H.E.A.R. method of reading God’s Word

Many are setting up their Christmas trees and decorations a tad bit earlier this year. The Christmas music is already in the homes and cars of America and around Alamance County. The prospect of a happier time is trying to make its place in our bewildering times in this year of the Pandemic.

Jesus came during days of great distress. The Lord Jesus, Son of God, was birthed into this world of woe. God was contracted to the womb of a mother. He left the world of glory for a world of gore. How it must have broken His heart as He saw this world from His vantage point with the Father. Yet He chose to redeem us from the works of Satan and the power of death which legally Satan held sway over us. Adam surrendered his rule and authority under God and caused great harm!

Remember that our Lord had no real joyful Christmas experience. Everything for Him was deep sorrow as He saw mankind without a Shepherd. The only tree He had to look forward to was the impending tree of death. There were no ornaments, no lights, or presents under that cross of blood. It seemed as if Heaven nor earth wanted Him as He hung on the shameful cross suspended in air.

This world still hates Him, despises Him, ignores Him, and rebukes Him. If it had its choice the world at large would physically have Him murdered again! The infection of sin is incurable in the heart of man. The ego is set so far away from God and can’t cross the chasm it has made for itself. Only God can surgically remove the stain, shame, and guilt and the power of this most disastrous virus of sin. Only He can come to us. Only He is the Great Physician!

Jesus lived in the midst of the wilderness and loneliness of a world living in sin. Nothing around Him satisfied Him or slaked His thirst. What the world gave Him was a Gethsemane and Golgotha and a Judas. What the world presented to Him was a scourging, a crown of thorns, and nails that were pounded into His hands and feet. What kind of presents from our hands for the King of glory! What love that He would give and not to revile or seek vengeance against us but for our healing!

Our Christmas season ought to center in the heart of God. Our total lives daily ought to be of Christ’s heart for His Father, His total obedience to the second person of the Godhead, and for the sons of men from Adam’s fallen human race.

May it be said of us that what we are wishing for this Christmas season is none other but the total glory of Christ! What do you give to a King who has it all? The only thing I know is our total submission to God’s anointed! And the only way to do this is submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit of Christ.

A Merry Christmas is found only in Him! A New Year is only found in Him! Eternal life begins when you bow before Him and repent and believe upon God’s only Name that will save you and me from the ravages of a lost life.

You are loved,
Pastor Don

“From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day” (Matthew 16:21).

Peter confessed “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt. 16:16), and yet the next words of Christ were not the sounds the disciples desired to hear. Leading up to and after the announcement of the identity of Jesus, God’s program was seen and foretold.

There are many misunderstandings today in our church culture. We have misunderstood the times we are in. We believe the weather report but not the Word of God. Many fail to see what God is doing in their midst.

False doctrine is rampant today as well. The yeast of false preachers have overtaken many churches and the only remedy is to remove it by the second coming of Christ. We belong to the holy nation, the kingdom of God and not the Babylon of this temporal world.

The crowd also is confused about Jesus. Do not follow the crowd, instead, let the Father reveal His Son to you and in you and confess Him to others for He is the Son of God. God is on the lookout for man who is not confused about His Son.

Another misunderstanding is that His people are to pick up their cross and follow Him. God expects us to be honest enough to live it. It does mean suffering, pain, and denying self. The only way to live is to deny self and follow Christ by faith. We should have no room for trivial pursuit, but to do business with God.

Do we really desire the power of God? Without sweat and tears there is no power. Will we be quiet enough to hear Him, brave enough to proclaim Him, and honest enough to obey Him?

Dear KMBC Family,

I want to challenge each of us in these summer months to a summer challenge called WON By One. There are at least ten ways we can share the Word of God this summer. You can share God’s Word in your neighborhood, at local events, in a hospital, at a restaurant, at a gasoline station or convenient store, with college students, at a coffee shop, on the go, at work, at a special outreach event, or even family gatherings. I want you to take a gospel tract or the gospel of John and share it with those to whom you meet.

Through prayer, eager expectation, God is able to do more than we can even ask or think. I have ordered some more Gospel of Johns to be given out, but in the meantime take tracts from the entry way and place on your body to give as God prompts you.

The Lord Jesus has called us to make disciples. We start by having our hearts ready and willing to go where He desires. We pray for our Oikos list daily. We wait upon Him for the opportunities that He gives us in sharing the Good News of the Gospel. Then we give them a tract, the gospel of John, and some witness to their hearts verbally or intentionally for the glory of God.

There are so many ways to be a patriot of the Lord Jesus. One of those ways is to give out the gospel and to speak to as many as He leads us too. From time to time I will ask how God has used you this week to speak through Him. Will you take the challenge?

It is time for our hearts to be drawn to the lost and to those who are not on God’s paths of righteousness. We must pray and do the work of the evangelist while it is day!

God’s best to you! You are loved!
Pastor Don

KMBC Family and Friends,
Let us realize that we are living in the last of the last days. It’s as plain as it can be. The warning siren is heard across this world.
Satan is the god of this world system . He is in rebellion against his Creator. Our Education system, government, media, politics, are ran by Satan. It’s all coming unglued.
This world system is in rebellion against God’s authority and it is passing away. Remember that God said it would be like this! It has to happen! The sewage of the flesh (the self-centered life) is continually spewing out of the hearts of men. God’s people are different.
We are not worried about the so-called climate change. What we are concerned about are the souls of men who have never been born of God. We are called to preach the Gospel of the Good News. We are essential to our Lord and so are others upon us.
Are you born again? Here are 9 Vital Signs from the Book of I John that give Airtight Assurance of salvation. A saved person will exhibit all of the 9 vital signs in their life, not one or two, or a few. All will be present in varying degrees if one has eternal life.

1. Vital Sign #1 – You have communion with Christ (I John 1:1-4).
2. Vital Sign #2 – You are dealing with sin by grieving over it and confessing it (I John 1:5-2:22).
3. Vital Sign #3 – You are committed to obey God’s Word ( I John 2:3-6).
4. Vital Sign # 4 – You love other believers and have compassion for them
   ( I John 2:7-11; 3:14-18; 4: 7-21).
5. Vital Sign # 5 – You have a change of affections. You no longer love the world but love the world to
   come. You love God, others, church, the Word of God (I John 2:12-17).
6. Vital Sign #6 – You comprehend the truth in God’s Word (I John 2:18-27; 4:1-6).
7. Vital Sign #7 – You are conforming to the image of Christlikeness (I John 2:28-3:10).
8. Vital Sign #8 – You are in conflict with the lifestyle of the world (I John 3:11-13).
9. Vital Sign #9 – You pray and have confidence in prayer ( I John 3:19-24; 5:14-15).
   Tell your family that this is what a Christian is. There are many who are religious but lost. Many are deceived. Matthew 7:21: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of God, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven.”
   Church is more essential more than ever. As the days grow darker God’s people shine brighter. Jesus, the Bright and Morning Star, will appear at the darkest period to rapture His people out of this world. Are you ready? Are your children? Your family? Your neighbors? Your coworkers?
   If you need further instruction, please know I’m available!
   I love you with the love of the Lord,
   Pastor Don

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

It is not amazing all the people gave glory to God for the healing of a blind man?  The Lord of love was passing through Jericho and He stopped. He healed the blind and begging  Bartimeaus (Luke 18:43). But what is so amazing about this for God loves to heal? Is this not the reason for His coming to seek and to save?

Yet when it came to Zacchaeus we find a different story. The Lord Jesus sought and spoke to Zacchaeus while he was up in a tree and then invited, of all things, Himself into this “sinner’s home” and the people grumbled (Luke 19:7). Why?

The Son of man came to “seek and to save that which is lost.” Every person is a sinner–bad sinner, good sinner, we are all sinners in the sight of God who are condemned and lost. It is our ministry to go to where all sinners are. And you know there is not a place where sinners are not!

This ought to be the key verse of our life, “the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which is lost” (Luke 19:10). It is our job to take as many sinners with us to heaven as we travel and pass through this world. May we be found in the sinner’s way!