Happy Thanksgiving to all! Be blessed and most of all thankful to the Lord Jesus Christ for all we have in Him today!

Enjoy your day wherever it may bring you, and know that Jesus is there!

Be blessed!

Pastor Kevin <><

Psalms 100:4 (AMP)  - "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name!"

The Appointed Time

The Preacher in the Book of Ecclesiastes tells us that there is a time for everything.

Probably the one that grabs us the most is the "a time to live, and a time to die".

Not being brought up in a bible believing home, I think I first heard those words in the Byrds song, "Turn, Turn, Turn".

A few thousand years after the Preacher's words, a newlywed couple, were settled somewhere in Bethlehem with the wife ready to give birth.

I could add to this with all the common myths and embellishments we have become accustomed to attaching to the story, but I am very conscientious about being true to the Word of God.

For instance, we really don't know if Mary was on the back of mule. We don't know if they arrived in Bethlehem that night, or if they had been there for several weeks. We are not even really sure what kind of an environment Jesus was actually born in. A manger is clearly something he was "laid in" not surrounded by. There is no evidence of ever speaking to an innkeeper, so they may have actually stayed with relatives because the inns were full. 

Shocked? You'll be more shocked in the coming days.

However, these are not the important elements of the story.

What's important is this:

Luke 2:6 - "And while they were there, the time came for her delivery."

The Appointed Time.

The time when God chose to introduce His Only Begotten Son to the world.

The Incarnation.

The God made flesh. The God/Man Jesus Christ.

Emmanuel...God with us.

The Chosen Messiah of the world.

That's what really matters.

The Appointed Time.

The most important event in the history of the world.

Every year we relive it.

If we can squeeze it in between Thanksgiving and New Years.

If we can recover enough from Black Friday to cope.

If we don't succumb to the anxiety and stress caused by the multitudes who secularly keep the "holiday".

If we actually slow down, no, stop to breathe in the Words of God and contemplate them.

Good grief, the "time came". Never before, never to be again.

Jesus was about to be born.

Can you gather up that expectation within yourself again? Can you relive it in your heart?

It would be a good thing, because I sense, really sense in my spirit, that many people have lost it.

Yes friends, lost it.

And if you have lost Christmas in your heart, you have lost everything.

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

What's All This About "Peace On Earth"?

Ever see the bumper sticker..."Know Jesus, Know Peace...No Jesus, No Peace"?

Very clever play on words actually. Also very correct.

Generally, most people subscribe to the more across the board, generic type application of either getting "the peace that passes all understanding", or, Jesus as being described as the "Prince of Peace".

All are correct and proper, and also very true.

However, few find perhaps one of the most grandiose and exciting references to "peace" wrapped up in the story read umpteen times over the course of a long life every single Christmas.

Here it is:

Luke 2:14 - "Glory to God in the highest [heaven], and on earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased [men of goodwill, of His favor]."

To borrow a premise from a well known 1980's hamburger commercial, let me pose a question:

Where's the peace?

People want to know.

They read the gospel account where it says the angels actually made a pronouncement, a declaration of fact, that explicitly states that there would not only be peace on earth, but also good will toward men as a result of the birth of Christ. It was supposed to change everything!

So where is it? Where's this peace? Where's all this good will that's supposed to be oozing from the pores of joyful humanity and extending it to others?

There actually seems to be less peace, joy, and good will on earth than ever in the course of human history.

Has the bible been proven untrue? Is God a liar? Was Luke (a physician) under the influence of some powerful ancient psychedelics and had a drug induced false vision?

No, none of that.

The bible is quite true, and God has not lied. Luke has only recorded the story as it had been told him.

The problem lies in a mixture of sloppy hermeneutics, religious tradition, bad theology, etc., etc., etc.

Blame the King James Version if you want. It does not translate the passage correctly.

The one I posted above does. So does virtually every other properly interpreted translation.

The angels never promised peace on earth for everyone who lives on it.

They declared there would peace and good will for those whom God was pleased with.

That changes things.

Since we are talking about a "few good men", let me ask you in my best Jack Nicholson..."Are we clear?"

I hope you respond in your best Tom Cruise..."Crystal."

That's it. There is peace on earth for those who please God, which is accomplished by acknowledging and accepting His Son Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and thereby becoming born-again.

As an added result and by-product, what little actual goodwill that's floating around on this planet is largely on account of those who are pleasing to God. 

The rest are locked into a bitter dog-eat-dog struggle that will eventually consume them lock, stock, and barrel, not only in the here and now, but in the here and after.

"No Jesus, No Peace...Know Jesus, Know Peace".

If you know Him, then you know exactly what I mean. If you don't know Him, you really do know what I mean, but you may not be at the place where you are ready to admit it.

Let me just interject here that Christmas is a great time to get that straightened out.

Get your mind off of Rudolph, Frosty, lights, wreaths, shopping, trees, etc., at least momentarily, but long enough to simply get to a quiet place and contemplate how not submitting to Christ is working out for you.

I hope this Christmas is your best ever!

Be blessed...

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

Scenes From A Prison

The earth shook. The prison went dark. Walls and gates collapsed. Chains and shackles were broken apart. Prisoners were free to escape. The jailer was on the verge of killing himself as he believed many surely took full advantage.

Acts 16:28 - "But Paul shouted, Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!"

The jailer, so stunned, and so impressed and thankful for Paul and Silas, and recognizing they represent God, falls at their feet.

He sees something supernatural in them. He senses their rightness in Jesus Christ.

He had been listening to their songs. He had been listening to their preaching to the other prisoners.

The Philippian jailer wanted some of that!

Acts 16:30 - "And he brought them out [of the dungeon] and said, Men, what is it necessary for me to do that I may be saved?"

He was probably thinking there was a great work to be done. Some chores. Some duties. A club to join.

He must have been surprised at the response.

Acts 16:31 - "And they answered, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ [give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping] and you will be saved, [and this applies both to] you and your household as well."

A simple task as far as performing goes.

Let go of yourself and trust Jesus Christ.

My, how we've complicated that over the centuries.

Stop trying to do it alone. Put yourself squarely in the hands of your Creator, and not only will it work for you, but your family as well.

The least common denominator? Trust Jesus.

Anything that teaches anything more or less than that is a corrupted gospel.

Acts 16:32 - "And they declared the Word of the Lord [the doctrine concerning the attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God] to him and to all who were in his house."

Paul and Silas went to the jailer's home and preached the gospel to his family, and they were all saved as well.

How do we know? Because they submitted. They agreed to be baptized.

Acts 16:33 - "And he took them the same hour of the night and bathed [them because of their bloody] wounds, and he was baptized immediately and all [the members of] his [household]."

We have even turned that into a ritualistic religious endeavor.

Have you ever contemplated why we are to be baptized? Why Jesus commanded that we do that?

Well, there it is.

It's proof that we submitted.

Unless the jailer and his family submitted to be baptized we would not have the proof 2,000 years later that they had actually believed in the first place.

Even today our submission to the waters of baptism is simply an outward sign as to what Jesus has done in our heart.

What's the point of all this today?

Submit and don't complicate it.

This time of the season is a great time to fully submit. It's a great time to share with others what Jesus has done for you as well.

If you blink Christmas will be gone, and another opportunity will have slipped by.

You can choose to grow the Kingdom.

Or you can be religious.

I hope you are meditating every day on what God has done for you in Christ. I pray that this Christmas will be your most meaningful ever.

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

Trauma: Life In The ER (Earth Realm)

Trauma. Traumatic. Traumatized.

The effect particular incidents and scenarios have upon us as life plays out.

We tend to look at the outwardly obvious cases of those who have been declared as having suffered a trauma, or have been traumatized. It could be physical, emotional, psychological...

Listen...we have all suffered trauma.

Birth is a trauma.

Funny we don't remember that.

I have noticed over the years that the psychiatric sector enjoys drawing out past traumas from people in an effort to effect a healing.

I don't think that's such a good idea.

I don't think God thinks it's a good idea.

I think God has taken measures when comprising the makeup of the human being to protect us from past repressed trauma.

The Word says in Heb. 12:2: "Look (affix our attention) to (upon) Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith."

Many of us have suffered terrible trauma even from the time of our childhood.

Many of us walked a self-destructive life path for years.

In my opinion, those things only become of importance when we have nothing else to focus on.

In other words, don't dwell in the past. We were what we were. We did what we did. What happened happened.

Move on.

Unless you don't have anything to move on to.

Therein lies the rub.

Even Newton's physical laws tell us that a body in motion tends to stay in motion, and a body at rest tends to stay at rest. Unless acted upon by an outside force.

Applying that law spiritually, if that outside force is a God driven positive we will go forward and that continually.

Jesus has told us several times in the gospels to keep moving forward without hindrance.

"Let he dead bury the dead." "Plow the straight line" (impossible when looking behind you). "Get rid of all encumbrances and follow Me."

This could be the answer for many people today.

Where is your attention directed?

Do you dwell on past hurts which cultivate unforgiveness and kill the spirit?

Do you live in a perpetual state of melancholia which saturates the spirit with sadness and tears?

The doldrums. The blues. Depression.

I suppose you can go get a pill that will mask the symptoms, but it never really goes away.

It never goes away until you decide where your attention and affection is focused.

It's Jesus. Fix your attention upon Him. Follow Him. Don't look back. Look at Him. Engage Him. 

Your path will be straight, your thinking will be clear, and your life will have new meaning.

Be blessed and know that I am praying for you today!

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

That Hometown Jesus Boy

Mark's gospel gives us the account of when Jesus went back to his hometown of Nazareth and was rejected by all of the people who knew Him when he was a boy and a young man.

"That Jesus fellow is s strange one alright."

They just couldn't get past the fact of who he used to be.

They couldn't accept Him in His present role as Messiah.

The Word says that Jesus "marveled" at their unbelief.

The tragic part of the passage is contained in Mark 6:3 - "And they took offense at Him and were hurt [that is, they disapproved of Him, and it hindered them from acknowledging His authority] and they were caused to stumble and fall."

It says they were hurt and hindered. They disapproved of Him. They were offended by Him.

They couldn't put away the image of perhaps a snot nosed little kid trampling over their rose bushes.

They couldn't get past the fact hat the guy who once fashioned their tables and chairs was now claiming to be the Son of God.

Can you identify?

How about when you get saved and in your exuberance evangelize your family and friends and co-workers only to be met with a lesser exuberance than your own?

How about when they start to avoid you because you are just going to start talking that "God stuff" again?

How about under you own roof when you hear Sunday after Sunday, "You go to church honey, I'm just not really into that religious stuff".

"That _____ is a strange one alright."

Jesus relates.

Jesus doesn't like being limited, which is what He was as a result of unbelief.

Mark says that Jesus could only do a few minor acts of healing at Nazareth because the level of unbelief was so high.

The one place where perhaps He wanted His greatest triumph became the place of disappointment: His own hometown.

"A prophet is not without honor except in his own hometown."

From what I can ascertain from that passage the culprit really is stubborn unwillingness to submit to the authority of Jesus Christ.

It's typical, but not insurmountable.

Those of us who are His disciples today have done it.

We are healed and assisted instead of hurt and hindered.

Many are puzzled by our testimonies of miracles and God's providence in our lives.

It confounds the stubborn who refuse to yield.

The Rock of Offense becomes a tripping stone instead of a place of refuge.

I would like to say this is all about "the others".

However, I have seen it right in the very place one would least expect.

I have seen it in the churches.

Time and time again.

There are people in the pews who have never submitted it all to Jesus.

Not in 5 years. Not in 10 years. Not in 50 years.

The rising tide of problems and difficulties always sits just below the nostrils, not quite consuming and drowning them, but never allowing for deliverance into the full flow of grace.

I call it treading water.

Jesus wants us to swim, not merely tread water.

So how about yourself today?

Fully submitted? 

It might cause some rejection from your own household, but Jesus has disallowed any excuse for not following Him fully.

Become all of His. Every fiber. Sold out lock, stock, and barrel. 

The decision carries eternal benefits.

Be blessed today!

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

www.reallifect.com

Ignorance Is Not Bliss

Ignorance is dangerous. Ignorance will kill the soul, and may even kill the body at times.

I have discovered there are at least two types of ignorance.

There is the dull, bewildered, unaware type of ignorance where some people just really don't realize what is going on spiritually. 

Then there is the smug, intelligent, purposeful ignorance that sets a person steadfastly against God. This type of ignorance is punishable and hellbound.

This is what Paul is speaking about in the following passage:

Romans 10:3 (Amplified Bible) - "For being ignorant of the righteousness that God ascribes [which makes one acceptable to Him in word, thought, and deed] and seeking to establish a righteousness (a means of salvation) of their own, they did not obey or submit themselves to God's righteousness."

The difficulty is in the "establishing of a righteousness of their own", and where they do not "submit themselves to God's righteousness".

That insinuates a calculated, well though out, premeditated plan that is contrary to God's.

"Claiming to be wise, they became fools [professing to be smart, they made simpletons of themselves]." (Romans 1:22)

Some of the statements by simpletons professing to be wise in things concerning God wold be downright hysterical if not so downright sad and tragic.

Friends, stay true to the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Remember this from Paul:

2 Cor. 2:13-14 - "And we are setting these truths forth in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the [Holy] Spirit, combining and interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language [to those who possess the Holy Spirit]. (14) But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated."

You who are filled with the Holy Spirit have an enlightenment others do not. It makes the difference between wise and being a simpleton. Even if one claims to know the bible backwards and forwards, it means nothing if they have not read it with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. They might as well be reading "Gone With The Wind." The "understanding" they will receive by their own interpretation will be incomplete, even perverted.

They are literally incapable of achieving anything from the Word without the Holy Spirit.

You who have the Holy Spirit on the other hand, will continue to be amazed at the things He brings forth into your mind and out of your mouth during the moments you need them.

Be blessed today in all you do! Go with the Holy Spirit today, and run it all past Jesus first!

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

www.reallifect.com