled with the Spirit, to submit to one another in love, and to uphold the sanctity of the family as God intended. Together, let's be agents of restoration in a world that desperately needs the transformative power of God's love.    

--Pastor Chris

In the pursuit of spiritual growth, confronting the challenge of sin remains paramount. To paraphrase Puritan pastor John Owen, "Either you kill sin, or sin will kill you." 

This assertion underscores the imperative for active engagement in the battle against sin. Here are some practical steps, inspired by Owen's wisdom, to aid in this endeavor:

• Understanding the Enemy: Develop an awareness of the nature of sin and its insidious tactics. Dedicate time to introspection to discern areas of vulnerability.  What sins are you prone to?  What steps can you take to actively keep these sins out of your life? 
• Authentic Repentance: Cultivate a genuine spirit of repentance characterized by a sincere turning away from sin and a heartfelt turning towards God. Do you fall into the same sins over-and-over again?  How can you enlist another believer to help you guard against these repetitive sins? 
  
• Scriptural Engagement: Immerse yourself in Scripture regularly, allowing its principles to shape your thoughts, desires, and actions, thus empowering you to resist temptation effectively.  How can your time in the Word help you to avoid habitual sin?
  
• Persistent Prayer: Foster a consistent habit of prayer, seeking divine strength and guidance in the ongoing struggle against sin. 
  
• Prudent Avoidance: Exercise discernment in your choices, actively avoiding environments and situations conducive to temptation.
  
• Community Support: Surround yourself with like-minded individuals who can provide encouragement, support, and accountability in your pursuit of holiness.  Seek to bear one another’s burdens by striving to overcome sin together.
  
• Fruitful Living: Prioritize the cultivation of the fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—as integral components of your spiritual growth.
  

By adhering to these strategic guidelines, rooted in the insights of John Owen, we can move towards victory over sin together, experiencing the abundant life promised in the Incomparable Christ.                  

--Chris Baker

This is going to sound kind of goofy, but I’m a NASCAR fan (probably not how you imagined this article starting). My favorite driver is Brad Keselowski: hard name to say, harder to beat on the racetrack. After the Lewiston shootings in Maine, Brad was called upon to offer the pre-race prayer before a race at Martinsville, and he said the words, “we are all very much a work in progress”, and that phrase stuck with me, because it’s so true.

All of us, every person that walks through those doors of First Baptist Kenova every Sunday, all of us are works in progress, and God is not finished with us yet. If our Father has so much grace for us, I believe it is imperative that we have grace for one another. 

It’s so easy in this world for us to struggle to give grace to others, yet we want so much of it for ourselves. Whenever I’m driving, there will be a number of times where I want to honk at people who didn’t respond to the green light quick enough (if I’ve ever honked at you, I’m sorry—God’s growing me). However, when the script is flipped, and I don’t go quick enough, and someone honks at me, I basically turn into Homeland Security the way I defend myself. 

That illustration might seem goofy, but think about it deeper. What sins do you often criticize people for? Now think about this: have you recently committed those sins? You may have very little grace for someone that struggles with anger, but have you been irrationally angry about something in the past week? You might have heard someone gossiping and got mad about it, but have you gossiped about anyone recently? We may look down on people that have struggled with drug addiction, but are we glued to anything, like our phones or the television, that we lean on to satisfy us?

This life is already hard enough. As the people of God, the family of God, let us be a gracious community that walks alongside people in their struggles, as they walk alongside us with ours.           

--John Muncy

On a recent missionary vision trip to Rome, Italy, my eyes were opened to some glaring differences between European and American culture. In Rome specifically, religion was alive and well. Notice how I said “religion” and not Jesus? There are steps that people can crawl up to have their sins forgiven, there are confessionals all over, there are ancient cathedrals everywhere, but nothing that simply states “All who believe in Him shall be saved.” You know, the basics. 

The missionaries that I met and worked with believe that Italy’s sin consciousness has died. That native Italians have been hardened to the Gospel because they don’t see the need for a savior. Who needs a cure for a disease that doesn’t exist?!

To make matters worse, migrants like Shafik (depicted above) assume everyone in Europe is a Christian, and all of their behavior is representative of Christianity. It’s quite difficult to explain to them that this is not the case. That by coming to Christ outside of the Catholic tradition they’ve become yet another minority in Italy, an evangelical Christian. Making up less than 1% of the Italian population. 

Please cue the uplifting music!

As discouraging as all of that might sound, I’m happy to say that the effort of missionaries in Italy is not in vain. Muslims from all over Africa and the Middle East are hearing the Gospel and truly embracing it. God is bringing the unreached to us and burdening them with a desire to bring the gospel back to their country of origin. Often, it is too dangerous for migrants to return physically, but this is where technology is playing a new role in the great commission. We have had migrants start virtual Churches in their home countries. In places like Iran, we’ve seen virtual congregations of up to 40 people!

I’m convinced that God is helping his followers safely navigate the physical and technological challenges of 21st century evangelism, increasing the likelihood of the great commission being fulfilled in ours or our children’s lifetime!   

Christ was given all authority in heaven and on earth, and commissioned his followers with a task. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” 

Please partner with a missionary today, and let’s finish the task!

--Justin Wright

To learn more about the Wright family and their journey to the mission field please visit www.wrightmission.com.

The Colossian church found itself entangled in a mess of false teachings, a blend of Jewish legalism, Greek philosophical theory, and mysticism. Scholars speculate that Colossae's unique location likely contributed to the confluence of these diverse ideas, as similar beliefs emerged later in Gnosticism. Sensing the urgency to correct these distortions, Paul wrote his epistle to the Colossians as a safeguard against this heresy, aiming to realign the church with sound doctrine.

At the heart of the Colossian heresy was a subtle undermining of the person of Christ. Paul countered this by emphatically asserting the truth about the Incomparable Christ. In Colossians 1:15, he declares, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

Another facet of the heresy involved an overemphasis on human philosophy, divorcing it from divine revelation. Paul confronted this head-on in Colossians 2:8, warning against being misled by deceptive philosophies that lacked Christ as their foundation.

Furthermore, Paul addressed elements of Judaic influence within the Colossian church, including circumcision, dietary laws, and observance of Sabbaths and festivals. 

Paul also tackled issues of false humility and angelic worship, debunking the notion that angels served as intermediaries between believers and God. Instead, he emphasized the centrality of Christ as the unifying force within the body of believers.

Lastly, Paul refuted the notion of Christianity as exclusive or secretive, stressing the inclusivity of the gospel message. He highlighted the all-encompassing nature of Christ, denouncing any claims of superiority or exclusivity among believers.

Despite the diverse array of challenges faced by the Colossian church, Paul offered a singular solution: Jesus Christ. Just as relevant then as it is today, Paul's exaltation of Christ's person and work stands as the timeless remedy for doctrinal deviations and false beliefs. Indeed, in a world of ever-changing ideologies, the unchanging truth of Jesus Christ and His word remains steadfast, offering solace and clarity amidst the tumult of theological discord.         

--Chris Baker 

We learned at the end of Colossians 1 how a relationship with the Incomparable Christ shapes your purpose.  It shapes your view of what you’re to do with your life. 

Paul said I want to present everyone mature in Christ.  Because of the finished work of Jesus Christ, I’m heaven-bound and I’m dragging everyone I can get my grubby prisoner hands on with me.  The last verse we read a week ago was this: 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

The ‘this’ is presenting everyone mature in Christ.  Paul struggles—that word there is the same word we get our word for agony from—Paul agonizes, he strains, to present everyone he meets mature in Christ.  That’s his purpose in life.

Loving God and loving people—are not a two-step process.  They’re not independent of one another.  They’re inextricably linked.  As we grow in love for God, as we understand more clearly the blessing we’ve received in the Incomparable Christ, it will naturally drive us to love others even more.  The more our love for God grows, the more the love for the people around us will grow as a result.

Here are a few ways you can practically grow your love for others in the FBCK Family this week.

1. Cultivate Empathy:

Strive to understand the struggles and challenges your fellow believers may be facing. Develop a genuine concern for their well-being, fostering empathy as a foundation for unity.  1 Peter 3:8 “Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.”

2. Prayerful Support:

Commit to praying for specific needs and concerns within your church community. Regularly lift up your fellow believers in prayer, asking for God's guidance, comfort, and provision in their lives. Ephesians 6:18 “With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and stay alert in this, with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints”

3. Words of Encouragement:

Be intentional about offering words of encouragement. Whether in person, through a text, or a handwritten note, uplift others with positive affirmations and reminders of God's love for them.  Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

4. Acts of Kindness:

Demonstrate love through tangible actions. Perform acts of kindness, such as helping with tasks, providing meals, or offering assistance during challenging times. Show that you genuinely care about the well-being of others.  Galatians 6:10 “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

These are small steps, but small steps yield big gains.  I look forward to hearing your stories about God continuing to knit our hearts together in love!                          

Pastor Chris mentioned Polycarp in his sermon Sunday. For more information about his martyrdom, check out this link:

 https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/study/module/polycarp

  --Chris Baker

In 1879, the most popular athlete in Great Britain was a young man named C.T. Studd. He was the captain of the Cambridge cricket team and one of the leaders of the English national team. He is still considered one of the greatest to ever play the game.

However, we’ll never know how great he might have been. There are many athlete stories like that, aren't there? Sometimes they waste their talent by not working hard enough, while others develop bad habits and neglect their bodies. Often, great careers are ruined by injury. Not in C.T. Studd’s case, though. Something more peculiar happened. His younger brother, George, fell ill in late 1883. He was so sick that he appeared to be on the verge of death.

While sitting at George’s bedside, C.T. was struck that—despite his family’s wealth and his own fame—there was nothing anyone could do for his sick brother. He later said he came to ask himself this question, “What is it worth to possess the riches of the world when a man comes to face Eternity?”

After many difficult days marked by deep prayer and the best medical care available, George finally turned a corner. The doctors had no idea why he was suddenly getting well. The family considers it a miracle, and it was a miracle that dramatically changed C.T. Studd.

The perspective he gained from George’s suffering led him to abandon the game of cricket completely and devote himself to the ministry. He became a Christian when he was 18, but the more successful he became at cricket, the less he really cared about his faith. That all changed in the winter of 1883.

One day, on Cambridge’s campus, C.T. Studd met a British missionary 28 years older than himself. The man’s name was Hudson Taylor, and he told Studd about the deep need for gospel work in China—a nation where millions upon millions were lost. Taylor’s passion for China captured the heart of C.T. and seven other men who studied at Cambridge. They committed themselves to go, but they weren’t without opposition, especially in C.T.’s case. His father died around this time, and the family pressured C.T. to stay and take over the family business. He inherited a fortune but immediately began giving it away. He toured other college campuses across the country and urged students by saying things like this—which is how he closed his last meeting of the tour:

"Are you living for the day, or are you living for life eternal? Are you going to care for the opinion of men here, or for the opinion of God? The opinion of men won't avail us much when we get before the judgment throne. But the opinion of God will. Had we not, then, better take His word and implicitly obey it?"

Studd and six others arrived in Shanghai on March 18, 1885. He died in July 1931 after four decades ministering throughout harsh conditions in China, India, and Africa, with just a few trips back to his home to recruit more missionaries and for health-related concerns later in life.

C.T. Studd found his purpose in Jesus Christ. Colossians teaches that each of us has a purpose as well. How can you live out the purpose Christ has called you toward this week?                  

For more information about what God accomplished through the life of CT Studd, please visit: https://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/biorpstudd.html

--Pastor Chris

Paul writes in Colossians 1:22 . . . in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him…

The reconciliation we find in the finished work of Jesus leads His people to perfection.  Perfection is the destination.  Paul says it’s not just that Christ has reconciled us and saved us from the punishment that we deserve, it’s that God is working His plan in us to make us perfect. 

God is going to present you perfect—holy, blameless, and above reproach.  Church, it doesn’t get any better than that.  God worked your salvation not just to rescue you from a hell of your own making, but to present you perfect. Holy means that He has set you apart for His service.  To make you perfect, He has set you apart—not just from the world but from you sinful self as well.  Your time is now His time.  Your stuff is His stuff.  Your desires will eventually be His desires.  Your attitude will be His attitude.

His purpose is to present you holy, so you’re going to be holy.  You’ll be without sin.  You’ll be blameless and above reproach, according to the text.  That means that there is absolutely nothing that can be found in your character that is less than Godly.  We are made for God’s glory.  We are made for eternal fellowship with the living God. But God is holy and He cannot fellowship with sin and darkness. So, our holiness is not a little add-on, a little afterthought that He tacks on to the end of our salvation. 

Our holiness, this holiness that He is working in us, is because He wants to fellowship with us eternally, and one day he is going to present us before Himself spotless and we will inaugurate at that point an eternity of fellowship.

That’s the destination.  And that’s where Paul starts us.  He starts us at the end.  That’s where we’re going.  

The Colossians were faced with false teaching.  How are we going to know false teaching if we don’t know the truth? Paul says that those who have been reconciled to Christ will be stable.  We’ll have a firm foundation.  We only get that when we devote ourselves to God’s Word.

He also says we’ll be steadfast and unshifting.  When we’re steadfast, we remain loyal to the truth in spite of our circumstances.  Remember, the goal is perfection.  But perfection isn’t today.  There’s going to be a long hard road from here until the destination.  So we remain committed to that truth no matter what.  We don’t interpret God in light of our circumstances, we interpret our circumstances in light of what we know to be true about God.    

--Pastor Chris

Throughout Rebekah and my marriage, the topic of missions has been subtly hinted at. Rebekah has always harbored a deep passion for the mission field, influenced by her father, who served as a missionary in The Democratic Republic of Congo for many years and concluded his life journey while in the field. During my sanctification process, Rebekah's winks and nudges began to give me pause. As a Western man, the ingrained notion of providing physical security for my family started to shift, prompting me to ponder the prioritization of my children's spiritual security and what that might entail.

In early 2023, during a visit to Rebekah's family home, we attended Sunday worship at Napanee Missionary Church (NMC) in Napanee, Indiana. NMC's mission statement is straightforward: "Making Fully Committed Disciples of Jesus Christ." We had the pleasure of hearing from a missionary family planning a mission in Sicilia, Italy (Sicily). Joining a team of missionaries operating a bike shop on the eastern coast, they aimed to repair and distribute donated bikes to those in need, primarily diaspora immigrants – a foot washing of sorts. This mission placed evangelists in a strategic position to reach migrants freshly arriving by boat, raft, or even clusters of bottles, providing a significant introduction for those who had sacrificed everything for a new life in Europe.

This marked the first international mission project that made complete practical sense to me. The Lord was literally placing people from previously unreachable countries into the hands of European evangelists. Rebekah and I immediately began seriously considering how we could serve the Lord in missions, contemplating dedicating our lives to the glorification of God and the sharing of the gospel. Could this bike mission be our opportunity? The investigation had begun.

Two weeks later, Pastor Todd Kincaid visited our church (First Baptist Church of Kenova, WV) to preach and share the successes of his ministry in Rome, Italy. Todd and his wife Christie's mission, called "The HUB in Rome," surpassed the metaphorical foot washing I equated to the bike shop mission. The HUB's mission focused on the evangelism of migrant Muslims, not only for salvation but also to facilitate church building in their countries of origin – countries that we Westerners cannot safely evangelize.

Despite varying opinions on mass immigration, it is undeniably happening, and our culture is changing because of it. Like many cities, migrants find communities of members from their previous countries. While many migrants may initially land on a more southern beach, a significant number make their way to Rome for opportunities. Recognizing this, the Kincaids, alongside the mission organization International Project, have developed a person-to-person language and cultural integration program requiring long-term investment from its participants. It's a program that encourages diaspora Muslim families to return day after day, week after week, and sometimes year after year, fostering deep relationships with their participants.

In that moment, I could recognize the hand of God in all things leading up to this point – the challenges, losses, and opportunities. The sermons that felt tailor-made for our ears had brought us to this juncture. Midway through Todd's presentation, I turned to Rebekah and said, "That's it. We're doing this." It turns out, I read Rebekah's mind. Clearly, the Holy Spirit was leading us to the same conclusion. Over the last several years, the Lord has taken us on a journey of obedience in many areas of our family life, and we accept this new direction with joy!

The Kincaids are part of our community and have been in the field for over a decade. By their admission, they had been praying for God to provide missionaries to work alongside them for years. We couldn't imagine a more perfect opportunity. With the experienced support and tutelage of the Kincaids, we began our onboarding process with International Project in Rome.

In a 2019 survey of 40,000 missionaries, researchers found that 43% of missionaries do not fulfill their long-term field commitments. International Project (IP) recognizes this as a serious problem and has taken great care in determining if we will be a good fit in Rome. Our onboarding process took three months to complete. After many interviews, tests, background checks, and a psych eval, we are now officially employed by IP as Church Planters, and our support fundraising effort has begun!

Our mission may not commence in Italy, though. Depending on how promptly our fundraising is completed, we may participate in a ten-month program in New York City called EQUIP. EQUIP is a training program focused on the reproduction of the mission field, with the intention of decreasing mission failure and increasing missionary efficacy. While Rebekah cares for and educates our children, I will participate in cross-cultural evangelistic strategy and application, building relationships with diaspora communities in NY. To participate, we will need to meet our funding goal relatively quickly. Classes start in July of 2024, and our recommended relocation date is June 1st.

--Justin and Rebekah Wright

We saw a sample of Paul's Christ-centered prayers on Sunday. I'm constantly blown away by the way Paul poured his heart out to God. Here are a few things we can learn about prayer as we study Paul's prayer life.

1. Start with Worship:

When Paul knelt in prayer, he began with worship. His prayers weren't just a laundry list of requests; they were a symphony of adoration for the One who holds the universe together. Take a cue from Philippians 2:9-11, where Paul beautifully exclaims, "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth."

2. Thanksgiving – A Grateful Heart:

Have you noticed how Paul's prayers were often punctuated with thanksgiving? Gratitude is the heartbeat of a Christ-centered prayer life. Check out Colossians 3:17: "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Begin your prayers by counting your blessings and expressing gratitude for the redemptive work of Christ.

3. Seek God's Will:

One hallmark of Paul's prayers was his intense desire to align his requests with God's will. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, he urges us to "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." When we echo Paul's sentiment and pray in line with God's will, our petitions carry divine authority.

4. Pray for Spiritual Wisdom:

Paul was passionate about believers growing in spiritual wisdom and understanding. Ephesians 1:17-18 encapsulates this beautifully: "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better." Incorporate this into your prayers, asking God for spiritual insight and discernment.

5. Intercede for Others:

Paul's prayers were rarely self-centered. He interceded fervently for the spiritual growth and well-being of others. In Colossians 1:9-10, he prays, "We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way." Take a cue and make intercession a vital part of your prayer life.

6. Clothe Yourself in God's Armor:

In Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul talks about putting on the armor of God. This isn't just metaphorical; it's a practical strategy for spiritual warfare. Incorporate this into your prayers, asking God for strength, protection, and the ability to stand firm in your faith.      

--Pastor Chris

When believers assemble on the Lord's Day for public worship, the primary objective, as Psalm 150 teaches, is to glorify God.  His Word, fortunately, gives us direction about how we order our gathered worship.

One of the most joyous expressions of worship is found in our collective singing. Ephesians 5:19 instructs believers to speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, fostering a culture of shared praise and gratitude. Singing becomes a corporate act, uniting the entire congregation.

As diverse as the body of Christ is, when believers join together in song, we declare a unified message of praise. This unity in diversity mirrors the beautifully orchestrated diversity of spiritual gifts within the Church.  1 Corinthians 12:4-6 ‘Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.’

The various emotions found in our song enable us to connect with God and one another on a deep, personal level. Whether in moments of joy, sorrow, gratitude, or repentance, congregational singing allows for an authentic and emotionally rich weekly gathering.

Participating in congregational singing even serves as a source of spiritual refreshment. In the midst of life's challenges, singing collectively becomes a communal wellspring of encouragement, offering comfort, hope, and a reminder of God's faithfulness.

As we gather for worship, our aim is to engage with God's Word through various expressions—reading, preaching, praying, singing, baptism, and communion. These elements, deeply rooted in the biblical narrative, unite us as a community of believers. With hearts attuned to God's Word, we find ourselves living out Psalm 150, worshiping God with all we have.

During the sermon, we talked about praying the attributes of God. Check out this great resource that will challenge you to commit five minutes daily over a 30-day period to prayer over these verses and worship God in new ways. You’ll be amazed by how much closer you feel to Him at the end. 

 https://www.navigators.org/resource/praying-names-attributes-god/?utm_source=co&utm_medium=ebook&utm_campaign=mk202108&utm_content=mk202108_praying_the_names_refreshed_ebook_offer&sf_ac=910577

--Pastor Chris

Hello church, this past Sunday we looked very closely at the story of Zacharias (or Zechariah as some translators put it) in Luke 1. Let us review and add some detail to the application points for the text.  

1)--Deprived of your prayer—Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth were advanced in years and had no child. Elizabeth was disgraced at this fact (v. 25). As Zacharias goes into the temple to offer incense (symbolic for prayers of the people), he probably has several things in mind: a son, the Messiah, and relief from Rome. Zacharias and Elizabeth wanted a son, but they got something so much greater, a prophet. This prophet would pave the way for the Messiah, and lead to destruction of sin’s curse through the life, death and resurrection of Christ.  Sometimes God denies your request in prayer, because He has something greater in mind.  

2)--Doubt vs. trust—Luke intentionally compares the responses to the divine birth announcements of Mary (mother of Jesus) and Zacharias (father of John). Mary was a teenage, female servant girl who trusted the angel at his word, while Zacharias was an older, male, educated priest who doubted the words of the angel. Church, we must strive to be like Mary, not Zacharias.  

3)--Lack of trust lead to discipline—Because Zacharias did not believe the words of Gabriel he was struck mute (couldn’t speak) and evidently also deaf (v. 62, 63—why else would they use sign language?) for 9 months. This discipline served as authentication of the angel’s message that the older couple would in fact have a child. And what does Zacharias do the first moment he can speak….(v. 64) he praises God!  

4)--The Holy Spirit brings joy and empowerment to the tasks God gives His people. In OT times, the Holy Spirit was selective and often temporary. In NT times and present day, we see the Holy Spirit given generally and permanently. We see in verse 15—the Holy Spirit fills John while in the womb, then in v. 34 the Holy Spirit comes upon Mary, then in v. 41 the Holy Spirit fills Elizabeth, and then finally in v. 67 the Holy Spirit fills Zacharias.  These individuals would be paramount to set up the releasing of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. 

5)--We are like John the Baptist. The Messiah, the God man Jesus Christ is coming again. The first time He came as a baby in a manger, but next time will be different. John called Israel back to God (vertical), and to right relationships among fathers and sons (horizontal). We are similar. Those of us who have experienced God’s grace and power in our lives are to warn Jews and Gentiles alike, that Jesus is coming back.  

--Jason Brumfield

After the exiled people of Judah returned to the land, they rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem and the temple. The latter became known as The Second Temple. The absence of the Shekinah Glory of God distinguished this temple from Solomon’s temple. While the outer elements of the Israelite religion returned, the presence of God did not return to the Most Holy Place. The prophets anticipated the return of God’s glory (e.g., Ezekiel 43). However, the days of Ezra, Nehemiah, Joshua the Priest, and Zerubbabel never experienced the return of God’s glory to the temple. For this reason, the Gospel writers do not understand the splitting of the temple curtain as necessary to “turn loose” the glory of God, because the presence of God had not resided in Jerusalem since before the exile (Ezekiel 10:18).

Each of the Synoptic Gospels (i.e., Matt. 27:51–54, Mark 15:38–41, and Luke 23:44–49) tie the tearing of the temple curtain to the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. The evangelists’ accounts are similar and unique. For example, they all use the same Greek term for the curtain (καταπέτασμα), and they all mention the darkness, the centurion, the women, and Joseph of Arimathea. Matthew adds the response of creation—earthquakes, graves opening, and the dead raised—to the death of Christ and the curtain tearing. Luke offers additional words from Jesus, the praise of Christ’s innocence by the centurion, and the dejection of the crowd. Outside of the Gospels, the writer of Hebrews speaks of a better curtain—Jesus’ flesh—that has given better access to the people of God (Heb. 10:20).

We have enough evidence to verify that the rending of the temple veil historically happened. Beyond affirming that, what does it mean? What is the theology of the splitting of the temple veil? First, the tearing of the temple veil levels the path introduced in Mark 1. At the end of the Gospel of Mark, we are given two allusions to the beginning of the Gospel. Mark 1:1 states that this is “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” and proceeds to quote the prophets on the preparation of the level path so that all flesh may see the glory of God. The confession of the centurion (15:39) and the access granted to Gentiles, women, and Jews demonstrates the level path that Christ made for beholding the glory of God. Mark 1:10–11 references the first “tearing” that took place at Jesus’ baptism: “And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’” With the curtain split, all the people were directed away from the temple and to the cross to see the glory of God.

Second, the tearing of the temple veil changed the nature of the temple in this age. Mark used the word ναός(temple) three times (cf. Mark 14:58; 15:29, 38). In the first two verses, Jesus’ opponents accused him of claiming that he would destroy the temple; however, what he said was, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). That is, he told them that if “you destroy” this temple (the temple of his body), “in three days I (the temple of his body) will rise up.” The writer of Hebrews referred to Jesus’ flesh as a better curtain with better access. Paul described the Jewish-Gentile church in Ephesus as “a holy temple in the Lord” and “a dwelling place for God by the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 2:21–22). Peter referred to Christians as “living stones … built up as a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5). John changed the location of the “Father’s house” (John 2:16–22; 14:1–7).

