Why I Support The Traditional Plan of the UMC.

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Sin is Sin, right? If we call sin, sin, does that make us hateful? No! I believe those who do not call out sinful practices as sin are the ones being hateful by not delcaring the truth of God’s Word!

As a church leader, a pastor it is my duty to read, study, teach, and preach God’s Word given to us. If I as a leader do not declare a sinful practice a sin, then who will? Homosexuality is a sin according to God’s Word! Yet I have never heard, read or seen anyone who opposes the Traditional Plan make that statement. That would be hurtful and mean they declare. God is about Love not hate. That is only partially true, God is a God of Love. Yet God also is an unchanging God of Truth.

We do not get to define what sin is. God has already done that in His Word! https://bit.ly/2CMgsyg h

Clearly the words God inspired Paul to write almost 2,000 years ago ring true in our world today! https://bit.ly/1yd20cp

If we the leaders of the church do not call sin, sin, who will?

Homosexuality is a sin! Yet it is no greater or lessor a sin than my own sins. That is all I want to hear from those against the Traditional Plan. Call sin a sin. Because of Jesus Christ and his selfless sacrfice on the cross all our sins can be forgiven. That is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

God loves everyone. That does not mean God does not call us to repentance of our sin. If there is no need for repentance, then why did Jesus go to the cross? “Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession…Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Cheap grace isn’t God’s grace

Who Is God?

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And How can we know Him? These verses can help us figure that out.

John 14:8-17 (NIV)

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.  Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. “If you love me, keep my commands.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever The Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

How Can We Know God Better?
Pastor Kevin’s Message @ Asbury 6/9/2019

We Might Have Hope

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What can we learn about #Hope from these verses of Romans.

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.  For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written:

“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles;
    I will sing the praises of your name.” Again, it says, “Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.”  And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;
    let all the peoples extol him.”And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations;
    in him the Gentiles will hope.”

 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Message given by Pastor Kevin at Asbury UMC, Seaford DE 6/02/2019

Sunday Message 5/26/19

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One of the most difficult things about following Jesus; being defined as a “Christian;” is when things happen in our world that are hard to rationalize with our image of God.

The truth is that in our lives, in our journey of faith, there will be questions that may cause us to doubt.

That is what we see in the book of Habakkuk. A man of God asking tough questions.

Habakkuk was not unlike us today.

His country, Judah seemed to be on a downward spiral.

An enemy country was rising in power and strength.

God’s people were straying from God.

It seemed as if evil was winning.

Doesn’t it seem that way in our country?

Habakkuk 1:2-4

How long, Lord, must I call for help,
    but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
    but you do not save?
 Why do you make me look at injustice?
    Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
    there is strife, and conflict abounds.
 Therefore the law is paralyzed,
    and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
    so that justice is perverted.

Message preached at Blades UMC 5/26/2019

Faithful Following.

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John 21: 1-19 (NIV)

Pastor Kevin’s Message 5/05/2019

Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way:  Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.  “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.  He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered.  He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.  Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”  So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.  Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.  Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said,  “Feed my sheep. “

Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”  Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

Blessed, Commissioned, Messengers.

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John 20:19-31

Pastor Kevin’s Message 4/28/2019

  On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”  After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.  Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”  And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.  So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”  Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”  Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”  Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believe; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.  But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

What Would You Do?

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Luke 23:1-49

I usally like to place the text of the Scripture that was the basis of my Sunday Message. However with the length of this reading I decided not to do that. Below is a link for an audio version of it if you wish to listen. https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Luke.23

Here is the audio of the message I gave at Blades UMC on Palm/Passion Sunday 2019.

What does this mean for you?

Are We There Yet?

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Scritpure for Pastor Kevin’s Message 4/07/19

Philippians 3:4b-16

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee;  as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 1and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Audio of Pastor Kevin’s Message “Are We There Yet?”

LGBTQ People are welcome in the United Methodist Church!

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Another good article gleaned from the Wesleyan Covenant Association Blog.

This really sums up my feelings, beliefs, and thoughts on this dividing issue.

Thank you Keith Boyette and the leaders of the WCA.

Here is a summary of the article the link will follow.

So again, it is very disheartening to hear bishops and leading clergy unfairly characterize the work of the special General Conference as undermining the UM Church’s firm belief in the sacred worth of LGBTQ+ people. They know, or should know, that is simply not true.

For its part, the WCA welcomes LGBTQ+ people, their families and allies to participate in the life of the church. Many LGBTQ+ people regularly worship right beside us every weekend, and we hope and pray they will continue to do so. We implore them to reject the false narrative that a serious disagreement over our sexual ethics and teachings on marriage must necessarily imply our rejection of them. We do not accept that narrative; we will continue to welcome and reach out to LGBTQ+ people despite our differences. We will continue to work for a church that offers radical hospitality and genuine community to all persons. And we will strive to be a place of refuge for all who experience brokenness.

http://wesleyancovenant.org/2019/04/04/lgbtq-people-are-welcome-in-the-united-methodist-church/

Ministry of Reconciliation?

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2 Corinthians 5:15-21 (NIV)

And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Click to hear Pastor Kevin’s Message from 3/31/19

The Ministry of Reconciliation and what it means to us.