We live in an age where people demand respect. If some don't get the amount of it they think they deserve, they'll strike out at those who aren't giving it. No doubt people have been killed and even wars have started because of the perception of a lack of respect among people, races, countries, etc. Suffice it to say that although there are clearly some biblical positions some Christians are called to hold that do demand some level of respect from brothers and sisters (pastor, elder, etc.), those who fill these positions are rarely those who demand respect. They focus on serving instead of being served, and the Lord tells us to respect them. We've all heard it said "vengeance is the Lord's," but there's even more to it than that. When someone strikes us, we're supposed to praise God and turn the other cheek. When someone calls us a name because of Jesus, we are to pray for them and bless them. And even if we are disrespected to the point of death, those truly operating by the power of the Holy Spirit will be beseeching the Lord on behalf of those who are doing them evil. If you demand respect from anyone, you just might be proving you don't deserve it. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep." Acts 7:59-60 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Jesus loves His bride. He cannot wait for the day when He comes to bring her (the Church) home. Unfortunately, the bride is often a runaway. Endlessly slowing His coming instead of speeding it. She says she loves Jesus, too, but often she's doing anything but focusing on Him or the work He left for her to do. I don't think it's ironic that Jesus cries out to the churches in the Book of Revelation seven times -- "Repent!" Which literally means, agree with your God and turn from your wicked ways! "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from it's place." Revelation 2:4-5 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Many people do not believe in a literal place called "hell." Some will tell you it is a myth. Others will tell you God would not make such a place, and He certainly would not cause people to go there for eternity. There are even denominations of the Christian church who hold these untruths as doctrine. There's just one little problem with their theories. The Bible completely disagrees. God speaks of hell twice as much as He speaks of heaven. Today I saw a young woman with two bumper stickers on her car. The first read, "Born Again Pagan”. The second, "It's Your Hell--You Burn In It!" As I prayed for her, I thought to myself, "Actually, if you don't believe God's Word, it's YOUR HELL, and you will burn in it." While this Scripture is not speaking of hell, it certainly does have a gripping word picture of fire, and it's aimed squarely at those who don't believe God's word. "Therefore as tongues of fire lick up straw and as dry grass sinks down in the flames, so their roots will decay and their flowers blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah 5:24 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

My mother was a stickler for telling my brother and sisters and I to wash our hands before we ate. I'm less concerned about that with my children, but I still routinely pass on my mother's command, "Dinner's ready! Go wash your hands!" I guess I do it mostly out of concern for their health, but at least a little of it comes from my desire to see them "looking" clean at the dinner table. The truth is that I often faked washing my hands when I was young. I honestly don't know why, but it probably had something to do with the fact that I was told to do it. At any rate, parents, religious leaders, teachers, and a host of others are often more concerned with how things look than how they really are. One day some religious leaders were a little shocked at the fact that Jesus failed to wash His hands before He ate. He gave them a serious earful about being more concerned about how things looked than about how they really were. The religious leaders looked great on the outside, but their hearts were as dark as coal. Here's a line or two of a long speech he threw on them. As you read it, consider whether you are more concerned about how you look to others, or about how you really are inside. "When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal, was surprised. Then the Lord said to him. 'Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not he one who made the outside made the inside also? But give what is inside the dish to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.'" Jesus of Nazareth (Luke 11:37-41) Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

I've never been good at tennis, but I love the drama and intensity of a great match. Years ago, I watched one that was everything it was touted to be. A young man with incredible talent versus an older and wiser competitor who has won almost everything twice! After it was all said and done, youth and talent won this one. But, even the young guy would do well at listening to Agassi talk about his love for the game. Honestly, the tennis match failed to strike me as solidly as something the older Andre Agassi said before the first shot was served; "Tennis has been very good to me, because I've given EVERYTHING to tennis." Now, just for a moment, let that statement sink in. Now... replace "tennis" with "Jesus" and see if it doesn't hold the one and only true hope for mankind. "In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:33 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Imagine standing in front of all your friends while you're wearing not only clothes that are out of style, but ones that are also terribly stained, smelly and that don't fit right. Now imagine that your worst enemy is standing beside you mocking you in front of them! In a sense, that's what going in front of God without Jesus would be like. You'd be going there based on your sinful attempts to clean yourself up--an impossible task. What's more, Satan would be pointing the finger at your the whole time. Once Jesus declares you clean, however, then you're clean through and through. Nothing Satan can say or do can undue the perfection of Jesus' sacrifice on your behalf! "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, "The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?' Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take off his filthy clothes." Then he said to Joshua, 'See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you.'" Zechariah 3:1-4 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

In my estimation, the vast majority of Christians are quite comfortable working on their personal relationship with Christ (or not working on it for that matter), but are not at all interested in actually engaging the rest of the Body of Christ in a meaningful way. What I mean is that most are quite comfortable in going to church, attending prayer meetings, youth group events and even casserole dinners when necessary, but when it comes to actually sitting down and telling a brother or sister the hard truth about their life, they're not interested. Maybe it's because they don't want to judge, or, maybe it's because they feel things are none of their business. I'm not sure of the motivations (or lack thereof), but I'd bet my last dollar it's because we would rather talk about people and their problems than actually help them out. Gossip is easy--engaging is hard! The truth is that every single Christian alive has been given the authority to speak the truth in love to other professing Christians. Not doing so is actually a sin on par with the one they're avoiding the confrontation with. It's not judging when you lovingly and prayerfully point someone to the truth. That, my brothers and sisters, is real LOVE! "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord." 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

There's been a lot of drama associated with recent court rulings that have eliminated the Pledge of Allegiance in some American schools because of the words "One nation under God." I'll probably anger some of my Christian friends with my take on this one, but I honestly don't think the Pledge of Allegiance has much to do with God anyway. What's more, the United States that we are pledging our allegiance to has long forgotten much about its Christian heritage anyway. And, whether the world acknowledges it or not, we still are "one nation under God!" I guess that while I never like to see such a blatant run against anything religious, I must admit the excitement it builds in me about our Lord's eminent return overwhelms my sadness. As Christians, let's continue to pray for our leaders, our government and even our nation, but when it comes to pledging allegiance, I'll just pledge mine to Jesus and leave it there! "What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him?" Deuteronomy 4:7 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate