Deeper Devotional

Take a moment and pray that the Lord will speak to you in this time of study.

This Week’s Key Verse: Colossians 1:16-17 “For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.  And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy.”

Today’s title is borrowed from Pastor Nate’s last sermon title, not because I want to teach on the sanctity of marriage or on society’s attacks on the family, though these are very important subjects. But today I just want to express my gratitude to God for my mother. Mom when home to be with Jesus about two years ago, an d I miss her deeply. She, in so many ways, typified the words of Proverbs 31 that it compels “Her children [to] rise up and call her blessed.” (vs 28a)

That my mom was my mom at all calls on a belief in the sovereignty of God. My mom was the daughter of a tenant farmer in Southampton County, Virginia. She came up (as her family would put it) during the Great Depression. She was the only person in her family to graduate high school. That fact opened the door for my existence. My mom was moved by the greatest event of her time, World War II. Her education allowed her to move into a job with Bell Telephone. Her job put her on Little Creek Naval Base where my father mustered out of the Navy at the end of the war. He would come into the phone office to call his fiancé back home in Gloucester County. My father met my mom there in the phone office. His fiancé transferred her affection elsewhere, and my mom and dad became attracted to one another. She had to go home and tell her fiancé that she had fallen in love with someone else. So you see, the fact that I am at all is dependent on the movement of great men and great nations. Like the fact that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, it took the movement of empires for me to be born at all. For this I am grateful.

The fact that my mom married into a family that was staunchly Methodist set up the circumstances for both her salvation and mine. My father had accepted Jesus as a youth, but his Depression upbringing and a growing family to support turned his focus to success. He was, however, a faithful churchman. He tithed and served as a volunteer on the church board. Every time the church doors opened, we were there. My mom was active in the church, but had no relationship with Jesus until her forties. Our pastor brought a program of personal spiritual disciplines to the church called, “Seven Brave Christians.” Mom met Jesus in her bedroom while reading her Bible. Not too long after, she received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. She was transformed. A person so frightened of speaking in public that she would almost faint became a Bible teacher to hundreds at a time, a spiritual mother to countless younger, increasing her reach in God’s kingdom a thousand fold. For this I am grateful.

If there is one verse in the Bible that typified my mother’s ministry (though she would have never dignified what she did with such a term), it would be “Love never fails.” (I Corinthians 13:8a) As my wife says, “Love was Mom’s weapon. She just overwhelmed you with it. You couldn’t resist.” That was because Mom’s love came straight from Jesus. She didn’t generate it. It came straight from the throne of God. She spent hours a day in God presence; reading her Bible, praying and singing in tongues, basking in His glory. A frontal attack of God’s love is overwhelming, but she was not above using guerilla warfare. Her intercessory prayer and her willingness to enlist others’ prayers on your behalf left you almost defenseless against God. I resisted for seven years into adulthood, but as one pastor said, “Fred when I met you it was like seeing a tree that was already cut, but just hadn’t fallen.” For this I am grateful.

I don’t want you to leave thinking my mother had reached total sanctification. She had not. She worried about her children, physically and spiritually. Her faith had breakdowns just like other people. There was no clutch between her brain and her mouth. Her comments could peel the skin right off you. There was never any malice, but it stung nonetheless. She was mighty in faith, but her frailty made her approachable. To quote Dion Demucci, she was “no plaster kind of saint.” For this I am grateful.

My wife and I had the privilege to serve as her caregivers during her decline into Alzheimer’s disease. During that time, as her faculties diminished, what didn’t decrease was her gentle nature and loving disposition. After many other things were gone, scripture still came out of her. Even at the last when my name and identity had faded, her bright smile and grateful spirit were always there to greet me. For this I am grateful.

God gave me so much through my mother; I can never express it all. But her life should be an encouragement, a beacon of hope. Remember, “Love never fails.” For this I am grateful.

Fred Teagle,
KPC Elder

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The deeper devotionals this week are based on the message “Thanks, Mom!” by Pastor Nate Atwood at KPC on Sunday, May 13. To hear this message, or others in the series FROM EMPTY TO FULL – Gratitude in a Take-it-for-Granted World, go towww.kpc.org.

Take a moment and pray that the Lord will speak to you in this time of study.

This Week’s Key Verse: Colossians 1:16-17 “For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.  And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy.”

Mother’s Day this past Sunday provided an official way to give thanks for the mothers that raised us. I am sure we all made phone calls, wrote in Hallmark cards, and simply took time to remember our moms. Telling someone you are thankful for them helps the gratitude journey, but it is the remembering that beautifully builds our faith and gratitude over a lifetime. The Israelites set aside specific feasts for remembering when God brought them out of Egypt. Old Testament Ebenezers stood high as reminders of God’s faithfulness and past journeys. In modern society, we set up national days of celebration and remembrance, such as the 4^th of July and even Mother’s Day. All of it declares that remembering is important; even vital.

So what happens when we remember and give thanks? Quite simply, we glorify God! Pastor Nate said there is something about giving thanks that stirs up love, and the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God. As we give thanks for every gift and set aside time to remember how God was faithful in our circumstances, we stir up deeper lover for Him.

This week, my family and I are heading out on a much needed vacation. As I spoke with my mom about it, anticipation rose in my stomach. I told her that I want to slow down and take it all in! I don’t want to come away from the trip and feel as though I was only partially “present.” She said, “You know, there are three parts to an experience: the anticipation, the actual experience, and then the memory. You have to fully live in all three to be able to enjoy it to the fullest.” I loved that statement, and it made me realize that it was her way of saying that to live fully, we must anticipate, experience, and remember with thanksgiving all that God gives in life. God asks us to anticipate and thank Him for His answers when we ask for something (Phil 4:6-7). He also tells us to be content in all circumstances, (in the actual experience – in the moment –1 Thes. 5:18), and, finally, He calls us to remember with thanks what He has done and the gifts He has given (Psalm 103:2).

I think we all want to love God and glorify Him. When we drink with thanksgiving the cup God gives, while building faith through remembering His gifts, we become a cup overflowing. It stirs up our love for God. We can do the same with others by remembering and loving them, just as we did on Mother’s Day. Thankfully, we don’t have to wait for an “official” day to do it. I encourage you to start now, wherever you are, and give thanks for everything!

Kara Hanger
Assimilation and Equipping Coordinator

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The deeper devotionals this week are based on the message “Thanks, Mom!” by Pastor Nate Atwood at KPC on Sunday, May 13. To hear this message, or others in the series FROM EMPTY TO FULL – Gratitude in a Take-it-for-Granted World, go towww.kpc.org.

Take a moment and pray that the Lord will speak to you in this time of study.

This Week’s Key Verse: Colossians 1:16-17 “For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.  And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy.”

Read: Isaiah 64:8; Malachi 3:3; Matthew 3:11; Romans 8:28

The first time little “c” (cancer ~ Jesus is the BIG “C”) visited me in 2005 was an eye-opening experience.  Compared to the emotional trauma of a divorce in 2002, it was a piece of cake. It was as if Jesus picked me up, and I was watching my body go through cancer.  Praise God! So many miracles happened during that time.  If ever you want to hear about them, I’ll be glad to share.

When I got the news from my oncologist that little “c” had returned once again (this time in my spine) I was stunned, but not for long. Knowing that God is sovereign, and serving a wonderful Savior in Jesus Christ for these past forty-two years, and believing that God makes no mistakes and works “all things to our good” because we love Him and are called by Him for a purpose here, I placed myself once again on the Potter’s wheel.

I was told once by a silversmith that when a potter is making something out of silver, he places it in a kiln with the heat at 1700 degrees. Ouch! If there are any impurities when the silver comes out of the kiln, back in the oven it goes, and the heat is turned up to 2200 degrees. Double OUCH!

When Pastor Nate began to preach his series on being thankful, I praised God that his message was not only relevant but also necessary for us, the body of Christ, to apply to our everyday lives. Many have gone through, are going through, or will go through life trials that require our little bit of faith with thanksgiving and a GREAT, BIG GOD to get us through; hence, the Refiner’s Fire. So, it’s back in the kiln for me. This time the fire is hotter, but His determination in me is stronger. There is a world out there that only He can reach through us. Each time His voice says, “Now I’m going to show you what My Word really means. I’m going to teach you more lessons of the Kingdom as you go deeper in Me.”

God has strategically placed each one of us in our own little part of the world. Our purpose is to let His light shine through us so that He will be glorified through us. We are meant to meet and worship together on Sundays so that we are equipped and challenged to be in the world (but not of it) the rest of the week. Our purpose is to know Christ and to make Him known to others. That includes the medical field. By the way, doctors are confused and perplexed because they say I should be in excruciating pain at my 8-9-and 10 thoracic vertebrae. I am not in any pain there at all. I told them an angel wing is stuck between my spine and ribs there. My Asian radiologist called it a “blessing.” Thank You, God! Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Holy Spirit.

So today (today is all we have), I am thankful. Thankful for little “c” that has opened doors at school, where He is touching lives because of it! My school is the most wonderful public school in the nation. Why? We have a caring community of believers there. The first time around I prayed for them. Now they are wrapping their arms around me and praying for me. One teacher came to me and said, “I don’t pray, but I am praying for you.” That’s how the Potter works. He uses everything and anything to draw others to Himself. Who knows? He just may use you today.

Thank You, Lord, for the Refiner’s Fire.

The Refiner’s Fire (as sung by Steve Green)

V1:
There burns a fire with sacred heat
White hot with holy flame
And all who dare pass through its blaze
Will not emerge the same
Some as bronze and some as silver
Some as gold, then with great skill
All are hammered by their sufferings
On the anvil of His will

Chorus:
The Refiner’s fire
Has now become my souls desire
Purged and cleansed and purified
That the Lord be glorified
He is consuming my soul
Refining me, making me whole
No matter what I may lose
I choose the Refiner’s fire

V2:
I’m learning now to trust His touch
To crave the fire’s embrace
For though my past with sin was etched
His mercies did erase
Each time His purging cleanses deeper
I’m not sure that I’ll survive
Yet the strength in growing weaker
Keeps my hungry soul alive

Love,
Joanie

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The deeper devotionals this week are based on the message “Thanks, Mom!” by Pastor Nate Atwood at KPC on Sunday, May 13. To hear this message, or others in the series FROM EMPTY TO FULL – Gratitude in a Take-it-for-Granted World, go to www.kpc.org.

Take a moment and pray that the Lord will speak to you in this time of study.

This Week’s Key Verse: Colossians 1:16-17 “For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.  And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy.”

Read Ephesians 5:21-33 (KJV)

This past Sunday we celebrated Mother’s Day, six days after North Carolina voted for a Constitutional Amendment declaring that “marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.”  The day after North Carolina’s vote, President Obama made his endorsement of same sex marriages. So what does this say about our society’s belief in marriage? What has happened to our understanding of marriage and why as a nation are we so conflicted on this issue?

Tim Keller, in his book, The Meaning of Marriage writes that, belief in the desirability and goodness of marriage was once universal, that is no longer true.  A recent report by the University of Virginia’s National Marriage Project concluded the following: “Less than a third of the (high school senior) girls and only slightly more than a third of the boys seem to believe…  that marriage is more beneficial to individuals than the alternatives.  Yet this negative attitude is contrary to the negative empirical evidence, which consistently indicates the substantial personal as well as social benefits of married compared to staying single or just living with someone.” The report argues that the views of most young adults not only are unsupported by the older consensus, and against the teaching of all the major religions of the world, but they are also unsupported by the accumulated evidence of the most recent social science.

So where did this pessimism come from, and why is it so out of touch with reality? Keller says it comes from a new kind of unrealistic idealism about marriage, born of a significant shift in our culture’s understanding of the purpose of marriage.   Legal scholar, John Witte Jr. says that the earlier “ideal of marriage was a permanent contractual union designed for the sake of mutual love, procreation, and protection is slowly giving way to a new reality of marriage as a ‘terminal sexual contract’ designed for the gratification of the individual practices. Originally Western civilization believed that the purpose of marriage was to create a framework for life long devotion and love between a husband and a wife. It was a solemn bond, designed to help each party subordinate individual impulses and interests in favor of the relationship, to be a sacrament of God’s love and serve the common good. Marriage created character by bringing male and female into a binding partnership. It was seen as creating the only kind of social stability in which children could grow and thrive. Society had a vested interest because children could not flourish as well in any other kind of environment[i]. That is why it is necessary for us to get a marriage license when we want to get married or go before a court of law to receive a divorce. The state has said that it has an interest in regulating marriages.

But Whitte goes on to say that a new view of marriage came from the Enlightenment of the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Before that couples were taught to find meaning in duty, by embracing their assigned social roles and carrying them out faithfully. During the Enlightenment, the meaning of life came to be seen as the fruit of the freedom of the individual to choose the life that most fulfills him or her personally. Instead of finding meaning through self-denial, through giving up ones freedoms, and binding oneself to the duties of marriage and family, marriage was redefined as finding emotional and sexual fulfillment and self-actualization.

When we see the Apostle Paul’s statements about marriage in our reading today, we become aware just how far as a society we have strayed from God’s plan and purpose for marriage. We have lost any sense of marriage in its divine sacramental symbolism or as a social bond for the benefit of mankind. Now it is viewed as a contract between two parties for mutual individual growth and satisfaction. It has become “all about Me” instead of “all about Us.”

Pastor Neil

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[i] Tim Keller with Kathy Keller, The Meaning of Marriage, Duton Publishing

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The deeper devotionals this week are based on the message “Thanks, Mom!” by Pastor Nate Atwood at KPC on Sunday, May 13. To hear this message, or others in the series FROM EMPTY TO FULL – Gratitude in a Take-it-for-Granted World, go to www.kpc.org.

Take a moment and pray that the Lord will speak to you in this time of study.

This Week’s Key Verse: Colossians 1:16-17 “For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy.”

When I became a believer in the Lord Jesus, and received the Holy Spirit, I found that I had the Author of the Bible explaining the meaning of the Book to me. I became aware that our God likes to use the natural world and our humanity to represent spiritual Truth to us. His thoughts are so high above ours, that we often need some help to understand His ways. Here is how Isaiah said it:

Isaiah 55:9 – (NLT) For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Jesus used parables, or stories of everyday events to explain a lot of the deeper spiritual truths He spoke of. God uses natural events throughout the Bible to point out the way He desires our lives to be. Thank You Lord for this assistance!

One of the wonderful images God uses to represent His relationship with His people is that of a bride and Bridegroom. This Friday, I was treated to a beautiful wedding that spoke deeply to me about God’s plans for His people! But before I explain, here is a similar story from the Books of Ephesians and Revelation:

Ephesians 5:25-32 – (NLT) For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her  to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.  In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself.  No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.  And we are members of his body.  As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”  This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.

Revelation 2:1-7 – (NLT) Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”  And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”  And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega-the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.  All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

These two illustrations are among the many that use marriage to show us God’s plans for us to be united to Him. He says it is a union that is like marriage. We will be united to Christ in the same way as we become united as husband and wife. Then, at the end of time, according to the Revelation given to the Apostle John, the church will be presented to Jesus as a bride, beautifully dressed for her Bridegroom!

I saw a living representation of this on Friday! Daniel was the eager groom, waiting for his radiant bride Sara to appear in all of her splendor, in the special white dress she had put on for just this occasion. The Minister who presided over this happy event was the proud father of the groom, Reverend Nate Atwood, and the spiritual father (in his role as her Pastor) of the bride! It was moving and emotional at so many levels, and so much like the scene in Revelation!

But be aware that we have an enemy who is trying to destroy everything that points us towards God! Paul reminds us:

2 Corinthians 2:11 – (NIV) in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

Just remember, the reason marriage is under such attack right now is because we have an enemy who is trying to destroy everything that points us to Jesus. Marriage is under severe attack. Thank You God that we are not unaware of his schemes! Help Your church to do everything that we can to protect this holy symbol of Your loving relationship with us! And congratulations to Daniel and Sara!

Lelia McGregor

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The deeper devotionals this week are based on the message “Thanks, Mom!” by Pastor Nate Atwood at KPC on Sunday, May 13. To hear this message, or others in the series FROM EMPTY TO FULL – Gratitude in a Take-it-for-Granted World, go to www.kpc.org.

This Week’s Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 11:23-24  “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you . . .”

Take a moment and pray that the Lord will speak to you in this time of study.

Yesterday I used a title taken from the book of Romans. The title and thought were not derivative of Paul’s argument there, which pertains to sin, the Law, and justification. The phrase just rang in my mind and spirit. When faced with the enormity of the gifts of God, what can we say? Amazing! Simply amazing!

