A substantial number of people make a habit out of bad-mouthing the church. To be honest, I've been there myself--especially in churches where I've felt mistreated. When we're wounded by people, we tend to strike out. We've got to be careful though, because just as those who beat, mocked and crucified Jesus hurled insults at His physical body, those who strike out at the church strike at His bride. A husband will automatically and immediately defend his wife against anyone and anything that threatens her. Even if he knows she's not perfect and maybe has some maturing to do, he'll still defend her to the death. No doubt the Lord feels the same about those who threaten His bride. The "church" of Jesus Christ will be protected against all enemies, and that includes those who strike at her from within. "After all, no one ever hated his own body [flesh], but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church--for we are members of his body." Ephesians 5:29 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Is God on your nerves lately? Does He seem to break in on all your fun? Are the Christ followers that you know going a different direction than you? This is an attitude many have, and it's been prevalent in people down through the ages. There's only one problem with it... God is not the problem. The righteous friends He gives us are not wrong. If God is going a different direction than we are, it's us that need to make a "turn for the better." "I am like a moth to Ephraim, like rot to the people of Judah." Hosea 5:12 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Simple honesty seems to be in rare supply in the world today. That's surely no big surprise to anyone because dishonesty has been with us since the Garden of Eden. What's a real disaster is that often dishonesty works its way into the church. Just because a person claims to know and follow Jesus Christ does not mean they will be honest. Hey, maybe they're not even being honest about following Christ! My point is that honesty is crucial among believers, because trust is of utmost importance. So you haven't told any big lies lately? That's a good start, but honesty starts in the mind--in the way a person thinks and conducts his thoughts. From there, either honesty or dishonesty will permeate everything he says or does. "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." Jesus of Nazareth (Luke 16:10) Make honesty one of your #1 goals in life! Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

What a ministry the apostle Paul had. He saw the risen Christ with his own eyes and lived to tell about it. He wrote the vast majority of the New Testament epistles, and was the first to preach the good news of Jesus to the Gentiles. If that's not enough, he taught the first generation of missionaries, pastors and teachers and founded a host of churches -- all without modern means of transportation. With such a blessed ministry, one would think that Paul had it made in the shade. Paul had anything but! The truth is that ministry is tough, and running a successful ministry marks you for immediate attack by anyone and anything that hates the Lord. Paul was beaten, shipwrecked, stoned, jailed, stranded and beheaded! To make it all stop, all he had to do was stop preaching salvation through Jesus Christ. As you read these words from Paul's own pen, consider how blessed you've been by the Lord. I've met hundreds of people who almost begged to be put into ministry so they could spend their lives on church trips and work only on weekends! If they knew what they were asking for, few would ever pray for such a thing. Think about the people who minister to you. Have you been uplifting to them? Pray for your pastors, your teachers and your parents. Your day to serve will come soon enough... and if you're faithful and successful, you'll have days of pain and loneliness that only the Lord can soothe. "You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes." 2 Timothy 15 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

I've become increasingly concerned over something I've been witnessing among Christian churches. It seems that whenever someone feels called to start a new ministry, start a new church, serve in a different capacity, or otherwise break from what a few others think is more important, hard feelings are often an ugly byproduct. More than a few times I've personally witnessed people called into ministries for which they were clearly gifted and blessed, later to see folks they previously served with speak ill of them. The same thing happens between different Christian denominations and even the ones that are more similar than dissimilar. The grumbling seems to grow in intensity with the level of the departer's success. The more I've watched this happen, the more I've realized that it's not just a localized phenomenon. As sinful people, we often resent the success of others. As Christians, we should be far above such silliness, or should I say, such evil. When one part of the Body of Christ succeeds, we all succeed. Conversely, when one part of the Body is defamed, we all suffer and are less likely to succeed in our mission to reach a lost world. "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." 1 Corinthians 12:26-27 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

The Jews who lived during Jesus' days on earth had an interesting way of dealing with people who wrote or said untrue things. They quite simply had them stoned to death. One of the most interesting things about the New Testament accounts of Jesus' life, the miracles He performed, and His death and resurrection was that anyone who promulgated such nonsense without it being well-known fact would have been killed. Interestingly enough, those who hated Jesus openly admitted that He performed miracles. They simply proclaimed that it was Satan's work and not the Lord's. One of the accounts of Jesus' death is written below. Dead people walking around the city alive again! Earthquakes? Temple curtains being ripped before their eyes. For such things to be put to paper and actually passed among the early churches is the greatest evidence I know that these events were well-know facts. They were so well-known that those who would have squelched early Christianity didn't even try to deny them. "And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people." Matthew 27:50-53 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Being a Christian is becoming less and less popular as our post-modern world turns from God. Still, there are plenty of people who, for whatever reason, still claim to be Christians, even though there is little evidence that their proclamation has merit. Some might say, "who are you to judge?" and they would be correct. I am not a judge, nor am I attempting to judge. What I am attempting to do is remind those who claim to be Christ followers that talk is cheap. It's not "talk" that we need, but rather "walk". We are not saved by our "works" for the Lord, but our works are a direct outpouring of the Holy Spirit that inhabits us. Again, some might say that judging is a sin--and they would be correct. But, if you walk by a fruit tree and notice that there is no fruit on it are you judging the tree? Certainly not.. you are simply a fruit inspector. Faith, without works (fruit) is dead. "But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have deeds.' Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder." James 2:18-19 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

When you get right down to it, would you admit that there are times when "your world" is all about you? Would you go so far to say that there are times when the whole world is all about you? No matter where you fit on the continuum, there's no doubt that humans often have an over inflated self-image. If we're spending our every waking moment looking for new and exciting ways to meet our most recent "needs," doesn't that in itself testify to our depravity? Without God in our lives, we truly are a hopeless bunch. "Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it." Psalm 39:6 So... what's the purpose of YOUR life been lately? A. Fulfill God's purposes. B. Fulfill my own "needs." Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate