“The resurrection is a fact better attested than any event recorded in any history,
whether ancient or modern.” - Charles Spurgeon

Beloved Kinney,

I want to offer two very simple, but powerful, proofs for the resurrection of Jesus. As you
have conversations with the non-Christians and skeptics in your life, consider bringing
up these proofs.

Proof #1: The Empty Tomb
The gospel of John teaches that Mary Magdalene shows up to Jesus’ tomb on a
Sunday morning a little over 2,000 years ago. She was one of the women standing by
the cross as Jesus hung there. The last time she saw Jesus was when he was hanging
dead on a cross.

When she came to the tomb, she saw the stone rolled away. This was not a dinky
stone. It was a massive piece of rock that normally required several men to roll away.
So she assumed his body was taken by the authorities. She quickly went to tell two of
Jesus' closest followers—Peter and John.

They immediately ran to the tomb and found it…empty. They saw the linen cloths that
wrapped Jesus’ dead corpse lying in the tomb, but his body was not there!

The empty tomb is a powerful testament to the resurrection of Jesus. But even more
is…

Proof #2: People Saw Jesus Alive
Mary Magdalene was the first to see Jesus alive. If the gospel writer wanted to fabricate
a story of the resurrection, they would not have included this part of it. In those days a
woman wasn’t a credible eyewitness in court. Yet Mary was the first one to see Jesus.
Why? Because it happened!

Then Jesus appeared to his disciples. The fact that they saw him die and then saw him
alive again can be the only explanation for their willingness later on to die as martyrs for
the gospel. Why would they willingly die for what they knew was a lie?

Later, the risen Jesus showed up to more than 500 people at one time (1 Cor. 15). This
makes Christianity distinct from any other world religion. The central figure of our faith
died a public death, was buried in a public tomb, and was seen again publicly. No other
religion in the world has the public witness of Christianity.

Jesus really is alive! You can bank your life, and eternity, on that.

Love,
Pastor Josh

The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful
and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping
steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will
by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the
children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6-7)

Beloved Kinney,

Too often we fall into the trap of thinking that killing sin requires certain tactics…certain
tools and practices.

 “To help my anger problem, I need to have outlets that release my pent-up
energy…like, sports or running.”
 “To fight my anxiety, I need to learn deep breathing methods.”
 “To overcome my lust, I need to put blockers on my phone.”

While these tactics can be helpful in the fight, none of them are the solution because
they don’t get to the root of the problem.

The root problem with my anger is not that I have pent-up energy needing to be
released. The root problem with my anxiety is not that I have trouble breathing properly.
The root problem with my lust is not that I have too much access to inappropriate
images.

The root problem of sin is that my heart is captivated by something other than the Lord
himself. And therefore, the solution is to have a heart captivated by Christ. You must
know him.

In Exodus 34:6-7, God gives a picture of who he is—the essence of who he is. He is
gracious. He is abounding in covenant love. He is forgiving. But he is also just. He
cannot overlook sin. I would propose that knowing God in these ways is key to fighting
sin.

Take lust, for example. When you feel the pull towards sexual sin, what do you think
would happen if you began to dwell on the covenant love of God? Often, deep down, in
our battle against lust, we have a longing to be loved, value, accepted. We try to fulfill
such longings in cheap and quick pleasure buzzes with the click of a button or the
glance of our eyes. But truly, such longing will ultimately be fulfilled in know the
covenant love of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He loves you with an unfathomable love. His love for you is far deeper, far stronger, far
more intense and purer and perfect and fulfilling than any love we might look for in this
life.

Oh, that we might know the Lord—truly know him! So that our hearts might not be so
easily prone to wonder.

May the intimate knowledge of God serve as the key means of
killing sin!

Love,
Pastor Josh

Then some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” For they no
longer dared to ask him any question. (Luke 20:39-40)

Beloved Kinney,

In Luke 20, the religious leaders of Jesus’ day tried, on several occasions, to trap Jesus.
One of the occasions was about the topic of the resurrection. The Sadducees, who did
not believe there would be a future resurrection of anyone, brought up the Old Covenant
practice of Levirate marriage, where a woman, in the event her husband dies, is given in
marriage to her deceased husband’s brother. This way the family line could continue.

The Sadducees proposed a quite ridiculous scenario to Jesus in an attempt to prove the
ridiculousness of belief in a future resurrection, but they only revealed how ridiculous
their logic was! They said, “Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died
without children. And the second and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no
children and died. Afterward the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose
wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.”

Like I said…ridiculous. But Jesus, in deep winsomeness, exposes their faulty logic:
There is no marriage in heaven.

And then he offers a proof from Exodus 3, a Scripture passage the Sadducees
viewed as authoritative (because they only accepted the first five books of the Old
Testament), where God declares himself to Moses from the burning bush as “the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” And Jesus concludes, “He is not God of the dead, but of
the living.”

In other words, “If you don’t believe in life after death, then how can God speak of being
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’s God many years after they died?” Answer: Because
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are alive.

Jesus' words are logic…on fire. Our Lord used amazing biblical logic, again and again.
But it wasn’t mere logic. It was logic on fire. Jesus’ way with words was so powerful not
merely because was it logical (thought it was!), but because his use of words was
persuasive logic.

Every time the Lord Jesus Christ speaks in the New Testament, it is pure and powerful
logic. May we always receive his words as such!

Love,
Pastor Josh

Beloved Kinney,

Last week I talked about two essential (though not distinct) characteristics of mature
manhood. Let’s now do the same for mature womanhood.

Obviously, I don’t have much experience being a woman(!), but the Bible gives
principles on godly womanhood that I can address! A helpful passage is 1 Peter 3:1-6:

Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if
some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the
conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure
conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair
and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let
your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable
beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very
precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to
adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah
obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do
good and do not fear anything that is frightening.

Peter is pressing into a few key characteristics necessary for godly womanhood (not
distinct to, but emphatically necessary for godly womanhood).

1) A Peaceful Disposition
Ladies, Peter warns against the primary way you express your beauty being external.
He says to let your beauty come from the heart—"a gentle and quiet spirit.”

That’s not talking about a mousy personality. This is a description opposite of the
nagging, contentious woman in Proverbs of whom it is said, “It is better to live in a
corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.” (Proverbs
21:9)

Ladies, strive to be this peaceful woman who exudes a peaceful heart in the Lord. How
can you do that? This leads to the next characteristic…

2) Fear-crushing Hope
Peter says a godly woman is one who “hopes in God” which leads her not to “fear
anything that is frightening.” By definition of your more vulnerable state as a woman
(i.e., “weaker vessel”), ladies…you will likely be more prone to fear and anxiety. Pursue
hope in God to kill fear.

I praise God for the many ladies in our church with peaceful dispositions because they
have a fear-crushing hope! Keep pursuing such characteristics for the glory of God.

Love,
Pastor Josh

Beloved Kinney,

As you know, for those who are able, we are reading two books this month. The men
are reading The Redeemed Man and the ladies are reading Feminine Appeal. In light of
this, I want to draw a few principles from these books over the next two blog posts.
Today, I’ll summarize a few things that stuck out to me from reading The Redeemed
Man.

So much could be said about what it means to be a godly man. I could focus on some of
the distinct characteristics of mature manhood: servant leadership, faithful protection,
and appropriate provision.

But I want to address two characteristics that are essential (not distinct to, but
emphatically essential) to mature manhood.

1) Humility
All Christians should have a measured view of themselves. Romans 12:3, “For by the
grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than
he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of
faith that God has assigned.”

This is important for all Christians, but especially men who are called to lead, protect,
and provide. A humble self-assessment gives life to those around you. Men, we must
pursue humility by thinking a lot about Jesus and less of ourselves.

2) Love
The driving characteristic of a faithful man is love. Though Ephesians 5:25-29 is
explicitly talking about manhood in marriage, it seems to capture a key element of what
every man should strive for. Paul writes,

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave
himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by
the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the
church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such
thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way
husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves
his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but
nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because
we are members of his body.

Laying down your preferences, your wants, your whole self for the good of those around
you—that’s essential to mature manhood! Without love, men cannot be godly men!

Men, let us continue to ask the Lord to mold us into godly men who exemplify humility
and love.

Love,
Pastor Josh

Beloved Kinney,

Today is the last reflection on “The Doctrines of Grace.” Salvation is a work of God from
beginning to end. Before trusting Christ, we were totally depraved in that every aspect
of our being was tainted by sin making us unable to come to God on our own, and
therefore we needed God the Holy Spirit to effectually call us to himself by drawing our
attention to the particular redemption of Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins and
giving us the ability to choose to believe in Jesus, knowing we would never have chosen
God if he had not first unconditionally chosen us before the foundation of the world.

Salvation is of the Lord from beginning to end. To close our reflection on the doctrines of
grace, I want to focus on those words: to the end. God will keep us saved to the
end—the end being glorification when we make it to heaven. To put it bluntly: you
cannot become UN-saved if you were truly saved in the first place.

Listen to Jesus’ words in John 10:27-30, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them,
and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will
snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

God the Father and God the Son have divine grip on your soul so tight that nothing can
pry it open. Think about it: if God unconditionally chose you before the foundation of the
world, and if the Son paid the penalty specifically for you on the cross, and if the Spirit
awakened your dead heart to the beauty of Christ effectually drawing you to believe in
Jesus…what makes you think any of that that can be undone?

Consider how prideful it is to believe true Christians can lose their salvation. To lose
one’s salvation means that such a person has the ability to undo what God did. That’s
very prideful! You do not have that kind of ability!

Let that be of great assurance to you when you doubt: God will keep you. He will finish
what he started.

God did it all, therefore he gets all the glory, and we get all the joy. Amen.

Love,
Pastor Josh

Beloved Kinney,

We’re continuing to reflect on what is called “The Doctrines of Grace.” These doctrines
essentially teach that salvation is a work of God from beginning to end. We’ve
considered the doctrine of total depravity, which teaches that, apart from the intervening
work of the Holy Spirit, we are so tainted by sin that we are unable to come to God on
our own.

The doctrine of unconditional election teaches that God, in his kind and sovereign plan,
chose us to be saved even before we were born. And his choice was not based on
anything foreseen in us, but solely on the basis of his sovereign grace.

The doctrine of particular redemption teaches that, those whom God chose, he also
sent his Son to die for. Jesus was on a mission to save the ones whom the Father gave
him to save. And Jesus accomplished that mission. None will be lost whom he died for!

Now, let’s briefly reflect on the fourth doctrine of grace called effectual grace.
Sometimes this doctrine is referred to as “irresistible grace,” but that term can be
confusing. Effectual grace teaches that when God, in time, intends to save those whom
he chose and those for whom Christ died, he does so effectually.

Listen to how Jesus puts it in John 6:44, “No one can come to me unless the Father
who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” Notice how the
“drawing” of the Father is effectual. Why do people come to Jesus? Only because the
Father draws them.

Does this mean that the Father draws everyone but some just resist that drawing? It
can’t mean that because Jesus says those whom the Father draws will come. How do
we know that those whom the Father draws will come? Because those whom he draws
he will raise up on the last day.

Remember this: the decisive reason why you came to Christ and believed in him was
because the Father effectually drew you to Christ. You would never have come if
coming was left up to you!

Praise God for his effectual grace!

Love,
Pastor Josh

Beloved Kinney,

As we continue to reflect upon the beauty of the Doctrines of Grace, our focus turns to
unconditional election and particular redemption.

Unconditional election means that God chose you to be saved, before you were even
born and based on nothing you would do, but solely based on his sovereign kindness.
Here’s how Paul puts it in Romans 9:10-12 using the example of Jacob and Esau…

And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one
man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done
nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election
might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—
she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I
loved, but Esau I hated.”

It is easy for Christians to get offended by such verses because we tend to have a bent
towards clinging too tightly to our so called “free will.” “But I chose God!” we might say.
And while it is true that you chose God, don’t forget, you chose him because he first
chose you.

The doctrine of unconditional election is a glorious truth because none of us would have
chosen God if he had not first chosen us. Therefore, marvel in that fact that he chose
you!

Particular redemption (sometimes unhelpfully called “limited atonement”), teaches that,
when Jesus went to the cross, he went with the intention of paying the punishment for
those whom God chose to be saved. In other words, redemption is particular.

Listen to Jesus’ own words in John 10:14-15, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own
and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay
down my life for the sheep.”

The “sheep” in the gospel of John are those who have been given to Jesus by the
Father before the world began. John 10:27-29 says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and
no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is
greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

The sheep are those whom the Father has given to Jesus, and therefore, when Jesus
says he lays down his life for his sheep, he means that he died on the cross for those
whom the Father gave him to die.

This truth makes the cross deeply personal. Jesus had your name and face in mind as
he hung from the tree. He knew every specific sin you would commit, and he
intentionally, specifically paid for them.

Jesus’ death is not a blanket payment that hopefully covers most sins. Jesus didn’t die
to make salvation possible. His death was specific. It was effectual. He died to save
people. He died to save you. As Matthew 1:18 says, “He came to save his people from
their sins.”

May you see how great these doctrines are. Salvation is personal. God chose you and
he sent his Son to die for you. There’s no better news in the world! Praise God!

Love,
Pastor Josh

Beloved Kinney,

We are reading the book What’s So Great About the Doctrines of Grace? for the church- wide reading this month. I thought it would be helpful to break down each point of the doctrines of grace and explain what’s so great about them.

Perhaps you are unfamiliar with “the doctrines of grace.” That’s ok! The doctrines of grace refer to those specific teachings about salvation that were formalized during the time of the Reformation in the 1500s-1600s. The Lord raised up many men to protest the “works-based salvation” teaching of the Roman Catholic church. The Reformation was an attempt to recover what Scripture taught, mainly regarding salvation.

So the doctrines of grace are a recovery of the biblical teaching that salvation is all the work of God. These doctrines are meant to stir our joy as we are reminded of the great truth—God did it all!

Let’s briefly reflect on the first doctrine of grace: Total Depravity.

This doctrine does not mean that every person is as bad as they can possibly be. Rather, it means that, prior to salvation, every aspect of our being is tainted by sin. Moreover, it means, that apart from the saving power of the Holy Spirit, we are unable to come to God on our own.

Here’s how Romans 3:10-12 puts it, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” Ephesians 2:1 say, “You were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you once walked…”

These are descriptions of our pre-Christian state. They describe a nature unable to come to God. We could not come to Christ on our own. We were totally depraved.

Why is that doctrine amazing? It does not sound very amazing!

Get this: Knowing that you had zero ability to save yourself helps you to see how great the power of God was to save you. That’s what the doctrine of Total Depravity is supposed to do for you. It reminds you of where you would still be had God not intervened.

Where would you be had God not stepped in and changed your nature? You would be dead in your trespasses and sins. But praise be to God, he stepped in! Praise be to God, he changed your nature! Praise be to God, he did not leave you where you were. Praise be to God!

That’s the kind of response the doctrines of grace should evoke: Praise be to God! Because he did it all!

Love,
Pastor Josh

Beloved Kinney,

We cancelled service this past Sunday due to hazardous road conditions. It was a tough
decision! I never want church to be cancelled unless it’s absolutely necessary. Well, it
seems it was because, when I looked outside Sunday morning, the roads were caked in
ice. I couldn’t have driven to church if I wanted to!

As you know, I encouraged you to rewatch a sermon called “The Glory of Gathering” on
the importance of our Sunday worship meetings. The sermon was based on Hebrews
10:24-25, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not
neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and
all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

I appreciate Paul’s qualification in verse 25. He’s warning against a habit—getting
comfortable not gathering with God’s people. We know he’s talking about the Sunday
worship gathering because he’s talking to a church—not a Bible study, not some
students on their dorm floor—this is a church. Don’t neglect gathering with your church
for worship. How else are you going to stir others up if we don’t see one another?
Can you see why “online/virtual church” is an oxymoron. The word “church” itself means
“assembly.” You can’t be a church if you don’t assemble together. And if the sum of
“church” for us is just getting things that we can get from watching a screen, we’re
missing the whole point of church!

Do you know why some members of this church—to whom the writer of Hebrews is
addressing—were tempted NOT to gather? New Testament scholar Tom Schreiner said,
“The fear of discrimination and persecution explains…why some believers were inclined
to abandon their meetings.” (Schreiner, 321) In other words, they were tempted NOT to
come to church because they didn’t want to go to jail or possibly get killed.

Oh how different many Christians are in 21st century America. “But my kids have soccer
on Sunday mornings. But Sundays are one of my only days off. And what about
football? My NFL team! Gotta keep up with my fantasy football!”

The original audience of this letter was tempted to neglect church for what we might
think would be legitimate reasons—like, “I don’t wanna die!” And yet, the writer of
Hebrews still says, “Don’t miss out on church!” WHY? Again, Schreiner: “Refusing to
meet with other believers in [that] context signifie[d] apostasy, the renunciation of the
Christian faith. If believers renounce meeting with other Christians, especially because
they fear discrimination and mistreatment, they are in effect turning against Christ.”
(Schreiner, 321)

Do you get that? If they’re seeking to avoid persecution for their faith in Christ by not
gathering for worship, then that was a sign of possible apostasy—that they’re walking
away from Christ!