Similarly, today’s title is taken from Ephesians. Also similarly, it has little if anything to do with Paul’s premise in chapter six, which is that we stand against Satan and his influence in the world and our lives (putting on the whole armor of God). Instead, my focus is on prayer, gratitude, and the second key directive of the Great Commission.

A few years ago, the leadership at KPC proposed a newly stated mission statement. It is (I state this from memory and not from an official publication):

Reaching those who are distant from God;
Developing fully devoted followers of Christ.

It is, of course, a contemporary English restatement of the Great Commission. Why restate the obvious? Because the Church, like every other human institution, falls into “groupspeak.” Over time we begin to talk to each other in a language no one outside the group can understand. Our “groupspeak” is not only unintelligible, but it is often offensive. Phrases like “the lost” or “unsaved” create their own barriers to the Gospel outside the offense of the Cross. And the Church is not a secular company. Our mission should be just as understandable to those outside as those who are in the community. I have heard numerous anecdotes of how the phrase “distant from God” has actually touched the heart of someone who was and led him/her closer to Christ. Of course, we hold no exclusive market on mission statements that restate the Great Commission. River Oaks Community Church, Clemmons, NC, one of our sister churches, has distilled it to three words, “Reach, Build, Send”. However we state or restate it, the directive is from our Lord.

Like the Star Trek prime directive, it is the central governing tenet of our belief. We are called to go, to engage. As I said yesterday, that calling is not selective. Everyone who calls Jesus Lord must go. For most of us our “go group” is our oikos, our present sphere of influence. Some are called to go farther. We got word this week of the death of Randy Macmillan. Randy was from Norfolk. He met and married a girl from Colombia. Later he heard God’s call on his life to go to that country to share the Good News. His ministry there, in the city of Cali, was instrumental in the breaking of the Cali drug cartel. When he died, their church in Cali numbered over 2,000 and had a network of over 20 daughter churches. Most of us don’t receive a call like Randy’s, but all of us are called.

The second part of our call is to “teach them to observe.” Again, not everyone receives a call like Billy Graham’s, or one like Pastor Nate’s, or even one to write devotionals for a blog, but none is exempt from the call to first become a “fully devoted follower of Christ” and to encourage our oikos to do the same.

So back to prayer and gratitude. I often say that if the choir and the preacher are the charging cavalry of the Army of God, then the intercessors and prayer warriors are the artillery. It doesn’t matter how dashing, skilled, or courageous the charging warriors are if the cannons haven’t softened the field in front of them. To expect to storm the gates of hell without a covering of prayer is folly, suicidal folly. On most Thursdays I take soup to church for the staff. During our prayer emphasis in Lent I would come in the back door by the prayer chapel and find it full of prayer warriors. Today I came in with the soup and found one lone person there. She corrected me and pointed out there were two: God had come too. It saddened my heart. As long as Pastor Nate was there the room was full. No Nate, no people. I know Thursday noon might not be the most convenient time, and not everyone can come every week, but from standing room only (20+) to one is a dramatic falloff.

I have learned over the past number of weeks that gratitude toward God makes people winsome. As crotchety and prickly as my personality is, I am much more approachable when I am carrying an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude is not only a balm to the bearer’s heart; it is a sweet-smelling savor to those around us. It softens us, and it makes us more attractive. In Exodus 22, the Lord prescribes the formula for the anointing oil that the High Priest uses to prepare for the presence of the Lord. I tell you that the oil was not only pleasing to God but to all who encountered the priest as he left the tabernacle. So it is with our gratitude. What will happen to our light and salt if we return to our old grumpy, introverted selves? I shudder to think. We have been given incredible keys to the kingdom. Will we toss them away in search of some new shiny thing? This has been one of the inherent weaknesses of the charismatic church — always seeking the next manifestation, always following the cloud (though most often the cloud was in our imaginations, not the presence of God). In I Thessalonians 5 Paul says, “Hold fast what is good.” (vs. 21b) And so I say to you, we have received that which is good. We have seen God manifest Himself through it.  I admonish you as your elder, brother, and co-laborer, “Having done all, stand.”

Fred Teagle, Elder

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The deeper devotionals this week are based on the message “The Memory” by Pastor Nate Atwood at KPC on Sunday, May 6. To hear this message, or others in the series FROM EMPTY TO FULL – Gratitude in a Take-it-for-Granted World, go to www.kpc.org.