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Kingdom's Keys Fellowship, Jacksonville, FL (2025)

07/27/2024

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07/26/2024

The ‘Every Next Moment’
The every next moment theme contains a lot of ‘every-nexts’ in it. There is the ‘every next’ thought, the ‘every next’ attitude, the ‘every next’ action, person, event, meeting, happening and so on. We need to look at them. There is so much going on around us we never consider how we meet our surrounding atmosphere. What we face is the fact of process. Life is processing every next moment. That process is invisible. In fact, 100% of everything we do visibly is made up of choices and decisions that are invisible. So, who and what do we trust in the invisible dimension of choice and decision in everyday life?
First, let’s start with ourselves. We possess our mind, heart and spirit each of which have an ‘every next’ about them. They make up the image of God in us. There’s an every next thought, concept, evaluation. There’s an every next feeling, sensing, judgment and there’s an every next action, reaction and response. Our whole existence is always moving into the next unknown, uncertain, mysterious moment, the unsure, the unexpected, the new, perhaps even an awakened past. One thing for sure, they are never the same. Each presents a challenge as far as the best way to meet and handle them. Where do we find help in the process?
The problem is this, the present is always an ‘every next’ something. No one knows the future. Whether it is the past or how we meet the ‘next’s,’ there is a basic constant that enables us to meet the ‘next.’ The life we live is a process of choice and decision. We are unique self-conscious persons choosing and deciding how we are going to meet the next moment, event and circumstance which, in themselves, are unique, momentary and never to happen again.
But there are a number of unexpected roadblocks along the way. Do we think we can control the right way to make the choice-and-decision process all by ourselves? It’s a mind process to start with and no one has a perfect mind, heart and spirit. We have to come to the realization that no one can do life right all by themselves. We are born self-centered and because of our aloneness we meet life’s confrontations with a certain amount of fear. Fear, pride and not knowing are proof of our imperfection. They are the headwaters of sin and its self-centered aloneness.
With that awareness, it’s where our mind, heart and spirit are centered that drives the process as we move toward every ‘next.’ Born without that base we think and act in fear. The Bible helps here and says it starts with the mind. It is a mindset (Gk. phroneite, Php.2:5, “Have this mindset in you which was in Christ Jesus…also 1Cor.2:16, Gk.noun, mind “We have the mind of Christ). It’s how and where our mind is set. It’s precisely here that we look for a permanently stable base to help. The Bible gives us Jesus, His mind, heart and Spirit. Who is really in control of our life process?
Every next moment is met rightly or wrongly depending on the basic mindset with which we choose to meet it. Therefore, we need the kind of qualities that spiritual processing demands. In Jesus we see a mindset that meets the unknown moment by faith in His Father’s will. This includes wisdom, stability, inner peace, security and trust. They guarantee the process works rightly. Since it is an invisible way of processing, it’s spiritual. That is what Jesus demonstrates.
As I said, the key is the mindset, the way the mind has been conditioned to meet the next moment’s demand. Whether it is a personal assessment, a relational encounter, an occupational task or setting a goal, our mindset needs the ability to respond, wisely, clearly and with consideration for the effect it will have on others. That is Jesus’ mindset, one that treats the invisible reality of relational response with respect, honesty and a humble openness. When all the above are reviewed it is the example of Jesus Christ that reveals the kind of spiritual mindset that fits every occasion. He knows when to exert Himself and when to refrain.
Jesus is the picture of wisdom in His every next moments. He is always conscious of where He is and with whom He is speaking. Whether it is to an individual or in the midst of a crowd He exudes a confidence that affects the mind, heart and spirit of those present. When rejected He does not get defensive or angry but listens and then comes up with what is necessary for the moment. His reactions are constantly showing His mind, heart and Spirit are serving His Father’s will. He is the picture of wisdom in both His silence (at His trial) and His conversation (His parables and teachings). There is this incredible tie-in with Scripture and Jewish history in everything He says and does.
