"Are You Numbered Among The Unwilling?", by Pastor Kevin Lynch

John 5:40 - "And still you are not willing [but refuse] to come to Me, so that you might have life."

Who are the unwilling?

In this verse Jesus was speaking to the religious. In fact some were the religious leaders. The very ones we would expect to be among the eager and willing to receive Jesus.

We will find the unwilling in the most unexpected places.

The unwilling could be sitting in the pews of your church.

The unwilling could be preaching from your pulpits.

The unwilling could have seemingly successful media ministries.

The unwilling could be among the ones you would least suspect.

Unwillingness is a matter of the heart. The true purposes of the heart can be masked by outward actions and appearances.

We can be fooled. Jesus is never fooled.

It's never about what we do, what we say, even how we may act.

It's about what we have purposed in our heart.

Does your heart belong to Jesus? The very essence of your being? The center of who you are?

Have you been changed in your heart? Or are you just acting religious?

Does your church preach Jesus as the only way? Has He become your "all-in-all"?

Have you placed everything before Him? Have you learned to be satisfied with being last and Jesus first?

Do you place others before yourself? Are your prayers filled with what you want from God for you?

How you answer those diagnostic questions would indicate whether you are a disciple of Jesus Christ or simply religious.

Religion never saved anybody. Theology never saved anybody. Churches never saved anybody.

Jesus saves. Period.

Be sure you are alive in Him.

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

"Help Someone To Come Forth", by Pastor Kevin Lynch

In the eleventh chapter of the Gospel of John, there is an account of Jesus raising his friend Lazarus from the dead. He had already been entombed four days, and in the face of much wonder and disbelief Jesus miraculously gave him back his life and he walked out of that tomb still wearing the grave clothes he was wrapped with a few days earlier.

There are many factors and facets we can gain from this event. It shows us the power that Christ has over death itself. It shows us the compassion Jesus has toward people. It shows us an example of the resurrection of the body that is available for believers when Jesus comes to gather His Church.

However, for today's intentions, and as an example and encouragement for believers right now, we can look at the story as metaphorical.

Prior to knowing Jesus we were spiritually dead. We were as good as in our graves.

Upon giving our hearts to Christ we were spiritually joined with Him in His death and resurrection.

In essence we died to sin and were made alive to God.

We literally walked out of the tomb of our own sin and degradation, complete with the rags of our shattered and frayed lives falling off of us as we "resurrected" from our former deadness!

This is why when we enter into this "Resurrection Season" we can really get excited about it!

This is not just some dry, worn out, dead religious exercise.

This is taking advantage of shouting to the world around us, "Hey, this is what Jesus did for me!. It's what He can do for you too!"

Look at the Scripture for today:

John 5:28-29 (Amplified Bible) - "Do not be surprised and wonder at this, for the time is coming when all those who are in the tombs shall hear His voice,(29) And they shall come out--those who have practiced doing good [will come out] to the resurrection of [new] life, and those who have done evil will be raised for judgment [raised to meet their sentence]."

Wow! Yes indeed! This passage points to the day when the literal graves of those who have died in Christ physically will be opened and be raised in new glorified bodies to join Jesus in the air at the rapture of His Church.

But it also may be used to show what has happened to us first in our spirit.

For in order to take part in the grand resurrection of the body, we first have to have this happen to us in our spirit!

This is why it is important that we give our heart to Christ, and that we makes sure others have the opportunity as well.

This indeed a time for rejoicing in what Christ has done for us, and what He is still willing to do even today for those who are dead in their spiritual lives.

Tell someone today what Jesus has done for you!

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

"Living Beyond The Now", by Pastor Kevin Lynch

So many people, including way too many who claim to follow Jesus Christ, are stuck in this place called daily living. Let's call it "The Now".

Yesterday's are the "nows" gone by. Tomorrow is the "now" that may not even happen.

Life in the daily grind, whether past, present or future, is only ever going to become "The Now" at best, and it's not good enough to build our spiritual life upon. It's weak. It's shallow. It's fleeting.

Often time it's hopeless, and rightfully so.

If we have nothing past "The Now" then we are in trouble.

We are in the season of Resurrection. It's the time we reflect upon and commemorate the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The religious hang all sorts of names and rituals on it. I shy away from the monikers like "Ash Wednesday", "Maundy Thursday", :Good Friday", "Holy Saturday", and of course "Easter Sunday".