Of course, we don’t wanna be legalistic here. There are, no doubt, circumstances that
prevent some of us from gathering. Our homebound members WANT to be here, but
they can’t because health prevents them. That’s not who the writer of Hebrews is
addressing. But don’t let exceptions keep us from feeling the weightiness of this
exhortation.

I hope you felt something was missing this past Sunday when you were prevented from
gathering with God’s people. That’s a sign of spiritual health!

Let us keep gathering together, Kinney, doing the same things we do every Sunday:
singing, praying, reading, preaching, baptizing, and Lords Supper-ing. These ordinary
means of grace are essential for our growth together in Christ.

I love you all and look forward to seeing you this coming Sunday, LORD WILLING!

Love,
Pastor Josh

Beloved Kinney,

One of the most common reasons why our hearts might become dull towards the Lord
is that we are not carefully, specifically, and genuinely confessing our sins to God.
Confession has a way of bringing us from spiritual dullness to spiritual joy. God wants
our joy, after all! So when he calls us to confess our sins to him (1 John 1:8-9), he is
doing it for our joy.

As I’ve been working through our 2026 Bible reading plan, the prayers in Nehemiah
have really struck me, particularly the prayers of confession. If you haven’t had a
chance to do so, read Nehemiah 9. It’s a glorious prayer of confession!

It recounts the many ways God has been faithful in his love for his people in contrast to
their unfaithfulness. Verse 33 summarizes it well: “Yet you have been righteous in all
that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly.”

Confessing that contrast to the Lord in prayer does something to our hearts. “YOU have
been righteous towards me, but I have been sinful.” It breaks down our pride. It makes
us needy for his grace. It restores to us the joy of our salvation.

Let me encourage you to make confession a regular part of your praying life. Be specific
in ways you’ve sinned against God and seek his forgiveness. Then, in faith, cling tightly
to the promise that he is faithful and just to forgive you of all your sins because of Christ.

Confession has a way of making dull hearts glad again because you know the listening
ear is your Father in heaven who loves you. He REALLY loves you! And his heart is
inclined to restored fellowship with you. Go to him often, confess honestly, and
experience joy.

Love,
Pastor Josh

Beloved Kinney,

While working through our Bible reading plan, I was struck by what I’ve read in Matthew
6. (Which is a chapter of the Bible I’ve read many times! But that’s the beauty of reading
and rereading Scripture—it hits you at certain times in your life in ways that it may not
have before.)

The chapter opens like this: ““Beware of practicing your righteousness before other
people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father
who is in heaven.” (v1, emphasis mine)

Notice this: Jesus is not warning against practicing your righteousness before others. In
fact, he commanded in the previous chapter that we do that, “Let your light shine before
others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in
heaven.” (5:16)

What Jesus is warning us against is practicing our righteousness before people to be
seen by people. It is such a subtle but dangerous tendency we may have. And it is a
key characteristic of pharisaism (i.e., acting like a Pharisee).
Consider the examples Jesus gives…

 Giving: “When you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the
hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by
others.” (v2)
 Prayer: “When you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to
stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be
seen by others.” (v7)
 Fasting: “When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they
disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others.” (v16)

You get the point. Beware of this in your own life. Don’t put on a show. Just faithfully
walk with the Lord. Don’t try to prove how godly you are. Just BE godly! Don’t seek the
unfulfilling reward of the praise of men. Seek the reward of the pleasure of your
heavenly Father. It’s so much better!

Let us strive, as Jesus says, “not to let your left hand know what your right hand is
doing,” all for the glory of God and then we will have our true reward—the glory of God
himself! Amen.

Love,
Pastor Josh

Beloved Kinney,

We talk a lot about fighting sin, overcoming temptation, guarding our hearts from evil,
etc. All of which are important parts of the Christian life. But I wonder if sometimes in
our emphasis on killing sin in our lives, we can forget what we must pursue instead.
Of course, we must pursue holiness by knowing Christ more deeply. But one virtuous
pursuit we often neglect is the pursuit of joy.

