Not Ashamed

 "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile." 

-Apostle Paul in Romans 1:16

There are many things we are ashamed of today. Some are silly like stumbling in front of a group of people or forgetting an important fact about a friend. Others are more serious and involve life-changing events. Shame or embarassment is an emotion most of us would rather not deal with. So when it comes to the life-saving message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, what a joy it is to boldly share it with the world. 

Paul could say with boldness and confidence, "I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL!" 

Paul had a long history with the story of Jesus beginning with his encounter with Him on the road to Damascus. Jesus flipped Paul's life upside down. After a 3-day blind fast, Paul emerged with a new zeal and purpose. That of proclaiming the gospel, which he declared contained the power to give all who believe salvation from their sins. 

The apostles in Acts were also empowered with boldness when the Holy Spirit came upon them in the Upper Room. They were given their marching orders to go into all the nations and preach the gospel, baptizing and teaching men and women. Now they were given to boldness to do just that. 

When the apostles were told in Acts 5:29 not to teach any longer in the name of Jesus, they replied, "We must obey God rather than man." Their boldness in sharing the gospel would overshadow any ordinance given by man. Despite desiring to obey the law, when conflict would occur between God and man, God would always win.  

Christians today have the same Holy Spirit living within them (Acts 2:38). We can be just as bold and proud of sharing the gospel today as those early believers. There is no shame nor embarrasment in living out the biblical story of God's redemption plan. It is within that plan that God's power is released and gives salvation to everyone who believes it. 

God's Justice

Our nation has watched the televised trial of Derek Chauvin vs. George Floyd over the past 2 weeks. As I write this, the verdict is about to be read. 12 jurors spent just over 10 hours deciding the outcome. The hope for many is that this will be a guilty verdict on all 3 counts and a step towards justice. Many have said not only is the police officer on trial here, but also the American justice system. Many fear for the future of our country if the verdict is not guilty. Buildings in Minneapolis have been boarded up and the police station has been fortified to protect against retribution.

While I wait for the verdict to be read, my mind turns to the entire concept of justice. God created each one of us with a sense of justice. If a wrong occurs, there should be a punishment. It's common sense. It's logical. It's the way we are wired. The Jewish nation had the law in which was written, "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." There was to be punishment for harm done. And the punishment should be comparable to the damage that was inflicted. 

The Bible is clear that our God is a God of justice. Isaiah 30:18 says, "For the Lord is a God of justice." And it's clear that God wants us to be just, as it's written in 1:17, "Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause."

It may appear some get away with sinful acts, yet there will come a day, even if we as men fai
l to hold people accountable, when God sets all that is wrong right. "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.'"

Even in Jesus, God doesn't overlook justice. God remains just in that Jesus paid the price or payed the punishment for our sins. Jesus endured the consequences for our wrongdoings. "The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice," is written in Deuteronomy 32:4

The cameras have been turned back on in the courtroom. The judge has taken his seat and the jurors have returned. Everyone is in place as the judge begins to read the verdict while the world watches with uneasy consternation: Count after count is read. One after another and the result is: guilty on all 3 counts. 

It's a great victory for our nation as a whole. And while I am relieved to feel justice has been served, at the same time my heart is saddened for the guilty. And my prayer is for them to repent and seek forgiveness. 

The truth is that everyone of us is guilty. We have all fallen short of the glory of God and owe a debt we can never repay. Thanks to the grace of God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross clearing a way to have our sins forgiven and God's justice satisified. 

Easter - Resurrection Sunday

Easter is Sunday, April 4. This is the day we set aside to celebrate the resurrection of our leader, Jesus Christ. Why is this holiday important? Why is it significant? And what makes it different than other holidays?

The resurrection of Jesus from the grave is the most important event in Christianity. In the garden of Eden man sinned and had been condemned to death. Death had the final say. Death put an end to any life, any goodness, any future one would expect. Death silenced all who would live for God. With the resurrection of Jesus Christ, He took away death's power. Man would no longer need to fear death. For the resurrection introduced the way to overcome death - that through faith in Jesus. For as in Adam, all died, in Christ - all can now live. 

