Up A Tree is Where We Need to Be

February 2021

KMBC Family & Friends,

What a year we have already experienced! Covid has divided many churches, families, and good men. It has broken unity and shattered harmony. What I love about the church of the Living God is that we are bound together, it is not artificial, it is Christ’s body.

The church is marked by truth, “continuing steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine.” They met together, they truly loved God’s Word and the teachings. They were in one accord for God’s program and Kingdom. Their fellowship was around the Lord’s death and resurrection. And they prayed together.

The church is marked by the tie. We are tied together by the Holy Spirit and our fellowship is in Him for we are identified in Christ as one. We are not two fellows in a ship, we truly fellowship together in Christ.

The church is marked by the table. We fellowship together by the Lord’s table. We recognize His death for each of us as we commune together in the Lord’s Communion.

The church is marked by the throne. We pray together, we receive great power together and His great presence when we meet together to pray.

The world around us will fear God as we fear Him above all fears.

The fear of the pandemic, loss of jobs, etc., have brought in a lot of reactions. Today we see violence, division, delusion, distraction, and deliberate sin. What did Noah do? He kept building. What about Paul? He kept winning souls. What about us? We will continue to rescue the perishing, care for the dying, and pray for the return of Christ.

I don’t know what tomorrow holds but I do know that we need to be ready and prepared. I heard a preacher this morning say “You better eat your ice cream before it melts.” Friends, we better do today what can’t be done tomorrow.

Are we ready? We need to return to Him before He returns.

I love you in the Lord. Pray for me, please. I’m praying ahead, planning ahead, preaching for the times we are in because I love the Lord and I love you.

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!

God has placed the local church in divinely appointed areas. We are located in Burlington near the interstate not far from downtown. While we are a body of believers that gather weekly we are also a church that scatters daily.

There is a scene that we do not see. It is the invisible spiritual world that is playing its game of havoc upon mankind in the physical visible world. When the church is not available in prayer then the invisible world runs amuck upon the visible world.

As the church is on the scene and praying then we know that the invisible spiritual world of God is available to us. When God’s presence is thick and real then sin is defeated and Satan is deposed. Prayer is needed to ask God for His activity.

May we pray and go in the name that is above every name. Prayer gives us wisdom, power, and purity. Prayerlessness is terrible. There is power in congregational prayer and power in the individual prayer. Let’s Pray. We can’t see the wind but we can feel it. So what we see and feel is dependent upon God’s people as we pray.

Our church’s address is no mistake.  God has placed us here to reach out to those who surround us in our neighborhood.  We have this great privilege and responsibility before God.

The Lord has also given us the privilege to live where we do.  It is here on our streets that we become mission minded to those who are our neighbors.  We have the great joy of mastering the art of neighboring.  Our neighbors need Christ, and we have the tool to do just this.

What do we do as we gather in our church buildings?  We learn who we are, and that God has given us a special commission to reach others through prayer and discipleship.  It is our responsibility to share and God’s responsibility to save.

Let’s refocus our prayer ministry toward our neighbors.

Love in Christ,

Pastor Don

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 

Take the resource we have provided from the Pocket Testament League, The Gospel of John, and give it out to family, friends, and others through any means you can.

 

The Lottie Moon Christmas is a great way to give so that our foreign missionaries can share the Good News of Christ overseas. Consider a sacrificial gift to enhance and enable. The costs to keep a family overseas, on average, are about $141.00 a day.

 

What a great way to invest the month of December! The Christ of Christmas is coming again!