He is the Messiannic picture of the fulfillment of Scripture (Is.11:2 52:13). In the short span of His life on earth He fulfills 3000 years of Jewish history embracing humanity in all its needs and desires, answering them and completing them. He is the image of truth in thought, heart and Spirit-led action.
He is the picture of what a human being is supposed to be. He was the first man living the pure life in the Spirit then dying and rising in the Spirit revealing Himself as the Son of God the Father made known in Him. He is the exact image of the totally balanced mind, heart and Spirit that shows the Oneness of God in the unique individuality seen in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. He lives to do His Father’s will and sends the Holy Spirit to guide us. It is why we invite Him to be the Savior from our self-centeredness and the Lord of our every next moment. He is why we meet every next moment with Him in mind.
One more thing. What has just been said is not about an heroic figure from the past, a great wise and caring man, an historic moral giant. All true, but the more is this, He died for the all the self-centered, isolated, alone, rejected, and afraid hearts which includes both rich and poor, the weak and the powerful, every spiritually empty person across this earthly plain. He who knew no fear or aloneness (for Him the Father was always with Him) died alone on a cross where an empire, a religion and His own people put Him. But the will of His Father and the Holy Spirit raised Him from the dead to forgive them and love them and bring them back together as brothers and sisters in a new spiritual family. Then for them to spread the good news that every next moment is not to be met in fear but in faith, hope and love that He provides in a relationship with Him.
So, every next moment is filled with the Holy Spirit and the Lord’s presence. For those who believe and receive Him as their Savior and Lord, every next moment brings the assurance of His presence in them. No believer is ever alone. Not only that, but He stands at the door of every heart not knowing Him and just waiting to be invited in. When the door is opened, He brings His way of living, His truth, Holy Scripture, to guide the mind and the spiritual life of the Holy Spirit who gives them the spiritual birth they need to enter His eternal kingdom. It is an every next moment lifestyle
We, you and I, have been given this gift of belief, trust and spiritual motivation to pass on our personal testimony to what the Lord Jesus has done to open us to every next moment and what living spiritually in them has been like. We know we are in a process that is perfecting us, that we are growing away from sin into being on the right track, away from self-centeredness to appreciating the gift of what a relationship with others really means. Every next moment is a treasure, a gift, a blessing to live by faith. That faith is the key to processing life, loving, sharing and giving away what we have been given. Faith in Jesus and His presence in our hearts carry us excitedly and adventurously into every next moment where the Holy Spirit inspires us to follow and serve Jesus in them.
The ‘Every Next Moment’
The every next moment theme contains a lot of ‘every-nexts’ in it. There is the ‘every next’ thought, the ‘every next’ attitude, the ‘every next’ action, person, event, meeting, happening and so on. We need to look at them. There is so much going on around us we never consider how we meet our surrounding atmosphere. What we face is the fact of process. Life is processing every next moment. That process is invisible. In fact, 100% of everything we do visibly is made up of choices and decisions that are invisible. So, who and what do we trust in the invisible dimension of choice and decision in everyday life?
First, let’s start with ourselves. We possess our mind, heart and spirit each of which have an ‘every next’ about them. They make up the image of God in us. There’s an every next thought, concept, evaluation. There’s an every next feeling, sensing, judgment and there’s an every next action, reaction and response. Our whole existence is always moving into the next unknown, uncertain, mysterious moment, the unsure, the unexpected, the new, perhaps even an awakened past. One thing for sure, they are never the same. Each presents a challenge as far as the best way to meet and handle them. Where do we find help in the process?
The problem is this, the present is always an ‘every next’ something. No one knows the future. Whether it is the past or how we meet the ‘next’s,’ there is a basic constant that enables us to meet the ‘next.’ The life we live is a process of choice and decision. We are unique self-conscious persons choosing and deciding how we are going to meet the next moment, event and circumstance which, in themselves, are unique, momentary and never to happen again.