I prefer the season of Resurrection, and even that's not good enough because any of it only serves to suggest to people that our lives of following Christ move and shift between high holy days.

In reality every day is a "holy day of obligation" if we are true disciples of Jesus Christ.

I have to chuckle at the "Christmas and Easter" folks who have to sort of "gear up" for Lent and their honorarium to God in giving up chocolate or cigarettes. You would think they were giving up a kidney lol!

My point is that the follower of Christ lives in the Resurrection every day. We are resurrection people because we have been resurrected with Christ in our spirit. We have passed from death to life (John 5:24).

We live for the eternal. It's beyond today. It's beyond tomorrow.

Start understanding your life in those terms and things change.

Eternal living brings faith for the now and hope for tomorrow, because whatever is ahead of us is overshadowed by the reality of the Resurrected Glory!

John 3:36 - "That is why whoever accepts and trusts the Son gets in on everything, life complete and forever! And that is also why the person who avoids and distrusts the Son is in the dark and doesn’t see life. All he experiences of God is darkness, and an angry darkness at that.”

There it is from Jesus Himself. We can "get in on everything", which is complete and forever, or we can live in the darkness of "The Now" which is mere existing.

I think this is a good time of year to contemplate our view of living life, so let's walk it through together over the next couple of weeks.

Be blessed, and here's to new beginnings!

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

"What Goes Around Does Not Have To Come Around", by Pastor Kevin Lynch

I'm a contrary. Sometimes because I think I was just born that way, but also that God in His infinite wisdom knew that before He saved me, and has made me a born-again contrary, haha!

Actually I think we all become contrary in our new nature when we receive the Spirit of Christ in us.

Jesus was a contrary. He was contrary to popular religious thoughts and ideals. He was contrary at times to His own surrounding culture. He was contrary to pervasive evil.

He saw things differently, and He has shown us how to look at the world the same way.

So, I always try to test and to see and hear the opposite of what is being portrayed before me. Of course I measure that along the Word of God just to be sure I am being contrary, and not just "difficult".

One of the popular thoughts I always challenge is the negative connotation attached to "What goes around comes around".

If love is going around then I think it will also return and come around.

If it's hatred, sickness, poverty, despair, anxiety, insomnia, addiction, violence, disharmony, and other associated curses, and yes, I mean curses, then no. What has gone around does not have to come your way.

I think all of the above are indeed curses from hell, and they have no place in the lives of the child of God!

This is not to say the enemy will not continue to fire them at us, and with perhaps even one getting through once in awhile. However, we need to renew our minds as Paul told us in Rom. 12, so that we change our thinking to be more according to the work Christ has performed in our spirit.

Rom. 12:2 - "Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God."

The way we think is critical as to how we will live. The mind is our soul and it is the ground upon which all battles begin.

Remember that. The mind is the place where the battle begins. If you do not take that ground early you risk losing everything. Satan and all the demonic forces need to be confronted and repelled even preemptively before the gates of hell can prevail.

This means our prayer life must be active, our bible study must be in full swing, and our fellowshipping with each other in Christ as often as possible must be prominent.

There is no time better to begin than right now.

Pray with me:" Lord Jesus, thank you for your provision for me today. I do not have to fall victim to the forces of the one who seeks to destroy me. I stand firm today upon the rock of Jesus Christ and I take full authority over my present condition in the name of Jesus Christ! I will not be defeated"! Amen!

We are in this battle together friends, and we will prevail!

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

"Hello, Hello, Is There Anybody Out There?", by Pastor Kevin Lynch

Ever feel like that? Just questioning the darkness and quietness of a lonely situation?

It reminds me of the old Pink Floyd song. "Hello, hello, hello (echo sound effect) is there anybody out there?"

In reality when that happens, we who are familiar with the bible call it a "wilderness experience".

Jesus was familiar with it.

So was John the Baptist.

Check it out:

Mark 1:3 - " The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make ready the way of the Lord! Make his paths straight!'"

It's one thing to experience it once in awhile, but this was John's daily function.

He was THE voice crying out in the places devoid of Jesus and filled with godlessness.

He was the icebreaker. The forerunner. The lead scout into hostile territory.

His job was to prepare the people for the entrance of Jesus Christ.

He didn't appear to get wrapped up in personal issues. He was focused and dedicated to the task.

He wasn't there to win a popularity contest. He was there to prepare the heart of mankind.

