Don’t you know that your body is a temple that belongs to the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit, whom you received from God, lives in you. You don’t belong to yourselves. You were bought for a price. So bring glory to God in the way you use your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 GW)

Read the two versus above carefully. When we asked Jesus to come into our heart we surrendered our life for His. We are now a Temple (Remember, we are a three-part being… spirit, soul and body.) that belongs to the Holy Spirit. That means we no longer belong to ourselves. The Holy Spirit, whom we received from God, now lives IN us.

HIT THE PAUSE BUTTON! Are we doing what those versus said?

IF – we are a Temple, and the Holy Spirit really does live INSIDE of us… would we change our way of living, would we treat people differently, would we start doing what it takes to get closer to God, and the list could go on and on.

Well, if you are a REAL Christian, go ahead and erase that “IF” because we ARE a Temple and the Holy Spirit really does live INSIDE of us. I can only speak for myself, in the world we live in, I want to know God more than ever. And not just for me, but for others who need Him.

Take some time when you can, and look on the inside, down and deep so you can find out WHO YOU BELONG TO…. You or the Holy Spirit???

In Him, Pastor Kevin Kinchen

As much as it is possible, live in peace with everyone. Don’t take revenge, dear friends. Instead, let God’s anger take care of it. After all, Scripture says, “I alone have the right to take revenge. I will pay back, says the Lord.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil with good. (Romans 12:18-19, 21 GW)

After being run over by a 13,000 lb. CASE-580 Backhoe, in 1993, SIX long years of back trouble (from falling down a flight of stairs), and NOW, with a 10-year-old “diagnosis” of ALS… (Which I believe and declare that I am healed and getting better every day!) I have learned one BIG eye-opener. “I AM NOT GOD, and neither are you.” Therefore, it’s not my job to seek revenge. That’s why the verse above says, “I alone have the right to take revenge. I will pay back, says the Lord.” So, if you are seeking revenge on someone, it’s time to,  “… let God’s anger take care of it.”

Most of you know that I have difficulty speaking, “temporarily.” But, what you don’t know is my ability to listen. When you are sitting in a big room full of people, what do YOU do? I listen. I listen to people and I even listen to God. You would be shocked if you listened to the people who are angry, or full of hatred, and their frustration level is off the chart. But, what does anger do? What does hatred and frustration do? They do absolutely nothing good. They rob you of the most expensive thing in the world. TIME. Time you will never get back. It gives evil a booster shot of poison to spread. There is a better way… we read it in the verse above,  “Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil with good.”

In Him,  

Pastor Kevin Kinchen       

“However, if CHRIST LIVES IN YOU…. Does the Spirit of the One who brought Jesus back to life… LIVE IN YOU? Then the One who brought Christ back to life WILL ALSO MAKE YOUR MORTAL BODIES ALIVE BY HIS SPIRIT WHO LIVES IN YOU.”  (Romans 8: 10-11  GW)

 “if CHRIST LIVES IN YOU,” —- Do we understand that little two letter word; if? The definition of “if” is, “a conditional clause.” That means, “Someone offers something to another someone… and IF they do their part of the deal they agreed to… they collect their goods. BUT, only IF they do their part.“ God made this plan way before any of us were born. He put His Son, Jesus Christ, in the world so He (Jesus) could reunite the people with His Father. He gave us, every one of us, the sacrifice that paid for our sins, and gave us eternal life… if CHRIST LIVES IN YOU! So, THAT’S what the word “if” means.     

Then the One who brought Christ back to life WILL ALSO MAKE YOUR MORTAL BODIES ALIVE BY HIS SPIRIT WHO LIVES IN YOU. —-

Put all that together, not as a formula or a magical potion, but as a LIFESTYLE! A  LIFESTYLE where Jesus lives in us. 

Pastor Kevin Kinchen  

“… He gives everyone life, breath, and everything they have.” (Acts 17:25)

People have asked me “How do you make it through all the ’stuff’ you are going thru… and with a great attitude?” Well, first, I have to say that I do have bad days every now and then. Thankfully, I don’t stay down very long. LIFE is too short anyway so why waste our time in a deep depression. Plus, I don’t feel like I have finished my course, my assignment from God. So, I don’t have time to be depressed. 

OK, here we go… 

1. TRUST GOD.  And I mean total trust. You can’t “try” to trust. You are either trusting or you’re not. If you are worrying, then you are NOT trusting. TRUST means… “the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.” The only way to ’trust’ God like that is to KNOW HIM. (By: His Word, prayer, and time alone in the Secret Place.) Without God I am nothing. But “NOTHING is impossible WITH God!” (Luke 1:37)    

2. BEWARE of our TONGUE.  Our tongue is used to swallow, to manipulate our food so we don’t choke, and most of all, to assist us when we talk. Soooo many people don’t realize that the WORDS we speak are the framework we live in. That means if we ‘choose’ to broadcast all of our ailments (or any other negative thing), day after day, after day, then we are creating an atmosphere for sickness, and anything else to thrive. Anyone can be a ‘reporter‘ broadcasting only what they SEE. But, I choose to ‘declare’ that which I CANNOT SEE… like my Heavenly Father does. Whether we like it or not, God ‘created humans in HIS image.’ And how did God create everything? He SAID… “let there be light.” Every thing God created was SPOKEN into existence. And since we are created in His image, that means we can do the same thing.

3. Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Prayer. The Apostle Paul made a request of the people in Colossae, for PRAYER. Margie and I realize that if Paul needed prayer then so do we. Paul asked for them to… “… pray for us. Pray that God will give us an opportunity to speak the Word so that we may tell the mystery about Christ…… Pray that we make this mystery as clear as possible. This is what I have to do….”  (Colossians 4:3-4) So, don’t be the person that says, “Oh, I’m all right. God doesn’t have time for me and my problems.” Look at the verse below that says, ”He is NEVER far from any one of us.” He cares about us no matter how big or how small.  

4. LAUGH a LOT!

5. NEVER EVER QUIT.   

“He has done this so they would look for Him (God), somehow reach for Him, and find Him. In fact, He is NEVER far from any one of us. 28) Certainly, we live, move, and exist because of Him. As some of your poets have said, ‘We are God’s children.’”  (Acts 17:27-28)

I am reading in the book of Acts and I noticed something that YOU might find helpful. The Greek-speaking Jews claimed that the widows among them were neglected every day when food and other assistance was distributed.

The twelve apostles called all the disciples together and told them, “It’s not right for us to give up God’s Word in order to distribute food. So, brothers and sisters, choose seven men whom the people know are spiritually wise. We will put them in charge of this problem. However, we will devote ourselves to praying and to serving in ways that are related to the Word.” (Acts 6:1-4 GW) 

Notice the 12 apostles never lost their focus. They knew they could not “give up God’s Word in order to distribute food.” Why? Because that’s what God told them to do. They were not trying to say they were better than the others. They were just obeying God. They belonged… “devoting themselves to praying and to serving in ways that are related to the Word.” And obviously it worked because verse 7 said, “The Word of God continued to spread, and the number of disciples in Jerusalem grew very large. A large number of priests accepted the faith.“ (Acts 6:7) 

So….. how does this story fit into our lives? Well, first we are talking about people who are leaders (apostles). As a leader we sometimes think like, “I will do it myself because I don’t have time to mess with it.“  If we take that path we would end up doing everything… except what we were hired for. 

As a pastor (for 34 years) I’ve learned a thing or two about leadership. Years ago, I passionately loved God, and still do. But, I am also a task oriented person. I would get all excited in my relationship with the Lord, but when He would give me a project to do, I would pull my focus off Him and direct it to the project. I would give 100 percent to the project and totally forget about keeping the relationship with God intact. I found myself over-worked and under-nourished (spiritually). Unfortunately, I learned that lesson the hard way. 

The apostles showed us how to stay focused. And if you are someone who works in a ministry, make sure you… “devote yourselves to praying and to serving in ways that are related to the Word.” You will be glad you did. 

In Him, Pastor Kevin Kinchen