Jesus Christ has made a level path. All of Adam and Eve’s offspring are invited to come and see God’s glory. The glory of God now resides, during this age, in the temple created by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ: the Jews and Gentiles and the men and women, who are “living stones” in the church. This is a geographically decentralized temple; it does not reside in one town or one building. As Peter taught, it is a “spiritual house.” Go, and tell it. The church is a temple on the move, a mobile, living entity, offering a level path to all people so that they can see God’s glory. This Christmas season, invite someone to pass through the better curtain and discover the transforming presence of Jesus for a new year.  

--Rex Howe 

This time of year is always cheery, and it makes us think back to the first Christmas. As I prepared for this sermon, I learned so much about the sacrifices that we are called to make as followers of Christ, specifically from the example of Mary. 

To recap from our message this Sunday, Mary was around 13 years old whenever she found out that she would be Jesus’ mother. When she learns this from the angel Gabriel, of course she’s curious, maybe anxious, but we don’t read anything about her complaining of God wrecking her life plans. Mary knew that this was probably gonna lead to her being socially ostracized, being the subject of gossip, nasty rumors, and unfair treatment, but her response in Luke 1:38 is inspiring: “Behold, I am the servant of The Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” 

This is remarkable, and may it always be our attitude towards The Lord. Now, that’s much easier said than done. What would it be like for you to pursue God’s calling for your life? What would you be willing to sacrifice? Perhaps you have dreams that your kid will grow up and make a lot of money in a certain profession that you would like them to pursue, but they feel called into something else less lucrative. What if God will use them powerfully in that way? Isn’t that all you could ask for on behalf of your kids?

What if you want to be married, but God calls you to be single? What if you can’t have biological children, but God wants you to adopt? What if God allows you to have a particular ailment or disease that you obviously didn’t want? 

But underlying all that: what if God uses you to make a bigger impact through those struggles? What if God uses you to impact eternity more through those things than He would have otherwise? In the grand scheme of things, that’s all we could ask for. So like Mary, when God lets us face a tough challenge, may we depend on Him, and identify as she did: as servants of The Lord.            

-- John Muncy

Identifying contemporary blind spots in the local church cultivates spiritually perceptive discipleship among its members. On Sunday, Mark 8:1-26 helped us to identify four potential blind spots. Having surfaced these blind spots, let’s consider discipleship solutions that we can cultivate to edify one another.

Unimaginative Servanthood

In Mark 8, the disciples lack ministry imagination. Jesus presented the group with a logistical dilemma, and all they saw were their insufficient resources: no food, a desolate place, limited finances, and lacking relational connections. They failed to see their all-sufficient Savior. Notice the faith-filled solutions that Jesus provided: compassion on those in need, an inventory that produced some bread and fish, a prayer of thanks and blessing upon the existing provisions, and trust that God would work. Consider Paul using his tent-making skills with Priscilla and Aquilla (Acts 18) or finding a lecture hall for disciple-making when the synagogue congregation opposed his gospel (Acts 19). Logistical dilemmas in ministry are opportunities for faithful stewardship of existing resources and to depend on God to do mighty works that only he can do.

Prayerless Servanthood

One of the shocking absences in Mark 8 is the disciples failure to pray juxtaposed to Jesus giving thanks and blessing the meager rations with trust in his heavenly Father. It is shocking because they had encountered a similar scenario in Mark 6:30–44. They had witnessed Jesus’ prayer life in a situation like this: “And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men” (Mk. 6:41–44). Could it be that our ministry obstacles remain in the way and seem impossible because we have failed to give thanks and ask for God’s favor and strength? Let’s learn from Jesus to pray as dependent disciples. Let’s learn from Nehemiah, who frequently offered God short prayers as he tirelessly served to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem (cf. Neh. 1:8; 4:14; 5:19; 6:14; 13:14, 22, 29, 31).

Mission-Crippling Eschatology

When Jesus and his disciples encounter the Pharisees in Mark 8:11–13, a mission-crippling eschatology surfaced from the religious leaders. They had misunderstood the Scriptures, especially Old Testament passages such as Genesis 3:15; Psalm 22; 110; and Isaiah 53—all of which indicate the suffering of God’s Messiah prior to his glorious triumph. The Pharisees allowed the very real suffering of the Jewish nation and their longing for freedom to inform their eschatology more than Scripture and more than Messiah himself. Eschatology still has significant sway today in how we mobilize for ministry. For example, our views on the rapture, heaven, the kingdom, and Israel and the Church contribute to how we evangelize, disciple, pray, and relate to God. While a lot could be written here, let’s suffice it to say that if your views about the end of time, the kingdom, and eternity are preventing you from the disciple-making of Christ’s great commission, then you have a serious case of mission-crippling eschatology. Mark wrote in his record of Jesus’ Olivet Discourse on eschatology in chapter 13 that the return of Christ will not precede the completion of the gospel mission, “And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations” (v. 10). Make sure that your eschatology properly accounts for the great commission.

Distracted Discernment

Distracted discernment really ties all these together. “Distraction” is what they have in common. The disciples were distracted by the logistical problems, so they couldn’t imagine. They were distracted by the overwhelming needs of the crowd, so they failed to pray to the overcoming God. The Pharisees were distracted by their personal ambitions for the nation, so they didn’t see the real mission and identity of the Messiah. The disciples were distracted by physical food in the boat, so they were unable to receive the teachings of Jesus. What’s the solution for distracted discernment? I believe Jesus gave us a hint in Mark 14:38 when he told his sleepy disciples, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Strength of spirit is needed to overcome the weaknesses of the flesh. Remember the first readers of Mark’s Gospel lived after the Day of Pentecost, when Christ bestowed the church with the Holy Spirit. I believe a central solution to distracted discernment is a new life and new vision provided by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, get to know what the Bible teaches about the Holy Spirit’s ministries in the lives of believers. As we enter the Christmas and Advent season, remember again this gift, the Lord and Life-giving Spirit who helps us imagine what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor heart imagined, who helps us in our weakness when we know not how we ought to pray, and who fills us for the gospel mission for the glory of Christ.     

-Rex Howe
 

A few days ago we discussed the idea that there is a Pattern in the Scriptures. This Pattern was clear in Exodus 20:1-16, John 15:1-25, and Matthew 22:34-40. Noticing this Pattern within the Scriptures, as well as within studies on Leadership and Social Sciences (7 Habits and Emotional Intelligence), leads us to believe that this is a timeless Principle that must be Practiced in real life. What is this timeless Principle? We as humans need to respond and cultivate the Vertical Relationship in our lives above all things. Then and only then are we able to freely handle the Horizontal Relationships with our fellow man and ourselves. Let us review the application points that were mentioned towards the end of the sermon.  

(1) Vertical: Cultivating a relationship with someone you can’t see is not easy. It takes the gift of faith. It takes reading the Scriptures, it takes prayer, it takes time and patience, writing, thinking and learning from others who have gone before us. Abiding, loving, and enjoying God is the greatest use of your time. What prevents you from diving into this relationship with God? Is it knowledge? Is it time? Are you too distracted? When He is number one in your life, everything else just falls into place. 

(2) Horizontal: There is a danger in loving and serving others. Sometimes we can be so busy serving, loving, and giving to others that slowly their affirmation means more to us than it should. This idea has taken down many a great saint. It is a mighty temptation because man is right here where God is invisible. This is hard. If your relationship with God is not strong and deep, then you will cater towards men liking you. You will want their praises, their affirmations and the positions that come with that. This is not obvious at times. It happens at the subtle soul level. Or perhaps the struggle for you is that you think too much of yourself, and therefore loving yourself is such a priority that loving others has no space in your life? Is it all about you and your wants and needs? 

Sundays are all about praising God and getting realigned to Him and His world. Get after it, friends! 

--Jason Brumfield

“Where the Red Fern Grows” by Wilson Rawls, was one of my favorite books as a boy.  In the story the young boy Billy wanted to trap raccoons but at this point in the book did not have hunting dogs.  Billy’s grandfather shows him how to make a trap to catch raccoons without the use of dogs. The trap is based on the fact raccoons are attracted to shiny objects.  Placing something shiny in the trap, a raccoon will reach in to get the object.  Once it grabs the object it will not let go and its paw is too large to get out of the trap.  The raccoon is left with a dilemma.  It can let go of the shiny object and free itself from the trap or it can hold on and be caught.  The raccoon chooses to grasp onto the object sealing its fate.

If we are not careful, we can easily be distracted and caught by “shiny” objects in our everyday lives. The key is recognizing destructive, unfruitful habits and letting go.  We can be like the raccoon and grasp onto it and not let go, in other words letting the things of this world pull us away from our walk with God… or we can fine tune our focus and follow Jesus.

At one point or another, all of us are going to get distracted.  The good news is that it’s never too late to get back on track and redirect our focus back to God. Even if we let our distractions steer us off course – God is still there for us!  He is there to give us the strength we need to try again and move forward.  

I’ll leave you with two of my favorite verses about overcoming distractions:

Ephesians 5:15-17 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

1 John 5:21 Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.

Let us seek God through His Word and prayer, so that with His strength we can be the focused and productive Christians he has called us to be!

--Daniel Spoor

The story of the nation of Israel begins in the Bible - in the book of Genesis. God, our father of heaven and earth, made a binding covenant with Abraham. Abraham was a man chosen by our Sovereign God to be the father of the Jewish nation of Israel. The unconditional promises of this covenant are found in Genesis 12:1-3.

PROMISE 1: God promised to bless Abraham.

After thousands of years, Abraham remains respected by Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike.

PROMISE 2: God promised to bring out of Abraham a great nation.

Today, over 6 million Jews live in the nation of Israel. In addition, another five million live in the United States, and a great number of Jews remain scattered throughout the world.

PROMISE 3: God promised to Abraham to make him a blessing to many.

Without the Jewish people we would have no Bible, no Ten Commandments, and no basis for modern law for civilized nations. Most importantly, we would have no Jesus and no Christianity.

PROMISE 4: God promised to “bless those who bless Israel and curse those who cursed her.”

America has been blessed as a nation because we have become a homeland for the Jewish people.

God’s covenant with Abraham discloses Israel’s mission and future. It is important to study the promises given to Abraham to further Christians understanding of Israel’s current crisis and war with Hamas. The Bible clearly declares the future of the Israeli nation “for he who touches [Israel] touches the apple of His eye” (Zechariah 2:8). Lastly, we learn how God will deal with other nations based upon their stance towards God’s chosen people. 

Current news is filled with many interpretations concerning the nation of Israel and the Jewish people. I would encourage you to read further about God’s promises to Abraham and to the nation of Israel. In particular, the unconditional promises to Abraham and the nation of Israel. In addition, the territorial promise to Abraham’s descendants listing clearly the geographical boundaries given in the Book of Ezekiel Chapter 48.  

The ultimate greatness of the nation of Israel awaits in the Millennium.

-Bret Hanshaw

Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. I wonder how many times this verse has been quoted without the proper context. I admit, and I shared this story the other day, but I was one of those people that put this verse in my shoes whenever I played basketball with hopes that God would bless me to “drop 40” on the other team (I was nowhere near that good). But as we addressed the other day, the original context of the verse is even more powerful than what modern pop culture uses it for.

The verse is not about being successful in all our endeavors. This verse is about contentment, and we know that because of the preceding verses. Verses 11 and 12 read, Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. Context is everything when reading the Bible; it’s typically pretty dangerous to just take one verse and read it with no context. 

I believe the point that Paul is making here is MORE powerful than the out of context view that we can sometimes take. Because of Jesus, I can make it with my chronic pain. Because of Jesus, I can make it through a rough patch in my marriage. Because of Jesus, I can make it through losing my job. Because of Jesus, I can be humble through my blessing. Because of Jesus, I can fight the fight against temptation daily. 

Jesus’ sacrifice made it possible not only for us to have a relationship with God, but also to be content even in the most difficult of circumstances. For rich of for poor, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, in our commitment to the Father, we can have contentment.

                                                      --John Muncy

Ezekiel's prophecies carried a stern message – God's people would face retribution for their unfaithfulness. Ezekiel's vivid illustrations, such as lying on his side for over a year, were unsettling reminders of the impending consequences. Israel found itself in a situation it never anticipated, not unlike many of us who expected different paths for our lives.

Perhaps you, too, have faced unforeseen challenges. Whether due to a global pandemic, a failed relationship, a lost job, or health issues, life has not unfolded as expected. Ezekiel's prophecies remind us that we are not alone in our struggles, and there is hope in the midst of adversity.

Ezekiel 37 reveals how the Word of God brings life where there is death. The prophet's vision of a valley filled with dry bones is a powerful illustration of God's ability to breathe life into the dead. Just as we encounter lifeless situations, the Word of the Lord has the power to bring hope, purpose, and renewal.

Ezekiel 37 also paints a beautiful picture of the future. It points us to a day when God's people will be united and worship their true King. Through the gospel of Christ, we have a promise of reconciliation and eternal life.

In the present, we live in a world filled with division, suffering, and despair. However, the Word of the Lord assures us that all the bad things will come untrue, just as Ezekiel's vision foreshadows. The future holds the hope of being united in worship and finding ultimate purpose in God's presence.

Application Questions

• How has the message from Ezekiel's life and ministry resonated with your own experiences of unexpected challenges and hardships? 
  
• Can you identify with moments where your life took an unexpected turn?
  
• How would you evaluate your personal commitment to spending time in God's Word and learning from it? 
  
• What practical steps can you take to deepen your relationship with the Scriptures?
  
• Can you share a specific example of how God's Word has brought life where there was once spiritual death?
  
• How can you actively contribute to promoting unity and reconciliation within your church or community based on the principles outlined in the sermon?
  
• How does this message of hope impact your perspective on the challenges you face today? 
  
• What practical steps can you take to share this hope with others who may be feeling lost or discouraged?
  

--Chris Baker

The story of Hagar to me is so inspiring. She was a servant girl that Abram and Sarai probably added to their crew on a failed trip to Egypt, in which Abram lied about Sarai being his sister because he feared for his life. She was only meant to be a vehicle for Abram and Sarai to have a kid. Could you imagine having to carry a baby, going through all that pain, the emotional attachment with the child, all because your masters wanted you to? 

Don’t get me wrong, Hagar did some wrong in her situation, when she looked upon Sarai with contempt, thinking she was better than Sarai since she had the blessing of motherhood, and Sarai didn’t. But, to run away from the camp because of fear of the wrath of her master, that had to be a nightmare. 

She was probably on her way back to Egypt, the only other home she had ever known, when The Lord appeared to her, and I love what this says about the character of Jesus. He appears to a woman who, by all standards in her day, didn’t matter that much. Yet He, because He made her in His image, knew that she mattered. Even though this child that she was carrying would go on to be the one that Muslims believe is the child of promise, even though this child was the result of 2 people trying to get ahead of God’s plan, The Lord still took time to be present with Hagar.

Church, if you’re reading this, there is a God who sees you. He hears your prayers. He knows your deepest longings, your most passionate desires. Most importantly, He is good. He will never do wrong by you. He is El Roi, for “You are a God who sees me.” You are seen. You are heard. You are loved. 

--John Muncy

Lost…lost…lost…the sheep…the coin…and the son. This past Sunday we looked at Luke 15 where Jesus gives three different parables concerning the same theme. These stories are responding to the first two verses in Luke 15 where we see conflict between two different groups of people. The tax collectors and sinners are on one side while the Pharisees and scribes are on the other. The tax collectors and sinners are the “lost” in the story; they want to listen to Jesus, they respond to his invitation of eating and fellowship, and finally, in the story of the lost son, it is this son that enjoys gracious treatment by the Father. The Pharisees and scribes are a different story. They are the group who “should” know who God is, what He expects, and how to walk in light of His holiness. And yet they are the very group that gives Jesus the hardest time! They grumble at sinners being found by God, and they get angry that the Father is so kind and gracious to a son that doesn’t deserve it. They think they know the Father, but they don’t!  

These stories in Luke were primarily meant for the Jews of the day, and yet we see later in Luke 24: 44-49 and Acts 1 that Jesus wants the message to extend to the nations. What is that message friends? What did we learn from the sermon?  The disciples are to stay in Jerusalem until “they are clothed with power from on high.” Then with this new power, they are to spread the good news of Jesus. This grand message that through Jesus the lost can be found, that God himself eagerly scans the horizon for the sinner to return home to Him and that we too could be “clothed with power from on high. ” Do I deserve this message? NO. Do I deserve this royal treatment from a gracious Heavenly Father? NO. Am I embarrassed and ashamed of how I have wasted what the Father has given me? YES. Will I take the best that the Father has and enjoy His graciousness and kindness for all time? ABSOLUTELY YES.

--Jason Brumfield

Serving like Jesus means replacing words with action. Sometimes it’s easy to talk the talk but we must also walk the walk. So, what does it mean to follow Jesus’ example? For his first disciples, hearing and obeying Jesus’ teachings were fundamental to following Him. Jesus gave his disciples the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5–7), an in-depth teaching on life in the kingdom of God, or what we might call basic principles of the Christian life. At the conclusion of this sermon, Jesus emphasized the importance of hearing and obeying this teaching:

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. Matthew 7:24–27

Time and again Jesus moved intentionally to meet the needs of the crowds with compassion…he was always prepared to act. As Christ followers, we need to be prepared too! Let us follow Paul’s instruction in Colossians 3:12 “put on a heart of compassion” A heart of compassion is achieved not through self-effort but through a God-focused life. As we draw near to Him through His Word and His Son, He transforms our focus, thoughts, and feelings. What a relief to know that God has provided everything we need to follow Jesus’ example of caring. He always equips us to obey His every command. Lord Jesus, help us to see others as you see us and empower us with your Spirit to be compassionate and caring doers of the word. Amen.             

--Daniel Spoor

Last week, we talked about the life of Gideon, and how he went from a man afraid of people to a man who overcame that fear for God’s glory. If you remember, Gideon asked God for signs, over and over again, to prove that He was truly with Gideon. First, he thought God had left Israel altogether. Then, he made excuses, saying that he was the weakest in his house. Then finally, he laid out the fleece, the animal skin, and asked God two separate times to do miracles with it.

One, I want to point out that God was gracious with Gideon. It should have been enough that Jesus literally appeared to Gideon and told him to go. Not only that, but Jesus listened to Gideon as he made these excuses, and Jesus didn’t run him over, but gently listened to him, knowing what he was going to say, and lovingly led him. Then, even after all that, and Gideon asks for the fleece miracles, God does it for him. 

The point of all that though, is for us to look forward. Gideon wanted to know if God was truly with him by asking all these questions, and by asking God to work with the fleece. For us as believers, we never have to question if God is with us, because that deal was signed, sealed, and delivered 2000 years ago. The cross is the ultimate sign that God is with us, that His Son would be murdered on our behalf. Because of that, we don’t have to earn God’s approval, we don’t have to earn His love, and we couldn’t do that anyway. Your circumstances may scream at you, and tell you that God has abandoned you, but the cross shouts far louder than any hurt in this life ever could. God is always with you, and the cross proves it. 

--John Muncy

In the Hebrew Bible, the verb nacham is the dynamic word for our English verb “repent.” Nacham appears 108 times. It conveys (1) finding comfort, (2) regret, (3) raising to life, (4) the emotion of relieving one’s feelings, (5) sorrow, (6) plotting vengeance, (7) being grieved by something. Lexically, all these concepts seem to pivot on the central idea of changing one’s mind after an event, thought, or happening. Therefore, we can find comfort after a loss, regret a decision, witness the return of vigor and life, experience relief from emotions, respond with revenge, and move from joy to sorrow and grief. While we expect all of this in the human experience, the incredible thing about this verb is that many times God is the subject. For example, two seemingly contradictory passages have God as the subject:

•        Ex. 32:14 — “And the LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.”
•        Num. 23:19 — “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” 

Two things are important to remember in these kinds of apparent contradictions. First, the context is crucial. In Numbers 23:19, the context is the topic of lying. Therefore, when we read that God doesn’t “change his mind,” we must understand that when it comes to truth-telling, God is unchanging. However, when we read “the LORD relented from disaster” in Exodus 32:14 and chose to show mercy to his people, we must remember two things. First, this was completely consistent with who God is (Ex. 34:5–7). Second, while God relented and showed mercy, his aim to discipline his people was not extinguished. He does discipline them in chapter 32. God’s relenting was one of degree rather than a complete change of mind. 

When God acts to nacham, he acts consistently and reliably with whom he has revealed himself to be. So, when God relents in Exodus 32:14 the writer has given us a very careful nuance to convey that God is acting consistent with his divine perfections of mercy and justice. Moses also learned to stand in the gap for God and his people through prayerful mediation as an intercessor. The intercessor steps into the burden of God, weighing the heaviness of both mercy and justice in contextual situations, keeping God’s ultimate aims for his glory and his people in mind. For more study on God and nacham, check out these fascinating passages: Joel 2:13–14; Amos 7:3, 6; Jonah 3:9–10; 4:2. In Proverbs 14:15 and Isaiah 30:15, we learn that repentance is a mature attribute of the discerning and the spiritually strong person. In Isaiah, the word is found in parallelism with rest, quietness, and trust.

In summary, the Old Testament Scriptures have a lot to teach us about repentance. We’ve learned that the Hebrew term has a central idea of changing one’s mind. This central idea receives important nuances in the context of the passage. We were able to see how intercessory prayer, like Moses’ example, provides a unique perspective and experience in God’s activity of nacham, when weighing matters of mercy and justice for God’s people. From Proverbs 14:15 and Isaiah 30:15, we learned that repentance is a mature attribute, granting discernment and strength to those who use it. On Sunday, we heard that God’s Spirit levels our hearts through repentance to see Jesus’ glory. Perhaps, we may add a supplement to the lexicon—that repentance is the acquisition of clarity of mind, a sharpening of the spirit, after moments that matter, a clarity that is tightly tethered to the ultimate aims of God’s plan. In Mark, readers need repentance to sharpen their vision so that they can see Jesus.      

--Rex Howe

In Sunday’s message we discussed the power of faith and the compassion of Jesus as illustrated in the story of the woman with the issue of blood when she “clung” to Him… I want to encourage you today with another promise found in the 14^th Chapter of John where Jesus comforts His disciples. v16-17 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.” See also v26 “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” What an amazing gift from our heavenly Father - a promised helper, counselor, and revealer of truth! The Greek translation for counselor means; one who is called alongside and represents the idea of one who encourages and exhorts. Rest assured as believers; the Spirit takes up residence in our hearts forever! The Holy Spirit is not only with us but also dwells in us. Amen! We see the power of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling further explored in John 16:5-15. Jesus says in v7, “it is to our advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.” The Spirit, our Helper, is the fruit producer in our lives…see Galatians 5:22-23… these are not works of our flesh, which is incapable of producing such fruit, rather they are products of the Spirit’s presence in our lives. As you seek to “Cling to Jesus” be comforted by this promise. The Holy Spirit is the mortar that gives us super-glue faith… a rock-solid permanent bond with God the Father. Trust the bond, stick to Jesus… like a postage stamp – we hold on until we reach the destination! Be blessed this week church family.   

--Daniel Spoor

Church family, we talked this past Sunday about David’s failure, or failures, related to Bathsheba and Uriah. It was evil what David did, taking a man’s wife as his own, and then having that man killed to cover up his own sin. Eventually, of course, that brought disaster upon David’s family; as Nathan said, “the sword will not depart from your house” (2 Samuel 12:10). 

I wanted to talk about this terrible time in David’s life to make a point: humility can save us from situations like this. It’s easy for us to see someone do something so heinous on the news, and think, “well I would never do anything like that.” You know who probably said the same thing? David. When our mindset becomes one like that, where we think we’re too holy or too big to fail, friends, I believe we might already be on that road. 

Proverbs tells us that “Pride comes before a fall.” We typically don’t fall when we walk in humility, understanding our weaknesses, understanding that we are human and have a great capacity to hurt God and others. 

Another downside of that “I’ll never do that” attitude is that it causes us to look down on those who have failed in that particular way. Sure, there are some people in life that have made horrible mistakes, believers even, but when we approach with our own attitude of pride, it keeps us from loving them. Often, in the aftermath of a grave sin or mistake, all people truly need is someone to love them through that. They want to know that they aren’t losing their friends, and that they won’t suffer alone. 

God’s Word calls us to restore those who are caught in sin “with gentleness” (Galatians 6:1), and you can’t be prideful and gentle at the same time. All that being said, know that you can fail. If we walk in humility, we’re walking in the right direction.

--John Muncy

This past Sunday we looked at Php. 4:4-14, which was part two of a series called “Responding to Tough Times.” With that said this passage forced us all to survey our life with the following 

questions: 

--When do I rejoice in the Lord? 

--Would people describe me as sharp in our interactions? 

--Do I typically pray about little to nothing, which leads to me being anxious about everything thus leading to inner chaos? 

--Have I devoted my thoughts to that which is true, reliable, respectful, right, pure and lovely?  

--Do the people I look up to have these characteristics (v.8) in their life? If they don’t why do I want to be like them? 

--Which is a stronger pattern in my life, contentment or complaining? 

