Category: Get This

“…Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and bless His name.” Psalm 100:4

Good morning, Greeting in Christ,

Dr. Roy Fish, respected seminary professor for many years, constantly shared a favorite saying with his students: “when you cease to be thankful you begin to be sinful.” As a student of his, I was blessed to be a personal recipient of such a necessary reminder again and again.

Thankful or sinful! Wow! That definitely narrows the options.

Thankfulness represents such a vital characteristic of one who truly worships God. Psalm 100 instructs the worshiper to enter into God’s presence with thankfulness; in this way, we bless the name of God. Have you ever considered that your life of thankfulness could actually be a blessing to God?

This Sunday, November 18, King’s Grant Baptist Church will celebrate a special time of giving thanks at each of our morning worship services. A special observance of the Lord’s Supper, along with a meaningful time of praise and worship, will provide an opportunity for you to express you thankfulness to God in a very meaningful way.

We hope you and your family will join us for this very special time to give thanks as we worship Jesus Christ, our Savior and King. See you Sunday.

“…We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)

Greetings in Christ,

Someone recently asked me, “who has better barbecue, Texas or Virginia?” They followed their question with, “we are asking you personally, because you just moved to Virginia from Texas, and you of all people would know.”

Did you catch the significance of their comment: you just moved from there, so you would know. They are exactly right. “I would know” because of a very practical truth: my residency provided first hand experience.

The simplicity of that truth will help you to understand an important fact of your Christian faith: Christians are ambassadors for Jesus Christ. When you placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you received the gift of eternal life (abundant life), which by definition begins at the moment of salvation and not at the moment of a Christian’s passing from this life. Death will one day usher you into the presence of God to experience in full that which you began to experience the moment you met Jesus: life abundant. You have become a member of the Kingdom of Christ, and you are a citizen of His kingdom more than a citizen of this world. In fact, your relationship with Jesus – His saving grace – qualifies you as an ambassador of His kingdom; and you are an ambassador to this fallen world.

How is this significant for your daily existence? Every day you awaken in this world, you are an ambassador for Christ and His kingdom. So, when someone seeks to know the truth of God, and the greatest love ever given, they can look to you because you of all people would know; you are now “from there.” You have been received into the Kingdom of Christ (Colossians 1:13) and you are privileged to represent Jesus with every step of your life.

If this truth seems overwhelming, know that God is continually at work in your life to strengthen you as His ambassador. In fact, this Sunday, I will share five facts of an ambassador of Christ that I believe you will find very encouraging.

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday, November 11. (Oh, and if you are thinking that I did not answer the question about who has the best barbecue, you are exactly right. See you Sunday!)

“…And He (Christ) gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints in the work of ministry to build up the Body of Christ.” – Ephesians 4:11-12

Greetings in Christ,

Last evening, during our Midweek Cafe, I shared a summary of last week’s sermon to encourage our life groups in their small group time to follow. In the summary, I told the story of a mission team I led to Brazil to build a church building near San Paulo. The project involved an opportunity I had to lay block for the front wall of the church, some 25 courses high. A friend and I worked diligently on this endeavor (well, as diligent as one could while carrying on conversation). We were close to the completion of our wall when the foreman and the pastor of the church looked at our wall and said something in Portuguese. We smiled and waved as if to say to our observers, “yes, we know the wall looks great.” It was then that the pastor laughed and made a wavy motion with his hand while pointing at the wall. We quickly concluded that our wall was a bit crooked. In fact, after tearing down almost half of the courses we had just built, we soon got the idea: you can’t just plop a block down and call it a building; the block has to be placed strategically. Thankfully, there is now a very straight wall on the front of Igreja Batista Freguesia.

When I read I Peter 2:5, I celebrate that the Holy Scriptures reference the follower of Christ as a living stone in the house of God. Much like the lesson I learned in Brazil, the living stones are not just “plopped” together and called a church; we are called together as a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices through Jesus Christ. The living church exists because of what Jesus has accomplished in the life of every member of His church.

This Sunday, we will journey from the second chapter of Ephesians (last week’s sermon) to the fourth, and we will discover the deep truths of being equipped as a member and a minister of God’s household. While there are ministry professionals, each member of the church has been strategically placed in the kingdom of Christ as a minister on behalf of Christ in the church and to the world.

Come this Sunday and celebrate being a community of faith. And, if you are reading this and feel disconnected from God or His Church, please join us. You will be surprised at how quickly you will feel connected in the love of Christ.