But there are a number of unexpected roadblocks along the way. Do we think we can control the right way to make the choice-and-decision process all by ourselves? It’s a mind process to start with and no one has a perfect mind, heart and spirit. We have to come to the realization that no one can do life right all by themselves. We are born self-centered and because of our aloneness we meet life’s confrontations with a certain amount of fear. Fear, pride and not knowing are proof of our imperfection. They are the headwaters of sin and its self-centered aloneness.
With that awareness, it’s where our mind, heart and spirit are centered that drives the process as we move toward every ‘next.’ Born without that base we think and act in fear. The Bible helps here and says it starts with the mind. It is a mindset (Gk. phroneite, Php.2:5, “Have this mindset in you which was in Christ Jesus…also 1Cor.2:16, Gk.noun, mind “We have the mind of Christ). It’s how and where our mind is set. It’s precisely here that we look for a permanently stable base to help. The Bible gives us Jesus, His mind, heart and Spirit. Who is really in control of our life process?
Every next moment is met rightly or wrongly depending on the basic mindset with which we choose to meet it. Therefore, we need the kind of qualities that spiritual processing demands. In Jesus we see a mindset that meets the unknown moment by faith in His Father’s will. This includes wisdom, stability, inner peace, security and trust. They guarantee the process works rightly. Since it is an invisible way of processing, it’s spiritual. That is what Jesus demonstrates.
As I said, the key is the mindset, the way the mind has been conditioned to meet the next moment’s demand. Whether it is a personal assessment, a relational encounter, an occupational task or setting a goal, our mindset needs the ability to respond, wisely, clearly and with consideration for the effect it will have on others. That is Jesus’ mindset, one that treats the invisible reality of relational response with respect, honesty and a humble openness. When all the above are reviewed it is the example of Jesus Christ that reveals the kind of spiritual mindset that fits every occasion. He knows when to exert Himself and when to refrain.
Jesus is the picture of wisdom in His every next moments. He is always conscious of where He is and with whom He is speaking. Whether it is to an individual or in the midst of a crowd He exudes a confidence that affects the mind, heart and spirit of those present. When rejected He does not get defensive or angry but listens and then comes up with what is necessary for the moment. His reactions are constantly showing His mind, heart and Spirit are serving His Father’s will. He is the picture of wisdom in both His silence (at His trial) and His conversation (His parables and teachings). There is this incredible tie-in with Scripture and Jewish history in everything He says and does.
He is the Messiannic picture of the fulfillment of Scripture (Is.11:2 52:13). In the short span of His life on earth He fulfills 3000 years of Jewish history embracing humanity in all its needs and desires, answering them and completing them. He is the image of truth in thought, heart and Spirit-led action.
He is the picture of what a human being is supposed to be. He was the first man living the pure life in the Spirit then dying and rising in the Spirit revealing Himself as the Son of God the Father made known in Him. He is the exact image of the totally balanced mind, heart and Spirit that shows the Oneness of God in the unique individuality seen in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. He lives to do His Father’s will and sends the Holy Spirit to guide us. It is why we invite Him to be the Savior from our self-centeredness and the Lord of our every next moment. He is why we meet every next moment with Him in mind.
One more thing. What has just been said is not about an heroic figure from the past, a great wise and caring man, an historic moral giant. All true, but the more is this, He died for the all the self-centered, isolated, alone, rejected, and afraid hearts which includes both rich and poor, the weak and the powerful, every spiritually empty person across this earthly plain. He who knew no fear or aloneness (for Him the Father was always with Him) died alone on a cross where an empire, a religion and His own people put Him. But the will of His Father and the Holy Spirit raised Him from the dead to forgive them and love them and bring them back together as brothers and sisters in a new spiritual family. Then for them to spread the good news that every next moment is not to be met in fear but in faith, hope and love that He provides in a relationship with Him.
