SUCH A DEAL (BLACK FRIDAY WARNING)

DOC LYNCH·FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2019·2 MINUTES

Today is "Black Friday". The day when all of your area stores will offer deals on merchandise that is hard to resist.

It has become known as the "kickoff" of the Christmas season.

What a way to start Christmas, huh?

Talk about jumping off on the wrong foot.

I participated once many years ago.

Once. That's all it took.

I witnessed the behavior of people transformed by greed treating each other rudely, literally bordering upon physical confrontation, all for the almighty "deal".

What is the old, now politically incorrect term again? Oh yeah, Merry Christmas.

Not me. I made up my mind after being horrified by the rampant, even violent commercialization of Christmas, that I would never subject myself to that again.

The exchange rate is too high. I don't care how much of a deal I might think I'm getting. It doesn't balance out with feeding the beast of "faux X-mas".

Of course it's not just the one day. It's the entire season commencing with "Christmas light" which we celebrated yesterday.

I think the word "consumer" has taken on an entirely different connotation.

Who (or what) is consuming who?

I conjure up a vision of approaching two people having a hair pulling contest over the last Transformer toy on the shelf, and calmly asking, "So, what does Christmas mean to you?".

Or maybe stand at the business end of a very long checkout line, reading the faces of frustration and shouting out, "Everybody who is born-again raise your hands!".

Even though yesterday is a secular national holiday, it is good to use the premise of thankfulness to launch us off into the next phase.

Christmas. Not "X-mas", not "Happy Holidays". It's Christmas.

It means something real.

The incarnate Son of God has taken His place in the human race to introduce us to the Kingdom of God.

It would proceed on to the real "Black Friday", and which would culminate with the glory of the Christ we have become familiar with in our life as His disciples.

Be strong out there today my friends. Particularly those of you who have developed a "strategy". Hold onto your soul. Don't exchange what is precious for a deal.

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]."

Be at peace. Be of good will. Be mindful of His glory today.

Make sure you’re one of “whom He is well pleased”.

~Pastor Doc Lynch~

Vital Signs

VITAL SIGNS

DOC LYNCH·THURSDAY, JULY 11, 20195 Reads

Abounding love. The Spirit of Christ is abounding love.

Love that transcends all situations and conquers the negative in Him.

Love that extends beyond the shortsightedness of our own anger and disappointments.

Abounding love is unconditional and never tainted by narrow minded self effacing dogma.

If one has the abounding love of Christ they will never turn away in frustration and fear, but will allow that love to strike out ahead and in advance of every step they take.

Paul said in 1 Cor. 13, that if we have not this abounding love of Christ, this "agape" love (Greek for the God kind of love), then we are just clanging, banging, noisemakers.

Paul expounded further.

Philippians 1:9-10 - "And this I pray: that your love may abound yet more and more and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight [that your love may display itself in greater depth of acquaintance and more comprehensive discernment], 10) So that you may surely learn to sense what is vital, and approve and prize what is excellent and of real value [recognizing the highest and the best, and distinguishing the moral differences], and that you may be untainted and pure and unerring and blameless [so that with hearts sincere and certain and unsullied, you may approach] the day of Christ [not stumbling nor causing others to stumble].

It's my prayer as well.

Learn what is vital, and understand it through the love of Christ.

Do not be found in error especially where there is much at stake.

Be conscious of the fact that your stumbling and bumbling retributive knee jerk responses to issues you disagree with in life will not only cause others to start to take on your poor example, but will destroy the foundation of love for you and all around you.

Love must display itself, or bitterness will replace it.

There is no gray area.

There is love or absence of love.

No middle ground. Either/or.

A little love in the midst of much hatred is no love at all.

This is why Paul prayed that it would be revealed to us.

He knew the consequences.

He was wrong once himself when he misunderstood his participation in the stoning of Stephen as being the result of his love for God.

In reality? God HATED what Paul (as Saul) had done.

Terrible atrocities are committed in the name of religion.

I am glad (true) Christianity is not a religion, but rather a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus never fails.

Never.

Place Him first and foremost smack in the middle of EVERYTHING!

Keepin’ it REVIVED,

~Pastor Doc Lynch~

DREAM A LITTLE DREAM

Dreams are biblical.

In fact it may be one of the most common topics in all of scripture.

Dreams are different than hopes, but may intersect often.

My dreams tend to be while I am awake and perhaps more in the form of visions.

They are almost always spiritual, most always concern the church and people, and hardly ever concern myself or my own personal life.

My dreams are a longing to see the desires of Christ fulfilled in His Church.

I dream of the day when the Kingdom work is supported so fully that the Church makes a difference in the community it serves.

I dream of the day when the Church overflows with lives so changed that four walls will not contain them.

I dream of the day when men will man up in Christ and take their proper place in the plan of God and stop passing off that responsibility to their wives.

I dream of the day when people will gather around the study of the Word of God in great numbers not just when it is convenient for themselves, but because they recognize how vital and necessary it is to their spiritual health.

I dream of the day when people stop talking about being #2 to Jesus and actually step down and relinquish that spot to Him.

I dream of the day when people realize how badly they are missed when they routinely disregard church for other activities.

Why the opening of the heart today?

It's biblical. Even though it rubs against the grain for me, it's biblical. I MUST share.

Jeremiah 23:28 (Amplified Bible) - "The prophet who has a dream, let him tell his dream; but he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully."

It's a package. It's a responsibility. It's a burden.

I speak His word.

I fail to tell the dream.

I'm always afraid I'll hurt someone.

God tells me to let Him worry about that.

After all, I am starting to qualify for "...your old men shall dream dreams." (Joel, Acts)

Well oldER men anyway. lol!

The joy is in Him and I long to see that manifest for everyone.

Hey, I can dream, can't I?

Run it all past Jesus first.

Keepin' it Real,

~Doc~    <><

Visit my blog at: http://keepinitrealpastorkevin.blogspot.com/

FLATTENED

There may be some things that are better flat. Like bread.

I can personally attest today that tires are definitely better inflated and round.

Basketballs are no good when flat.

Soda tastes bad when it goes flat.

Followers of Jesus Christ who go flat in their spiritual life is not very good either.

Luke 14:34"Salt is good [an excellent thing], but if salt has lost its strength and has become saltless (insipid, flat), how shall its saltness be restored?"

Jesus likens us to salt. Once the saltiness is gone (or goes flat) what good is it?

The insinuation that it may not be able to be restored is disturbing.

Basketballs and tires can be pumped up with air.

Unless they are full of holes.

Some folks are full of holes. They can't retain the Spirit of God. He blows through them instead of filling them.

They get "pumped up" for a bit and then deflate and go "flat" after a season.

I find that this happens when our desire to follow Christ is more of a fad. Or when one turns to Jesus only during times of stress and difficulty.

There is no steadiness. No spiritual good health. 

Jesus spoke often in the gospels of leaving the things that kept us bound and useless spiritually and never looking back.

He said we will leave our mothers and fathers.

He said we would not even allow the death and burial of a loved one interfere with following Him.

He said we would walk away from even the largest fortunes to be His disciple.

He said we would put our shoulder to the plow and never look back on the ground we already have turned.

There is only Him before us. Our eyes are ever upon Him.

Do you have holes? Are you leaking? Deflated? Flat?

I think there is a danger zone we can reach where the flatness cannot be restored.

I also think that there are many opportunities along the way where we are given chances to achieve spiritual health.

Maybe this is your wake up call this morning?

Be blessed! Be filled!

Doc

Us Being Us

US BEING US

KEEPIN' IT REAL WITH DOC LYNCH·THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 20163 Reads

When major league baseball player Manny Ramirez was with the Boston Red Sox and used to "act up" and perform his strange and eccentric antics, his team mates coined the phrase, "That's just Manny being Manny".

There was never really anything really wrong with "Manny being Manny". He just looked and acted a little strange at times. Then Manny got caught by a drug test for using performance enhancing drugs and was suspended for 50 games.

That now defines Manny as being Manny. It's no longer cute or funny. It's sad and disappointing. Manny is out of baseball now, and his once future Hall of Fame career is no more.

Such is life. "Manny" is really no different than us.

We are just us trying to be us on a daily basis, from the rich and famous and powerful, to the rank and file of people who have to punch in to be noticed every day.

People being people. Us being us.

Paul says in 1 Cor.4:12 - "And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it".

In other words, we act upon or respond to our world in certain ways.

What he is describing is how a disciple of Jesus Christ gets through the day.

We "despised fools for Christ" are just "disciples being disciples".

We choose to be that just as everyone else including Manny choose to be who they are.

Your mission today, should YOU decide to accept it, is to be you being Jesus.

Doc

My Home Is Protected And I Have Peace Of Mind

I am a friend of God's. It's the epitome of "friend's with benefits".

Because I have become friends with God through my relationship with His Son Jesus Christ, I live free from fear and condemnation (John 5:24).

I also live in a home that enjoys peace and angelic protection.

Psalms 91:9-12 (AMP)  - Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, 10 There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent.11 For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service]. 12 They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.

I believe this passage this morning as much as I believe any other verses from the Word.

I have felt the protection of angels. I have sensed them surrounding me. I know beyond doubt that they have rescued me at times, and have probably been doing that for as long as I can remember. I have even caught glimpses of them. I also believe some have shown themselves to me in human form.

All of this is trustworthy to believe as it is corroborrated in God's Word.

It's easy to dispute this or deny it, or even write me off as a crackpot, as long as you have no such knowledge or experience.

I have the inner witness of the Holy Spirit that speaks to me and shows me Truth (Rom. 8:16).

You may dispute or disagree all you like.

I know better.  I know it's real.  I know it works.

You can know that too if you choose.

Only believe.

Jesus never fails.

Still Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

The Soul Dome

Animus Domus. The "Soul Dome".

It's the it's the center of your character, intellect, memory, consciousness. 

Your very mind.

It is accessible to spiritual matters and beings.

Good and evil can enter in.

You have control although many do not realize this.

The mind of the unsuspecting and ignorant becomes a revolving door party zone for evil spirits.

Jesus addressed the issue most adequately and succinctly.

Matt. 12:43-45: "But when the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, it roams through dry [arid] places in search of rest, but it does not find any. (44) Then it says, I will go back to my house from which I came out. And when it arrives, it finds the place unoccupied, swept, put in order, and decorated. (45) Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and make their home there. And the last condition of that man becomes worse than the first. So also shall it be with this wicked generation.

This is the picture of the person not completely dedicated to Christ.

The person could even be described as largely religious (there is a vast difference in being a follower of Christ and being religious).

In any event it appears that there was some kind of reckoning of sorts where unclean spirits were deposed.

However, as the spiritual life of the overtly religious or spiritually dead (the terms are interchangeable) often runs, the evil spirit sensed that the Soul Dome was open for business again, returns to the previously vacated digs and finds it in a neat and orderly condition.

Seeing that there is no conviction which would prevent the spirit from re-entering, it decides to call a few friends and announces a party at the Soul Dome.

Now, as Jesus explains, the host of this demonic soiree ends up in a far worse condition then he was when there was only one demon to contend with! 

Makes perfect sense. Do the math. There are more to contend with. What happens when those eight invite seven more each? A real motel where demons check in but never check out.

The demonic realm senses weakness in the flesh. They know who's an easy mark and who's not.

Demons/unclean spirits are intelligent spirit beings (NOT fallen angels), but since they are spirits without bodies of their own they need to inhabit warm blooded creatures. According to the bible, animals and humans fit that bill nicely.

Only the true born-again disciple and follower of Jesus Christ filled with the Holy Spirit are protected.

Pretend or "play" Christians have no such guarantee. In fact the scenario described by Jesus fits that category perfectly.

The pretend Christian. The Christian who plays church. Always in a bad way. Always trying to kick something unclean out of their life, and once it appears they have gained the victory, are plunged back into darkness again, each time sinking deeper into more desperate situations.

Until you just don't see them around church anymore.

The evil spirits come to your Soul Dome to steal your Soul. They are often successful. 

A casual relationship with Jesus, and you thinking He rubber stamps your sins, is a perfect setup for the Soul Stealers.

Only a transformation of soul and spirit by Christ Himself is the answer.

You can't fight this battle in this evil realm on your own.

Listen to me and trust me on this. You can't. You will fail. You will lose.

You will be lost forever.

Jesus is the answer. Jesus never fails.

The Soul Dome must become the domain of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Be blessed!

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

~SoZo~