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Message From The Pastor
King By Force
14When the people saw the sign that Jesus had performed, they began to say, “Truly this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15Then Jesus, realizing that they were about to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself. 16When evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was already dark, and Jesus had not yet gone out to them. 18A strong wind was blowing, and the sea grew agitated. 19When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the sea—and they were terrified. 20But Jesus spoke up: “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21Then they were willing to take Him into the boat, and at once the boat reached the shore where they were heading. ~ John 6:14-21 (BSB)
33Pilate went back into the Praetorium, summoned Jesus, and asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” 34“Are you saying this on your own,” Jesus asked, “or did others tell you about Me?” 35“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed You over to me. What have You done?” 36Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.” ~ John 18:33-36 (BSB)
I am writing this article shortly after the very contentious 2024 presidential election. I have been wanting to write this for a long time, but it seemed appropriate to do this now. I have often stated that every major election in my lifetime has been a vain search for a savior. It seems as if America is always looking for that perfect leader who will usher in a time of paradise. This has never seemed to work out as many think that it would. Right now half of the country thinks that all is lost and another half believes that the angels are singing. Personally, I was never in the market for a Messiah. I already have one. I did vote but only for the president, not for a Messiah.
In the passages above, a very timely story is told. It is the aftermath of the miraculous feeding of the 5,000 and the people want to force Jesus to be King of the Jews. He is not interested in their political ambitions! He seems more interested in transforming their souls!! In order to escape being wrangled into being their king, He escapes and goes up on a mountain to be by Himself. Then when it is dark and the people cannot see Him, He walks on the water to get away from their attempts at making Him the face of their movement. Keep this in mind as we fast forward to His trial before His crucifixion.
At His trial Jesus is asked if He was the King of the Jews. His answer again affirmed that He had no interest in the politics of the day. In verse 36 He clearly states, “My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.” (BSB) I don’t want to be misunderstood. I am a big advocate of voting. It is our duty as citizens to vote. However, I do desire that Christians in America would take more seriously the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom that really matters. I personally will continue to pray for our political leaders. I have prayed for every president that I have ever had. However, the Kingdom of God is much more important to me.
In Christ, Pastor Ken
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Newsletter
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The men meet at McDonald’s for an informal time of sharing, connecting, and just getting to know each other better.
We are starting a small group to build up and encourage women! This is “The Telling Room”. The Telling Room meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday from 5:30 to 6:30 pm.
We discuss the 3 P’s: Praise, Progress, Prayer. Everyone brings their praises, the areas where God is currently bringing progress in their lives, and they pray their prayer requests. Also, individuals take turns to channel discussion among the 3 P’s.
This group is a place where women can build strong life-affirming relationships with other women. Can you use a staunch friend that has your back? If so, join us on June 13th at 5:30 pm. When it is so nice outside, bring a lawn chair and we will meet outside.
The men meet at McDonald’s for an informal time of sharing, connecting, and just getting to know each other better.
On the 2nd Wednesday of the month, we have a time of concentrated prayer starting at 6:30.
Right now we have one Sunday school class. Pastor Ken teaches it. They go through books of the Bible verse by verse. It is an informal setting with more discussion instead of a lecture.