Do Something Spiritually Rewarding

Do something spiritually rewarding this weekend.

Ask God to bring to mind someone who is not in church right now (God might bring a wounded Christian to mind or a non-Christian, etc.)

Make contact with the person(s) and encourage them to be your special guest.

Arrange to pick them up, or meet them prior to church and thank them for keeping their word and coming.

Quickly pray with them and join them in service (see if they will also attend Saturday or Sunday school).

Pray for God to work in their heart during the service, and watch God work a miracle.

After service avoid the temptation to take credit for something you did not and could not do.  Simply praise God that He chose to use you to encourage someone along the way (John 15:16).

If you need a place to worship and service times go to Mtzionontario.com.

God Bless,

Pastor Brian Kennedy, Sr.

Go Inter-Generational

Christians, the bible describes our life together as inter-generational.  Not one age group, not one particular ministry, not one person and a few people around him or her, but all of us together (Rom. 12:5; Titus 2:3-5, women teach younger women; Titus 2:6-8, Elders teach younger men; John 13:34-35; I Cor. 12:12; Deut. 6:3-15, etc.).

When we look closely, we repeatedly see inter-generational activity in the Bible (the crossing of the Red Sea involved all ages,   people in the early church were all ages, and on and on).

Christians, as we do age appropriate ministries, let us also be intentional regarding doing things together as one body in Christ.  Let us also think about ways to work with sister churches the same way.

Church picnics, Vacation Bible School, Sunday School Rally's, or Small Group Rallys, Harvest Festivals, and on and on are examples of the multiple age groups doing things together.

One big caution, make sure you do background checks on people working in children and youth ministries.  Also in other sensitive areas of the church.  Satan loves attacking the church by using people with impure motives.

Today, take time to say something nice to someone outside your age group and then pray for them.

God Bless,

Pastor Brian Kennedy

mtzionontario.com

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Where Do You Stand With God According to God?

Sometimes we listen to everyone else and fail to listen to God.

Knowing where we stand with God is important.  Moreover, knowing what God says to us about His relationship with us is equally important.

When we genuinely confess Jesus as Lord, and believe that He died for our sins and God raised Him from the dead, God gives us a powerful promise in Rom 8:35-39:

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Walk with confidence in the promises of God. God Bless, Pastor Kennedy Mtzionontario.com

What Will You Say or Do Today?

As I finished reading the Book of Acts, God reminded me that I need to be open, and ready to lovingly share the message about Jesus despite my circumstances.

Paul was in Roman custody and was going to be transferred to Rome for trial because he refused to be tried by the Jews and appealed to Ceasar (Acts 25:9-12).

While in custody in Cesarea (Acts 25:13-14), Paul was given the opportunity to speak to King Agrippa, regarding his case.

What do you think Paul did?  Did Paul focus solely on his case and beg to be set free, or did Paul use his case as a means to witness to a king?

Look at the end result of Paul speaking to a King Agrippa regarding his case in Acts 26:28: Agrippa replied to Paul, "In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian."

What do people say after an encounter with you?

Do they want to be a Christian, or are they disappointed in how you as a Christian treated them?

What are you going to say or do today to make people want to be a Christian?

God Bless,

Pastor Brian Kennedy,

Mtzionontario.com

Christian's Making the Church Stronger

What two actions can every Christian practice to make stronger churches around the world? When every Christian is accountable for reporting to others the ministry work they do, then the church will experience a significant increase in ministry.  Christians who simply attend church will start serving because by being accountable, they have to report to someone what they are doing. In Acts 14:27, Paul and his team were accountable: 27 When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.

What if every Christian followed up on other Christians just to see how they are doing?  Church and Bible study attendance would increase.  We would have more excitement in the church due to Christians caring for Christians.

Paul and his team did Followup in 
Acts 15:36:

36 After some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are."

Christians, when all the dust settles, in this world we really only have each other.

Therefore, let us be accountable to each other, and follow up on each other.

God Bless,

Pastor Kennedy,

Mtzionontario.com

Persist in Your Faith in Christ

As I enjoy reading through the book of Acts, I am reminded afresh to be persistent in my faith in Christ.

When people welcome us and our life as a Christian, and the message that goes with our life, rejoice.

When people criticize us and even persecute us for our life as Christians, rejoice.

Look at what the Apostles did after their second arrest, and second order to stop preaching about The Risen Christ, and after being flogged (beaten with a whip):

Acts 5:41-42:

41 So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.

42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. Christians, let us persist in our faith and share the same message of hope when people love us, and when people hate us. God Bless, Pastor Kennedy, Mtzionontario.com

Revival!

One of the great things about areawide revivals is unity building among the local church congregations.  The Christians who attend get to hear a much needed word from the Lord, and experience personal challenge, and change.  The bonas to the personal change, is the wholesome fellowship among the saints.

   I Cor. 12:4-5:

4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,

5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

The revival starts this Wednesday and ends on Friday (August  5, 2015).  

The start time is 7:00 pm. each night.

The location is at Mt. Zion, in Ontario, California.

The Sunday School (small group ministry) training is on Saturday 8/8/15, from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm (lunch provided by 

In-n-Out Burger).

This training includes a Pastor's Conference, and a conference to establish a prayer ministry in the church .

The traning is free and open to all small group workers, and Pastors.

God Bless,

Pastor Kennedy,

Mtzionontario.com