Search and Rescue

Are you a part of the Lord's search and rescue team? Look at Matt. 18:12-13: 12 "What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?

13 "If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.

Perhaps you know a fellow brother or sister in Christ, who is out of church and drifting away from The Lord.

Why sit around and watch them self-destruct?  Go after them with the love of Jesus Christ.  Be diligent and text, call, visit, or whatever it takes to listen to their heart and encourage them to return back to The Lord.  When they return to church, sit with them.  Call them during the week to reassure them that they made a good choice to return back to The Lord.  Encourage them to get in Bible Study and get into service for The Lord.  Yes, walk with them until they regain their strength.

Then as you go after another person, guess what you will have?  You will have the person you just helped helping Someone else.

We can get a lot of drifting Christians restored if we will simply take time to care.

God Bless,

Pastor Kennedy (MZO)

What Do you Believe about Jesus?

In Matt 16:15, Jesus ask His disciples a defining question: "But who do you say that I am?"

Peter answered the question correctly and Jesus told Him that the Father revealed the answer to Him (Matt. 16:17).

What did Peter say?  "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matt. 16:16).

Do you believe that Jesus is the Messiah (God's suffering servant in Isaiah 55), the Son of the Living God, Who came to the earth through the Virgin Mary, and died for the sins of the world on the cross, was buried, rose again from the dead, ascended back to heaven, is our advocate, and is coming back for His Church to establish the eternal state in the new heaven and the new earth for all who believe?

Is Jesus the Ruler over your heart and do you love Him as evidenced by your obedience to Him (John 14:21)?

Christians, we must refuse the watered down view of Jesus coming from the  world (the system headed up by Satan and operated by demons and evil people to rebell against God) and hold on tight to the Biblical view of our Lord.

God Bless,

Pastor Kennedy (MZO)

Progress, Defeat, deliverance

In Matt. 14:15-21, Peter and the disciples witnessed Jesus work the miracle of feeding over 5,000 people.  Then they found themselves in a storm on the Sea of Galilee, and Jesus appeared in the midst of the storm.

Peter having been commanded by Jesus to come to Him, stepped out on faith and walked on the water toward Jesus (all the disciples knew Jesus could calm the storm based on Matt. 8:23-27).

With total confidence in Jesus, Peter walked on water (people criticize Peter in this story, but Peter did something the rest if us have never experienced.  Peter walked on water).

As Peter made progress in the storm by walking toward Jesus, the existing storm distracted Peter and he became afraid.  Fear is a killer of faith and progress and sends us sinking in defeat.  Peter started to sink in defeat, but to Peter's credit, he knew to call on Jesus for his deliverance (see Matt. 14:22-33 for full account).

Our journey through the storms in life are similar to Peter's story.  We start off full of faith with our eyes on Jesus, and we make good progress.  As the storm rages on, as storms in life rage on, and on, and on, we look at our circumstances in fear, and fear kills our faith.  Hence, we start sinking into defeat.

When you see fear and defeat trying to take you down, cry out to Jesus before you are destroyed and get delivered.

Jesus will immediately respond to you while the storm is still raging and stabalize you.  In His own time, Jesus will calm the storm.  

Jesus does not need to calm the storm before He helps us, He simply needs to hear us cry out to Him for help.

God Bless,

Pastor Kennedy (MZO)

Where is Your Heart?

In Matt. 13:18-23, Jesus described four different responses to God's Word.  Each response describes a heart condition that obviously results in a certain lifestyle.

1.  A heart where God's Word goes in one ear and out the other.  This is a person who has no intentions of obeying God's Word.  They might even attend church, but ignore what God clearly says to them.

2.  A heart full of emotion but no substance.  This person will jump up and volunteer quick, this person will make a commitment in the heat of emotion, and will cry as they claim a new change in their life.  But just as soon as they hit a bump in the road, they quit.  They stop attending church and drop out of accountability groups, and will not return calls.  They are shallow and easily discouraged.

3.  A heart that is divided and easily distracted away from God.  This person hears God's Word, and initially responds well, but the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches chock the Word and they get off track.

Work and accumulating stuff becomes the priority for this person.  This person will get up with only 15 minutes left in worshipping God to make an extra $15.00 dollars.

4.  A heart sold out to God and His Word.  This person hears God's Word and they understand with a mind to obey.  The evidence is their fruitfulness.  Jesus describes this person as doing good works based on their understanding of God's Word.  This person loves God through obedience to God's Word.

Question: Where are you today?

Be honest before God and pursue a life of obedience before God so that you are fruitful before God, and a source of blessing to someone each day (Gal. 6:10).

A life of obedience to God's Word makes our departure time easier because when our time comes to leave this life and be with our Lord, we will hear those famous words: "well done you good and faithful servant."

God Bless,

Pastor Kennedy (MZO)

Give the Invitation

What should Christians do in the face of increasing intolerance and hostility in America?

It seems like a representative in the NFL was intolerant toward Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, by making him turn his "Know Jesus, Know Peace," tee shirt inside out for an interview regarding his dislocated ankle in September 2014.

What we need to do as Christians is continue to invite people, who are clearly tired and burdened down, to come to Jesus and get rest for their souls.

We cannot let people, and systems, and organizations, intimidate us from inviting people to enjoy soul satisfaction and rest.

Since we are a peaceful people (Col. 3:15), we do not return hostility for hostility, but we pray and ask God for another opportunity.

Each time I review "The Great Invitation," given by Jesus, in Matt. 11:28-30, I am emboldened and encouraged to invite non-Christians to enjoy rest for their souls.

28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light"  (Matt. 11:28-30).

God Bless,

Pastor Kennedy (MZO)

Not a Popularity Contest

Christianity is liberating because of all that God does inside of us to change us on the outside (II Cor. 5:17--21; Eph 2:10).  Moreover, we get great joy in helping others and bringing good to a very mean and cruel society (Gal. 6:10) because our reward comes from God.

With all the good we do as Christians, we serve in a very hostile world.  Christians in America are beginning to feel what the persecuted church in Africa has felt for hundreds of years.  Christians in Asia, and Russia, the Arab Nations, and even in Germany, have also felt the persecution of evil men.

The reality is that Jesus told us we would not win a popularity contest because of our connection to Him.

On this beautiful Lords day when the gospel is preached more than any other day all around the world, I submit this sobering, yet instructional word from our Risen Savior:

16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.

17 "But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues;

18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.

19 "But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say.

20 "For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

God Bless,

Pastor Kennedy (MZO)

Sweet Sleep

Getting enough sleep is critical for good health.

When you get into bed for sleep, do you truly rest or do you lay there, or do you toss and turn?  Do you spend half the night worrying about things you have no control over?   

In Prov. 3:13, God said how blessed is the man who finds wisdom and gains understanding.  In Prov. 3:21, we are told to keep sound wisdom.  In the same Prov. 3 context, God describes numerous blessing for using His wisdom in our daily lives. One of those many blessings is sweet sleep.  Look at Prov. 3:23: When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

Read about how to get God's wisdom in Prov. 2:1-6, and pursue wisdom like the most precious treasure you can imagine.

God Bless,

Pastor Kennedy(MZO)