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday, ~ Pastor Ken

Don’t forget Operation Inasmuch this Saturday. Check out the details on our website.

“…Jesus Christ, Himself being the Cornerstone, in Whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord.” – Ephesians 2:20b-21

Greetings in Christ,

It was John Wesley who said, “I want the whole Christ for my Savior, the whole Bible for my book, the whole church for my fellowship, and the whole world for my mission field.”

I trust that each of us has this same hunger!

In preparation for worship this Sunday, consider the significance of “the whole church for my fellowship.”

The Apostle Paul wrote, “the whole building (meaning the spiritual community of Christians) is growing into a holy temple (meaning, a people in whom God’s presence dwells). I love the emphasis on growing. This expresses the expansion of the church around the globe (Revelation 7:9, “from every nation, tribe, people, and tongue”). This also expresses the spiritual maturity of God’s people, growing more and more into a people who truly represent the presence of God and the love of Jesus to the world.

This Sunday, October 21, we as a community of faith will have an opportunity to understand how each of us can participate in the growth of the church. To think that God could use each of us to grow His church locally and around the world is an opportunity we would not want to miss!

A Very Important Reminder: This Sunday offers an opportunity to witness growth in the leadership of our community of faith as we celebrate the ordination into deacon service for Emily Gilliam and Bob Bademian. Please come and support these two faithful servants and their families.

The ordination service will take place only at the 8:30 worship time; the 11:00 traditional service and the 11:00 contemporary worship (The Well), will focus on the present sermon series of our church vision: The Core Value of Faith – Indicated by a life that Grows.

I look forward to worshiping with you and your family this Sunday.

If you are new to the community of faith at King’s Grant Baptist, or if you are visiting, don’t forget our special invitation to “Coffee with the Pastor” at 9:30 in the Welcome Center this Sunday. [ RSVP Here ]

“We, who are many, are one body in Christ…” – Romans 12:5

The Gallup Pole once reported the top needs of American Citizens. The top three needs listed were as follows: (1) the need for food and shelter, (2) the need for purpose, and (3) the need for community.

Interesting! With basic physical needs and the need for a sense of purpose, our culture also has a need for community: a need for belonging and identifying to a larger group.

While social media tools seem to keep our interaction superficial and often distant and strained, our culture hungers to belong. In fact, God has created us with a need for others. He has fostered within His creation the dynamic of relationships. Even through the salvation offered by Jesus on the cross, a significant result is that one can belong to the larger body of Christ (the Church). We were made for community.

Join King’s Grant Baptist Church this Sunday, October 7, as we discover from God’s’ Word the exciting reality of community (our focus of M1 – membership in the equipping model of our church vision).

I look forward to worshiping Jesus Christ with you in community.

To the Faith Community of King’s Grant Baptist:

This coming Sunday, September 30^th, is Mission Sunday, also known as M-3 Sunday. As you remember from my most recent sermon at King’s Grant, there are three words that represent our core values and summarize our church vision:

• M1 (COMMUNITY), living as a genuine member of the Body of Christ;
• M2 (FAITH), growing as a community of faith to become ministers for Jesus Christ;
• M3 (LOVE), living out the love of Christ on mission with Him every day. 

Please join us this Sunday as we celebrate the second and third part of our vision: M2 and M3. 

We will celebrate M2, a life of faith that grows into ministry, with a special volunteer appreciation. If you volunteer within the ministry of KGBC in any way, please stop by the front welcome center for a special time of refreshments at the conclusion of the 8:30 service and just before Sunday school. (This is a “drop by” gathering on your way to Sunday School, etc.) This reception is in your honor, and in thanksgiving to God for your life as one who ministers in and through the church for Christ Jesus and His kingdom. (Each Sunday that I stand before our congregation, most people I see volunteer in some way, so I hope to see all of you at the welcome area this Sunday- this will be a great time to connect with one another.)

Also, we will celebrate M3, a life lived on mission for Jesus Christ. In the 8:30 and 11:00 worship times this Sunday testimonies will be shared by some within our faith community who have been involved in specific mission endeavors this year. Also, through their stories we will all be encouraged to live as people on mission with Jesus. (Please note that our two 11:00 worship services will be combined in the main worship area; the 8:30 service will remain as usually scheduled. Both services will be identical in content.)

I am very thankful for the love and fellowship we sense as we gather together. This Sunday is going to be an incredible time together as we worship Jesus Christ our Lord. I look forward to worshiping with you this weekend.

From Pastor Ken

I was introduced to Jake Pratt along with millions of others, courtesy of ESPN video footage. Jake was a high school senior with Down syndrome. Jake’s family and his school did not see limitations in his life, but only possibilities.

Jake was given an opportunity to leave the sideline roll of manager for the football team that he had held throughout his high school career; on a very special Friday night, he was allowed to suit up with the rest of the players. My heart was overwhelmed as he was dressed out in a team uniform on the sideline. But Jake’s story doesn’t stop there.

When the footage showed Jake going into the game, I watched in amazement as the tears began to flow. As the play was called, everyone on both sides of the ball supported number 90 as he ran for a touchdown. The entire stadium erupted in joy, and I sat tear soaked and speechless.

I will never forget the sound of the fans as Jake was cheered on to what must be one of the most memorable occasions of his life: contributing to a football team he has loved and served for many years. Off the sideline and into the game! Jake did not have to be given the desire to play. He only needed the opportunity.

As I viewed this powerful real life expression of “team,” my mind raced to Romans 12:5, wherein we are told that in the church each member belongs one to another. This indicates that we are responsible for how each member of the body of Christ should be in the play; there are no sidelines in the Kingdom of Christ.

So, church member and church leader, in the spirit of being an equipping church, who are you trying to get into the game? Do you desire to see someone running for the end zone more than yourself? Are you willing to do what it takes to give that “someone” an opportunity to be trained (by this, I mean discipleship), encouraged, and involved in becoming one who ministers and leads. I am so glad Jake’s coach put Him in the game.

Can we as a people of God make our priority to disciple someone until he or she is truly making an impact in the church, and through the church to the world? This becomes our opportunity to create leaders within the church. Let’s not just create good church members, but rather equip active ministers. Let’s put Jake in the game!

From Pastor Ken

“What does fatherhood mean to me?” This question touches my life deeply, as I am sure for every dad.

My wife and I are blessed with three daughters, all adopted. So, immediately I realize that “fatherhood” is not limited to genetic progeny. In fact, fatherhood is not even limited to proximity. A man can offer his physical heritage and his domestic closeness and yet miss being a father. So, what genuinely constitutes fatherhood in the life of a man? I believe this can be answered in 3 ways: (1) a physical covering, (2) a relational covering, (3) and a spiritual covering. This perspective became real to me as I engaged in studying the Scriptures that reveal Jesus as the Good shepherd. So, I would like to explain these three truths of fatherhood in the light of the truth of Jesus as the Good shepherd.

I really want you to get this!

1. Jesus identified Himself as the good shepherd by laying down His life for His sheep (John 10:11) – a physical covering, especially against the dangers of wolves (the darkness of this world). He carried this out ultimately on the cross, praise His name!!
2. Jesus identified Himself as the good shepherd by knowing His sheep (John 10:14) – a relational covering; He emphasized this relationship by the significance of the sheep knowing His voice, thus demonstrating that the relationship is very close and personal.
3. Jesus identified Himself as the good shepherd by stating (John 10:29) that His Father is greater than all. Jesus was always interested in His followers knowing that they truly belong to God – a spiritual covering.

Jesus truly cares about family. So, would it not make sense to measure one’s fatherhood by the heart of Christ?

Dads, how closely do you resemble the good shepherd when you love your children?

Do you provide physical covering, laying yourself down daily – making sacrifices – so that you are protecting them from the evils of this world. Do you care about what they are watching, who they spend time with, etc. Do you provide a relational covering? Do you take the time to truly know your children, and for them to truly know you? Do you let them into your life, into your space, and into your heart? And most of all, do you provide a spiritual covering? Is your greatest concern for them spiritual? How do you encourage them to truly dedicate themselves to God, Who is greater than all, including us dads?! Are you nurturing your children spiritually by allowing them to hear you pray; are they encouraged by your own walk of faith? Can you pour into them out of the abundance of your daily experience with Christ.

Dad’s, today I ask you a simple question: are you willing to shepherd your children and your home (your precious bride included)? Let’s be real men! Let’s live and love like shepherds!

For every man of any age (and for that matter, every person), shepherd someone’s life today by living in obedience to the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

Join the community of faith at King’s Grant Baptist this Sunday, June 17, to celebrate Father’s Day, and to engage in a study from the Gospel of John, Chapter 10: “How Jesus impacted lives as the Good Shepherd.”