The last fifteen weeks have been active with uncertainty, challenge, and anxiety for all of us. “What have we learned?” I’ve taken some time to jot down some serious and challenging thoughts to my heart in the wake of this virus that seems to linger on and on and on. And within the umbrella of the virus much damage is falling upon our heads even to this day.
The Brevity of Life: “Life is short, death is sure, sin the cause, Christ is the cure.”
The Depravity of the Heart: Man is affected by the disease of sin in every part of his being. His mind, emotions, and will is affected by sin. Nothing is left out.
The Beauty of Jesus: None other is as wonderful as Jesus. When your eyes head to Calvary the world has no attraction. One day all will see the beauty of the One they despised.
The Unity of Saints: There is the presence and power of Christ when God’s people are right with Him and with each other. Healing takes place in all areas of life.
Some of my thoughts:

1. God is in control. “The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom ruleth over all” (Psalm 103:19). God has either authored this or consciously allowed it. No other explanation for this day!
2. This is a Test! “He that is unjust, let him but unjust still; and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still, and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still” (Revelation 22:11).
   The pandemic has revealed the hearts of man. As a tree falls that shall it lie. If this hasn’t brought us to the center of God’s will then we find how sinful we are. Unless we are changed by God’s Spirit and God’s Word we will not be altered. No amount of preaching will change a man’s heart if it is not hearing God.
3. People are fearful. The reason for much of the fear is because life on earth means more than life in heaven. Nothing belongs to us and there is nothing that will keep us. God owns everything. We came
   into this world with nothing and we shall leave this world with nothing. All we are will be who we are when we leave this world.
4. Media and Political rants on TV, Facebook, Twitter, and other avenues are expressions which reveal the shallowness of faith in Christ. Hatred is real, sin is real, Satan is alive, and this world system is not a
   friend of God. We can give our opinions, but it is all for naught if prayer is next to nil.
5. The Bible is being fulfilled right before our eyes. Many are saying this, but many are not living this.
   Noah was moved with fear to build the ark to the saving of his family. Russia is raising up like a bear on his side out of sleep and China is manipulative and revengeful. The Bible reveals this and the Islamic
   nations are enraged.
6. The reason many are not attached to the church body is because the Holy Spirit does not dwell within them. “If any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Romans 8:9). We live today with
   professions of faith with little possession of Christ. “Nice people now are becoming wicked people” as physical supplies are limited, and material gain is not available.
7. Many homes are broken (not all) because many Christians are not broken over their personal sinfulness. Weapons of Mass Distractions have overtaken the believer. He has removed himself from right
   living and that “he cannot see afar off, and has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins” (2 Peter 2:9).
8. Many souls are restless. They are not resting in Christ. They are looking for anything to fill the void in their life. Like Satan, they are going to and fro throughout the earth looking for satisfaction, a way out of the boredom of life.
9. A braggart nation is a nation that boasts of her prosperity. People vote their pocketbooks and wallets.
   God knows how to stop it. Many people do not know how to save money but spend it as soon as they have it, and therefore dependency upon government is their God. Fiscal responsibility has been thrown out of the window by our politicians, so why not the people of the land?
10. Our educational system is greatly struggling (public and home-school) because we are not preparing our children to be arrows in the hand of God. Instead of shooting them out into the world to reach sinners we
    are teaching them to isolate themselves from the world and to succeed in this life.
11. Homes are not praying. Husbands and wives are not in joint prayer. Many homes are in trouble and others are separated from each other in their own house. It is causing much demise to the work of God.
    The remedy is awaiting the broken soul in humiliation and humility.
12. The youth of today have not an anchor to hold them up. The only Anchor to ground them against the gravity of sin and death is Jesus who is hidden behind the veil of heaven. Anarchy and apostasy and
    apathy are now an integral part of the nations of the world. Our youth do not know their left hands from their right.
13. Mob rule has now replaced the law of the land. Many laws are now disregarded and unenforced. It’s hard to know the truth when the news is so hyped. Church now can be silenced, shackled, and shut down by local, statewide, and national government. Satanic anger will be the future for churches who preach the gospel.
14. We live in a twisted world where good is evil and evil is good. History is torn down and now anything that speaks of our Lord (church buildings, images of Christians, pictures of Jesus) is now fair game for
    destruction. The devil has now used both sides of the political process to get his gain.
15. In a crisis, the cream will rise to the top and the debris will sink to the bottom. Prayer will remain the leader’s cry and the Bible will be His weapon.
16. Our only hope is Jesus Christ! The problem is the heart of man and only a Savior can change the heart which changes lives which changes the world around him. This world is going down like the Titanic.
    Implosion of past history is promised but the Kingdom of God and His righteousness is just ahead. The birth pangs of this world are giving place to the King and His rule, and those who follow after Him will
    have a position in His Kingdom.
    There is something sadder and more tragic than catastrophes, difficulty, dire straits, and quandary situations: It is to go through these things and learn nothing. Remember this: We are all heading Somewhere and that Somewhere is to Someone and His name is Jesus! All will stand before Him and may you and I be a part of the Master’s Minority who are faithful.
    It’s not over yet! The Lord is coming again!
    Pastor Don

God is talking, are we listening? In these last days He is speaking to us through His Son, the Lord Jesus. Times are fleeing and lives are valued by what we do with Jesus. But are we listening? How far have we drifted from God and His voice? Have we become more dull of hearing and distracted by the things of the day? Satan is our invisible enemy.

I am praying that my world will hear what God is saying, and to the church may we hear her Shepherd and draw nigh to His side. The world needs to realize that repentance is a necessity and only the Holy Spirit can reveal Christ to the lost and of its unbelief in His Son. They are dead in trespasses and sins and only He can give life. He is the Creator and Redeemer! All things began by Him and they will end in Him. And all will stand before Him! And one day all will kneel before Him!

The people of God should examine themselves and to repent of her selfishness and fleshly ways. We should know better but we have a drift as well from God’s ways. Our ways are not His ways and therefore we must know Him, hear Him, so as to follow Him. As the church goes so goes the family, the city, the country, and the world. Without the church who is to become a part of the conscience which awakens the sinner all will continue in its apostasy. So will the church listen to what God is saying to her? Will we love, pray, witness, give, confess our need to Him, or will we continue to try to deafen what He is saying? He is slow to judgment and yet He is great in mercy!

May we draw nigh and He has promised to draw nigh to us. Listen to Him!

Pastor Don

Every year draws closer to the Lord’s return. He has been received in Heaven awaiting the day of all things to completely be fulfilled before He comes again. His plan is on purpose and deliberate. From the creation of the galaxies to this globe, God determined to settle the mystery of iniquity and to defeat all evil and wickedness. One glorious day there will never be the movement of sin.

When all vestige of sin is taken away there will never be the thought of worry, sorrow, and death. It was sin that brought all that is bad, but it was our sin that brought our Savior all the way down from His home which was to set us free from the tyranny of Satan’s works.

Let’s ask ourselves if we have seen anyone come to Christ during this year personally in our walk and talk of Jesus? Do we need revival in our lives? Have we grown accustomed to the culture and the ways of man? Are we asleep in the household of faith? Does what the pastor says shake you to your core through the messages? Do you get mad at the message, or sad, and then glad because you understand. These are real questions we need to answer ourselves. People are not looking for pat answers in their sorrows, they are searching for that which is real and true, they want to see Jesus in you.

God’s people in the beginning of the church age were people of extreme joy, deliberation, discipline, and worship. Though they were persecuted they endured, and they overcame. Our world of America is fast becoming a thing of the past. We can have a booming economy, freedom of religion, and open doors in our churches, but if we do not become a bastion of faith ourselves as individuals then we are only fooling ourselves to believe all is okay.

Let’s ask God to give revival in us. Are we seeing the burning bush of revival in us who is the Holy Spirit. Let’s examine our hearts by His Word and through His Spirit. You see, it takes more than just doing church work! Our church work must begin with Him in the holy sanctuary of our lives. We are the temples of the Holy Spirit. He lives within and indwells us as believers. And the church is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

If nothing is happening through us that is unexplainable than we need to look up and look within. Only that which is unexplainable can be said it is of God. God’s people are supernaturally natural and naturally supernatural. Think on that for a while . God’s people are saved, separated, sanctified, supernatural, splendid people. They witness without witnessing because it is Christ working through them.
May we have 20/20 vision for the year 2020.

I do love you dearly,
Pastor Don

December 2019

That Name! Jesus!

There’s no other name as great as the name of Jesus. Names are most important especially when you move into the world of the Bible. It is in this context that God put a face on Himself and called His name Jesus. God’s only begotten Son came into the world of names. Names such as Adam, Abraham, Ahab, Abner, some good names, others bad in character.

The Bible says of the Lord Jesus, “Thou shalt call His name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew1:21). I remember our youth carrying that banner down Main Street in Graham one Christmas holiday season along with all kinds of floats, people, and animals. I felt so good about that name and prayed as we carried the banner that others would love the Name that loved them.

Remember to take that name, Jesus, with you this Christmas Season. This child born on Christmas Day is both God and man! As man, He was born and shared in sinless human nature. As God, He was given-the Father’s love-gift to a sinful world. This child would be God in human flesh. That is amazing!
And He died in our place for the glory of the Father!

One day all will bow at the feet of Jesus. Men should bow now and shall bow then. All creation will bow and kneel before this blessed Name. I pray that if you don’t know that Name that you will find His Name in your heart of hearts. Let’s share the Name that all Heaven sings about and rejoices over this Christmas season. May we share that name, bear that name, and wear that name so that all the world would know that His name is Wonderful!

KMBC Family,

The H.E.A.R. Journal is one of the best methods I know in getting to know the God who loves you. As you connect with your church in reading the Scripture together on a daily basis, you will find that after your reading, meditating, and journaling, you can find prayer better and more effective.

• Learn to Highlight the verse or verses that God is using for that day.
• Explain the verses in the context of what the writer is saying.
• Apply the Scripture to your life and what God is saying to you.
• Respond to God in praise, thanksgiving, repentance, or in action toward
  someone.

Use the H.E.A.R. Method of reading the Word and allow the Word to get into you and for you to get into the Word.