We can take a lesson from John. Our present circumstances do not qualify or disqualify us from being a wilderness voice.

The only thing that matters is that we know our purpose and carry it out.

It might seem thankless at times. Not to worry. God deals with the results. We just obey Him.

We are not called to convince anybody. The Holy Spirit is in charge of that. We are just sharing what we have found to be true for our life and present it as simply as we can.

The greatest soul winners were simple people. They weren't theologians, they weren't biblical scholars.

They were people like you. People with issues. People with struggles. Real people with real faith living real lives.

So, just continue to be real. God will use that to His great advantage.

Be blessed today in all that you do!

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

"All Guts, Little Glory", by Pastor Kevin Lynch

Imagine you had a talent that would attract great amounts of attention. Imagine your life ending up making a positive impact in the world so magnanimous that it would be remembered for over 2,000 years. Imagine not receiving any compensation for this great task other than a promise.

Imagine your only reward as being your own head severed from its body and served up on a platter for a king.

Not exactly a job many would apply for on Monster.com.

Tough job, but somebody had to do it.

I am speaking of John the Baptist. The last real prophet of the bible in the Old Testament sense of the word.

Perhaps the job description would go something like this:

*Wanted* - A person with a tenacious spirit willing to work hard for little wages. Must be outspoken and not shy and able to work with large crowds of people in extreme circumstances. Candidate should be an expert communicator who can be heard loudly and clearly. Very basic food and clothing needs will be provided. Job scope is narrow and person must be willing to see it through to completion which will in all likelihood culminate with imprisonment and death.

Line forms at the right. What, no takers?

God had the right man for the job.

Mark 1:1-2 - " The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (2) As it is written in the prophets, "Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you."

I'm not sure if John realized it or not, but he was a trendsetter. He was the first one to show us what it could be like being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Few of us will be required to make the sacrifices John did, but the tension is always in the willingness.

There is something about doing great things for little earthly reward that is not natural.

We are not wired that way from birth. In fact we are the opposite. If we are going to promote anything vociferously it will generally be about something that will benefit us individually.

In other words, what's in it for me?

Could you be a John the Baptist? Could you adapt to that job description?

John had the attitude of "I must decrease so that He will increase."

He had built up a large personal fan base and turned them all over to Jesus.

Could you unselfishly, fearlessly, and exhaustingly tell the story of Jesus as often as possible for little if any tangible material reward, and never taking any credit for yourself?

Would you if the slightest chance of dying for the cause of Christ was possible?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a true 20th century martyr and preacher of the gospel, who was hanged in a Nazi concentration camp, wrote in his book "The Cost of Discipleship", "...when God calls a man He bids him come and die."

First and foremost it is to die to self and to live for Christ, but sometimes we will die physically as well.

What happens is not as important as what we are willing to have happen.

There is no more important a task on earth than expressing and exposing Jesus. It's starting to get to the place where it takes some guts again to be outspoken for Jesus.

If you're OK with all the glory going to Jesus then God has picked another winner.

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

"The Heritage Of The Believer", by Pastor Kevin Lynch

There are concrete enforceable promises handed down by God to every believer in His Son Jesus Christ.

We are connected to a universal power that confounds every source of evil generated by our enemies (both spiritual as well as physical).

I wish I could convince more people of that critical information.

Listen to the prophet Isaiah today:

Isaiah 54:17
"But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong. This [peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord [those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced]; this is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from Me [this is that which I impart to them as their justification], says the Lord."

That's especially for you today.

It's not just neat advice. It's your heritage of being a member of the family of God.

Perhaps you have heard the big lie generated in the camps of those who defy God and all that He stands for?

The lie is that we are all considered God's children

It's a smart campaign waged by Satan himself.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

We are not ALL God's children. We are all God's creation, but those estranged to God by their own will and ways are not considered His children.

Only those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and have become born again are adopted into His family as co-heirs with Jesus to the riches of heaven.

That heritage also allows us to take advantage of what Isaiah speaks of.

No weapon formed against us will prosper. There will be weapons formed, but they will not be successful.

Slanderers and liars who seek to defame us will not be believed.

We will have peace in the midst of opposition.

We are justified and vindicated of all wrongdoing we have confessed to Him and have been washed as white as snow.

That's got to be good news for someone out there today!

If so, give it a hearty AMEN!

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><