One Solitary Life!
Pastor Jim Kilby • August 6, 2024
A few years ago a friend of mine was giving an old Bible away when I recognized it as a version I didn't have. When I asked him if I could have it, he was happy to oblige. Months later I was flipping through the Bible he'd given me and found a postcard with the following words written on it. There is no copyright information or byline included, but I think you'll find they are inspired.
He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman.
He grew up in still another village where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty.
Then for three years he was an itinerant preacher.
He never wrote a book.
He never held an office.
He never had a family or owned a house.
He didn't go to college.
He never visited a big city.
He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where he was born.
He did none of the things one usually associates with greatness.
He had no credentials but himself.
He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him.
His friends ran away.
He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial.
He was nailed to a cross between two thieves.
While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only property he had on earth.
When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
Nineteen [now 20] centuries have come and gone, and today he is the central figure of the human race and the leader of mankind's progress.
All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on earth as much as that one solitary life.
Pastor Jim Kilby
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From the Roman Governor to the Jews to every day Americans in the here and now, everyone seems to be arguing about who killed Jesus. The bad news is that we all did! Every person who's ever breathed a breath is/was a sinful creature, save one--Our Lord Jesus! We all are responsible for Him having to die to save us from our sins, and our heavenly Father is the one who loved us enough to allow it to happen. Fortunately for us all, we can stop arguing because He's not dead and because the same power that brought Him back from the grave gives us hope for life eternal! Glory be to God! "When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. 'I am innocent of this man's blood,' he said. 'It is YOUR responsibility!'" Matthew 27:24 (Emphasis mine) Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
If you don't accept Jesus as your Lord, is He any less Lord of Lords? If you choose not to believe He is the Son of God, is He any less God's Only Begotten? If you choose not to acknowledge God at all, does that in any way diminish His power, His glory, or His Godliness? I think we've got a real misconception about who we are to God. To quote my own senior pastor, "We don't 'accept' Jesus as Lord, we 'acknowledge' Him." So, who's the Lord of your life? "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
Do you ever speak of Jesus to others, or are you one of those people who are more quiet about their faith? My understanding of the way the Holy Spirit works is not that people become obnoxious with their faith, but that they certainly get a huge desire to share their faith with others when that faith is genuine. So, if you've not gotten the desire to speak to others about your Savior, you need to work on your faith. Start spending more time praying and getting to know Him through His Word--He wants you to tell others about Him! It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. 2 Corinthians 4:13-14 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
My daughter informed me that she is sure that Mary Magdalene didn't walk slowly once she learned that Jesus' tomb was empty! "Daddy," she said, "I'll bet she ran like crazy to tell EVERYBODY!" It made me wonder, since He's still risen from the grave and desperately wants to reach a lost world, why do so many of His followers drag their feet as if they're not in a hurry to tell anybody that He's alive? "Early on the first day of the week, while it was till dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter..." John 20:1-2a Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
Suicide remains the second leading cause of death among teens (12-19) and although the explanations as to why seem to span far and wide, they really all do it for the same reason. They are searching for an escape because they feel they have no hope! Fellow believers, if these teens have no hope, is it not in some ways our fault? We are the "clay pots" that contain the only endearing hope there is! Peter put it this way: "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" 1 Peter 3:15 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
I know church can sometimes seem boring, but my bet is that if you're bored very often at your place of worship, the Holy Spirit is either not there or you're not paying attention! God is anything but boring! Sometimes "man" inserts himself into the mix, making things more about himself than about God, and then the boring stuff starts. If you're not finding the place you attend is helping you to grow maybe it's time to either look at what you're putting into it, or maybe even look for another place of worship. But either way, absolutely do not do what most people do. They judge all places of worship based on the one or two they've seen, then they stop attending all together. Before you know it they've stopped reading their Bibles, stopped praying, and then everything else begins to break down, too! When that happens, only Satan wins. Get into a church where Christ is glorified every day; your Lord is calling! "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:25 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
Often the enemy brings bad things our way to drive us away from God, and sometimes God even uses them to test our faith. Those who truly love the Lord will hang on all that much tighter when troubles come. Those "fair weather Christians" will move farther away, blaming God for their circumstances, no doubt claiming they deserve better. For those who truly trust in the Lord, their faith will increase through these tough times and they'll wind up even stronger than before. For those who turn their back on Him and seek comfort elsewhere, they wind up even worse off than they thought they were. “The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods." Psalm 16:4a Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
How do you act when someone corrects you in front of your friends? If you're the typical teenager (or even the typical adult) you'll get an attitude bigger than the room you're in and even if you're in the wrong, you'll set them straight. The typical Christian surely struggles with pride in the same way, but God calls us to a higher standard. One of the best examples I've seen was when David (the one who killed Goliath and who eventually became King David) was treated very badly by someone he had blessed over and over. David flew into a rage and swore he would take revenge. Fortunately for David's newfound enemy, his enemy's wife was a wise woman and went out to beg King David to reconsider. David's response showed how a true child of God immediately listens to God's voice, even if He uses someone else's voice to speak. David said to Abigail, "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands." 1 Samuel 25:32-33 David's example of humility: Thank you, God! Bless you, friend! I was a fool! You saved me from my own stupidity! Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
"Be kind and compa ssionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32) Dear Friends, I was listening to a podcast the other day that talked about spiritual amnesia. It is the idea that as Christians, we tend to be forgetful. We might forget... ...we have been saved. ...what sinners we were and still are. ...that we STILL need a Savior. ...ways God has shown up and provided. It also lead me to think about something my husband often says when interacting with people in tough situations: they never wanted this. In fact, often times we forget to treat people with dignity because of their situations instead of remembering… …they are someone’s son or daughter. …they once were a coo-ing baby. …they never wanted their life to turn out this way. When we remember people’s humanity - when we can take a moment to picture them as a little child dancing or singing - we can remember to treat them with the respect God says they deserve. Yes, there are usually still consequences for life choices and behaviors, but instead of judgment we can meet people with grace and compassion. Some More Sticky Notes: Ms J- Received access to furniture she needs in her new apartment. Mr W - Received a bus pass to help him care for his two small children while in a shelter. Mr M – Received furniture help for himself and his young daughter Blessings, Elizabeth Kilby