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians about the resurrection, "And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." Christianity is centralized on the victory Jesus claimed over sin and death on the cross. Now we can say, "O death, where is your sting? O, death, where is your victory?" 

Paul also writes "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." The whole theme of the Old Testament pointed to this event. There are over 70 prophecies written in the Bible predicting the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus from the dead!  This was not some random event, but a precise, planned, and predicted happening orchestrated by God Himself!

Finally, this single event in history is what sets Christianity apart from all other religions. No other religion, from Hinduism to Buddism to Islam, can say they have a founder or leader who has conquered death. Their leaders are all dead. Drop the mic. Christianity has a risen, leader in Jesus, who is preparing a place for His followers and will return to take them to be where He is. 

As you plan to worship this Easter Sunday, whether in-person or online, here are some suggestions to check out to prepare your heart for Easter.

Easter Bible Readings this week: Psalm 22: John 20; 1 Corinthians 15

Easter Movie recommendations: The Chosen; The Passion of the Christ

Easter Music: An Easter Hallelujah; Because He Lives; Easter Song

Prayer Acronym for Today

It seems daily there is a steady stream of people requesting prayer, and for good reason, our world needs it! Your channels of prayer requests may include Facebook, prayer chains, emails, the Bible app, etc. Those requests each represent a life that is important to God. Be sure to pause whatever you are doing to pray for those you agree to pray for. 

How is your prayer life overall? Do you have a set time each day when you stop and pray? Do you pray out loud or silently? Do you pray with others? With your spouse? The Bible isn't strict on HOW you pray, just that we DO pray. 

Jesus would take time away from the crowds and demands of life to hike up a mountain to pray. He would pray in the quiet surroundings of the Garden of Gethsemane. He would teach others how to pray by saying, "When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen." Paul writes in Philippians to "pray without ceasing." Praying without ceasing seems to indicate we just live our lives with a constant running dialog with the Father. It's a mindset. He's always with us. Always listening.

Here's an acronym to help you pray. Use A.C.T.S. to remember this useful routine of prayer. 

• A - Adoration - Begin prayer by recognizing who you are speaking to. The creator, sustainer, redeemer of the earth. Praise God with your words. Thank him for his salvation through His son Jesus. 
• C - Confess - Confess to God the areas of your life where you mess up. Tell Him you are sorry for disappointing Him. Come clean with God where you are weak and where you need help. 
• T - Thanksgiving - Give thanks in all things the Bible says. What are you thankful for today? Tell God. "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights." Share with Him in prayer what you are thankful for.
• S - Supplication - This is the easy part of prayer and the one most people spend the majority of their time on. Asking God for things. "Ask and it will be given to you," is Biblical. God wants us to come to him with our petitions. 

Thank you to all the prayer warriors in the world today. Remember the last prayer in the Bible, "Come Lord Jesus, come!" 

"Believe!" - Not for the faint of heart

 I've chosen "The New Inductive Study Bible - Discovering the Truth for Yourself" (NASB) to do my daily Bible reading. It's a unique way of studying the Bible because before every book, you are given a great deal of information to seek after and observe along with questions to answer. You make many markings in the margins as you read. For example, when you come across a location, you double-underline it with a green pen and then locate it on a map. When there is a period of time passing, you draw a small clock in the margin.

The part of this Bible study that has intrigued me the most, is the list of words you are given with each book to find and highlight in orange. 

I'm currently reading in the book of Acts and some of the words to highlight include: Synagoge, faith, believe, disciple, baptism, and any reference to persecution to name a few. 

The word that has stuck out to me, is the word, believe. It seems the entire challenge for Peter, the Apostles, and all the new disciples in Acts, is to persuade people to believe this new story of this man named Jesus. And it proves to be no easy task. In fact, it's a mission that leads to not only persecution, but death threats, riots, and murder! 

Many times Paul and his companions arrive at a city, enter the Synagogue or town square to share their message, only to learn that the people already have some very strong beliefs of their own ingrained in the heads. The challenge then is to undo the lies that they believe and replace them with the truth. Again, a very dangerous undertaking. People hold tightly to their beliefs whether they are true or not!

Nonetheless, the message of the gospel, believing in Jesus as Lord and Christ (the anointed one or coming Messiah) slowly takes root and the church is birthed out of "unschooled, ordinary men." This same movement of which we are part of today still grows. In fact, our leader said, "even the gates of hell will not prevail against it." 

Believing in something or someone is powerful. Belief is the seed that has the power to change lives and forge futures. What we chose to believe, is prime. Even in Christianity, we are warned, there will come many false prophets and deceivers trying to tempt people away from the truth. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Be careful where you place your belief. The world is still full of wolves in sheep's clothing. 

Bible verses referenced: Acts 4:10-12; Acts 4:13; Acts 7:54-60; Acts 19:28-35; Matthew 16:17-19; Matthew 7:15

Community is just a click away!

Church billboard on M-72 by Bill Marsh

If you have driven west on M-72 towards Traverse City recently, you may have seen a new billboard just after the Bill Marsh auto dealership. The billboard features a smiling family of 6 sitting at home on their couch with the words, "Community is just a click away." The only other text on the board is a url, kccwired.com. 

Pop-up on kccwired.com

Those who visit the website, which is a local church, are greeted with the same photo on the home page and a drop-down message that says, "I saw your bulletin board" along with a button that says, "Ok!" Clicking "Ok" invites the user to share their contact information. By doing so, a relationship is created allowing the church staff to send automated emails and text messages. The initial message in part reads:

Dear <<Name>>,

Welcome to a faith community, a group of people who trust in God and believe He loves every one of us. His plan was that we do life together, not apart. Despite not being physically together, we have found ways using technology, media, and communications to stay together. We care for each other. We pray for each other. We love each other. 

We want to give you a place to belong, a place to find community during these unprecedented times. The COVID pandemic has put a halt to so many opportunities to come together. We’ve had to figure out different ways to stay connected with one another. We may not have a substitute for being together in person, but we want to at least attempt to stay in touch. People are home, alone, and tired of living life isolated. 

Fill out the Community Card to connect with KCC

The church billbaord didn't openly claim to be connected with a religious organization, and that was on purpose. The concept was to simply appeal to people in the area who may feel isolated, alone and in seach for connection, for community. 

If an individual did take the step to share their contact information, they were then invited to participate in the Christian community by doing things such as "liking" the church Facebook page, watching Senior Minister Andy Bratton's Morning Dive, watching Sunday morning Worship services, and more. 

Another billboard sponsored by the church will be going up in February/March on the south end of town. Be sure to look for it. It's sure to create a lot of buzz around town. 

Lessons learned in 2020

The year of 2020 will forever be known for one thing - the pandemic of COVID-19. At the time of this writing, the Coronavirus has claimed over 300,000 American lives and over 1.64 million worldwide. While we are still in some of the deadliest days of the virus, there is hope on the horizon. The Pfizer vaccine has already been approved by the FDA and is rolling out worldwide. The Moderna vaccine is close to requesting emergency use authorization and should be close behind. Both vaccines have shown to be up to 95% effective in preventing COVID. Side effects are temporary and minor. 

This 2020 climate of shut-downs, isolation, volatility, and polarization is not without its lessons. Lessons are not always clear nor easy to learn, but they serve a purpose to make those who pass them better citizens. Here is a list of lessons I have learned in 2020. 

• There are doctors who aren't medical doctors.
• We don't go to church. We are the church.
• People long for physical contact (handshakes, hugs, etc)
• Too many Christians see the church as the building
• Change is terribly difficult
• Self-control is a needed "Fruit of the Spirit"
• The truth has great value.
• Hypocrisy is just as prevalent today as it was in Bible times
• Other people view the world differently than I do
• People say things social media that they would never say in person

The list can go on and on. It was an eye-opening year. It's been said, that when the pressure is on, the true nature of one comes out. In many ways, it has been a sad year to see people's character be exposed. On the other hand, it's also been a joy to see some respond to 2020 with empathy, love, and compassion. 

What have you learned in 2020? If you made a list, what would be on it?