--Can you say genuinely like Paul, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” or do the circumstances of your life dictate your spiritual life? 

Church, I would encourage you to get somewhere quiet and read Php. 4:4-14 again. Look at the mentioned questions and see which ones the Lord is perhaps drawing to your attention. It may be all or only one. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in learning from Gods Word. Start a notebook about your spiritual life or continue with one you started a while back. I know for me, the first couple readings of a passage may or may not yield much fruit, but it is in the chewing, the meditating, the dwelling, the wrestling, and the coming back that the richness of His Word comes to the front of where I am. Give Him your worries and anxieties through sincere, simple prayers to the Lord God. These prayers lead to: the peace of God, (v.7), our minds and hearts are guarded in Christ Jesus (v.7), the God of peace (v.9), and the strength of Christ despite your circumstances.  

--Jason Brumfield

Several days ago we looked at (Part 1 of a 2 part series) Philippians 3:17-4:3, titled “Responding to Tough Times.” This passage has helped me and my family through some tough moments, both at church and at home. Where would we be without God and His word to guide us, comfort us, and encourage us? 

The apostle Paul is writing to all the saints in Philippi around 60 AD, while in prison in Rome. This letter is a response of gratitude and also an opportunity to key in on central doctrines related to the Christian life. Paul begins in v. 17 with inviting the audience to follow his example as he follows the Lord. Verses 18 and 19 introduce a group of people with certain characteristics. They are enemies of the Cross, their end will be destruction (Rev. 20:13-15), their appetite drives their lives, they praise things that they should be ashamed of, and they set their minds on earthly, temporal things. Wherever we focus our minds determines the direction we go here on earth and into eternity.   

With that said v. 20 and v. 21 speaks of another group. This group is eagerly waiting for the Lord Jesus Christ to come from Heaven and use His tremendous power to change their bodies into something that mirrors His glorious body. Because of these great truths Paul addresses a situation where two ladies are in disagreement. He encourages both ladies as well as the recipient of the letter to “live in harmony in the Lord.” Harmony is a word meaning peace, lack of tension or conflict. He urges them to struggle after the right things, mainly the cause of the Gospel and being firm in the Lord. We have to remember friends that we should struggle over spreading the Gospel, not each other. Why you ask? Well not only the things prior to 4:3, but another reason is that the righteous (as declared by faith in Christ) names’ are written in the Lamb’s book of life (Daniel 12, and Rev. 21). This is the book of all books, the final list of who will be with the Lord forever. Isn’t that what we all want for ourselves and those we love?  

With these grand truths presented let us work together, listen long and hard, understand one another’s perspective, seek humility, speak the truth in love, and pray without ceasing. Let us all listen well to the Head of the Church, the One, the Only, the God man who paid the price for sin, the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 5:23).                                        

--Jason Brumfield

Thank you, Mitch Webb, Executive Director of the Huntington City Mission, for visiting FBCK and delivering such an encouraging message on 1 Peter 3:15

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” NKJV

What is hope? When we use the word “hope” we are usually expressing a desire for something uncertain in the future. I “hope” I get that job. I “hope” we win the game. As believers, our hope is more than wishful thinking. Our hope is the confident assurance that in Christ, our future is secure. We see beyond the circumstances of today and see what God will bring about in the future. Hope is confidence in the finished work of Jesus Christ! Hope is seeing light in spite of the darkness around us. We live in a day where we might be tempted to lose hope…Brother Mitch reminded us of the truth we have in Hebrews 6:19 “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” An anchor for your soul! Amen. God is in control and he has “plans to prosper you and not to harm to you”, “plans to give you hope and a future.”

Let us stand firm in our devotion to Christ, holding Him at the very center of our hearts. It is through this unwavering commitment that we find the strength to face life's challenges with hope and confidence. Sanctify the Lord, set Him apart in his rightful place in your heart. Proverbs 10:28 “The hope of the righteous brings joy” Joy is the outcome of our hope. Joy overflows when you have hope for tomorrow. Fear, worry, and distress fall away as our hope grows. As Brother Mitch encouraged us, may you immerse yourself in God’s promises, may you be full of joy, and anxious for nothing. 

Have a blessed week church family, God loves you.        

--Daniel Spoor

Last week, we talked about the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16, and we saw that the rich man made the mistake of wasting his life on comfort, having huge feasts every day and neglecting Lazarus, a poor man who was at his gate, suffering every day.

When He talked about hell, Jesus would sometimes use the word Gehenna to describe it. Gehenna was a place outside of Jerusalem soiled with horrible history: child sacrifices used to take place there, and King Josiah eventually put an end to it by dumping all the sewage and trash there. On top of that, dead bodies were also burned in Gehenna. 

The picture that Jesus was painting of hell was that of a life wasted. If someone lived their life with no relationship with Jesus, then, in other words, they threw away the life that God gave them. Hell is a place of regret, where a person’s conscience torments them, reminding them of the decisions they made, that they chose not to commit to Jesus, they only chose themselves, and now they have nothing to show for it.

So if you’re reading this, and you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, don’t waste your life. The only things that will last in life are the things that we do for The Lord. Don’t chase money, don’t chase the perfect person, don’t chase your own comfort, because none of those things will last for eternity.

While that message is there for those who don’t know Jesus, it’s also a good reminder for those of us who do follow Jesus: don’t waste your life. All of those things that I just mentioned that people can chase… believers can waste our lives on things like that too. Sometimes we chase being remembered, or chase a reputation, but in reality, the devil wants us to chase these things. He wants us to live lives of distraction, lives that are wasted, lives with no Kingdom impact. 

So believer: get uncomfortable. Share your faith, even when it’s scary. Dive into the Word, even when you’re challenged by it. Pray about it, whenever it’s difficult. You won’t regret it in the end.

--John Muncy

In Mark 10:17-27, Jesus was asked the poignant question by the rich, young ruler: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” After walking him several of the ten commandments, Jesus directly addressed the ruler’s heart issue, idolatry, with the loving admonition, “You lack one thing: Go sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.”

The discourse concludes with an exasperated group of disciples asking Jesus, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus shocking response is that salvation “impossible” with men, but “all things are possible with God.”

Here we are left with the mystery of salvation. We can do nothing to save ourselves. No keeping of the law, list of good deeds, clean living, etc. can ever suffice to erase our debt of sin before a holy God. And yet, He invites us to lay aside our idols, false gods, and self-aggrandizing pursuits and humble ourselves, to repent of our sins and follow after Him.

What will we do? Will we go away disheartened and clinging to our idols, or will we say YES to come and follow Jesus and have treasure in heaven?

It was a joy to share the word, the work in Rome and sweet fellowship with the Body of Christ at FBC Kenova last week. Thank you for your partnership in the gospel! May the Lord be glorified as we labor together until the good news goes to the ends of the earth, to every nation, tribe, and tongue!                            

--Todd Kincaid

As I ponder Paul’s 1^st letter to the Corinthians, we see Paul (in his often-typical style), open with praise and adoration for our Lord.  He did it in such a way that the brothers of Corinth were edified.  He thanks God for them (because of his grace).  Paul tells them how they are enriched in every way (because they are in him).  These are just a few examples of Paul’s edification of the believers through his praising of our Lord.

Too many times, we focus our attention upon what we don’t have or simply we don’t see how truly blessed we are.  We could focus on the positions that need filled in the church or we could praise Him for helping us to become more focused on Jesus (and not man).  We could get discouraged when Sunday morning attendance drops at the mere mention of rain (I am guilty), or praise Him for that new family the rain brought.  

Praise God for the 40+ youth and adult that spent a week immersing themselves in God’s Word at Cowen several weeks ago!  Praise God for the 60+ that grew in their faith at Crossings!  Praise God for the 24 that faithfully served in Honduras!  Praise God for the 148 campers and countless youth and adult leaders that graced our campus with Empower basketball!  Praise God in advance for those that will be a witness for Christ with next week’s VBS!  Praise God for the opportunity to share the Gospel for the following Sundays of Nic@Night!  Praise God for faithful members of our search committee!  Praise God for His goodness in my life and the blessing it has always been to count you all as my brothers and sisters.

            What would His kingdom here in Kenova look like if we continually praised Him and edified His people?  Wouldn’t it be desirable to have others covet and crave the object of our affection – Jesus?

--Tony Cicenas

Can you recall a time when you were “sitting on high” as it were? You were the one on the job who was more capable than all your coworkers. Your education placed you far and away beyond the knowledge of your peers. Your income was exceedingly greater than your closest competitor… you were elite, and you knew it…

Look to this text for the way in which a follower of Christ should respond to this position! Paul nestles the character of Jesus right down in the midst of a holy church kerfuffle! It’s been said that Hell hath no fury like one who sheds dirt on Momma’s clean floors. In a similar plight, the Philippian church supported the apostle Paul as their own-owned the gospel message as partners with him, and shared in his chains by sending relief and encouragement. 

But Paul had to expose their dirt from underneath the carpet. After recognizing the extraordinary work the church at Philippi had done, he had to remind them whose name and accolades were higher, mightier, and more deserving of servitude than anyone else. Yet what did this reminder, this person, require of those who should serve Him? Nothing. He stooped ludicrously lower and with unwavering immediacy because His advantage, position, power, and indeed person, were the only things that could explain the height, depth, and length of His love for the church.

Jesus did not use His prowess to encumber His people! Instead, He made a spectacle of it, emptied Himself, and on became obedient, even to death on a cross. Though worthy of honor, He lowered Himself to humanity’s humiliating estate. He didn’t simply claim the position and power that were His to wield. Rather, He became a servant…unto death. 

THAT is amazing. Ahhh, humiliation is human. But obedience is divine! 

--Josh Sowards

     God has a wonderful plan for you…His most valued and precious creation. Plans full of hope and plans for a great future. We see God’s intention for us in Genesis 1:28 “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” God desires that we bear much fruit. As we saw in John 15:8 God is glorified when we bear fruit. To “abide” or to “cling” to the Lord is not passive. Seeking Jesus means making him the number one priority in your life. The emphasis is on a relationship of intimacy with Jesus where we are to cling to God, to trust in his promises, to seek his favor, to desire only his approval and not the approval of man.  To make the most of our time and invest in his service, and to always keep his praise on your lips. Psalm 63:7-8 “for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you, your right hand upholds me.” Praise God for his goodness and that He desires an abiding relationship with Him. “Abide in Me, and I in you…” God will never abandon you. No matter what you may be feeling or experiencing, we rest in God’s promise that He will never abandon us. Through difficult circumstances and the trials of life He is simply exercising our dependency on Him. Think about the concept of stretching…stretching literally lengthens your muscles. As you continue to stretch you become more flexible. Increased flexibility helps improve your range of motion…stretching is uncomfortable, however it’s good for you! Stretching also prevents injury and soreness by the way. So let me ask, are you taking time daily to “stretch” with Jesus? Take some time this week to reflect on your walk… pray for God to reveal areas in your life where you may need to stretch in order to grow in Him. And may you abide in Christ. May God bless you and yours this week church family. 

--Daniel Spoor

I made this title as a bit of a pun (I sometimes say “what’s good” when I’m talking to our teens—gotta stay hip, ya know?), and the title is also meant to highlight Romans 8:28, which reads, And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. That verse is one of the most encouraging verses, I love it, I got it tattooed on my arm, but have you ever stopped and considered what the “good” is in that verse? It certainly doesn’t mean that God will keep us from suffering and hard things in our lives. The Word tells us all over the place that we will suffer in this life, particularly when we follow Jesus.

The “good” in verse 28 can be found in verse 29: For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. In other words, the good in verse 28 is the transformation of our character. This means that God uses all things in our lives—good, bad, ugly—to transform us to be more like Jesus. How does God do that? He uses hard times to help us learn to lean on Him, as Jesus did throughout His life and ministry. He sends us good things in life to open our eyes to see that He is good and that He cares about us, and to lead us into a deeper intimacy with Him, like the Father and Son have.

With all that being said, brother & sister, God is transforming your character with everything in your life. Some things He sends, some things He allows, but be sure: He has a hand in every little thing in your life. He pays that close of attention to you because He cares that much about you.          

 --John Muncy

James 1:1-5 was the focus of this past Sunday’s sermon. Verse 1 discusses the author James, the half-brother of Jesus, and his relationship to God and to Christ. He could’ve talked about his familial relationship, but instead puts himself in a position of submission to his half-brother and God. The book is written around 45-50 AD to Jews who have become Christians. Looking at verse 2 and 3, we notice that it is not if we will experience trials, but when. He is encouraging his fellow brothers to look at trials with joy, not grumbling or complaining, but joy. And let me say this: joy is not a natural response; it is a divine-aided response. God has to help us respond this way.  

Now trials, circumstances,  or difficulties come our way in one of three ways. (1) in our own ignorance or foolishness, (2) God directing or causing certain things to happen, or (3) God allowing circumstances to happen. Our response to any one of these should be the same. We can either groan or grow. Transformation and living God’s way starts in the mind; in this passage it is in knowing, in the perspective, where the change occurs. These trials that come our way test our faith in the Lord. The Thomas Nelson Study Bible (1997) edited by Radmacher, Allen, and House says: “the term, which means “tested” or “approved,” was used for coins that were genuine and not debased. The aim of testing is not to destroy or afflict, but to purge and refine (pg. 2104)”. Will you trust God? Will your perspective be joy or groaning and complaining? Looking again at v. 3, this testing of faith produces endurance, it produces staying power, it holds up under pressure, it doesn’t crack. This faith continues to talk to God, wrestle with Him, learn from Him and obey Him. Verse 4 discusses how this endurance produces maturity, completeness and whole development. You are a real Christian, you hold up under the test of faith. Will you obey even when it is hard? Verse 5 may be the most important component to the context of this situation. You can’t fix a problem or address it, unless you see it. When we are in the heat of the trial or situation, it is hard to see the benefit of all that is mentioned in v. 2-4. We are aggravated, groaning, complaining, frustrated, but here is the difference. In that moment you and I have got to pray, asking for wisdom. “God please give me the wisdom, the insight to see what to do or how to approach this situation.” This wisdom determines whether you will be the victim or victor, whether you sink or swim, or whether you grow or groan. Church, I pray today and this week we all will see our trials and circumstances differently. Please ask the Lord God Almighty for the wisdom to see what is going on, and I pray that you hold up well under whatever test you may be experiencing.

 -–Jason Brumfield

     I have had the privilege to serve in many areas as a member of the First Baptist Church of Kenova. As an elder, I thank you for the time given to share the Good News and my knowledge on how to present the gospel. There was a time in my Christian life when I felt inadequate to share the gospel. This changed in 1983 when I attended a course by Dr. James Kennedy titled Evangelism Explosion 3. 

The course emphasizes the importance of Bible verses and a series of questions guiding others to the realization they are sinners in need of a Savior, and the importance of their decision for Christ. Below is a brief outline to support you in fulfilling the Great Commission.

I. Introduction 

A. Inquire about their secular life and Church background, then share your personal testimony

II. Transition into the TWO diagnostic questions

A. Question 1: Have you come to the place in your spiritual life where you know for certain that if you were to die today that you would go to heaven?

B. Question 2: Suppose you were to die today and stand before God and He were to say to you, “Why should I let you into my heaven?”  What would you say?

III. After these questions, and based on the answers given, share the gospel with an emphasis on the following scriptures. 

A. Man is a sinner and cannot save himself - Romans 3: 10-13, Romans 3:23 

B. The cost of sin is death; Heaven is a FREE gift - Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9 

C. God’s Redeeming Grace, Salvation to ALL believers - John 3:16-17

D. Romans Road to Salvation – Romans 10: 9-10, 13 and 17

     Remember the words of Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…”

--Bret Hanshaw

Three of the worst words anyone can ever hear in life are “Shame on you.” Shame is one of the most debilitating feelings in life. It takes the wind out of your sails when you are reminded of some failure in your life. Perhaps you said something you regret. Maybe you had an affair, or an abortion. You may be struggling right now with an addiction that no one knows about. It might not have even been something that you did, it might have been something that was done to you. Regardless of what it was, shame can cripple us, and keep us from taking steps forward to the life that God has called us to.

Instead of saying “Shame on you”, The Lord declares “Shame off you.” In Joshua 5:9, The Lord says to him, “Today I have rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt” (NLT), and even though there is a particular context to this verse, this concept is true for every follower of Jesus today. Whatever sin that shame brings up that makes us think, “I am unlovable, God doesn’t want anything to do with me, no one will love me”, The Lord says, “I have rolled away the shame.”

Don’t get me wrong, there is a place in life for us to reflect on our failures, but we must do it properly. I’ve heard it said before, “Our failures should humble us, but we should never let them haunt us.” So learn from sins and mistakes, but whenever shame comes and tells you that you’re not loved, you’re not wanted, and you’re awful, remember what The Lord has said about you. 2 Corinthians 5 says that anyone who belongs to Jesus is a new creation. Psalm 103 says that God has removed our sins “as far as the east is to the west”, and He remembers them no more. If God doesn’t hold it against you, then YOU shouldn’t hold it against you. 

--John Muncy

We read in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Have you ever prayed for something for a long time, but God did not grant you that thing? Ever prayed for a job, a spouse, a new home, you’ve thought, “Well, this is a good thing, God why have You not given this to me?” I believe we’ve all wondered this at some point.

So, when we read that verse, we might think, “God tells me to ask for it, and it’ll be given, so why don’t I have it?” Well, there’s a number of reasons that we might not have it, number one being that, if you could ask God for anything, and make Him do whatever you wanted, you would be God. Wow. I heard John Piper say this earlier in the week and it shook me, but oftentimes we want to be God OVER God. We want, “My will be done”, not “Thy will be done”.

Another reason our prayers aren’t answered is because whatever we are asking for, we would use it only for us and not to honor Jesus (James 4:3). One more reason why our prayers aren’t answered is that whatever we are praying for is not good for us. Luke 11:11-12 reads, What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; ¹² or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? Any good father would not give their kids bad things when they ask for good things. On the flipside of that, if the kid asks for a poisonous snake, the good father won’t give it to him.

In the same manner, when we ask for things that will be poisonous to us, God will not give them to us, because He cares for us. Our Good Father only gives good things to His children. So, when we ask for something that we think might be good for us, but God denies it, just know: your Good Father is protecting you, watching over you, and has something better in store.                               --John Muncy

Proverbs 31:25-31 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.  She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

Sometimes we get bogged down with the hustle and bustle of life and we forget to count our blessings. One of the most precious blessings is that of our mothers. It’s arguably the hardest job on the planet, it’s 24/7, and at times can be thankless. But we see in this scripture the true heart of a mother. She is a peacemaker, faithful, kind and gentle. Always going the extra mile in love. In this world there is no one else who loves like mom does. Mothers are a wonderful expression of God’s unconditional love and faithfulness. To all mothers, thank you for your sacrifice, your selflessness, and the constant prayers. 

Gracious God, we praise you for the gift of mothers, both gentle and fierce, strong and humble, kind and true. For mothers and grandmothers who have joined you in heaven and whom we miss dearly, we give you thanks. Thank You, Lord, for mothers who love You. Their influence is felt around the world.

Remembering M- O – T – H – E – R, by Shari Abbott

M reminds me of her Marvelous love

O reminds me I have One mother

T reminds me of her Tender care

H reminds me of her Heart of gold

E reminds me of her Endless service

R reminds me to Remember her…

Not only on Mother’s Day, but every day throughout the year.

--Daniel Spoor

Feelings. They are so powerful. They make us feel like we are on top of the world one moment, yet in the next they can make us feel like darkness is our only friend. They swing so much, from joy to despair, and they are almost unpredictable. Some days you wake up feeling great, others you wake up feeling terrible. Some days you wake up just wanting to serve The Lord, and others you wake up resistant to anything God wants you to do.

Feelings are good gifts from God, but they are not God. God is God, and He calls us to live a life in which we both acknowledge how we feel to Him, and decide to live and behave in a way that honors Him, despite our feelings.

Feelings can often lead us down a path of unforgiveness and bitterness. Most of the time, if we only listened to our feelings, we will end up holding whatever offense a person committed against us for a long, long time, and even though we feel justified in holding that against them, all that does is make us miserable and suck the life out of us. 

Instead, we have to choose to forgive. While feelings of kindness and forgiveness are good, and it would be phenomenal if our feelings were always right along with what God wants us to do, often times, that’s not the case. We have to choose to forgive whoever offended us. Typically, what happens then is after we have made up in our mind that we have forgiven a person, the feelings still gnaw at us. What do we do when that happens? When an old memory kicks up? Forgive again. Jesus said that we forgive not seven times, but seventy times seven times. In other words, He was saying to always choose forgiveness. As the people of God, may forgiveness be something that the world knows us by. 

--John Muncy

This past weekend we focused our time together on Matthew 20:1-16, titled Generosity and Boundaries. In the passage Jesus addresses His disciples concerns from Matt. 19:27-30. In the parable that Jesus tells, the Landowner (GOD) in the story is looking for workers for His vineyard. He goes out and gathers the workers at the beginning of the workday (6am), at 9am, 12 noon, 3pm, and finally additional workers at 5pm, which would have been an hour before quitting time. The landowner pays the last group the same amount (denarius=day’s wage) as the 6am group. This leads to grumbling and envy from the 6am group, which brings the focus of Jesus’ message. The Landowner is choosing to do what is right based on His value system. He owns the field, He has the money, and finally it is He who determines the reward for the workers. The Landowner is being fair to the 6am crew and very generous to the 5pm work crew. We think as people that we should be first and others last, but God has a different perspective, doesn’t He? These stories reveal our hearts of envy and grumbling, and what we think is fair. Looking and longing for that over there keeps you from being thankful and enjoying the reward you have been given for your labor unto Him. Be thankful that you even got called to work in the field at all! God is fair by His standards, celebrate His generosity.  

The second principle we saw from the story is that the 1^st century workday was from 6am until 6pm. This would’ve corresponded with the daylight available to the worker. After all, no light, no work! I think what God has described in this story and is prescribing in the observation of the patterns in nature is a rough 12 hours of working/energy going out, and in turn a 12 hours of recovery/energy coming back. I think that these are good boundaries to have on average through a given year. You must have times of Go/work/do and times of stop/rest/sleep. I would encourage you to look at your schedule and see maybe where you are doing too much or perhaps too little. The days and our lives are very short, let us all work and encourage one another to make the most of it as an act of worship unto Him.  

Below is the engine/app on the internet that I found concerning the daylight available at different latitudes across the Earth. Have a great week! 

http://astro.unl.edu/classaction/animations/coordsmotion/daylighthoursexplorer.html

--Jason Brumfield

Last Sunday, we talked about Ehud, an unlikely judge that God raised up to deliver Israel. Ehud was left-handed (shoutout to the southpaws), and in the ancient world, lefties were often forced to become right-handed. In reality, this left-handed disadvantage, or weakness, was actually a strength for him.

In the same way, our weaknesses in life are meant to be our strengths. What? Shame that I feel from something I’ve done in my past is meant to be a strength? The illness I have is meant to be a strength? Having kids that keep me up in the middle of the night is meant to be a strength? Yes, that’s what the Word says. 

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:10, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” All the hard things that Paul went through—almost being stoned to death, being attacked by persecutors, being mocked and made fun of, being shipwrecked—all of that served as a strength for Paul. 

In the same sense, your weaknesses can serve as a strength for you. Why? Those weaknesses drive us to The Lord. You ever had to do something so hard, that all you can think to do is pray? The Lord actually designed it that way. We are meant to live lives where we do hard things, lives where we are challenged spiritually, because it makes us depend on God. If life was easy, and we were never challenged, then what need would we have for God?

Jesus is there to meet us in those challenges. Don’t run from the hard things in your life; run toward them, and Jesus will be there to walk with you. When you feel overwhelmed, shoot up a prayer, asking for help, and He will be with you.

--John Muncy

Good day to you church! The following items are a review of this past Sunday’s announcements. 

Kendra Moore has stepped into the role of financial secretary for our church. Heather Lucas, our former financial secretary, has been training/working with Kendra for about two weeks. We are extremely grateful for Heather’s work for our church. She has continually demonstrated excellent communication, trustworthiness, and a great work ethic. We will miss her greatly but are very grateful for the Lord’s providence in allowing Kendra to fill this role. Thank you both!  

This past Wednesday we met as the nominating committee to discuss certain offices in the church that needed to be filled as well as the search committee for a Lead Pastor. Our meeting was very productive and enjoyable, and that led to the following names being nominated by us. We now share these names and officers with you in the hopes of voting on them Sunday April 23, 2023. 

Deacon, one year term: Nick Hanshaw

Missions Committee, two-year term: Madisyn Boswell

Assistant Church Clerk, one year term: Linda Blankenship

Audit Committee, one year term: Chris Ball

Search Committee:

Brad Akers      

Paul Cook

Karen Hensley

Robyn Picha

Ryan Wellman

Douglas Workman

Mandy Workman

Current Nominating Committee:

Kyle Butcher

Casey Moore

Morgan Handley                                                         

Dan Ferguson
Linda Lucas

Sarah Gue

Carrie Wellman

Megan McKenzie

Daniel Spoor

Bret Hanshaw

Jason Brumfield

We still need input! This is our church that God has blessed us with. If you have strong opinions about vision, philosophy, education, etc. please share them with us  (the Shepherds) or the search committee. The more we can communicate with each other about expectations, responsibilities, and desires the better and stronger the outcome for OUR church. And by all means most importantly PRAY! 

