Dear Church, 

Our hearts are saddened by all the damage inflicted upon mankind with the destruction from Hurricane Helene. 

May I give some critical thoughts for consideration? 

1. Natural disasters give us the opportunity to respond to God.  We can be angry, especially if it were our house, our business, our child lost in the rushing water, or the fallen tree.  Or we can stand in awe of the mighty power of the Almighty. 

2. The ground shook in Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee as did the other states where landfall occurred, and the storm moved up and left.  The only thing that matters to many is to be able to find firm ground to stand upon. 

3. The Bible instructs us to make sure that our lives are built upon a foundation that will never be shaken, a foundation that is not subject to the unpredictable forces of nature. 

4. At Mt. Sinai, the Bible records the first earthquake as God gave the law to Moses.  Why?  God expects and commands those who are created by Him to tremble and be in awe of His power.  His voice speaks of the content of the moral law; the voice of nature (earthquake) spelled out God’s power and authority.  The Ten Commandments shouted His rules for living; the Trembling of Nature shouted His rules for worshipping.  We are to fear Him for this is not only appropriate but commanded. 

5. God also spoke at Mt. Calvary and the earth quaked.  Jesus spoke words of kindness, mercy, and love even while He was being judged for our sins.  We should listen. “Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking.  For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to Listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven!”  When God spoke from Mount Sinai His voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise:  “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” 

6. The earth will not go on forever.  Earthquakes and hurricanes remind us that life is short and that God will re-create a new heaven and a new earth.  Only what is eternal will remain. 

7. We are to know that tragedies are teachers that instruct us to hold on to Christ tightly and hold everything else loosely. 

The Eternal Kingdom will never be shaken.  Find your Firm ground to stand upon and thank God for His Unshakeable Kingdom. 

Pastor Don 

People of God,

If we are His friends then He desires for us to know some future events that affect us and will effectively work in us.

We will be studying the 24th chapter of Matthew for our series of the “Hope-Filled Olivet Discourse”. We will learn the future for the nation of Israel and for the church.

Is the coming of Jesus for His church soon? We will look and study God’s Word and prepare for Him. What about four of His disciples who asked Him for future events? Who were they? Why is it called the Olivet Discourse?

Would you care to know that what is taking place with so many who are not studying the Word of God nor desire to do so? What does the Word of God say about those who are not Christian at all?

Who are the Nationals taken away at the catching away of the church? Can we know when He is coming? Can we know when the second coming of Christ will take place? We have abundant truths in God’s Word. Are there signs of His coming?

What does the rebirth of Israel say to us? All of what we will be looking at will be eye-opening.

Join us and sober up! He is coming soon!

Pastor Don

Dear Kinnett,

When I left the church’s building after our service this past morning several matters gripped my soul.  

1. I thought of those traveling home in the heavy rain and I asked the Lord for their safety.
2. I thought of those who were at home who truly are not well, and I prayed for them.
3. I thought of an illustrative point made at the beginning of my message yesterday too.  “A pastor met up with a delinquent church member and said to him that he had missed him for several weeks at the church meeting.  The man replied back to the pastor, ‘Well, you know, the children have been sick, we’ve been out-of-town, and besides that, it’s been raining.”  And the pastor said, “Well, it’s dry over at the church.”  And the delinquent church member said, “Yea, that’s another reason.”

While I traveled home my heart was lifted up to the Lord in prayer that He would send a deluge of rain to take the dryness away from our homes, communities, and churches.  We need more than “Mercy Drops Round Us Are Falling” for we are in great need of a flood sent from God upon the dry and parched ground.

Only the reading of the Word of God and the praying of the Word back to God will move the heart and hand of God.  The church is too busy today.  We hustle and bustle around while accomplishing nothing but clouds without water.

Please take time to pray.  Take time to be holy.  Take time to behold Him!

God, burden us of the aridness that surrounds us and is in us.  Prepare us for Spiritual Rain.

Pastor Don

There are four important truths to learn:

1. Take God seriously

He is the Sovereign God of the universe. He is not the man upstairs or the good guy next door. From the day of our conception to the day of our death we are to hold Him in awe.

2. Believe His Word

We have the mind and heart of God in print. Many paid a great price to hand it off to each of us. He is honored as we read and heed His message from His own lips that are breathed out in print in our own language. The Word changes us to His truth.

3. Confess Sin Quickly

Get your minds off of the evening news or any news that would preoccupy you. It’s a fog that can disillusion you from the real world. Yes, be in the know, but do not allow your life to be accumulating sin. Confess and walk with God under a full sun.

4. Refuse All Hypocrisy

Be who you are and not who others will you to be. Find your identity in the Lord Jesus Christ. Keep yourself off of the pedestals of this world or even your own world. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. We are accountable to Him.

Thanksgiving is a result of being filled with the Spirit of God. We are not thankful for one day but for every day of the year. Even in the bad circumstances, we should be focused on Him-the Author and Finisher of our faith. Only the Spirit of God can make us truly thankful. If you have the life of Christ in you then you have the greatest of possibilities to be thankful.

It is only God in you who will allow you to rejoice, to sing, to be aware of what He is doing. Only as you and I stay in constant contact with our Savior can we know what it means to be true to worship, pray, and praise. If we are not consciously thinking of His presence in us then we will back out of the Throne Room of God and find nothing but the world, the flesh, and Satan enticing us to our own resources.

How sad it is when we are in the reality of the presence of Christ in us! Turn from sin and turn to the Savior. Live and move and have your being in Him.

May we think so we may thank!