So, every next moment is filled with the Holy Spirit and the Lord’s presence. For those who believe and receive Him as their Savior and Lord, every next moment brings the assurance of His presence in them. No believer is ever alone. Not only that, but He stands at the door of every heart not knowing Him and just waiting to be invited in. When the door is opened, He brings His way of living, His truth, Holy Scripture, to guide the mind and the spiritual life of the Holy Spirit who gives them the spiritual birth they need to enter His eternal kingdom. It is an every next moment lifestyle
We, you and I, have been given this gift of belief, trust and spiritual motivation to pass on our personal testimony to what the Lord Jesus has done to open us to every next moment and what living spiritually in them has been like. We know we are in a process that is perfecting us, that we are growing away from sin into being on the right track, away from self-centeredness to appreciating the gift of what a relationship with others really means. Every next moment is a treasure, a gift, a blessing to live by faith. That faith is the key to processing life, loving, sharing and giving away what we have been given. Faith in Jesus and His presence in our hearts carry us excitedly and adventurously into every next moment where the Holy Spirit inspires us to follow and serve Jesus in them.

06/21/2024

From Attitudes to Spiritude
The disposition of attitudes is based on sin. Attitudes are the fragmented pieces of self-elevation used to gain recognition and acceptance. Self-elevation is the process by which those without God claim their place in a world of self-centeredness where there is little to no concern for others. Others are the playground for self-approval through self-assertion and pride. All of this self-lifting is founded on fear of not being given notice, appearance and approval. Fear is the driving force behind anyone not believing in their Creator. Fear is the constant motivator. Fear and its pride fuel attitudinal behavior. Everything done by those without God are guided by self-constructed attitudes.
Everyone has a morality, a sense of right and wrong. The problem arises when those personal systems come into conflict. Whose morality is good, better and best? That question is a necessary one since their source is the imperfect self.
Everyone has a desire to be accepted. It is built into every human being from birth. Children vie for their parents’ attention and find unique ways to get it. With siblings it is an immediate inner compulsion to be first in their parent’s eyes.
Everyone has a desire to be right. This is beyond a moral desire. It is central to the idea of being an individual in relationships with others. Being right is the extension of the desire to be individualistic, seen as different from others. Uniqueness spells that out.
Everyone has a desire to be successful, to find a way to be good at something. It takes identifying skills and talents and developing them. It really as to do with what anyone feels passionate about, has a desire to pursue it and make a living doing it no matter what it takes.
Everyone has a desire to be loved. This is where the issue of life really comes to the surface. This is also where the idea of love has to be distinguished in its final understanding. One’s primary relational experience is needing, maintaining and sustaining love that lasts beyond the temporary life we are in.
Everyone has a desire to process life without pain and find pleasure along the way. How can one make decisions without pain and have them all result in pleasure which is that sense of personal accomplishment, of being fulfilled in whatever is undertaken? Are we willing to discover the abilities and talents that lie within and at the same time accept the cultural opportunities along with the do’s and don’t’s they represent, as well as our likes and dislikes, emotional responses and the relational differences we face in others along the way?
Built into everyone is the desire for a system, a group or a person to show the answers to all these desires. Given the depth and variety of the difficulties lying before us we know we cannot succeed alone. It means facing the fact of one’s imperfection and limitations. that unless we look outside of ourselves for these answers we will always be restless within. It is in this area of personal choice and decision that we have born-in abilities to do this. They are belief, trust and faith. Our families, our education systems, our economic systems, our governmental systems, in fact all human support systems are based on those three qualities. This brings us to the bottom-line question for all human desire, upon what or in whom do we place our belief, our trust, our faith?
Without God, we develop attitudes to meet all these desires. We think that having right attitudes, that is those that seem to help us fit in to whatever circumstance calls for, we can live on our own. But again, can we trust our basic imperfections to know and make right choices and decisions in this unknown, unseen atmosphere that is riddles with fear of not being right, not being accepted, not being recognized? That we are actually living driven by fear?