--Jason Brumfield

Psalm 31:24 “Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the Lord.”

     One of the greatest gifts God has given us is hope.  After all, that is what His promises are designed to do, inspire hope. Hope gives us the ability to look at any situation and know that regardless of how it may appear God is going to come through. This is the essence of what hope is. Hope is a confident expectation that God will keep His promises when things are unclear and unknown. Hope is also a sense of trust and assurance in Jesus and His saving work on the cross. Hope is a fundamental component of the life of the righteous. 

     However, if we’re honest, the challenges of life can sometimes seem overwhelming. When these challenges attack, the thing they often come after is your hope. They try to move you from hope to worry and despair, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Hope gives you the strength to face your hardest problems and most challenging situations. When we place our hope in the Lord our strength is renewed and we can stand in faith with the courage to face the struggles of this world. Today I want you to stand tall, encouraged by the hope that dwells within you. 

     “For the believer there is hope beyond the grave, because Jesus Christ has opened the door to heaven for us by His death and resurrection.” -Billy Graham 

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Have a blessed week Church family! 

--Daniel Spoor

     Have you ever felt like God had left you? You ever been going through something that seems like it has no end in sight? Ever struggled with a chronic illness that won’t leave you? Had a broken relationship that you can’t get out of your mind? It’s easy in those times for us to feel like God is far away from us. I shared in the sermon on Sunday that there have been times where I told God that I thought He hated me. Of course, that’s not true, and God loves me more than even I love me, but don’t our feelings overwhelm us?

     Sometimes we let our feelings speak louder to us than the Word of God. It’s easy to forget that God is working through the suffering and pain to make us who He wants us to be. It’s easy to think that our happiness in our circumstances is the one thing to live for (it’s not). It’s easy to feel like God has forgotten us, left us, whenever we go through heartache or challenges.

     But there was only One who has ever truly been abandoned by God: His Son, Jesus Christ. When Jesus was on that cross, He took all the wrath of God that all of humanity deserved. In that time, He was forsaken by God. He was abandoned. The reason for this? So that you would never be abandoned. I’ve heard it said this way: Jesus Christ was truly abandoned so that you would only feel abandoned. So, whenever that darkness creeps into your life, and you feel as if Jesus is not there, just remember: darkness became His only friend, so that even in your darkness, you would know that He is still your friend. Let us chew on that truth in this Holy Week. 

-John Muncy

     This past week’s sermon we focused on Matthew 6:25-34. Jesus commands His disciples not to worry about their basic needs of food, drink, and clothing. He instructs the disciples to observe the birds of the air, and the lilies of the field. The Heavenly Father takes great care of them despite the fact that they don’t sow, reap, gather, toil or spin. They go about their naturally ordained pattern that God set in motion and sustains daily. God values these birds and lilies immensely, and yet we are worth far more! Because of who God is, and how He cares for these birds and lilies, we should trust Him for our basic needs. The opposite of worrying is faith in a good God. Jesus spoke to the fact in v. 32 that the unconverted, the unbelieving Gentiles eagerly seek after the basic needs of life. Why do they do this? Because for them their lack of faith leads to these actions, thinking that their basic needs are all up to them. They must eagerly seek such things because to them no one is watching out for them. Do we as believers and followers of Christ behave like this? We sometimes do in our greed and quest for material goods in order to have a good, comfortable life, but God doesn’t want us to live like this. He wants us to seek FIRST His kingdom and His righteousness. We should believe and behave as if He is king over all creation, and live rightly with ourselves and each other in light of this fundamental fact. And when we do, He will show up to secure our basic needs. Why you ask? Because He values us (v. 26), and wants us to live a faith filled life on His terms. Friends, look at your life, look at your priorities, examine your worries, and cease to eagerly seek the basic needs of life. 

--Jason Brumfield

Words are the most double-edged sword in all the world. On one hand, they can cause people so much joy, lead them to discover their calling, break down a wall that they’ve had in their mind for years. Words can also destroy confidence, destroy relationships, ruin reputations, and put up those negative walls. We have a great opportunity daily to honor God with our words and also honor our neighbors. 

Last week, we talked about this in the message, pulling from Proverbs 18:21. It tells us that death and life are in the power of the tongue. We can bless others, or we can break them. Friends, as followers of Jesus, may we always choose to bless others with our words. On the blessing side, we can offer good, specific encouragements to those around us when we see them doing something well. When we offer criticism, we can do it in a way that builds others up and they walk away better because of it. We can speak words to point our friends, family, and lost ones back to Jesus, and if we are directing people to Him, that’s always a good thing.

On the other side of the coin, our words can break people. Sometimes we speak dehumanizing words to people, or about people, making them feel less than human. We can be generally negative, expecting the worst, believing the worst, talking poorly about ourselves and about others. We can gossip, which is so easy to do, knowingly or unknowingly precipitating things about people that may not be true, or are simply not helpful to say about a person. 

Brothers and sisters, we are capable of great good and great evil with our tongue, and we are accountable for every word that we say. Instead of looking back on our lives and being ashamed of the things that we have said, by the help and grace of God, we can live lives that empower others to become everything that Christ has made them to be. Let that be true of all of us. 

--John Muncy

     Hello church! As I write this article the temperature is below freezing and flurries are flying. Doesn’t quite feel as though we’re on the eve of spring. Nonetheless, have faith, spring is just around the corner.  Even though right now we may not see it, we can be confident that spring will eventually arrive. That’s the definition of faith in its simplest form, having trust or confidence in someone or something. I want to encourage you today with this, God is faithful! Look at Lamentations 3:22-23 “The Lord’s lovingkindesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning: Great is Your faithfulness.” The word “lovingkindness” used in this promise means God’s commitment love. This verse reminds us that we will never deplete God’s love and grace toward us. Every day God’s love for us is renewed and replenished. No matter who you are or what you have done, you will never deplete God’s love. You will not push God so far that He will break his promise to you. His steadfast love and mercy will always be with you. God is Faithful. Every morning God gives us a new start. Each day represents a new beginning of God’s grace, compassion, and lovingkindess in your life. Many of us know this promise from the hymn, “Great is Thy Faithfulness” written almost 100 years ago by Thomas Chrisholm. 

“Great is Thy Faithfulness, Great is Thy Faithfulness. Morning by morning, new mercies, I see. All I have needed Thy hand hath provided. Great is thy Faithfulness, Lord unto me.”

     Remember, you can never deplete the love of God. His love for you is renewed every morning. God is faithful, even when we are not. Thank you God for your great faithfulness. He is the vine and we are the branches…May you abide in Him and rest in His promises. Have a blessed week church family! 

--Daniel Spoor

      Hey church, last Sunday, we talked about humility, and what it means to be humble. I know that humility is one of those words that we talk about often, but I believe the definition is often something kind of fuzzy to us. Humility, in God’s eyes, is the ability to take our focus off of ourselves and move it to other people. It has been said that “the most humble person in the room is the one that, when you walk away from a conversation with them, you’ll only remember that they were so interested in you.”

     I wanna talk more in this article about how we become more humble. Remember, in our Christian walk, it’s not about trying harder to be more like Jesus. God certainly wants us to become more like Jesus, and we do practice spiritual disciplines (reading the Bible, praying, time alone with God). To get there, the way that we change in our Christian walk is to see God for who He is. Often times, before the Bible ever tells you to stop sinning, it tells you to “behold your God.” God is so beautiful that when we see Him, we cannot help but be changed.

     So if you’re a person who is stuck with pride (spoiler alert: all of us are), the solution is to see God for who He is. And the only way that we can see God for who He is, is to ask Him to open our eyes. Ask The Lord to let you see Him, and that will be what changes you. Jesus isn’t just meant to be our example in life, but He is the One that changes our hearts upon seeing Him. When we see Jesus, He is so wonderful, incredible, amazing, beautiful, that when we see Him for who He is, our hearts are ignited for Him, and all we want to do is worship Him. Christianity is not a matter of just doing different things; it’s a matter of loving Jesus more than we love anything, and that love comes from having our spiritual eyes opened: something only God can do.

--John Muncy

     This past Sunday we focused on Matthew 6:5-8 where we discussed Jesus’ perspective on the topic of prayer. Jesus was communicating the differences in prayer for His disciples and contrasting it with the way the hypocrites (Mt. 23:13) pray. The pretenders prayed in public places to be noticed by men and received the due reward of the audience. Jesus in verse 6 discusses how His disciples are to go to a private place and pray to their Heavenly Father. There they will receive their reward. Verses 5 and 6 discuss the motive for prayer, while verses 7 and 8 describe the method for praying. The non-Jews or Gentiles of the day would pray using countless repetition, hoping that the more they said, the more their chances of being heard would increase (I Ki. 18:18-37). Jesus commands in verse 8 DO NOT pray like this! Our Heavenly Father knows what we need before we even ask.   

     For myself starting out as a disciple of Jesus Christ, this passage was very important. I began to incorporate this habit into my daily quiet time. I would sit in my closet, asking of and acknowledging the Lord. We discussed my fears and my shame, and sometimes I would just sit and breathe. I was just thankful that I (of all people) had the ear of the God of the Universe. Cultivating this habit takes time and energy, and is a bit awkward at first, but it is infinitely rewarding. I challenge you to take one day (Fri or Sat, 10-30min), and get alone, practice this habit.  Is there anything more valuable than speaking with God? Perhaps a TV show, or making money, extra sleep, or maybe even a video game is the answer……NO, NO, NO friends, do not settle for anything else other than the presence and person of God in your life. Sure, a reward comes later for our prayers and practices as disciples (Mt. 6:19,20, 2 Cor.5:10, Rev. 22:12) but the reward now is, I believe, Himself. Is there a greater reward than that? 

--Jason Brumfield

Hey church family, last Sunday we talked about Jonah chapter 1, and one of the highlights was that God has control over our circumstances. We talked about a few circumstances in our lives: the job we have, the weather for the day, how tall we are, our health, and even though we have parts to play in most of our circumstances, overall, God is the one that has authority over them. 

Sometimes, we struggle to think this is good because we struggle with control and we think that we know what’s best for us (we don’t). In reality, this is the best thing we could ask for, and there’s a lot of reasons why. Do you realize that God knows the future? Do you realize that God knows everything that you need exactly when you need it, including both good and bad things? 

Remember: God sometimes takes us places we wouldn’t go on our own, to create a change in us that we couldn’t create on our own. Think about it: would you ever choose to have a chronic disease on your own? Would you choose a terrible loss on your own? Would you choose a hard breakup on your own? None of these things are things that we would choose on our own, but God does something in our hearts in those situations that we could not do on our own. We see God as who He is in those circumstances: He is all that we need. Plus, that suffering helps us serve others. Elizabeth Elliot once said, “Of all the people who are influential in your life, there is not a single one of them who has not suffered” (something to that effect). God controls your circumstances, and you can be happy in that.     

--John Muncy

     A role model is defined as a person looked to by others as an example to be imitated. In other words, a role model is someone we admire and allow to shape our behaviors. It’s important to note that role models can be positive or negative. Virtually anyone can be a role model, but in western culture, public figures such as athletes, actors, musicians, and celebrities are the most common examples. Other common role models might include service members such as police officers and fire fighters, and even parents. While there are many potential scenarios for positive role models there is none greater than Jesus. He is the ultimate role model. While we can’t be holy on our own, as redeemed children of God, we have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to live like Him, act like Him, walk like Him and talk like Him. God has empowered us and enabled us to live holy lives for His glory. We are not mere slaves following in the footsteps of a demanding master. We are the sons and daughters of God. We have been redeemed by His grace, adopted into His family and partakers of His very nature.

     Being an “imitator” of God means we must imitate His “love.” After all, the Bible tells us God is love. His very nature is defined by His love. Everything He does, He does it out of love. As children of God, we are to imitate and walk in that love. How do we know that we are walking in love? The Bible is clear about this. Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commandments” John 15:14. “He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him” John 14:21

     Even though we cannot see Him, we know He is with us in spirit. He wants us to be like Him. He wants us to be the reflection of Him. With the peace He gives you, you will be able to be the light of the world.   

--Daniel Spoor

     In response to Kevin Hay’s resignation, we, Daniel Spoor, Bret Hanshaw, and Jason Brumfield, as the Shepherds of First Baptist Church of Kenova are committed to glorifying God, being men of high integrity, and equipping the saints to continue the work of the ministry. We will continue to pray for Kevin and his family in the weeks and months ahead, that the Lord will guide him as he sees fit.  We will do our best to be accessible, open, and trustworthy to you the congregation. We are not here for our own agenda, but to do what is best for the congregation based on the Scriptures, the constitution, reason, and finally our own unique experiences. We ask that you please pray for our church in the days ahead as we begin to meet with the staff, the deacons, and heads of committees to ensure order, peace, and wellness in our Church. Please pray that we exemplify humility, discernment and be ever listening to the Chief Shepherd. We are here to help.

     As we saw in the story of Peter walking on water, Matthew 14:22-33, Jesus will meet us in our storm. Peace is not found in the absence of the storm, but in the presence of Jesus. We are promised to have trials in this life. James reminds us to “Count it all pure joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”  Even in the storms of life we can have peace if we keep our eyes on Jesus. The prophet Isaiah encourages us in chapter 41:10 “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Fear and faith cannot live in the same heart because fear blinds the eyes to the presence of the Lord. “Be strong, and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.“ Our Jesus is a mighty savior who keeps his eyes on us even when we take our eyes off him. He’s always there, ready, and willing with outstretched hands to save us.          

--Daniel Spoor

As Paul writes to the church of Ephesus, particularly in chapter 3, we begin to realize that God is doing something far bigger through the Church than perhaps we’ve ever realized. On Sunday, we looked at a few major takeaways from verses 1-13:

• 1.   Be Humbled by the Mystery of the Gospel
  As non-Jewish believers, we should be incredibly humbled that God would see fit to bring the gospel to us and open our eyes to see its beauty. 
   
• 2.   Get Excited about the Mission of the Gospel
  Of all the people God could have chosen to share His gospel with the world, He chose us! What an amazing reality. Now share the good news!
  
  
• 3.   Become Empowered by the Motivation of the Gospel
  

  As we consider the lofty purpose of our lives, we should be driven to share the gospel of Jesus with our friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors by the grace of God for the glory of God!            

                   

  —Pastor Kevin

  
  

May we begin by realizing what God has declared about the purpose and nature of the Church, not settling for something that falls far short of the divine reality, but instead setting our gaze upon the glorious certainty that God has and is accomplishing through His Son. And as we begin to catch a glimpse of the glorious reality of the Church, may we latch on to what God has declared, embrace it with great joy, and then start to walk in manner that aligns with the worthiness of the gospel to which we have been called.        

--Pastor Kevin

    God has graciously chosen to reveal Himself through the Son and the Scriptures, and in that revelation He has told us what He values. Matt. 11:25 discusses how God the Father has revealed “these things” to only a certain group of people, particularly the infants. He has kept “these things” from the wise and intelligent of the day. “These things” are the things of Christ prior to this passage in Scripture: His virgin birth, His genealogy, the gifts of the Magi, His baptism by John, the temptation in the wilderness, the Sermon on the Mount in Ch. 5-7, the miracles validating His claim as Messiah, and the calling of the disciples. The wise and intelligent of the day were the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law, and the Jewish scribes. This group was proud and felt they had nothing to learn from this “Rabbi/Messiah.” In contrast the infants were the ones in need: the tax collectors, the sinners, and those hungry for His teaching and life. This group was the weary and heavy laden in v. 11:28. The Pharisees did nothing to relieve this heavy burden from the people, but instead were hypocrites and wanted the approval of men instead of the Lord God.

     It is this group that Jesus comes to with His yoke, His way of teaching and manner of life promising gentleness and humility. In being yoked to Him the original Jewish audience would’ve found rest and refreshment for their souls. It would’ve felt light and easy compared to the cumbersome way of the Pharisees described throughout the book and especially detailed in Matthew 23:1-12. Jesus’ message was first for the Jew, and then erupted into the greater world whereby all could come and enjoy being yoked to Him. All could enjoy this Rabbi and become a disciple of the THE RABBI, THE MESSIAH, THE GOD MAN whose address was Heaven and Nazareth. Don’t pretend, come weary, come heavy laden, come to Jesus and learn from the Greatest Mentor you could ever have.

--Jason Brumfield

While chained to a Roman prison guard, the Apostle Paul wrote his epistle to the Philippians. From our 21st-century, American point of view, the last thing we can imagine Paul focusing on is joy. Yet, that is the theme that reverberates throughout his letter to the Philippians.

Paul had an intense love for the church of Philippi. We see that reflected in Philippians 1:3-5, where he says:

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”

It’s from these three verses that we discover practical application to start the new year:

Thankfulness to God for the past

Like Paul, we have much to be thankful for as a church. In the midst of challenging circumstances, we should always remember to count our blessings.

 Joy in the Lord for the present

With our eyes firmly fixed on the unchanging character of God and His amazing grace, we can experience an abundance of joy. True JOY begins with Jesus, extends to Others, and then sees Yourself rightly.

 Hope in God for the future
As a church, we must depend upon the Lord for our future. We express our dependence on God through prayer. I hope you’ll join us for our 40-day prayer journey. To do so, use the link below:

https://sbtexas.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/40-days-of-prayer.pdf

—Pastor Kevin

     Hey church family. Last Sunday, we talked about what love is, and what love isn’t. What’s really cool about being able to preach a message is that God doesn’t just have you preach it for the congregation, but in a way you preach to yourself. I learn so much whenever I prepare a message, and lemme tell you, I learned a ton this past week. 

     We saw this last Sunday that love is kind, that love seeks to encourage, it seeks to make a big deal out of others. We saw that love is patient, just as Jesus is patient with us. We saw that love for God is more than just obeying Him without a heart of love for Him; in fact, that is displeasing to Him. 

     Perhaps my biggest takeaway is that love “bears all things, hopes all things, believes all things, endures all thing” (1 Cor. 13:7). Love has more grit than we sometimes imagine. Love has thick skin. Love is not pessimistic, love is not something that just believes the worst is going to happen and has no optimism for the future, but love is hopeful. Love believes the best in others, it always assumes the best in others whenever there is a choice between assuming the best or the worst. 

     If we love one another, we will bear with one another. If we love one another, we will seek to be kind to one another. If the love of God is in us, we will be able to tolerate different thoughts and opinions, since “love does not insist on its own way”. Love insists on God’s way. If the love of God lives within us, we will live out His love for one another. Don’t let anything in the way of God’s love.

--John Muncy

In the midst of whatever you have experienced throughout this week, or that I have experienced this week, it is a wonderful reality to know that our unity is found in the one, true, and living God. 

As a people from West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio; a people who are different ages, with different backgrounds, and a variety of life experiences, it is amazing to realize that we are able to gather as a unified body of believers, not because of any of the things I just mentioned; but rather, because we have been drawn together by faith in God and in what He has done for us through the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.

In short, we are able to have unity as a church because of the truth. We have unity, because God has graciously revealed Himself to us in His Word, and through that Word, He has demonstrated His love for us that we might have our hearts transformed to love Him and to love one another.

—Pastor Kevin

            On Wednesday, December 14th, we’ll be having our Annual Business Meeting directly after the Wednesday evening meal. A few things to keep in mind for the annual meeting:

1.    The Budget and Nominating list were made available on Sunday. If you did not receive those, you can pick them up in the Welcome Center.

2.    In addition to the budget, there will be an amendment up for vote. The passing of this amendment would allow us to begin searching for a college and small groups minister for Kenova and would require a commitment of sacrificial giving to all who see it as a valuable ministry of our church.

3.    We will be voting on 5 men, individually, for the role of shepherd: Larry Lucas, Caleb Jones, Bret Hanshaw, Daniel Spoor, and Jason Brumfield.

4.    The Annual Meeting will not be a forum for questions. Per the constitution, it will be a time to vote on the specified proposals. If you or your family still have questions, the Shepherds and Committee Representatives will be available in the Library on Sunday, December 11 from 3:30-6:15pm. If you would like to schedule a 15-minute time slot for you or your family, please contact Jeramie or Pastor Kevin.

          The desire of every genuine believer is to have confidence in their salvation. Christians long for the assurance that God loves them and has forgiven their sins. As the believer experiences the battle with their flesh and the temptations of the world, however, uncertainty and insecurity begin to creep in. Struggling to find objective assurance, many look within to identify consistent evidence of God's sanctifying grace, only to be disappointed by their own deficiency and inconsistency time and time again. 

            This is why I set out to write and edit the book, Assurance: Our Confidence in Christ, which just came out last week. It points the reader to the only place where objective assurance can be found, which is the perfect person and perfect work of Jesus Christ. The concise volume has been compiled from the theological richness of Thomas Goodwin's Christ Set Forth and seeks to encourage the believer to look to Christ and Christ alone to discover the only secure anchor and resting place for their soul. Assurance can be purchased through H&E Publishing or Amazon.

—Pastor Kevin

Rather than aiming to make God’s name great among the nations, the tower builders of Babel were seeking to make a name for themselves (Gen. 11:1-9). This is one of the first examples we find in Scripture which illustrates that the natural heart of sinful humanity is all about self-exaltation, rather than God-exaltation. Because of the Fall, the heart of humanity has been perverted toward sinful self-promotion instead of God’s glorification. 

Not only do we see that same attitude throughout the world, as people just want to make a name for themselves, but it’s worth each of us asking ourselves the question as well: Is your life’s desire aimed at making yourself look good, or is it aimed at pointing people to the greatness of your God? What are you living for?

The 19^th century British missionary, C.T. Studd, once wrote a poem that summarizes the whole point of that question quite well. He begins that poem by saying:

“Two little lines I heard one day,

Traveling along life’s busy way;

Bringing conviction to my heart,

And from my mind would not depart;

Only one life, twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one,

Soon will its fleeting hours be done;

Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,

And stand before His Judgement seat;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

—Pastor Kevin

R.C. Sproul once said, “If there is one single molecule in this universe running around loose, totally free of God’s sovereignty, then we have no guarantee that a single promise of God will ever be fulfilled.” Thankfully, there are no rebel molecules. 

Sunday morning, we spent our time in God’s Word focusing on Genesis, chapter 10. In looking at the families and nations that came forth from Noah and his three sons, we were presented with a profound truth concerning the sovereignty of God: Although we may not understand the millions of things God is doing in any particular situation, we can say with absolute certainty that He is in complete control of every detail. 

God is sovereign over the macro, as we saw in the three lineages of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and the corresponding nations that were established through them. As Daniel 2:21 says, “He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings.” But God is also sovereign over the micro. In other words, not only can we trust God on a global or cosmic level, but we can trust Him in even the smallest details of our life. The Lord is in control. 

Scripture teaches that from the human perspective, we are responsible for our actions. But from the divine perspective, God is sovereign over all things. Therefore, as we trust in the sovereignty of God, let us submit ourselves to the Word of God for the glory of God.  

—Pastor Kevin

     As I stated on Sunday morning, I sincerely believe that gossip is one of the most pervasive, yet destructive sins in the church today. I’m reminded of a quote written by an anonymous author, which says:

“My name is Gossip.

I have no respect for justice.

I maim without killing.

I break hearts and ruin lives.

I am cunning and malicious and gather strength with age.

The more I am quoted the more I am believed.

My victims are helpless. They cannot protect themselves against me because I have no name and no face.

To track me down is impossible. The harder you try, the more elusive I become. I am nobody’s friend.

Once I tarnish a reputation, it is never the same.

…

Before you repeat a story, ask yourself:

Is it true?

Is it harmless?

Is it necessary?

If it isn’t, don’t repeat it.”

     Brothers and sisters, my prayer is that we will seek to conduct ourselves in a godly manner, especially when it comes to our relationships in the church. As we navigate the challenges of being sinners and engaging with other sinners, let’s strive to do so in the most loving and truthful way we possibly can.

—Pastor Kevin

     In our final portion of Scripture from Sunday, we saw a beautiful picture of God’s grace. In the midst of establishing the Noahic Covenant, the Lord spoke to Noah, saying:

“This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth” (Gen. 9:12-23). 

     As visually beautiful as that first rainbow must have been, the true beauty of the rainbow is found in what it represents. To understand that, we need to realize that the word “bow” is not merely describing a shape. But instead, this Hebrew word for “bow” is used in Scripture to speak of the weapon used by archers in battle. As the Great Judge and Mighty Warrior, God has drawn back the bow of His judgment, and He has powerfully released an arrow of death, hitting its target perfectly, resulting in the death of millions of souls. 

     Therefore, in the description God now gives, with the beauty of the rainbow before our eyes, we’re given this picture of a warrior who has just returned from battle. It’s as though He enters into His home, and with His bow in hand, He hangs it up on the wall, demonstrating that there will be peace. For God, that bow that He has hung is the rainbow. And He tells Noah that He has hung it in the clouds, so that every time anyone sees that bow hanging in the clouds, they can be reminded that the Lord has hung it there for good. And my friends, God will keep His promise.

--Pastor Kevin

     Hey church family, I had the privilege of sharing God’s Word with you Sunday, and I taught out of Genesis chapter 8. Among many takeaways from that passage, probably the one that stood out to me the most was the first 4 words: “But God remembered Noah.” Let’s think about this from Noah’s perspective for a minute. He was on this ark, in the middle of a massive storm, that killed almost everything in the world, except for marine life and the people/animals on the ark. He stayed on that ark for a little over a year, just floating, probably thinking a lot about what happened to everyone who did not listen to his words, who disregarded his work on the ark, and didn’t heed the warning. 

     In the midst of that, over that year, it could have been easy for Noah to think that God had forgotten about him. Don’t we do the same thing? We struggle whenever something happens in our life that is traumatic or challenging, and we question if God even remembers us. I want to encourage you: whatever it is that you are facing, God remembers you. In fact, God never forgot you. Whether it is the loss of a loved one, you went through a breakup, you lost your job, whatever it is that is causing you to feel destroyed, remember that God hasn’t forgotten you.

     Time after time, we see that God never forgets His children. God remembered Noah here. God remembered the Israelites in their slavery in Egypt. God didn’t forget Joseph when he was imprisoned. Jesus’ words in the Great Commission are oh so sweet: “And behold (don’t miss this), I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

--John Muncy

     This month marks the 505th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. In 1517, Martin Luther famously nailed his 95 Theses to the door of Wittenberg’s Castle Church, which became the catalyst and means God would use to spark the Reformation. Volumes have been written about the monumental impact of the Reformation, but if we were to summarize the fundamental aspects, we could do so with the five solas. The word “sola” is a latin word, which means “alone”, or “only”. So, the five solas are five phrases, or sayings, that help articulate, or point to, the major theological principles that emerged from the Protestant Reformation.

Sola Scriptura: Upon Scripture alone- We affirm the Bible is the clearly inspired, inerrant, authoritative Word that is sufficient for all things pertaining to salvation and Christian living.

Sola Gratia: By grace alone- We stand shoulder to shoulder with the Reformers in affirming that salvation is a gift of our sovereign God. God saves those whom He chooses.

Sola Fide: Through faith alone- We affirm that justification before God is obtained through saving faith in the Savior, alone. We do not earn our righteous standing before God. It is a gift of God.

Solus Christus: In Christ alone- We join the affirmation of Scripture and the Reformers that salvation is found solely in the perfect person and perfect work of Jesus Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria: For God’s glory alone- We affirm that God does all things, including the gracious work of salvation, for His glory. And, He will not share His Glory with another)

     This month, as we affirm the solas of the Reformation with our lips, let’s also be sure to proclaim them with our lives!     

 -- Pastor Kevin

     In the midst of humanity’s sinful rebellion, and God’s divine remorse, one man found a glimmer of hope in God’s grace. His name was Noah. Scripture has a great deal to say about the life of Noah: 

He was a Righteous Man

     First, it tells us that Noah was a righteous man. Although there’s a connection to the morality of Noah’s life, the primary focus of this righteousness is on the grace of Noah’s God. Looking ahead to Hebrews 11:7, we learn that the righteousness of Noah was not something he obtained by his efforts or works, but rather, it was an inheritance he received from God by faith. 

He was a Blameless Man

     Standing in stark contrast to the wickedness of the world, Noah was marked by godliness. Not to be confused with sinless perfectionism, this was the characteristic pattern of Noah’s life. At some point along the way, God transformed Noah by His grace, and his life testified to that reality. 

He walked with God

     Like Enoch, Noah walked with God. However, instead of “taking him”, God was going to save him, use him to save his family, and preserve the lineage of Christ. All of this was an act of God’s grace.

     Therefore, when we consider the life of Noah, we need to make sure we see it rightly. The biblical account is more of a statement about God’s grace than it is a description of Noah’s goodness. The hero of Genesis 6 is not Noah. It’s God! May we see Him as the gracious hero that He is and give to Him the adoration He so richly deserves.

—Pastor Kevin

     As you are probably aware we have started utilizing the new “Garage” for our youth. I want to express my sincere appreciation to several people. I am not going to try to list all the individuals because I would most certainly forget someone; however, I want to express a special thanks to Clay Cochran with electrical work and Seth Johnson with IT services for the many hours they provided and want to thank their families for their sacrifice as well.

     I want to thank the staff and shepherds for their vision, support and understanding for the many delays during the process, ranging from normal material delivery delays to unanticipated delays caused by illnesses (mostly Covid related), etc. I am grateful to the support of the Trustee Committee, both 2021 and 2022 committees. Their input and assistance were invaluable throughout the process. Many thanks to all the volunteers that provided their time and resources for the project that helped enable us to build the facility cost efficiently. I also appreciate the donations of materials and price breaks by several individuals and/or companies. 1 Peter 4:10 states: “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

     I am also appreciative to the congregation for your support and faithful giving during the building process. God provided the finances for the project without having to have a special fund-raising program. In my 55 years as a member of FBCK this is the first major building project that we have been able to do that. Of course, God had his hand in the process throughout. We had excellent vendors and contractors and I don’t think we just stumbled onto them; God led us to the right people and businesses. We look forward to the many lives that will be changed with the Garage ministry in the future.

In His Service,

Raymond Lucas, Chair Trustees

     In Matthew 28:16-20, we find the passage commonly referred to as “The Great Commission.” There, the resurrected Jesus meets with His disciples one final time, before He ascends into heaven, declaring to them that He has all authority over heaven and earth. Flowing from that absolute authority, Jesus then gives His disciples the most important assignment they’ve ever received: “Go and make disciples.”

     How were they to carry out this mission? By going out of their comfort zones to proclaim the gospel to the lost, baptizing them in the name of the triune God, and teaching them to obey King Jesus. Looking back over 2,000 years of church history, I think we’d all say that, by God’s grace, they were pretty successful. 

      But, here’s the catch: the mission is incomplete. You see, the Great Commission was never intended for just the original 11 disciples. Instead, Jesus was entrusting this mission to the Church. He was commanding all believers, in every era, to obey His command to make disciples.

     Therefore, the question is this: who are you discipling? Who are you pouring into on a weekly basis? Who are you seeking to share the gospel with? And, who are you helping to learn to trust and follow Jesus? In obedience to King Jesus, it’s time to take the mission seriously. Go and make disciples.

--Pastor Kevin

As we walk our way through the pages of Scripture, we realize that throughout redemptive history, God has always provided humanity with a remnant of His grace. In the specific context of Genesis 5, it’s a remnant that preserves the lineage of Christ. In other words, even when humanity rebels against God, and seemingly eliminates the possibility that anything good can come from that rebellion, God is exceedingly gracious to show that His sovereign plan to exalt His glorious grace will not be stopped.

Not only was this true with the earliest generations of human history, but it’s true in our generation as well. Although we can’t always see it, even when we are experiencing sickness, disease, some painful circumstance, or even the death of a loved one, we must always remember that God’s grace transcends it all. God is always sovereignly working. And, how is He working? He’s working according to the eternal council of His will (Eph. 1:11).

Whether sins or circumstances, the grace of God is supreme. Therefore, while our failures are many, may we remember that God’s grace is more. Though we strive to bring Him glory with our lives, in those moments when we fall short, let’s remember that His grace is always sufficient.

--Pastor Kevin

     Hey church family, if you remember from our sermon on Sunday, we discussed that we live in a very envious culture. It’s so easy to see what feels like every part of others’ lives on social media. But remember, you only see the highlights, not the bloopers. For every picture of a new home that’s posted, there’s a failure at work that you don’t see. For every fun, sweet relationship picture posted, there’s an argument that isn’t heard. For every picture of a kid succeeding in sports or academic, there’s a fight/argument that isn’t broadcasted. For every win, there’s a loss. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that your life is so much worse than others just because you are living through your struggles while looking at their victories.

     Now we have talked about all of the issues with envy, but how do you combat it? How do you not let your life be ruled by it? One of the best ways to do this is to express gratitude to God. I have a list of things I am thankful for on my phone. I made it a few weeks ago, and I only had a few things on it. However, I revisited it the other day and updated it, and that was one of the most awesome things I could have done. I personally struggle with envy and comparison, and the antidote to that is contentment/gratitude. God’s Word tells us that Godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6). In a world that struggles so badly with wanting what others have, let’s be different and be grateful for all that God has given us. Most importantly, if we know Jesus, let’s be thankful that God has taken care of the biggest problem we could ever face. Love you all!          

 --Muncy

     As we consider the biblical account of Cain and Abel, it’s worth noting that there have been various interpretations given over the years for why God rejected the sacrifice of Cain. Was it the offering, itself? Was it his heart attitude? Did he refuse to bring the first and best of the fruit from his field? Or, was it some combination of these?

     Although speculation abounds, what we do know is this: “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks” (Heb. 11:4). In other words, the fundamental difference between the sacrifices of Cain and Abel is that Abel offered his sacrifice by faith while Cain did not. And, it was by this very faith that Abel was considered righteous in God’s sight.

     This is the fundamental message of Christianity. This is how Abraham was considered righteous (Gen. 15:6), and it’s the only way that genuine believers are saved, today. The Apostle Paul writes: “For by grace you have been saved through

faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,” (Eph. 2:8). Therefore, it isn’t based upon how good we are (or how good we think we are); it isn’t based upon how many acts of service we do; it isn’t even based upon our church attendance. To be justified in God’s sight, and considered righteous, is only by faith. 

     According to His grace, we must believe that God sent His Son into the world to live a perfect life that we could not live, to die the death that we deserved to die because of our sins, and to conquer death in our place through the resurrection. Let me encourage you to take the time to evaluate your profession of faith before the Lord, today. Are you trusting in a righteousness of your own? If so, repent of your righteousness, and receive the righteousness of Christ that only comes by faith.

--Pastor Kevin

    As we consider God’s indictment of the serpent and His first image-bearers in Genesis, chapter 3, we can see a scarlet thread that weaves God’s words together like a tapestry of redemption. Each aspect of the fabric points us to the death of our Savior, Jesus Christ. And, in looking to Christ, we see the work that was accomplished to secure our salvation.

     Beginning with the serpent, we find the promise of the Seed of the woman who would come to crush the serpent’s head. This male seed would not escape without experiencing injury, as His heel would be bruised. We discover the fulfillment of this “first gospel” promise at the cross, as Christ would experience suffering, but would also reign as the victor in His resurrection from the dead.

     We then turn to the indictment upon the woman and the man. For Eve, she would experience pain in childbirth and a desire to control her husband. Looking ahead, this very pain would be experienced by Mary, as the Savior would be born to a virgin. Then, through the death of this baby boy, He would transform the heart of His Bride, the Church, to submit to Him as the Head.

     To Adam, God promised that his work would be filled with sweat and the ground would resist him with its thorns. Fast forwarding, the second Adam sweat great drops of blood, as He fought to provide for us, and He would also accomplish His work upon the cross while wearing a crown of thorns.

     Finally, before sending Adam and Eve out of the garden, God killed an animal. He shed the blood of an innocent animal to cover their sins. This gracious work of God points us to the sacrificial death of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters, as we read God’s Word, let’s not fail to see redemption’s scarlet thread!

--Pastor Kevin

     One of the most misused verses in all of Scripture is Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” You see it posted on social media, written on the bodies of athletes, and quoted in just about every context you can imagine. However, Paul’s point in writing Philippians 4:13 didn’t have anything to do with succeeding in a new job or making a three-point shot. Instead, it was all about contentment. 

     For context, Philippians 4:11-13 says this:

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

     So, Paul’s Spirit-inspired words are all about being content in every circumstance. Even when we don’t have much, we can be content that our sovereign Lord is caring for us according to his wise and good will. When we don’t have the abundance that others may have, we can be content, because we trust God. At the same time, when we have more than what we need, we can depend upon Christ’s strength to keep us humble and reliant upon him. Why? Because we know we don’t deserve it. So, whether we have a lot or a little, let us be content in Christ. Let us be satisfied in our Savior.

--Pastor Kevin   

     In Revelation 3:14, Jesus introduced himself to the church in Laodicea as “the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Ruler/Beginning of God’s Creation.” This is the one whose coming we anticipate. Remember Jesus’ words from Luke 12:35–38, which are similar to Revelation 3:20:

     “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants!” (ESV)

     A good lamp in this time would have been mostly enclosed with a port for oil refilling and a stabilized wick. Older lamps were not always enclosed, allowing for the oil to slosh about, the wick to be free-floating, and susceptible to spilling. The command of Jesus in Luke 12 is to “keep your lamps burning.” It is not simply to have a lamp, oil, and wicks in supply. The command is to keep the lamp lit. Not only should extra oil, extra wicks, and spare pots be ready on hand, but a lamp should always be lit.

     The reason for this is that the Master may come in the second or third watch. The Romans had a four-watch system, and the Jews had a three-watch system. Occasionally, there may have been some attempts to merge the two systems. However, here, in Luke 12, it seems that Jesus used the three-watch system, where the second watch lasted from 10–2 am and the third watch from 2 am to 6 am. At whatever time the Master comes to the door and knocks, his people are called to be ready to open the door.

     As you consider your own performance review from the study of Revelation 2–3, ask yourself, “What do I need to do to increase my readiness for the Lord’s return?” How is your personal church membership and commitment? How is your overall community church life scoring on the performance review compared to these seven churches? Keep your lamps burning for whom we are waiting—the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands (Rev. 2:1), the first and the last, who died and came to life (2:8), the one who has the sharp two-edged sword (2:12), the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze (2:18), the one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars (Rev. 3:1), the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens (Rev. 3:7), and the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation (Rev. 3:14).

Rex J. Howe

     “Listen! I am going to make those people from the synagogue of Satan—who say they are Jews yet are not, but are lying—Look, I will make them come and bow down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Because you have kept my admonition to endure steadfastly, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth” (Revelation 3:9–10 NET).

     These verses shift the focus from the present trial to the future reversal—when oppressed believers will be exalted to reign with Christ and unbelieving oppressors are humbled (Isaiah 45:14; 49:23; 60:14).

     Returning to Revelation 3:9, we see a great reversal. This Jewish congregation in the synagogue at Philadelphia had become enemies of the Lord and his people of their rejection of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. In doing so and if they continued down such a path, they were forfeiting the promise given to them several times in Isaiah. The promises for Israel have always been “Yes” in Christ. In denying Christ, they were giving up the hope of Israel (cf. Acts 26:6–8). Instead, the Philadelphians Christians had become grafted into the hope of Israel; at their feet, the nations (including Messiah-rejecting Jews) will bow down.

   How did these Philadelphians possess such a hope? Jesus said, “Because you have kept my admonition to endure steadfastly.” The ESV translates this clause, “Because you have kept my word about patient endurance.” The Philadelphians possessed a persevering faith, which is the kind of faith that overcomes to receive an inheritance in Christ. The verb “have kept” gives us the “roof top” view from Jesus’ perspective on the entirety of their faith journey. Overall, they have persisted or fulfilled obedience. They have kept Jesus’ word or admonition—a specific message—with reference to patient or steadfast endurance.

  Therefore, Jesus made another promise to the Philadelphians. Jesus would keep them. It’s the same verb used earlier and makes for a wordplay—you have kept . . . I will keep. However, Jesus isn’t referring to his obedience, rather he is referring to his power to keep them unharmed, to preserve, to watch over, or to protect them from something. He will protect them “from the hour of testing.” This is not a general trial or test, rather it is the one “about to come on the whole world.” The term “world” (οἰκουμένη) is found fifteen times in the New Testament and can refer to the politically administrated territory of the Roman Empire or to the totality of the inhabited earth (every kingdom). I believe the latter meaning is intended here.

     By the power of his resurrection from the dead, the Lord Jesus has the authority and power to keep you unharmed from that great and terrible Day of the Lord. He will also flip the script—his oppressed and persecuted people will one day find themselves at Jesus side, ruling and reigning with him. May we keep his word and hold on to our assurance and confidence in Jesus.

--Rex J. Howe

     The one and only Son of God is calling his church to come out from the paths of compromise to follow Jesus. In Revelation 2, the churches at Pergamum and Thyatira faced temptations to compromise in the challenging setting of the Roman Empire. Jesus called the believers at Pergamum to repent of the teaching of Balaam, a doctrine that sought to undermine God’s blessing on his people by luring them into idolatry through syncretistic relationships. Jesus called the believers of Thyatira to repent of the teaching of Jezebel, which also led to idolatry marked by violence, greed, and sexual immorality. The Son of God calls us to persevere on the ancient highway toward the telos – the goal – of eternity with the Triune God. The teachings of Balaam and Jezebel are examples of “exit ramps to side roads” that distract churches from the horizon of the Trinitarian target. 

     On Sunday, we learned four traveling principles: (1) move on old pathways, (2) move on foot, (3) move without distraction, and (4) move with anticipation. However, what if we’ve just realized that we’re already on the side road of compromise and don’t know the way back onto God’s highway?! An additional principle is necessary for such a traveler. Therefore, the compromised traveler needs to (5) move with repentance. In Revelation 2–3, Jesus used the verb “to repent” eight times in his messages to the churches.

     How does the compromised traveler move with repentance back onto God’s highway? Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 7:10, “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” First, Paul explains the need for a “godly grief.” The idea is a kind of grief in accordance with God. Since Jesus is he who “searches mind and heart,” we understand that this grief is not merely play-acting, but an internal Spirit-produced gift that leads the believer’s emotions. How might one generate such God-oriented grief? I believe the Spirit generates it by the word of God, so it can be experienced by reading and listening to God’s word, sitting under biblical preaching, and in other word-focused settings. Second, this godly grief from the Spirit works. It is effective; it produces. What does it produce? Third, it produces repentance, a turning from compromise-alley back to the highway of God, to the path of maturity in salvation. Fourth, this kind of repentance is “without regret.” The same term is used in Romans 11:29, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable/without regret.” This Spirit-generated grief produces irrevocable repentance, which implies that the believer will experience a change that sanctifies him or her from that kind of compromise. God’s granting of the gift of repentance works; it is effective. It is life-giving, life-restoring. Fifth, the grief of the world produces death. It originates from the world, not from God. Worldly grief doesn’t produce a turning back to God. Since it does not work repentance, it allows the traveler to continue down the side road of compromise. The lost traveler finds death at the end of all these side roads of compromise.

     By God’s grace, what if you suddenly realize that you are an internal threat of compromise at your local church? Move with repentance. It is the only way travelers can return to the highway of God that leads to salvation.        

 --Rex J. Howe

     We learned that the loyal but loveless Ephesian church (Acts 18–20; Revelation 2:1–7) needed to retrieve love as the substance behind their loyalty. Jesus instructed them to remember the works they did at first (cf. Acts 18–20): (1) believing the word, (2) experiencing Christ through the Holy Spirit, (3) evangelism, (4) repentance, and (5) commitment to the local church.

The churches of Smyrna and Pergamum suffered under the intense and officially sanctioned persecution that they faced. They faced the realities of imprisonment and execution unless they denied Christ and confessed the genius of Caesar. Dr. Rex Butler of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Church History Department wrote in a 2016 article entitled “Swear by the genius of our lord the emperor”: False Worship and Persecution of Christians,”

        Toward the end of the first century, Emperor Domitian sent out a decree that all in his empire should worship him as “God the Lord.” Residents of the empire were ordered to come to the public square, burn a pinch of incense, and speak the words Caesar kurios, “Caesar is lord.” This act of devotion seemed little enough in light of the emperor’s divine power and benevolence toward his subjects. And refusal could result in imprisonment, confiscation of property, banishment, and even death. Christians, however, did refuse. They confessed a higher allegiance: Iesous kurios, “Jesus is Lord,” recalling Paul’s admonition, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9). In western Asia Minor, known today as Turkey, emperor worship was embraced, so Domitian’s edict was strictly enforced. In 17 AD, a powerful earthquake destroyed many of the cities in that area, including Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and Smyrna. Because Emperor Tiberius paid for the reconstruction of these cities out of imperial funds, the citizens were grateful to the emperor and quite ready to worship anyone who occupied the imperial throne. And any resident who refused to worship the emperor was severely punished.

     Jesus promised these churches lasting rewards in the new creation if they persevered in faith to the end. To get there, they’d have to resist the devil by fearing the Lord alone. Having examined Jesus’ “Performance Review” of these three churches, we learned that Jesus commended them all for their loyalty and faithfulness and that he corrected the Ephesians’ loveless loyalty and Pergamum’s compromised living. For those in Pergamum to resist the devil, they would have to repent of their compromised living because of which they had embraced idolatrous practices. Then, they would inherit the “full flowering that God has in mind for each of his children in Christ” (Fanning). How about you? Do you have a future-focused faithfulness that resists the devil’s pressure to compromise? The Scriptures are full of “future-focusing” texts that can strengthen your present faithfulness (e.g., Col. 3:1–4). In what ways do you feel pressured to compromise (1) sound doctrine, (2) worship, (3) the spiritual life, (4) sexuality, and/or (5) fellowship in the local church? Resist the devil by fearing the Lord for lasting reward (cf. 1 Peter 5:6–11).

-- Rex J. Howe

     Sometime during the second century (after the writings of the New Testament), Ignatius of Antioch wrote a letter to the Ephesians. In chapter nine, he wrote,

But I have learned that certain people from elsewhere have passed your way with evil doctrine, but you did not allow them to sow it among you. You covered up your ears in order to avoid receiving the things being sown by them, because you are stones of a temple, prepared beforehand for the building of God the Father, hoisted up to the heights by the crane of Jesus Christ, which is the cross, using as a rope the Holy Spirit; your faith is what lifts you up, and love is the way that leads up to God.

     We learn from Ignatius that Paul’s warning to the Ephesians elders about “wolves” (Acts 20:29–31), Paul’s call to “stand firm” against spiritual forces of darkness (Eph. 6:10–18), and Jesus’ commendation to the Ephesians for their “enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake” (Rev. 2:3) continued to have relevance in his day for the Ephesian church.

     The Ephesians continued to persevere in truth during the second century, but what of Jesus’ call to remember, repent, and retrieve the love and works they had at first? Ignatius exhorted in chapter ten,

Pray continually for the rest of humankind as well, that they may find God, for there is in them hope for repentance. Therefore, allow them to be instructed by you, at least by your deeds. In response to their anger, be gentle; in response to their boasts, be humble; in

response to their slander, offer prayers; in response to their errors, be steadfast in the faith; in response to their cruelty, be civilized; do not be eager to imitate them.

     Sarah F. Porter commenting on background material for Ephesus wrote, “For the first few centuries after the worship of Christ took root in Ephesus, some Ephesians considered a conflict between Christ and Artemis foundational to their story.” The western American “culture wars,” as we call them, are part of American Christianity’s story. They require patient endurance to faithfully bear the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. A Christian-ish niceness doesn’t endure in a way that adapts in culture to confront the culture’s sins. However, it is possible that a hollow obsession with “winning the war” may crowd out love for God and others. The substance of biblical love must reinforce our loyalty to Christ. Dr. Buist Fanning in his new commentary on Revelation writes, “No matter how mature and battle tested we may become in Christian living, Jesus calls us never to leave behind the vitality and freshness of our love for God and others” (123). As you persevere in a hostile culture, don’t forget to remember, repent, and retrieve the love you received from God at the beginning, so that you may love God and become “gentle … humble … prayerful … steadfast in faith … civilized” in the spiritual conflicts of our time.

     For the Ephesians (cf. Acts 18–20), (1) believing the word, (2) experiencing Christ through the Holy Spirit, (3) evangelism, (4) repentance, and (5) commitment to the local church were those first works that flowed from the freshness of their former love. As you retrieve the love you had for God at the beginning, what works of love might you recover? 

--Rex J. Howe

     As we consider the recent Supreme Court ruling, effectively overturning Roe vs. Wade, it’s important that we respond in wise and biblical ways. There are four I’d like to suggest: First, our response to this Supreme Court ruling should be one of praise. We should be praising the Lord that, after almost 50 years, and after more than 64 million babies have been murdered in the womb in America, since Roe vs. Wade, the Supreme Court has finally declared that killing unborn children is not a constitutional right. Although it seems completely absurd to celebrate the fact that some people will no longer be allowed to murder babies in our country, we should rightfully be praising God for being gracious to our nation in this way.

     Secondly, we should respond with prayer. As we’ve seen with the way some people have responded to the decision, we need to be praying now more than ever before. We should be praying that individual states, which haven’t done so already, would move to condemn abortion. We should be praying for God’s protection upon crisis pregnancy care centers, upon churches, and upon everyone who seeks to uphold the right to life. And we should be praying for the unborn; that through this decision, God would preserve their lives.

     Third, we should respond with prudence. This begins with remembering that we are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of evil (Eph. 6:12). Those who are blind to the wickedness of abortion are not enemies to be defeated, but souls to be saved. So, we must be wise, compassionate, and gracious with our words. It is a good thing to celebrate the Supreme Court’s decision, but we must do so with humility and gentleness.

     Fourth and finally, we should respond to this decision with a proper perspective. We’re grateful that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe vs. Wade, but we’re not satisfied. There are states in our nation where it is still legal to murder your baby in the womb. And we know that there will still be women who will travel from states where abortion is illegal to states where it is legal, to

kill their babies.

     Therefore, with that proper perspective in mind, we need to be stepping up as the church to help women like that to know that there is hope. It’s not enough for us to simply talk about what is evil. We also need to be investing our time, energy, and resources into doing what is right. My prayer is that this is how we will respond as individual believers and as a church.      

 --Pastor Kevin

     We can expect it like clockwork. Every June, companies in America change the colors of their logo to coordinate with the rainbow. In an attempt to pander to a growing minority of the population, these companies celebrate

unbiblical and immoral lifestyles using a symbol that God established as a sign of His gracious and merciful promise. And like the perversion of that sign, instead of exalting the virtue of humility, our culture promotes that immorality with pride.

     What was once unthinkable just a generation ago is now becoming, not just normalized in our culture, but demanding of celebration. And, of course, every June, we as Christians are rightfully angered and bothered by the pattern we see. From a human perspective, what we are experiencing in our culture is a rejection of God’s truth and God’s design, resulting in the spiraling degradation of society. We are witnessing the moral fabric of our nation ripping at the seams. But from a spiritual perspective, the reason for that is because God is judging our nation. He is removing His gracious, sustaining power and handing our culture over to its own sinful desires, resulting in absolute depravity and complete absurdity; to the point that our society is now debating the most fundamental aspects of who we are as human beings like, “what is the definition of a woman?”

     So, make no mistake. The breakdown of the family is not a coincidence. It is the strategic plan of the enemy to attack our churches and our society at the very foundation. And that foundation is the institution of marriage and the family. So in response to the attacks we see happening on the individual, marriage, sexuality, and the family, how should we respond?

     Well, first and foremost, we must turn to the Word of God and submit our lives to God’s will. It begins in our own hearts, in our own lives, and in our own homes. We can’t expect to change the white house until we strengthen the church house. And we can’t strengthen the church house until we deal with our own house. But then, once we have firmly solidified that we have actually submitted to Christ’s Lordship in this area, then we must begin to faithfully model it for the world to see. And in that way, God-ordained families become a living apologetic for the gospel of Jesus Christ, and ultimately for the glory of God’s

design.

—Pastor Kevin   

     As we walked through Colossians 1:15-20 this week, I pray that you walked away in awe of who Jesus is. He is the Creator of everything, the Sustainer of everything, and the Reconciler of everything. The whole goal of the passage, as written by Paul, was to show that Jesus is supreme to everything and everyone. 

     One of the main points that I wanted to make is that people are changed by sight. What I meant by that was people are changed whenever they see Jesus for who He is, and that only comes by God giving them a revelation. When we talk about spiritual blindness in the world, we are saying that people are absolutely incapable of coming to Jesus on their own power. God has to change their hearts and draw them to Himself. Jesus even said in John 6:44, “No one can come to Me except the Father who sent me draws him.” 

     So, a few things about this: One: this should make us incredibly grateful to God. The fact that we had no control over whether we could be saved or not should build in us a heart of gratitude that He was kind enough to reach down and save us. Two: it should relax us whenever we are doing ministry and trying to reach people. 

     It should relax us that God is the One that opens eyes and changes hearts because it takes absolutely all the pressure off of us. The only responsibility that we have is to carry the message of God to those around us. I used to be heavily involved in Cru when I was a student at Marshall, and their definition of successful evangelism (sharing Christ) is: “taking the initiative in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results up to God.” The pressure is off, believer. Go and carry God’s message to any who will listen.

--John Muncy

     As we look back upon our sermon series on the Trinity, my hope is that, along the way, your knowledge of this Triune God has been expanded, your gratitude toward God has been cultivated, and your affections for God have increased. After all, the strength of our faith is directly connected to the nature of the God we profess to believe in. And, the God revealed in Scripture is infinitely majestic.

     In our final sermon from the series, we focused in on the roles of the Father, Son, and Spirit in the consummation and ultimate redemption of all things. The 19th century theologian and author, Herman Bavinck, summarized it this way: “God the Father has reconciled His created but fallen world through the death of His Son, and renews it into a Kingdom of God by His Spirit.” In other words, we learned that from Genesis to Revelation, the message of the Bible is, first and foremost, about the Triune God. It is this one, grand story about the Trinitarian God who authored it all in eternity past, who accomplishes it all in the time and space of the present, and who will bring it all to completion, for His own glory, in the future.

     Scripture paints this picture for us as it describes the Father’s sovereign decrees and determinations, the Son’s righteous rule and reign, and the Spirit’s holy power and presence. And, although some of the doctrines of Scripture can be weighty and perhaps intimidating to some, the final words of Scripture bring us back to the simple invitation of the gospel: “The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price…The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen” (Rev. 22:17, 21). 

--Pastor Kevin

     The Word of God presents us with a beautifully profound picture of the three persons of the trinity working together in complete harmony, as one God, accomplishing the work of our salvation. Not only do we see the grand redemptive plan of God, but we also the individual persons working in their respective roles.

     First, we see the Father, in places like Ephesians 1, planning our salvation from before the foundation of the world. He predestines and decrees our salvation from eternity past. No one has to persuade God to do this, and it isn’t based upon anything in us. It’s all about the glory of His sovereign grace.

     Next, we see the Son coming to the earth. He is sent by the Father to accomplish the work of our redemption through His propitiation on the cross. And that’s exactly what He did. On the cross, Jesus Christ perfectly satisfied God’s righteous wrath in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.

     And finally, the Spirit has come to apply this redemptive work of Christ for God’s elect. Therefore, within time and space, the Spirit comes at the appointed time and regenerates the people of God and blesses them with the gift of faith. And Jesus teaches us, in John 3, that this work of the Spirit cannot be predicted, manipulated, or fabricated. God sovereignly accomplishes His will for His glory.

Thus, we see that our salvation is from God, and through God, and for God. And what assurance is found in that reality. The same God who planned our salvation is the God who obtained our salvation; is the God who applies our salvation, and is the God who secures our salvation. My friends, I hope you can see that our salvation, which begins in this life and stretches on for eternity, is completely and totally bound up within the doctrine of the trinity.

--Pastor Kevin

     We’re very excited to introduce you to our candidate for the position of Campus & Collegiate Minister, Jeff Kliewer. Jeff is married to his lovely wife, Megan, and they have three children: Sully, Malcom, and Eisley. Jeff is a graduate of Baptist Bible College where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Bible and graduate of Cedarville University where he received his Master’s degree in Christian Ministry. 

     Jeff’s passion is to teach God’s Word and make disciples who engage in loving service. He desires to provide for the spiritual needs for those in his care so that they are equipped to serve the Lord faithfully and share the gospel in their circles of life. Jeff has been serving for the past 8 years at Scioto Hills Christian Camp in South Webster, Ohio, as the Program Director and Media Coordinator. This experience, along with his character, calling, and education is what we believe makes Jeff such a great addition to our ministry staff and to the role of Campus & Collegiate Minister. 

     The Kliewer family will be with us at our Legacy campus on Saturday, May 14th at 4 PM, where everyone will have a chance to meet them and get to know them better. Then, the next day, on Sunday, May 15th, Jeff will be preaching in view of a call at all three church services. Following each service, there will be a special business meeting to vote to affirm Jeff to the role.

      We’re very excited to introduce you to our candidate for the position of Campus & Collegiate Minister, Jeff Kliewer. Jeff is married to his lovely wife, Megan, and they have three children: Sullivan, Malcom, and Eisley. Jeff is a graduate of Baptist Bible College where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Bible. He will also be graduating on May 6th from Cedarville University with a Master’s degree in Christian Ministry. Jeff’s passion is to teach God’s Word and make disciples who engage in loving service. He desires to provide for the spiritual needs for those in his care so that they are equipped to serve the Lord faithfully and share the gospel in their circles of life. Jeff has been serving for the past 8 years at Scioto Hills Christian Camp in South Webster, Ohio, as the Program Director and Media Coordinator. This experience, along with his character, calling, and education is what we believe makes Jeff such a great addition to our ministry staff and the role of Campus & Collegiate Minister. 

     The Kliewer family will be with us at our Legacy campus on Saturday, May 14th at 4 PM, where everyone will have a chance to meet them and get to know them better. Then, the next day, on Sunday, May 15th, Jeff will be preaching in view of a call at all three church services. Following each service, there will be a special business meeting to vote to affirm Jeff to the role.

            When we think about the Great Commission, we often think of it primarily in terms of the call to “Go”. Go and make disciples. What’s important for us to understand, however, is that there is actually another dimension to the Great Commission that is often overlooked. And it’s an aspect that would serve us well to take note of and apply in our own lives.

We see it in Luke 24, beginning in verse 45. It says there:

“Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

So notice that before the command was given for the disciples to “Go”, there was this command to “Stay”. It’s true that they were going to be called to proclaim the message of God’s forgiveness and salvation to the nations, beginning in Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. But Jesus was very specific in telling them that they needed to wait to begin that gospel ministry until they were “clothed with power on high”.

And what were they to wait for? They were called to wait on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which would be given to them on the Day of Pentecost. And although for us, while the Holy Spirit has already been given, and indwells every true believer, we need to be sure that we are expressing our dependence upon God’s Spirit and His resurrection power, if we are going to accomplish anything of eternal value for God’s Kingdom.

So before you leave each day for work; before you head out the door for school; before you start your daily tasks, stay. Stay, spend some time with the Lord through His Word, and pray.  

—Pastor Kevin

            Among the many themes found in Scripture, one that is repeatedly seen is a garden. In fact, gardens are found from the beginning to the end of God’s plan of redemption. Therefore, we can rightly say that God is not only the Owner of the vineyard but that He is also the Divine Gardner (John 15). 

            Starting at the very beginning, we find God creating a garden called Eden. We can accurately call this the garden of creation (Gen. 2). In this garden, God created the first man and woman. In this garden, He delivered His mandate and subsequent commands. And, in this garden, the Fall of humanity and the curse of the world was enacted. A promise was found in this garden of creation that a man would one day come to crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15). 

            Fast forwarding through time and space, we find the Lord Jesus Christ. The God man entered the world and, towards the end of his life, entered the garden of temptation (Matthew 26:36-46). While in this garden, the second Adam, Jesus, did what the first Adam failed to do. He fought for, defended, and protected his bride. And, he accepted the divine cup of God’s wrath in the place of his people. 

            Finally, at the very end of God’s Word, we discover the garden of redemption (Rev. 21-22). How remarkable it is that humanity began in a garden, and the Lord is bringing us back to a garden. Through the person and work of Jesus Christ, God purchases His people back, brings us into physical fellowship with Him, eradicates the curse, and promises that we will be with Him forever!

—Pastor Kevin

     A paradox is a seemingly contradictory statement or dichotomy that is actually true. In so many ways, the Christian life is a paradox; the Kingdom of Christ as an antonym to our own flesh and the kingdoms of this world. As Christ followers, we’re called to:

-Fix our eyes on things which are unseen (2 Cor. 4:18).

-Conquer by submitting (Jam. 4:7).

-Lead by serving (Matt. 20:26). 

-Become great by becoming small (Phil 2:4-6)).

-Be first by becoming last (Matt. 20:16).

-Be exalted by being humble (Jam. 4:10).

-Become wise by becoming fools for Christ’s sake (1 Cor. 4:10). 

-Find freedom by becoming slaves (1 Pet. 2:16)

-Gain strength by acknowledging our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9-10).

-And to live by dying to self (Matt. 16:24-25). 

     And all of this takes place in the already but the not yet. This is why the gospel, and all that it encompasses, is foolishness to the world, yet is also the wisdom and power of God to those who are being saved (1 Cor. 1:18).

     Believer, seek first the Kingdom of Christ and his righteousness, and let God handle the results (Matt. 6:33).                   

 —Pastor Kevin

            Have you ever considered the absolute dependence we have on sleep? We often don’t think twice about it, because it’s part of our everyday routine. But, sleep is one of the most empirical evidences of our human finitude and fragility. Approximately one third of our lives is spent sleeping. It’s a daily reminder that God has designed us to be dependent on Him.

But, what about God? Does God sleep? On face value, Genesis 2:1-3, may seem to appear that way. The Bible tells us that after God completed the work of creating the cosmos, He rested. However, in the original language, the word translated “rest” simply means “to cease”. So, it isn’t that God became exhausted or somehow needed to be rejuvenated after creating the universe. After all, God is omnipotent, which means that He is all powerful and that every exertion of His power is accomplished effortlessly. Therefore, while we are dependent upon God, God is dependent upon no one.

Psalm 121:1-4 says, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” In other words, even when we are sleeping, God is still sovereignly ruling, reigning, and sustaining all things. 

And yet, even greater than physical sleep is the spiritual reality sleep points us to. Like physical sleep, which is the closing of our eyes and the laying down of our bodies at night, trusting in the sovereignty of God, completely surrendering ourselves to vulnerability and the need to be restored, salvation is restoration for our soul. This is the heart of the gospel. Instead of working to somehow earn God’s favor, the gospel calls us to turn from our best efforts and to simply cast ourselves upon the perfect person and perfect work of Jesus Christ. He is our sleepless sovereign. May we find our rest in Him.

—Pastor Kevin

       This past week, I had the opportunity to attend the inaugural Appalachian Ministry Institute conference held at Tri-State Bible College. It was a joy to gather together with pastors and church leaders from all over the Tri-State to consider ministry in our unique Appalachian context.

     Among the teachers and speakers at the conference, one was my friend and fellow pastor, Brad Brandt. Brad is the Lead Pastor of Wheelersburg Baptist Church in Wheelersburg, OH. He’s also a certified biblical counselor and fellow with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors. 

     One of the many things I love about Pastor Brad is his steadfast confidence in the sufficiency of Scripture. That is to say that the Bible is the truth of God, and it provides us with everything we need for life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3). During his break-out session, Brad provided three reasons why the Bible is sufficient for us, from Hebrews 4:12-13, and I wanted to pass them on to all of you:

Scripture is sufficient, because it’s God’s Word.

Scripture is sufficient, because it’s a good word.

Scripture is sufficient, because it’s the final word.

     May we never cease to remember that the Word of God is living and has the power to penetrate to the deepest, darkest crevices of our heart. It is through the Word, and the Word alone, that we truly see God, understand how God sees us, and see how we can be ready to meet Him.                                  

--Pastor Kevin

     Hey church family, it was so good to see you on Sunday. If you weren’t there, we discussed the seventh day of creation, where God rested. God didn’t rest because He was tired, but He rested to set a pattern for us, for humanity. Simply put, we need a day of rest to allow us to recharge, relax, and reflect on our relationship with our Heavenly Father. 

     Keep in mind, in Exodus 20, when God is giving the Ten Commandments through Moses, that it’s not just a suggestion for us to rest, but He commands us to (hence the title, Ten Commandments). Not only is it important for us to get that one day of rest per week, but it’s also important for us to get quality sleep every night. I quoted a guy named John Delony in my sermon, and I’m gonna quote him again: “Sleep as much as you can without getting fired or divorced.”

     I summarized my message by pointing to the fact that God gives all these details about rest to paint us a picture of our ultimate rest found in Jesus. A pastor once pointed out that even though it is meant to help you unplug from life, you can actually come back tired from a vacation, and I agree. 

     Vacations, naps, and cups of coffee may help us forget about how we feel for a little bit, but they aren’t the ultimate things that fill our souls up. What fills our souls up is the love of God in Christ Jesus, knowing that He will give us strength to carry on; all we need to do is ask Him. The never-ending toil of life is what pushes us toward Jesus, what helps us realize that we are in desperate need of Him. Like the song says, “Lord I need You, oh I need You, every hour, I need You.” Chew on those lyrics today, and remember them whenever you’re facing something that wears you out. Jesus says you can come to Him, and He will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). 

--John Muncy

     As we think about the creation mandate found in Genesis 1:28-31, we find God calling us to be fruitful, to multiply, and to fill earth, but also to subdue it and to have dominion. Fast forwarding to the New Testament, in Matthew 28:16-20, we discover Jesus giving the Church a very similar command. He’s called us to go into all the world, making disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Triune God, and teaching them to obey all of His commands. While we typically refer to this as the Great Commission, it’s also the new creation mandate. 

     This mandate is the design and pattern for making disciples, which has been given to us by God Himself. Just like in the original creation mandate, the Lord is the Creator, and He is the Author. And, as His image-bearers, we have been called to go; to go into all the world, from our neighborhoods to the nations, and to engage in the ministry of multiplication. He’s called us to go and share the good news of the gospel, through which God is saving and redeeming a people, bringing all of creation into submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and filling the world with His glory.

     So, how do we practically fulfill this mandate? Well, for some, it may mean becoming a missionary and traveling to another country. For the rest of us, though, it’s simply engaging more intentionally with the people in our own sphere of influence; at school if you’re a student, or at work if you’re an adult, for example. It’s not an accident that God has planted you where you are. By His sovereignty, and according to His wise providence, God has you where you are for a reason. Therefore, He is calling you to share the gospel with your friends, your family members, your co-workers, and your neighbors, etc.

     Wherever God has us, we must settle it in our minds that it’s not enough to be content with waiting on people to come to us, or with hoping that they will come to church to hear the gospel. That was never part of God’s original design. The new creation mandate is not about waiting on unbelievers to come to us. It’s about us going to them and sharing the Good News of the gospel while living it out before them.     

—Pastor Kevin

Author and preacher, Paul Washer, once gave an analogy, saying: 

“Here stands God on the day of creation. He looks at the stars and He says, “All you stars move yourself to this place and start in this order and move in a circle and move exactly as I tell you, until I give you another word. Planets, pick yourself up and whirl, make this formation at my command, until I give you another word. He looks at mountains and says “Be lifted up”, and they obey Him. He tells valleys “Be cast down”, and they obey Him. He looks at the sea and says “You will come this far”, and the sea obeys. Then, He looks at you and says “Come” and you go “No!” Does that bother anyone?”

My friends, as brother Paul goes on to say:

“You cannot see the beauty of the stars in the midday sky because the light of the sun eclipses them. However, after the sun sets and the sky becomes black as pitch, you see the stars in the full force of their splendor. So it is with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We can only see its true beauty against the backdrop of our sin. The darker man appears, the brighter the gospel shines.”

So, let me ask you, can you see the beauty of the gospel? Can you see the splendor of salvation? Do you see the pitch-black dark backdrop of your sin, and can you see the gospel shining forth in contrast? If so, then I want to compel you to turn from that darkness and to seek the light. Run to Christ. Like the moon reflects the sun, God has created us, as His image-bearers, and redeemed us, to reflect the glory of His Son.

—Pastor Kevin

     As we walk our way through the creation week in Genesis, we continue seeing usage of the term “day”. Along the way, we’ve noted that that term “Day” is actually a name; a name that was given by God, Himself. And He gave that name to the light (Gen. 1:5). But how do we define a day? That seems like a rather basic question on face value, but it’s an important one, nonetheless. Here’s Scripture answers that question:

• 1.    From the perspective of authority, since He is the Creator, God, and God alone, has the right and ability to define what a day is. And He’s done that for us by giving Day its name, but also by repeatedly defining it as an evening and a morning (Gen. 1:5)
  
  
• 2.    Secondly, it’s worth noting, from a grammatical perspective, that every other time we see the Hebrew word for day, which is “Yom”, accompanied by evening or morning, or modified by a number, it always refers to a literal, 24-hour period.
  
  
• 3.    Third, from a practical standpoint, as God specifically tells us in verse 14, part of His purpose for creating the sun, moon, and stars, was so that humanity could keep track of time. He says that it’s “…for signs and for seasons, and for days and years,” So, these are literal seasons, literal days, and literal years
  
  
• 4.    And, finally, from a typological perspective, we see God utilize this definition of a day, and the creation week, itself, as a pattern, to instruct the Israelites on what their work week should look like (Ex. 20:8-11). Should they work for thousands or millions of years before they rest? Of course not. A day means a day. 

     So, my friends, regardless of what secular science tries to tell us, upon the authority of God’s Word, from the perspective of God’s own definition, Hebrew grammar, human practicality, and the divine pattern of creation, itself, the days of the creation week were 6, literal, 24-hour periods.

—Pastor Kevin

• 1.    Historical Context: It’s been said that a text without a context is a pretext. This first step involves putting ourselves in the shoes of the original audience of the biblical text. In this step, we’re seeking to understand more about the human author, his location, his audience, his time period, and his purpose for writing.
• 2.    Revelatory Context: Next, we want to identify where this particular text is found within the progressive revelation of Scripture. Is it Old Testament or New Testament? How might the biblical text be impacted by the point in which it is found in redemptive history?
• 3.    Literary Context: Often, this can be determined by simply reading the biblical text repeatedly. Take note of repetitive words or phrases. What is the genre of the book? In short, our goal is to answer the question, “Why was this book written?”
• 4.    Structural Context: This step goes further than just catching the overall point of the book. Here, we want to be able to outline the flow of thought and the original meaning of words and phrases. Commentaries and Lexicons can be very helpful.
• 5.    Immediate Context: In this final introductory step, we want to read the passage that comes directly before our text and the passage that comes directly after our text. Knowing how the author got to that point and where the author is heading can provide helpful insights into what the author is actually saying.       
  
     --Pastor Kevin

“Who can tell me where I came from?” The little boy would ask.

His question was a good one, Yet he faced a trying task.

Each man had different answers, As he was soon to learn.

This brought him great confusion, And it caused a deep concern.

He first went to his schoolmates, And they spoke with one another.

“I know,” said the brightest one, “You came from your mother.”

Now this had satisfied him, Yet only for a time.

For as he grew, year by year, His thoughts began to climb.

He then looked all around him, At all that he could see.

And his mind began to wonder, How it all had come to be.

He thought about the universe, The span of outer space,

And every star and planet, That exists in every place.

He thought about the rounded Earth, Its tilt and its rotation,

And all the seasons that occur In yearly circulation.

He thought about the darkness, And he thought about the light.

He thought about the sun and moon, That rule the day and night.

He thought of all the creatures, Of the land and sea and skies,

Of all the different species, And their variance in size.

He thought of all the plants and trees, And all that each provides,

Each growing from a tiny seed, With roots the soil hides.

He then looked at humanity, The sea of different faces,

Varied tongues and characters, From many distant places.

He thought of mortal bodies, With features so profound;

And the sense of taste and touch, And smell and sight and sound.

He thought of reproduction, And the miracle of birth.

He thought of human life itself, And all that it is worth.

He then considered human will: Both the weak and strong.

He thought about the conscience, That discerns the right from wrong.

He thought about emotions, And feelings that arise.

He thought about the love and hate, And tears that flow from eyes.

He thought about the anger, And the joy that’s all around.

He thought about the happiness, And sadness that is found.

And filled with curiosity, This boy would daily strive,

In hopeful expectation, That his answer would arrive.

He spoke with scientific men, Who claimed his question solved.

They told him of a great Big Bang, That all things had evolved.

He then spoke with philosophers—Heard some of them insist

That there's no true reality, And we do not exist.

He spoke with many people, From different groups and sects,

And heard the vast opinions, Of various intellects.

Now baffled by confusion, A very troubled youth,

Unable to discern, What is error, what is truth.

He almost gave up looking, But he took a second look.

And very unexpectedly, He found a special Book.

As he gazed upon the first page, He knew his search was done.

His questions all were answered, In Genesis chapter one.

With a nod of understanding, He smiled, so elated.

For now he surely knew—“In the beginning, God created . . .”

—Emeal Zwayne

     As we continue thinking about what it means to be distinct from the world, we would do well to look back in church history and consider the contribution of John Owen. Owen was a 17th century Puritan pastor and theologian. In response to the self-righteousness and spiritual numbness of his day, Owen wrote a book called “The Mortification of Sin,” which expounds upon the second half of Romans 8:13. “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” 

The word mortify, in Owens context, means “to kill” or “to put to death”. One of the most well-known quotes from Owen’s work explains his usage of the term, where he said: “Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.”

     The word mortify, in Owen's context, means “to kill” or “to put to death”. One of the most well-known quotes from Owen’s work explains his usage of the term, where he said: “Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.”

     As we strive to be a holy people; people with a heavenly father who has called us to be holy as He is holy, we must take our efforts in personal holiness and in the mortification of sin seriously. Owen provides us with six principles to consider:

1.     

As genuine believers, we will only be perfected in glory (Phil 3:12). We can only rest when sin is dead. Until then, It is our responsibility as disciples of Christ to fight our flesh fiercely.

2.     
Sin always works to produce bad fruit. We must not be deceived by the masquerade of temptation. We know from both Scripture and experience that the result is always the same. Sin leads to death.

3.     
Unchallenged sin becomes stronger and more deceitful. Feeding the flesh, instead of crucifying it, only leads to a stronger, more intense flesh to contend with. Do not let the crafty serpent become a ferocious dragon.

4.     
God gives us the Holy Spirit and our new nature to oppose sin and lust (Gal. 5:17; 2 Pet. 1:4). The Holy Spirit is a person, and we grieve His work of holiness within us when we rebel against Him.

5.     
Believers grow weaker toward God as sin strengthens in them. As the desire for sin grows within, our desire for God and His Word weakens. We must treasure the grace that He has given to us.

6.     
Our spiritual growth is our daily duty (2 Pet. 3:18). Our sanctification is a byproduct of our relationship with God. If we neglect it, our spiritual vitality will suffer.

     Brothers and sisters, as we pursue personal holiness and demonstrate our gospel-centered distinctiveness to a watching world, May we be encouraged by the words of the apostle Paul: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25a).      

--Pastor Kevin               

     This past Sunday, we began a short sermon series which focuses on a couple of major moral issues taking place within our culture. The ultimate goal of our series is to discover that instead of conforming to our culture, passively, or confronting our culture in hostility, the Word of God calls us to a better way; and that is to be a counterculture; a community within our culture that is distinguished by the characteristics of truth and love.

     In the first sermon of our series, “Counter Culture”, we talked about a new law that has just been instituted in Canada. This new law threatens to imprison individuals who help others convert from an unbiblical view on marriage, gender, or sexuality. And yet, conversion is an integral part of the hope that is found in the gospel.

     “Yea, but that’s in Canada! What does that have to do with us?” some might say. Well, although we do live in the United States, we must understand that we are not immune from the threat of religious persecution. Just recently, a similar ordinance to the law in Canada was proposed in the city of West Lafayette, Indiana. Keep in mind, Indiana has historically been considered a morally conservative state. So, how should Christians in Canada, the U.S., and around the world respond? 

     Well, it begins with a solid understanding of the truth. As our culture sinks deeper and deeper into the abyss of sexual depravity, Christians must be steadfast in our commitment to the truth of God‘s word. This is how we avoid falling victim to the deception that we see taking place all around us. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Paul says: “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

     From there, standing firm with a backbone infused by the truth, we must have hearts that are overflowing with compassion. And, the source of that compassion comes from recognizing that God’s grace has rescued each of us, as genuine believers in Jesus Christ, from the sinful corruption of our past lives. Paul goes on to say, in verse 11: “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

     Therefore, may we be a people who stand firm for the truth, especially in the midst of the cultural winds that blow our way. But, let us also be a people whose sail bears the emblem of Christ’s cross. In doing so, we will both faithfully resist the storms of religious compromise and persecution, and according to God’s will, be a vessel of God’s grace to rescue some.

--Pastor Kevin

     Recently, we had the opportunity to sing one of my favorite hymns. The origin of the hymn is Irish, and it’s called Be Thou My Vision. Regardless of what is happening in our lives, the words of this beautiful song are always a great reminder that the Lord is our greatest treasure and that He sets the trajectory of our lives:

“Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art
Thou my best thought, by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light

Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord
Thou my great Father, and I thy true son
Thou in me dwelling and I with thee one

Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise
Thou mine inheritance, now and always
Thou and thou only first in my heart
High King of heaven, my treasure thou art

High King of heaven, my victory won
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's sun
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O ruler of all
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O ruler of all”

     --Pastor Kevin

     What’s up, church family! I am so excited to be back on board at the place where it all started! On Sunday, we discussed the book of Ecclesiastes, my favorite book in the entire Bible, and the primary takeaway from the text is to not waste our time on things that don’t matter from an eternal perspective. We talked about how we can waste our lives chasing a reputation, chasing money, chasing “the one”, but walk away feeling empty. 

     I love this book so much because I believe it relates to us in modern-day America so well. Every ad you see on TV shows us some new thing that will supposedly make us happy, whether that’s a new vehicle, a new line of makeup, or a new app for your phone. A lot of the movies that we see talk about these dream love stories that we wish were true of our own lives. It’s not a bad thing to find your person, it’s not a bad thing to have a vehicle or to have material things, but the Enemy tries to turn these good things into ultimate things and steer us away from God’s calling on our lives.

     If you’re reading this, I want you to know that God’s purpose for your life is greater than anything this world can offer you. A verse that changed my life was Matthew 10:39, where Jesus says, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Contrary to what everything and everyone around us is telling us, we find our lives when we surrender everything to follow Jesus. I want you to discover, or rediscover, the “abundant life” that is only found in Jesus.

--John Muncy

What’s all this hectic rush and worry'
Where go these crowds who run and curry'
Why all the lights—the Christmas trees'
The jolly “fat man,” tell me please!

Why, don’t you know? This is the day
For parties and for fun and play;
Why this is Christmas!

So this is Christmas, do you say'
But where is Christ this Christmas day'
Has He been lost among the throng'
His voice drowned out by empty song'

No. He’s not here—you’ll find Him where
Some humble soul now kneels in prayer,
Who knows the Christ of Christmas.

But see the many aimless thousands
Who gather on this Christmas Day,
Whose hearts have never yet been opened,
Or said to Him, “Come in to stay.”

In countless homes the candles burning,
In countless hearts expectant yearning
For gifts and presents, food and fun,
And laughter till the day is done.

But not a tear of grief or sorrow
For Him so poor He had to borrow
A crib, a colt, a boat, a bed
Where He could lay His weary head.

I’m tired of all this empty celebration,
Of feasting, drinking, recreation;
I’ll go instead to Calvary.

And there I’ll kneel with those who know
The meaning of that manger low,
And find the Christ—this Christmas.

I leap by faith across the years
To that great day when He appears
The second time, to rule and reign,
To end all sorrow, death, and pain.

In endless bliss we then shall dwell
With Him who saved our souls from hell,
And worship Christ—not Christmas!

--M.R. DeHaan, M.D., Founder, Radio Bible Class

     Without a doubt, this is a season of celebration. Within every neighborhood and city across the country, we find lights brightly shining, decorations conspicuously hanging, and families joyfully gathering. Indiscriminate of backgrounds and belief systems, the Christmas season has a powerful impact on people from all over the world. But, do they really understand the true reason for the season? More specifically, do we?

     There is a common tendency among many to think of the Christmas season with warm, fuzzy feelings of nostalgia. Some consider the Christmas story to be a sweet tale about a baby born in adverse circumstances. And, it is; but it’s also so much more. As we discover from God’s Word, in a very real way, the cradle of Christmas points us to the cross of Calvary. 

     The second chapter of Luke’s gospel is, perhaps, the best place to see the events of Christ’s birth. It’s there that we catch a glimpse of the baby born in a manger; but the details of His birth also beckon us to the reality that He is the God-man who would die on a cross. Like bookends to Christ’s earthly life, Scripture provides us with a number of parallels between Christ’s birth and His death. With God as the divine Poet, He has intentionally woven details and orchestrated circumstances in order to point us to the cross-centered purpose for Christ’s birth.

     For example, at His birth, Jesus was wrapped in swaddling cloths, and He was laid in a borrowed manger (Luke 2:7). And, at His death, He was again wrapped in cloths, but this time He was laid in a borrowed tomb (Matt. 27:59). Like a prelude to Golgotha, then, Bethlehem was the birthplace of Life. And, so it is, that through Christ’s birth, He came to die. And, through His death, He brings forth life. 

     Therefore, the true message of Christmas is this: The perfect, righteous, sinless Son of God was born to willingly and lovingly die for imperfect, unrighteous, sinners like you and like me. As one hymn writer beautifully penned:

“From the cradle to the cross

From the Lord unto the lost

Came the message for all men

Christ was born to die for them

From Bethlehem to Calvary

Jesus paid the cost

For Love went all the way

From the cradle to the cross.”

--Pastor Kevin

Have you ever read one of the genealogies found in God’s Word and felt overwhelmed with joy? If you’re anything like me, that’s likely not your typical experience. Something happens when we start reading through the genealogies of Scripture. The eyes begin to glaze over. The lethargy starts to set in. We attempt tto pronounce names, and at some point, the names, along with all the begets, begin to run together, and that whole process begets yawning. 

            However, if we take the time to look closely at the genealogy of Jesus found in Luke 3, we’ll come to see that it truly is a genealogy of joy. Why? Because, it provides us with a summary of God’s steadfast faithfulness to keep His promises, even when we fail to honor Him with our lives. It’s a declaration of God’s glorious grace in the lives of His undeserving people. Stretching from Adam to Christ, the genealogy points us to the providential path of redemptive history. 

            Consider Cain who murdered his own brother, Abel, in cold blood; yet God was faithful to appoint a new son to Adam and Eve in Seth (v. 38).

            Abraham doubted God’s power and laughed at the possibility of God’s promise, yet God was gracious to provide him and Sarah with Isaac (v. 34).

            Jacob was deceptive and dishonest, yet God’s sovereign will prevailed (v. 34).

            Judah was disobedient to the Lord, yet God would providentially use him to bring about “the obedience of the people” (v. 33,         Gen. 49:10).

            David used his power for a selfish purpose, yet God promised to establish Christ’s eternal throne through the Davidic line (v. 31).

            These are but a few of the men highlighted in Jesus’ genealogy, and each one is a testament to God’s grace. And, the same is true for our lives as well. We fall short. We fail to love God with every ounce of our being. Yet, God is faithful. And, therefore, our joy is not tied to circumstances or performance. The joy of the Lord is our strength, and it is found in the character and attributes of God alone (Neh. 8:10).

--Pastor Kevin

            Over the past two weeks of this Advent season, we’ve been focusing in on the tension that we experience as believers who exist between the two advents of Christ. Because of that, we are always called to be “Watching and Waiting”. The beauty of our waiting, of course, is that we’ve been given the gift of God’s peace. This peace recently caused me to reflect upon Paul’s words from Romans 8:18, which says: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

            So, what is Paul saying? He’s saying that as we face the challenges of this life; challenges that sometimes become intensified around the holidays, we can patiently persevere as we anticipate the glory that is coming. Considering just a taste of that glory, John Piper said:

• the glory of his eternality that makes the mind want to explode with the infinite thought that God never had a beginning, but simply always was;
• the glory of his knowledge that makes the Library of Congress look like a matchbox and quantum physics like a first grade reader;
• the glory of his wisdom that has never been and can never be counseled by men;
• the glory of his authority over heaven and earth and hell, without whose permission no man and no demon can move one inch;
• the glory of his providence without which not one bird falls to the ground or a single hair turns gray;
• the glory of his word that upholds the universe and keeps all the atoms and molecules together;
• the glory of his power to walk on water, cleanse lepers, heal the lame, open the eyes of the blind, cause the deaf to hear, still storms with a word, and raise the dead;
• the glory of his purity never to sin, or to have a two-second bad attitude or evil thought;
• the glory of his trustworthiness never to break his word or let one promise fall to the ground;
• the glory of his justice to render all moral accounts in the universe settled either on the cross or in hell;
• the glory of his patience to endure our dullness for decade after decade;
• the glory of his sovereign, slave-like obedience to embrace the excruciating pain of the cross willingly;
• the glory of his wrath that will one day cause people to call out for the rocks and the mountains to fall on them;
• the glory of his grace that justifies the ungodly; and
• the glory of his love that dies for us even while we were sinners.

--Pastor Kevin

^{* Source: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/consider-the-glory-of-god}

     In celebration of the Advent season, we began a new sermon series this week titled “Advent: Watching & Waiting”, and our first sermon in the series was from Isaiah 9:1-7, as we focused on the gift of hope. In context, God spoke through the prophet Isaiah to tell His people that, due to their spiritual rebellion, judgment was coming. And yet, God did not leave His people without hope.

That hope came in the form of a promise: He, Himself, would also be coming. Known as the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace, the Lord promised to enter our world in the form of a child to transform our darkness into light, our death into life, and our despair into longing. What a promise! And, as believers living in 21st-century America, this promise of hope is just as relevant as ever before. After all, we live in a nation encompassed by spiritual darkness where:

“Wealth is idolized.

Truth is minimized.

Life is trivialized.

Abortion is legalized.

Television is vulgarized.

Advertising is sensualized.

Everything is sexualized and commercialized.

Consciences are desensitized.

Education is secularized.

Free markets are monopolized.

Politics and race are polarized.

Sports are scandalized.

Morals and ethics are liberalized.

In entertainment, crime is sensationalized, and immorality is popularized,

Drugs are legitimized,

Sin is glamorized.

The courts are paralyzed.

The breakup of the family is rationalized.

Manners are uncivilized.

Christians are demonized.

And God is marginalized.”*

     Thankfully, the hope of the gospel extends to us as well! God, through His Son, kept His promise! He entered our world, lived the life we could not live, died the death we deserve, and conquered the grave in our place. So, this Advent season, let us reflect upon God’s faithfulness and tell everyone about how they too can find hope in Christ!  

--Pastor Kevin

^{* https://www.christianpost.com/news/evangelical-pastor-rick-warren-speaks-at-catholics-world-meeting-of-families.html}

     With Thanksgiving on the horizon, it’s fitting that we would consider what a gospel-centered perspective on thankfulness should look like in the life of a believer. To be sure, the concept of gratitude and thanksgiving permeates the pages of Scripture. However, I’m not sure that “The Lord’s Prayer” is the first place we would cite as an example. Yet, what we find there is a beautiful framework for our thankfulness to God.

     In the context of Matthew 6, Jesus was teaching His disciples the difference between practicing a dead religion and having a devoted relationship with the living God of the universe. In doing so, He provided a model prayer built upon a foundation of thanksgiving. So, why should we be thankful?

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (v. 9): First and foremost, our gratitude begins with God’s identity and character. We do not worship a distant deity, but rather a loving and affectionate Father who is both infinitely holy and intimately personal. 

     “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (v. 10): We press on to see that our holy Father has ordained and orchestrated a great plan of redemption to rescue His people from the kingdom of darkness. Our hearts should overflow in gospel-centered thankfulness for the will of God to crush His own Son, in our place, and for the Son’s willingness to accomplish it. 

     “Give us this day our daily bread” (v. 11): Continuing on, we express our thankfulness to our sovereign Provider for His daily provision. This week, we will witness an extravagant demonstration of that as we gather for a meal with our family and friends, but we should also see the deeper significance of God’s spiritual provision as well. 

     “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (v. 12): The genuine believer should be humbled and grateful for the forgiveness God has shown to us. But like a river of forgiveness flowing from within, our transformed hearts should also overflow in forgiveness to others. 

     “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (v. 13): Finally, we realize that this framework for thanksgiving is not a prayer aimed primarily at our happiness, but our holiness. As citizens of Christ’s Kingdom, we acknowledge our great need for the protection and guidance only God can provide. 

So, this Thanksgiving, may genuine thanksgiving fill our hearts and be reflected in our lives. Through the lens of the gospel, we clearly see the person and work of our great God. Therefore, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:18). 

   -Pastor Kevin

     In a world filled with relativism and skepticism, the Word of God pierces through the ambiguity and provides us with objectivity and confidence. Simultaneously, the loudest voices in our culture promote a concept of love that is based upon shallow emotionalism and subjective self-gratification, while the Bible gives us both a foundation and definition for true love. One of the best places to see this is in the book of 2 John.

     On Sunday, we spent our time looking at the second half of John’s “postcard epistle”, and we were asking the question, “What is the Church called to do with the gospel”? We’ve been given a divine gift; entrusted with a treasure from the gracious hands of our Savior, and He’s called us, as the Church, to steward it for His glory. So, what does that look like? Well, John provides us with the answer. 

     Rather than simply bend to the spirit of the age, we must stand firm. Instead of compromise, our posture must be one of tenacity for the truth and relentless love. Therefore, practically speaking, we must love in the truth, while speaking the truth in love. At the same time, we have a biblical mandate to protect the church and be on the lookout for false teachers and unbiblical doctrine. Our commitment and loyalty to the gospel must be of primary importance. Finally, the truth of the gospel is like cooling waters we swim in on a hot summer day. As the sometimes-suffocating messages of the world beat down on us, we dive into the rest and joy of God’s Word, saturating our minds in the truth of our Creator. 

     To sum up what we’ve seen from the letter of 2 John, Pastor John MacArthur said it well: 

     “In an age of relativism and skepticism, the church must remain firmly anchored to the solid foundation of divine truth. There is no place for dull, shallow, theologically contentless preaching, for worship based on emotion devoid of truth, or for tolerating false teaching. There is no virtue in ignorance; no substitute for learning, loving, and guarding the truth. Only by doing so will the church be able to fulfill its divine calling to be the pillar and support of the truth and the shining beacon of God’s truth in a world filled with darkness.” 

–Pastor Kevin

     The most frequently used metaphor in Scripture is that of walking. From a biblical perspective, a person’s walk is the characteristic pattern of their life. Inherent to the metaphor is both the direction and the eventual destination of the one walking. For the Apostle John, who is the most probable author of 2 John, seeing members of the church walking “in the truth” was a source of great joy (v. 4). But what could possibly make a person so excited to see this type of spiritual stride?

     Well, to be sure, John was no mere spectator. Sure, he watched his spiritual children from afar, but as the last remaining apostle, he was also intimately involved in guiding the shepherds of the churches in Asia Minor. Therefore, to realize that some members were faithfully living out the gospel, in contrast to the many deceivers and defectors, it brought John much joy.

     So, what does a joy-producing walk look like? Well, according to God’s Word, it’s a walk characterized by both truth and love. You see, truth and love are like these twin pillars that uphold the entire Christian faith. If you remove one, the entire thing falls. On the one hand, if you have truth without love, you have nothing but cold, mechanical, lifeless orthodoxy. But on the other hand, if you have love without truth, you have nothing but a shallow façade that’s based upon subjective feelings and self-satisfaction. So, truth and love are both vitally important. They go hand-in-hand. Truth is the foundation of love, and love is the fulfillment of truth. You can’t have one without the other, because they find their origin in God, Himself. 

     This profound combination of truth and love is precisely what we find in the gospel. The truth of the Good News is that God loves us and demonstrated the extent of His love by sending His Son to die on the cross for our sins. Those who repent and embrace Christ as Lord and Savior are saved, and it drastically changes both their direction and their eventual destination. So, let me ask you, how’s your walk?    

 --Pastor Kevin

     “Who is my neighbor”? That was the question asked by the lawyer in Luke 10. In response, Jesus presented the lawyer and the rest of the audience with a parable that rocked their world. Hopefully, as we began to understand Jesus parable more clearly on Sunday morning, it began to rock our world (in a good way) as well. Flowing from Jesus’ parable, I wonder if we understand and embrace the reality that our neighbor includes those who have a different skin color than we do, a different lifestyle, a different political affiliation, a different social status, and even a different religion. It these image-bearers of God, and more, that we have been called to love. 

      Thankfully, although we often love imperfectly, the gospel tells us that we have a neighbor who did love perfectly; a good neighbor who fulfilled the Law of Love down to the very letter. And friends, this is where the true scandal of love is found. Even though we were His enemies; even though we rebelled against His majesty, our neighbor, Jesus Christ, came looking for us. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. And not only were we lost; not only were we beaten and bloodied by our own sinful and rebellious choices, but we were the ones lying dead and lifeless, in our trespasses and sins. 

     Our Savior sacrificed His own life and died in our place. And then, through His resurrection, He picked up our lifeless bodies and breathed into us the breath of life. It is through that life, with the Spirit of God dwelling within us, that we are empowered and given a supernatural desire to love sacrificially, the way our Savior has loved us. In light of this scandalous love, how can we love our neighbor today?

--Pastor Kevin

   Wow! That’s what I kept thinking as I reflected upon this past Lord’s Day. We were blessed to have Rob Ely with us for the morning services. Rob serves on staff with Baptist Campus Ministry (BCM) at Marshall University. BCM is actively discipling students at 9 different college campuses throughout the state of West Virginia. Although later that evening we would be celebrating “Unity Night”, having Rob with us in the morning made the whole day feel like “Unity Sunday.” He provided us with a sermon from Romans 12:1-2 and Hebrews 12:1-3, which encouraged and challenged us to serve the Lord and follow Him wherever He may lead us as a church.

     In the evening, we had the opportunity to celebrate the unity we have in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Having both FBC Kenova and Legacy Huntington together for one service was a beautiful demonstration of the unity we enjoy as one congregation. We spent our time in God’s Word focusing on the multifaceted ways in which gospel-centered unity expresses itself. Namely, that gospel-centered unity:

•   Exalts Christ
•  Elevates the cross
•  Expresses humility 
• Exhibits maturity
•  Echoes submission to Christ 
•  Embraces God’s promises

     In addition, the shepherds prayed over me, we affirmed new members, and we sang songs of praise to God and one another for all that He has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. If you weren’t there, you now know why I said, “Wow!” If you were there, you’re probably still reflecting upon the goodness of God to our church family.

--For His Glory, Pastor Kevin

     As we consider the opening words of Scripture, there is an awe-inspiring reality that comes leaping from the page: “In the beginning God created…”. We can all think of people whom we would consider to be creative, but what we realize from Genesis 1:1 is that creativity finds its origin in our Creator. And, therefore, the impetus and foundation for all creativity, ingenuity, imagination, and innovation is the gloriously creative brilliance of the one, true, and living God.

     From the Genesis account of creation, we discover that human beings have been designed in the “Imago Dei”, the image of God (Gen. 1:26). At the very least, this means that we have been created to think, feel, and intentionally reflect God’s glory. Like the moon reflects the sun, humanity has been created to mirror the character and creativity of God. 

     To this end, God has blessed His image-bearers and provided them with a creation mandate (Gen. 1:28). This three-fold mandate calls us to be fruitful and increase in number, to fill the earth with God-glorifying works, and to exercise dominion over the rest of creation through faithful stewardship and cultivation. In short, we’ve been created to be creative. 

     Due to the Fall, however, we are all painfully and intimately aware of the way sin has corrupted our divine purpose. Rather than fulfilling the mandate we’ve been given, selfishness and self-centeredness pervades our existence. Like the tower builders of Babel, humanity uses its time, talents, and treasures to bring glory to themselves instead of making God’s name great among the nations (Gen. 11:1-9; Mal. 1:11). Furthermore, in our fallenness, we become slaves to creation, worshiping the creature rather than our Creator (Rom. 1:25). 

     It is against this pitch-black backdrop of darkness that the beauty of the gospel shines so brightly. As the Apostle Paul writes, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). This intentional parallel to God’s original creation points us to the reality that our salvation is our recreation. In Christ, we are a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). 

Thus, as the redeemed people of God, recreated in Christ Jesus, our hearts have been transformed, our minds have been renewed, and we have now been called to a new creation mandate (Eph. 2:8-10; Ezek. 36:26; Rom. 12:1-2). Clarifying and expounding upon the original mandate, Jesus has called his disciples to a three-fold commission: to be fruitful and multiply by making disciples, to fill the earth with God’s redemptive work, and to cultivate obedience to Christ through the teaching of his Word (Matt. 28:16-20). 

     With this creative commission in mind, as those who have experienced the gracious restoration and recreation of God, may we be renewed in our compassion for the broken. As a church, may we abound with the hope of redemption. And, may we be more committed than ever before to share the good news of the gospel to the praise of God’s glorious grace. 

-Pastor Kevin

     In 1 Samuel 1 we are reminded of our role as parents.  In this particular story in the Bible Hannah was barren.  She prayed and vowed to give her child to the Lord if she could conceive. 

  God granted her request and Hannah gave birth to Samuel. Hannah exalted God for His gracious acts and she made good on her promise, leaving Samuel at the worship center in Shiloh to learn and train in the house of the Lord, giving back to God what He had given her in the first place.  We learned that Samuel went on to be one of the great heroes of the faith.  He led as a judge, priest and a prophet. But remember, this would have never happened if his parents didn’t take him to church. 

   There are many things that keep us from being involved in church.  In our community, the biggest distraction is sports.   I was once reminded that a child can be an all-star basketball/volleyball/football player in buddy league, earn 1^stteam all-state in their particular sport in high school and be awarded West Virginia player of the year.   From there go on to college and become an All-American, win the highest awards such as the Heisman, even, make the cover of Sports Illustrated.  Move on from college to play professional ball, being so great they are inducted into the Hall of Fame.   They could reach the pinnacle of achievements in their sport receiving all the accolades, but if they lose their soul and go to Hell was it worth it?  

   If you need a “spiritual halftime”, a new start, a time to refocus on the LORD, being around a church family is a good place to start.  Growing in Christ is always worth it. 

Below are my top 10 reasons to be part of a church!  

• To encourage one another and be encouraged.  (Proverbs 27:17)
• To hear the preaching of God’s word! (Hebrews 4:12, 2 Tim. 2:4:2)
• To break bread, fellowship, and PRAY for one another! (Acts 2:42)
• To be mentored. (Titus 2) 
• Teaches our kids to love church! (Luke 6:40, Proverbs 22:6)
• So, we can give to the Lord.  (2 Cor. 9:7) 
• To confess sin and bear each other’s burdens & Forgive as Christ forgave us! (Galatians 6:2, Eph. 4:32)
• Find and practice your spiritual gifts! (1 Peter 4:10)
• To encourage your Pastor! (1 Thess. 1:4-5; Hebrews 13:17)- No one else in the Bible is charged with the watch care of your soul other than your pastor. 
• Because God says so! (Hebrews 10:25) 

     In 2021 and beyond I am pleading with parents to re-focus.  Think about their families from an eternal perspective and not a right now, earthy perspective.  Let’s thank God for the life of Hannah, her example as a parent and let us never forget that, just like Hannah, we have the power to start the process (Proverbs 22:6).   

-Jeremy Napier

     There is a great battle occurring between Satan and God.  The believer is centered in this conflict.  It’s Satan’s Will vs Christ’s Will.  As believers we also have a Will.  Daily we are confronted with the fleshly pride (the Will of the Flesh) and we must “Choose Wisely” to either listen to Satan or Jesus.

     The Old Testament transliteration for Pride is being “lifted up.”  Lifting up self without God creates a path to failure.  Proverbs says lifting up oneself will end in great hurt. (translation) Uplifting yourself WILL end in destruction for yourself and others around you!   Children are born with pride but they learn how to use it from us adults.  Pride is all of me and absolutely nothing about God.  Pride is the utmost Sin.  Lifting up ourselves is the root of all evil. So where are you and I on the uplifting scale?  

The submission of one’s will is placing on God’s altar the only uniquely personal thing one has to place there. The many other things we “give” are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us.

   “When we finally submit ourselves by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, we will really be giving something to Him!” -Neal Maxwell

     Our Prayer must be, “Lord thy Will not mine.” My Will chooses the path of life in Christ and not the road of destruction in Satan.

-- Jack Finch

     I want to share with you a fictional story about a King who had a son that the people rejected. This son loved his father’s people more than they of course loved him. The people thought they had killed the king’s son but he was alive.

         Later in time those who loved their King and his Son yearned to see the son.  The Son returned and led those faithful servants who overcame life obstacles to a place of safety and renewal.

         Later in time the father told his Son to establish His throne and destroy the enemy.  Now there were all those servants who had always been faithfully preparing and serving, to sit and reign with Him; the other servants were satisfied to remain more about themselves and not the Son.

        Jesus said, “To the Church of Laodecia,” the one who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne.  You see, The Laodiceans had a First Commandment problem.   They had for gotten God and we’re focusing only on themselves.   In other words, so sadly, they had become an Institutional Church.

         Jesus told them, I overcame and so can you.   The Holy Spirit will help you with the life you are living therefore, we will have a strong working relationship in the millennium and eternity). How We SERVE Christ Today, Is How We Will SERVE Him In Eternity…. Believe it or not, The life we now live will have eternal consequences…

       Let our Church continue to offer the Study of His Word, Worship only Him with Holy Hands, Witness the Salvation Message, and Serve The Living Christ through the Church.

        Through the most recent challenging times, the Great Shepherd, our Shepherd’s, Leaders, and Members have been most faithful.  Therefore, one day coming soon, it will be worth it all…when we see Jesus! Life’s trials will seem so small, when we see Christ.  One glimpse of his dear face, all sorrow will erase. So, bravely run the race till we see Christ.   

--Jack Finch

      On behalf of me and my family, I want to thank you, FBC Kenova and Legacy Huntington, for a wonderful candidate weekend! From Saturday’s Q & A time to the Sunday morning worship services, we were so encouraged by our time together, and of course, by the overwhelming vote of affirmation to my calling as your Senior Pastor. 

     So, now begins the transition process. We’re anxious to begin our new ministry with you, so please be in prayer for all the details of our upcoming move. In the meantime, since I can’t yet be there with you in person, I’m using a picture directory (and Facebook) to learn your names and faces. There are so many wonderful new people to get to know, so I won’t make any particular promises, but to make it fair, I’ll give you a challenge as well. If you can remember the names of my kids, and their ages, you’ll be off to a great start! 

     So, here goes: McKenna (12), Landon (10), Meela (8), Madison (6), Liam (4), Levi (2), & Mariah (2 months). To give you a helpful tip, the names of all our girls start with the letter “M”, and our boys all start with the letter “L”.

     If you’re interested in knowing a little bit more about me, I enjoy spending time with my family. We like to travel, see new places, and visit the beach. I love to write and to read books about theology. Soccer is my favorite sport, but I also like watching basketball and football. I also enjoy a nice cup of coffee (or two) especially over an engaging conversation. 

     Alicia and I could not be more excited to begin this new chapter of our family’s life, and we’re looking forward to forming new friendships. The longing of our hearts is to impact the Tri-State with the gospel of Jesus Christ, and we’re grateful that God has given us the opportunity to do that with all of you!

For His Glory,

Pastor Kevin

     Malachi was the last prophet before the intertestamental period, the 400 years of silence between the Old Testament and New Testament, to prophesy to the Israelites.   This prophet communicates the importance of genuine worship and reminds the Israelite people to stay focused and give God their very best worship.  There are many themes in the book of Malachi but here are a few I would like to point out:

1.         God’s love is constant.

The constant love of God is the master theme that reoccurs throughout the book.  It reveals the unfailing love of Yahweh for His people.  We find this theme introduced at the very beginning of the book (1:2a). "I have loved you in the past, I love you in the present, and I will love you in the future." They are loved because they are a chosen people! (Mal. 1:1-5).  

2.         Give God your best worship.

Malachi's mission was to motivate the returnees to get back into fellowship with their God.

Like the Israelites of old, how often do we go through the motions on Sunday morning with an attitude, we ‘have’ to go to church, or this is something we ‘just’ do…rather than we ‘get’ to worship God! It is possible to attend the place of worship, to go through the motions of worship, and even to make sacrifices, and still not worship God—to have no fellowship with God. When these Jews lost their love for Yahweh, Malachi urged them to wake up! Give God your best!

3.         Fearing God leads to proper worship. 

In Malachi 3:16 there was a smaller remnant among the remnant who returned from Babylon: the restoration community.  These faithful people listened to and took heed to Malachi’s instruction.  We too are called to have a reverent fear of the Lord.  Also, this starts with your church leaders (Malachi chapter 2).  Show me a church whose leaders don’t fear the Lord, that don’t hold true to doctrine, and I will show you a congregation that does not fear the Lord and compromises God’s Word.

4.         Hope for the believer

Malachi 4:2 says that those who revere the name of God will live forever! Whereas those who willfully choose to not believe, will have a drastically different outcome; eternal death. The hope extended to us is freely given to all who believe from all nations, from all backgrounds; this is a global thing.

     I encourage you to take some time over the next several weeks and read through the book of Malachi.  My prayer is that it opens your eyes, challenges you, and draws you closer to our Jesus.       

 --Jeremy Napier

     The search Committee is excited for this upcoming weekend and for the congregation to meet our pastoral candidate and his family. 

Saturday Q&A Sessions: 
Huntington Legacy - 11:00am
FBC Kenova Sanctuary - 3:30pm

     Experience: Our candidate has pastored churches in both Ohio and Indiana. He has served in various ministry roles over the years, including as Senior Pastor. He has experience in church planting, merging, revitalization, and growth. The candidate places great emphasis on maintaining a gospel-centered ministry to his family and the church. He believes strongly in expository preaching and does so with conviction, clarity, and compassion. Also having the God-given heart of a shepherd, our candidate desires to faithfully care for the souls of the flock God has entrusted to him.

     Education: Our candidate received his Bachelor's Degree in Sports Management from Shawnee State University, his Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and is currently pursuing his Doctor of Ministry in Expository Preaching from The Master's Seminary. 

     Family: He is married with seven children ages 12 and under; four girls and three boys. He and his wife both grew up in the Tri-State and are looking forward to coming back to the area.

--The Pastoral Search Committee

Refresh the Saints with Effective Fellowship (Philemon 4–7)

“I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.”

(Philemon 1:4–7 NKJV)

     Paul wrote to his “beloved friend and fellow laborer” in the faith, Philemon, concerning a sensitive and difficult matter involving damaged relationships and directions for gospel-centered reconciliation. In verses 4–7, Paul shared the content of his prayers for Philemon. He highlights the frequency of remembrance as “at all times,” the occasion of remembrance as “hearing of your love and faith . . . toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints,” and the request of his remembrance as “that the sharing of your faith may become effective.” At first glance, we may mistakenly think that “sharing of your faith” refers to evangelism; however, the term here is koinonia—which is typically translated “fellowship.” Paul’s request for Philemon in the unfolding situation with Onesimus is not that his evangelism may become effective but rather that his fellowship may become effective. 

     How could Philemon’s effective fellowship have made a difference in the unfolding situation in the local church that met in his house? Paul provided us with the means by which his fellowship could become effective—“by the acknowledgement of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” To expand a bit, Paul prayed that Philemon’s knowledge of the good things in himself for Christ’s sake may become effective for the church in this developing situation. As students of Paul’s writings and theology, we know that the Holy Spirit is illuminating our minds and transforming our hearts by means of all that Christ’s salvation can accomplish in us, through us, and for us for the sake of the glory of Christ. Paul’s powerful and timely prayer request asked God to make Philemon’s knowledge of these good things in him to result in effective fellowship in the church and in reconciliation. 

     Throughout the letter, Paul demonstrated his confidence that Philemon’s fellowship would become effective. His confidence must have come from past dealings with Philemon “because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.” Philemon had a reputation for being a “Refresher of the Saints.” How effective is your fellowship? Is it consistent with what you know about the good things in you for Christ’s sake? 

     I am so very grateful for our time together this past summer. Aimee and I will continue to remember you and pray that you will be “refreshers of the saints.” We look forward to thanking God for you as we hear more and more about your love and faith toward the Lord Jesus and all the saints.         

--Rex

     In staff meeting this week we looked into Paul’s 1^st letter to the Corinthians.  In typical Pauline style, he opened this book with praise and adoration for our Lord.  What really got our attention is how he did so in such a way that the brothers of Corinth were edified.  He thanks God for them (because of His grace).  Paul tells them how they are enriched in every way (because they are in Him).  These are just a few examples of Paul’s edification of the believers through his praising of our Lord.

  Too many times, we focus our attention upon what we don’t have or simply we don’t see how truly blessed we are.  We could focus on the positions that need filled in the church or we could praise Him for helping us to become more focused on Jesus (and not man).  We could get discouraged that fall ministries will be kicking off soon and the youth don’t have a “Garage”, or we can praise Him that we have a covered sanctuary to worship in and that the new building is progressing fast.  

     Praise God for the 100+ youth and adult servants that shared their love for Jesus through the week of VBS.  Praise God for the opportunity to share the Gospel with so many children at all 4 Nic@Nights as well as for the faithful servants that see the vision for His “church”.  Praise God for using our worship leaders in such a big way this past Sunday that brought so many to an adoration of Him.  Praise God for faithful shepherds that invest many hours/days each week to pray over our requests.  Praise God for His goodness in my life and the blessing it has always been to county you all as my brothers and sisters.

    What would His kingdom here in Kenova look like if we continually praised Him and edified His people? Wouldn’t it be desirable to have others covet and crave the object of our affection – Jesus?

--Tony 

     Through the decree of Cyrus the Great (538 B.C.E.), which was later confirmed during the reign of Darius I (522–486 B.C.E.), the Jews were permitted by the Persian Empire to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple (Dennis, 1741). The Persian emperors did more than simply permit the return and rebuilding; they also provided security and resources for the project (see Ezra 6:1–15) until the completion of the temple in March of 515 B.C.E (Verhoef, 29).  Despite the support from the Persian emperors, the rebuilding project ceased around 536 B.C.E. and did not begin again until the prophetic ministries of Haggai and Zechariah in 520 B.C.E (Smith, 300).

     Like many of the prophets, we do not know much about the prophet Haggai’s personal background. His name means “festal,” which has given scholars fodder for conjecture: (1) perhaps he was born at the time of a festival; (2) perhaps such a name anticipated the timing of the prophet’s ministry—“1:1 on the New Moon’s day, 2:1 on the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles, and 2:18 on the day when the ‘foundation’ of the temple was laid”; or (3) perhaps “Haggai” is not the prophet’s real name but a name given to the author because of the calendar events associated with the prophet’s ministry (Verhoef, 5). Further, little is known about Haggai’s “exilic experience.” Some conclude that Haggai was an older man who saw the glory of Solomon’s temple (see 2:3) and that he was either one of those who returned from the Babylonian captivity or one who had remained in the desolate Jerusalem until others returned. Others suggest that Haggai was a younger man who was born in Babylon and traveled to Jerusalem after the decrees of the Persian emperors (Verhoef (6–7).

     Regardless of his background, the prophet Haggai bursts into the lives of a discouraged population in Jerusalem with a brief but powerful ministry during which he communicated a single-minded message that reoriented the spiritual center of the people and the leadership. To the surprise of the reader of the prophetic literature, the people respond in obedience! Haggai’s message to the leaders and inhabitants of Jerusalem is to “Consider Your Priorities” (1:5, 7; 2:15, 18). The leaders and people had established priorities in their lives that were inconsistent with their covenant responsibility and covenant loyalty to YHWH. For example, 1:4 reveals that the people were busy about building their own homes while the house of Lord remained in a state of ruin. The glory and pleasure of the Lord had taken a backseat to the people’s comfort to which the Lord responded with judgments according to the stipulations of the covenant (1:5–6, 9–11; cf. Deut. 11:13–17) (Boda, 94–5). The Lord stirred the hearts of the leaders, Zerubbabel and Joshua, and the people to respond with obedience by rebuilding the temple of the Lord (1:12–15) as Haggai encourages them with the promise of God’s presence (1:13), to be strong in the Lord’s presence and fear not (2:3–5), and to trust in the Lord’s sovereignty (2:7–9). Upon responding to Haggai’s message to “Consider Your Priorities,” the temple was eventually rebuilt signifying the return of the Lord’s glory, presence, and blessing upon his people.                  

--Rex

As our time together in James’ letter draws to a close, I pray that we will take eleven truths with us as we walk in this world as new creations in Christ — those who have been born again by the Holy Spirit through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The person living a regenerate life:

•       Stays on track to maturity during testing (1:1–8).
•       Practices eternal economic stewardship (1:9–18).
•       Hospitably hosts the word of God (1:19–27).
•       Chooses compassion over partiality (2:1–13).
•       Possesses a faith that works (2:14–26).
•       Moderates the tongue (3:1–12).
•       Harvests harmony (3:13–18).
•       Weeps today for a better harvest tomorrow (4:1–10).
•       Submits speech to the Sovereign Lord (4:11–17).
•       Measures the misery of evil economics in anticipation of Christ’s return (5:1–12).
•       Cares for the congregation’s condition (5:13–20).
  
       On Sunday, we studied James’ call to these congregations to care for their spiritual condition. He primarily focused on a ministry of prayer for the suffering, for the cheerful, for the sin-sick member, and for the wanderer from the truth. Perhaps, the Lord is moving you toward a more committed prayer life for the care of the congregation. Here are eight principles that serve as a beginner’s guide to start a prayer meeting;
  
  

  •       The elders/shepherds should lead the way (Acts 6:2–4).

  •       Meeting places can vary (Acts 5:42; 12:12).

  •       Study the Bible’s teaching and examples of prayer (e.g., Phil. 1:9–11; Matt. 6:9–13).

  •       Plan Scriptural movements of prayer for the meeting (e.g., A.C.T.S. = Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication).

  •       Coordinate music with the movements of prayer.

  •       Involve the congregation in the prayer meeting (e.g., small groups, “popcorn” prayers,” postures of prayer, testimonies of praise and lament, etc.).

  •       Persevere with the prayer meeting.

  •       Keep and share a list of prayer requests, answers to prayer, and a prayer calendar. 
  
  

       Dr. and Pastor D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones was one of the great prayer warriors in the history of the evangelical church movement. He once wrote, “Prayer is beyond any question the highest activity of the human soul. Man is at his greatest and highest when upon his knees he comes face to face with God” (Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, 322). 

  
  

  --Rex

  
  

  Please continue reading for a message and prayer request from Nick Windisch regarding our collegiate ministry.

  
  

  The Table: A Place to Gather

  
  

       A little over a year ago the college ministry started a Tuesday night bible study. The idea was to have all the elements of Acts 2:42 packed into one night. We affectionately call that Tuesday night Bible study “The Table” because we all sit down at a long table and enjoy fellowship together over dinner. Over the last year, the group has grown in relationship to God and to each other. For Melissa and I, it has been a blessed year! We plan to continue this year in much the same way but also feel compelled to share that blessing to collegiate students in the surrounding area who are not currently connected to our church body. 

  
  

       With this in mind, a team of people including members of the Missions Committee and Shepherds will be opening up the Legacy Church Huntington building as a place to gather for college students during the week. We are praying that as students come into our building, they will ultimately experience the grace and love of God through His people and to top it off they will have access to free wifi and coffee. Our plan is to call this “The Table: a place to gather” and our Bible study will then become “The Tuesday Table”. I believe that this will be a place where our current collegiate age members will be able to serve and pray that they will gain confidence in having spiritual conversations with their peers. 

  
  

       There are many details to work out and a great need for volunteers to give their time in service. Please be in prayer for this. Pray and ask God if He would have you be part of this outreach opportunity. 

  
  

       For many years, our family has held 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 as our mission statement and it seems fitting again. It says “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,”. Our prayer is that God would continue to use all of us to smell like Christ to the young adults in our community! 

  
  

  --Nick Windisch

     In their commentary on the book of James, Blomberg and Kamell suggest that James employed his most challenging rhetoric on the rich and the poor in 5:1–12. On Sunday, we took a closer look at the evidence against the wealthy landowners (5:1–6). James goes so far as to call them murderers. Regarding whether this is figurative or not, Daniel Doriani explains, “As before in James chapter 4:2, the murder is probably figurative. Yet by withholding their wages, the rich condemned the poor to poverty, even starvation.” Blomberg and Kamell go further, “The rich would have access and power in the courts with the ability to carry their own desires in legal form. Meanwhile, following the example of Christ, these righteous ones await God's justice to be enacted on their behalf.” Therefore, while I still think it is possible that literal violence and murder against the poor could have been taking place; I think it also very clear that the weapons of legalized corruption leading to the starvation and murder made up part of the arsenal against the poor.

     We can glean several imperatives from James 5:7–12. All of these have to do with our waiting for the Lord's return. First, we must be patient for justice. Second, we must strengthen our hearts. Third, we must not complain. Fourth, we must follow godly examples of suffering. For James, neither pacifism nor revolution is the answer in suffering, rather James sets forth the prophetic model, which denounces injustice even when the perpetrator is more powerful. The prophetic model is a ministry of the word of God. Finally, we must not deal in falsehoods and desperate oaths. Blomberg and Kamell write, “the poor Christians might be tempted to use oaths to fend off creditors or to obtain credit for food and other necessities even knowing that prompt payment would be possible only with a miracle.” They go on to say, “Oaths can force us into behavior that does not glorify God. Not only can our speech bring either honor or dishonor to God; we are also to be people whose word is accepted as trustworthy, without needing to swear by anything for others to trust us.”

     The believer who exhibits patience, strength, contentment, truthfulness, and the prophetic model of the ministry of the word demonstrates what it means to live a regenerate life in the face of injustice. As the Psalmist writes, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Ps. 121:1–2).

--Rex

     Slander replaces the truth with falsehood, and in so doing, we break the ninth commandment, which says, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16). The commandment forbids making false accusations and bearing untruths against a neighbor. We may at this point remember Jesus’ teaching about the Good Samaritan. The question “Who is my neighbor?” provoked Jesus’ parable. In summary, Jesus taught us not to ask, “Who is my neighbor?” as a way of distinguishing and discriminating, but rather to ask, “Am I a good neighbor?” We can apply this to slander and the ninth commandment — Am I a good neighbor when it comes to handling the facts about my neighbors? Do I handle congregational talk as a careful and truthful steward? If I choose slander and break the commandment, then I also seek to position myself in the place of God, as lawgiver and judge. James agreed with the apostle Paul, who wrote, “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator”; and “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another” (Colossians 3:9–10; Ephesians 4:25 ESV). Brothers and sisters, we have been regenerated by God’s Spirit to imitate him as truth-tellers and to be part of a community marked by truth-telling.

     In his commentary Be Mature, Warren Wiersbe outlines verses 13–17 in this way (pp. 138–46). First, the merchants ignored God’s will (vv. 13–14, 16). James exposed the foolishness of ignoring God’s will by highlighting “the complexity of life,” “the uncertainty of life,” “the brevity of life,” and “the frailty of man.” Next, the merchants disobeyed God’s will (v. 17). The aspects of the verbs tell the story—they possessed knowledge of God’s will that should have been influencing their behavior and speech in the present, shoulder-to-shoulder of daily living and business. However, they failed to act on that knowledge in their daily affairs. Therefore, James taught them that they were sinning. Finally, Wiersbe highlights that James told them how to obey God’s will (v. 15).  Wiersbe writes, “’If the Lord wills’ is not just a statement on a believer’s lips; it is the constant attitude of his heart. ‘My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work’ (John 4:34) . . . Paul [also] did not consider the will of God a chain that shackled him; rather, it was a key that opened doors and set him free” (p. 142 [brackets mine]). Davids, another commentator, writes, “There is nothing unusual about the situation [of the young entrepreneurial merchants] . . . What bothers James is simply the presumption that one could so determine his future and the fact that these plans move forward on an entirely worldly plane in which the chief value is financial profit” (p. 172 [brackets mine]). 

     How one makes plans should be affected by thoughtfulness toward the will of God. A man or woman vocationally committed to God’s will treat their employees and co-workers with godliness and will look at their profits with eyes of regenerate religion, like in 1:26–27. There is an urgency to this life—we are like the mist. We must find, follow, and enjoy God forever. Let’s love truth and truthfulness and envision a future with God in it.

--Rex

• “Most people miss opportunity because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work” Thomas E Edison.

• “Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.” Ann Landers

• “If a window of opportunity appears, don’t pull down the shade.” Tom Peters

Do you see a common theme?

     God gives us so many opportunities to reach the unchurched/lost.  Too often we are either afraid, unsure of ourselves, blinded by the opportunity or simply don’t want to get outside of our “bubble”.  We see time and again in the Bible where God equips His children.  You have heard “God doesn’t call the equipped.  He equips the called.” God has given each of us many talents, though if not used for His glory – then in vain.  

     Plain and simple: we have VBS that starts this Sunday.  We anticipate 150-200 kids (not counting their parents).  There will be many that don’t have a church they belong to.  Even more tragic, there will be many that don’t know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  

     Additionally, Nic@Night is returning this year at the CK football field on August 8^th and 15^th.  Likewise, we anticipate many opportunities there to reach kids for Christ.  Whether it is singing in the choir, helping with the tech team, serving in the Garage, on a bereavement team, teaching Sunday school, leading in AWANA, or serving on security – God has called you to serve!

Where is He calling you to serve?

“God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8)

--Tony

     Church, thank you once again for allowing me to fill the pulpit. I am always grateful to open up God's Word with you. I would like to remind you of three truths mentioned in Sunday's sermon,

•  Once saved there is no eternal punishment for sin
  There is always grace and forgiveness at the cross! If David can murder a man, get a married woman pregnant, and be forgiven, we too can be forgiven for our sinful acts!  Remember, when you come to Christ by faith, genuinely believe in him and what he did on the cross, you’re washed and redeemed, for the rest of your life.  Will you stop sinning? Of course not.  John says, “Anyone who claims to be without sin he’s a liar.  He deceives himself”.   We all mess up, but if we confess, as 1 John reads, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.   

• Forgive others! If God is that gracious and will forgive your sin, who has sinned against you that you need to forgive?? We are to imitate Christ.

• Who’s Your Nathan! Who is willing to be courageous and loving enough to speak truth into your life!? If you don’t have a “Nathan” pray God places that person on your mind then go seek them out.   On the flip side are you playing the role of Nathan to someone else?  Personally, I need Nathans in my life to speak wisdom, encourage me, help me stay grounded in my faith, and you do too. 

     I for one am grateful the Bible doesn’t isolate us from knowing the big failures of heroes of the faith like David.  Despite those big failures, David was humble and confessed his sin. What was the result? His sin was washed away clean, gone, as far as the east is from the west!  This is the same gift given to us all through Jesus Christ. 

-Jeremy Napier

     James’ final paragraph of chapter three teaches us that there are two kinds of leaders, two kinds of wisdom, and two kinds of harvests. 

     The church needs born again leadership. Regenerate leaders have received the wisdom from above. This wisdom is marked by meekness and good conduct. When the church is sowing peace and harvesting righteousness, you can be sure that regenerate leaders are stewarding the ministry. However, if the church life is filled with quarrels, disorder, and wicked practices, the hearts of the leaders may very well be motivated by bitter jealousy and selfish ambition. The primary motivating focus of these two groups of leaders is drastically different. The former recognizes the stewardship of heaven’s provision of wisdom for God’s people, but the latter sees leadership as an opportunity to advance an individual agenda for individual glory. It may seem odd to call for born again leaders; however, the people of God have always faced temptations to put those in leadership who look the part but who do not have the heart (e.g., 1 Samuel 16).

     Two kinds of wisdom exist. James tells us that these two very different kinds of wisdom originate from two very different places. First, there is a wisdom that is not from above. Second, there is a wisdom from above. The former wisdom is described in earthly and hellish terms. The demonic and human rebellion against God demonstrated its philosophy. It has its source in wicked spirits rather than the Holy Spirit. The latter wisdom comes to us from heaven, God's dwelling place. It must come down to us; therefore, this wisdom is alien to us. It must be given; It must be received. We are not born with it; rather, we are born again with it. Again and again, James spells out the essentiality of regeneration for the faith and life of the church.

     Finally, these two kinds of leadership motivated by two very different kinds of wisdom result in two kinds of harvests. The churches to whom James wrote were already experiencing the harvest of bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, and partiality (cf. James 4). The harvest bears the fruit of quarrels, division, pride, murderous anger, and other similar fruit. Paul would see here the work of the flesh. However, James spoke of another harvest reaped by those who possess the wisdom from above. The seed that they sow is peace. Biblical peace has two connotations. First, the Old Testament connotation of peace conveys wholeness, shalom. Second, the New Testament connotation of peace emphasizes the salvation of Messiah as the only source for this wholeness. Therefore, only a leader whose life has been transformed by the gospel and who is walking in a manner worthy of the gospel can sow this seed. This seed is sown on the soil of relationships, decisions, words, and administrations in the church. The harvest from such sowing is righteousness. Righteousness here should be understood in two ways. First, the term carries its basic meaning of uprightness, and second, the term expresses a mark or a sign of the true people of God and the presence of his Spirit (cf. Phil. 1:9–11).

     James has issued a call for teachers who possess regenerate tongues (3:1–12) and regenerate wisdom (3:13–18). Regenerate words and wisdom originate from heaven, from God himself, and carry the power of sparking revival and harvesting righteousness in an unregenerate world. 

--Rex