When this question of basic understanding is brought up, do we realize that 100% of all our choices and decisions are the invisible process of everyday living? In more simple terms everyday living is spiritually based. Who or what do we trust in the invisible dimension? This means that history can be understood in those terms of temporary and eternal. "For the things that are seen are temporal, but the things that are unseen are eternal (2Cor.4:18).” There are eternal qualities that allow us to live life positively and others that only last for a moment, the negative. A good example is the hard work put into being a team member in a sport. The goal is to win and get a trophy. The moment that win is accomplished, and a trophy awarded, the acceptance of the winner ends written up and it has to be done all over again. How long it can be repeated is limited to the body’s physical ability. It’s not lasting.
Following that thought, pick any field of human endeavor. It has a termination point for the individuals involved. What happens after the termination point? Is there an eternal horizon? Is there a broader destination and context that would have created a better use of our human uniqueness? Is life just a succession of striving to be successful, working to be recognized and accepted by those around me? This is exactly the question that every human being must come to grips with.
As Christians we contend that there is an eternal context into which we are born, one that defines who we are and what we can become. It guarantees eternal recognition and acceptance plus having significance that life has been worth living for God and others. It is first spiritual then personal and relational. This is what Jesus Christ came to show us. He brought eternity into the present. The seven desires that we pointed to are met in a relationship with Him. He is the picture of the lifestyle that fulfills our every basic human need. That lifestyle, His mindset, His way of living, was one of faith in His Father, sharing the love of His Father and being led by the Holy Spirit in all that He did. It was His grace that showered each person He met. It was His truth that challenged the existing social, religious and political leadership. It was His Spirit that brought perfect spiritual life back to us.
Of all the options available in the world that deal with the invisible way we process life, which one comes closest to doing life successfully? Which one gives us the most spiritually personal and relational fulfillment? Which one gives us the promise of a loving eternal family? The risen Jesus is present in us by faith. Faith brings that life into each of us in mind, heart and spirit. In Jesus we have an ongoing faith relationship that does it all. He speaks to us through His Word and the Holy Spirit adapts it to each of us uniquely. For us as Christians there is no other way we can trust.
Just as the way Jesus summed up His life on the Cross so He asks us to give our every next moment to Him to lead us through it. That is what it means when He asks us to take u our cross and follow Him. Every next moment we can either live by whatever attitude we think will work for us or trust Him with it, see it spiritually and respond as the Spirit leads. That’s why He gave us the Holy Spirit to displace attitudes and replace it with Spiritude. Faith is Spiritude at work. Love is God’s love replacing man’s idea of love and letting the Spirit work God’s love through us. The same goes for His truth, His grace, His gifts and His peace, kindness, goodness and sound mind. It is the One Spirit that replaces all our intentions, our idea of goodness and developing attitudes to fit the moment. The Holy Spirit informs us and leads us in everything. Jesus reveals that to us by His life and death and Resurrection.
Catch this thought from John Stott noting the last part of his thought I’ve underlined, “It is sometimes claimed that the command to love our neighbours as ourselves is implicitly a requirement to love ourselves as well as our neighbours. But this is not so. One can say this with assurance, partly because Jesus spoke of the first and second commandment, without mentioning a third; partly because *agape* is selfless love which cannot be turned in on the self, and partly because according to Scripture self-love is the essence of sin. Instead, we are to affirm all of ourselves which stems from the creation, while denying all of ourselves which stems from the fall. What the second commandment requires is that we love our neighbours as much as we do in fact (sinners as we are) love ourselves.”
God’s agape love comes only through a relationship with the Lord Jesus because He is the only One who ever demonstrated it to the fullest. That’s what Paul affirmed when he said, “For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God…not by works so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance to do (Eph.2:8-10).” Faith, grace, love in that order---His Spiritude at work.

07/27/2023

Time for a Backfire
When a forest fire starts there are times when it is necessary to start what is called a backfire. It is a controlled fire that is started by firefighters to meet onrushing flames and stop them from progressing. It’s time to start a cultural backfire against a very insidious cultural fire that is roaring across the cultural plain.
There is a fire of negativism sweeping the world, especially in our country. It is the kind of negativism that starts in the mind, creeps into the heart and then is acted out by one’s inner drive. This negativism takes a personal, relational and spiritual toll in the stress, anxiety and distrust it encourages. It is an obviously invisible force, therefore a spiritual force, that pervades every area of our daily lives. Its most devastating effect is felt in the attitudes that it evokes. One in particular strikes home, being a victim. To read the average journalist’s (TV, newspaper, magazine) evaluation of society, we are all under the merciless control of inherited systems over which we have no control. According to the latest academic inventions, we are genetically influenced to be judgmental about such things as race, ethnicity, class, status and marketability. They infer we are born that way.
Corporations, governments, social groups, the economy, systems and their injustices, hold us hostage. The end of this negative stream of consciousness is that everyone feels helpless, hapless and hopeless. It’s finalized in a kind of cultural paranoia. Teach guilt, induce guilt and act guilty. All you have to do is look around you. Someone hates you. You hate someone. It’s your fault. It’s built in. You measure by appearance.
Keep in mind these are unverifiable conclusions.
Not only that, they are really personal choices. Culture may influence us, but we ultimately choose what we believe. True, these conditions exist in the minds of those who choose to believe them, but the fact is every individual is born brand new into the world and individuate the way they want. Look at any teenager and their daily struggle to identify. A challenge to parents and society, they engage in a daily battle to understand not only what is happening inside them but what is happening around them.
Some of us never get over that stage of life and sophisticate the inner struggle within studied academic analysis, careful emotional response or some professional development. One has only to look at modern academia and its negativism where one distinguished university had its 700 plus faculty sign a document declaring the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence to be improper since they indoctrinate young minds. Many colleges have lost the freedom of speech as a democratic principle of debate and crippled the search for truth in thought. These are the same colleges that are training those who plan to teach in elementary and high school.
Look at the articles that are written in different media. They dwell on the negative. Nothing is right. Everything is wrong. Find someone to blame. Start a riot.
Just look at the so-called news and what do you see? How about let’s tear down all the monuments and gravestones around us? They are offensive to someone. Dig up the dirt on the founding fathers. Concentrate on the moral and ethical failures of leaders. Change the language we use to make people feel good about themselves. Create safe spaces in educational systems for fear someone may feel excluded. Choose your own gender. Define yourself the way you want. The self you are born with is inadequate. Make everyone feel sorry for everyone else until the world is just one sorry place. Burn the flag, don’t sing the national anthem, patriotism is evil. See how our sports teams don’t sing the national anthem. They just put up with it. There is a rampant thought that we live in a terrible country with terrible people filled with institutions that are designed to spread hate. And so on and so on. Obviously, that is not everyone. But they occupy the visual media. The media thrive on the negative. It makes money.
However, we believers are the real media. We see people as images of God with capabilities waiting to be unearthed. We are alive, we don’t contrive, we strive with a positive God. John the Baptizer said it so well, “But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire (Lk.3:16).” In those words we know we have the real backfire, the Holy Spirit. He leads each of us to share the good and positive news of Jesus Christ who makes life new every day. He takes the negative and spins it into good. He takes the broken and makes it whole. He shows us the invisible truth and life and gives us the ability to apply it in every next moment.
Every next moment is a new moment when He is present in our mind, our heart and our spirit. For that moment He gives us the Holy Spirit to be the backfire to stop the negative fire in its tracks, and the negative defeats itself. Like those early first and second century believers, let’s set a backfire where we live those moments---in the stores we buy, the schools that educate us, in the voting booths on election days, on vacations we take, in the churches we attend and in the neighborhoods we inhabit.

Kingdom's Keys Fellowship

07/27/2024

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