Yes, the Bible calls you to PURSUE joy. We don’t just wait for joy to come, hoping it
might. We must pursue it!
 Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord…”
 Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always…”
 Psalm 100:2, “Serve the Lord with gladness…”

Here are five practical ways you can pursue joy in 2026.
1) Confess your sins to God. Many times we are joyless because we’re letting sin
have a hold on us. But there is great joy in confession, especially when you know
the Lord forgives freely!
2) Humbly receive God’s forgiveness in Christ. Joylessness is often experienced
because we are unwilling to receive God’s forgiveness. Don’t be! Receive it! He
loves to give it!
3) Meditate on the person of Christ. Read over one of the Gospel accounts and
write down as many things as you can that tells you who Jesus is. What is he like?
What does he love? How does he act in various situations? Meditate on who Christ
is.
4) Meditate on the work of Christ. Read the book of Romans and write down all
the things you learn about what Jesus came to do for sinners like you.
5) Write out prayers of thanksgiving. Sometimes we don’t have joy because we
don’t express thanks to God. Praying only prayers of thanksgiving can really help!

Let us pursue joy in the Lord in 2026. Don’t be passive. Fight for it! God wants that for
us.

Love,
Pastor Josh

Beloved Kinney,

I love the simple chorus of the song Come All You Unfaithful that says, “Christ is born
for you.” Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior, the King, was born for you, for your
good, for your everlasting joy.

Do you know the best news of the gospel is not the forgiveness of sins? It’s not
justification and imputed righteousness. It’s not even that we get to go to heaven. The
best news of the gospel is that we get Christ himself.

Luke 2:10 puts it like this: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news [a gospel] of
great joy that will be for all the people.” What’s the good news? What’s the gospel?
Verse 11 says, “For unto you [for you, for your good, for your “great joy”] is born this day
in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” The good news, the gospel, was
born when Jesus Christ was born! The best news of the gospel is the person of Jesus
Christ. He was born FOR YOU.

The reason I love the song Come All You Unfaithful so much is because it highlights
who we are apart from Jesus—unfaithful, weak, unstable, barren, waiting, bitter, broken,
fearful, guilty, hiding. In short, apart from Christ, we’re a mess.

But Christ was born for the messy. He was born for the unfaithful and weak and
unstable. He was born for the bitter and broken and fearful. He was born for those who
want to hide because of their guilt. Christ was born FOR YOU.

The best news of the gospel is Christ himself. He is for us all that we could not be in
ourselves. He is our sufficient representative before God. He was born for us.

This Christmas season, find comfort in this: Christ was born FOR YOU.

Love,
Pastor Josh

Beloved Kinney,

We have, built within fabric of who we are, a need to look ahead, to long for, to hope in, to wait for something better, something bigger, something more satisfying than what we’re currently experiencing. That’s what Advent season is about.
Isaiah 9:1-7 is a passage sandwiched between two passages describing the coming invasion of Assyria. It is a passage of hope that describes what will come after all this judgment is over—a later time that will be glorious. Here’s what was prophesied…
 
“But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as son the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; wand the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.”

Notice WHAT the latter days will be like….

• Light will break through the darkness. (v2)
• Joy will be multiplied.  (v3)
• Oppression will cease. (vv4-5)

Notice WHY the latter time will be like this…

• A child will be born for us! (v6)
• He will be King!
• He will be wonderful! 
• He will be God himself!

Notice WHEN will the latter time be…
No one in all of history adequately fits such descriptions…except for ONE person. And his name is Jesus. He is the perfect King who was born for us.

• Only Jesus can be described as Wonderful Counselor.
• Only Jesus can be described as Mighty God.
• Only Jesus can be described as Everlasting Father.
• Only Jesus can be described as the Prince of Peace.

Kinney, this is the child born for you. FOR YOU! As Luke 2:11 puts it, “UNTO you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

• He was born to be your joy.
• He was born to be your peace.

The glorious latter time has already come! You have everything you need now to live in light and joy and peace! BUT you and I both know, this glorious latter time is not fully here. We’re still waiting for the king to return for his own, when he will finally eliminate all darkness, anguish, oppression forever. That day is coming soon.

We were made for this—to look forward to something better, to long for something greater, to hope in something fully and finally fulfilling. It’s here, but not yet. Your King has come, Christian, and he will return for you. Hold onto that to get you through today.

Love,
Pastor Josh

Beloved Kinney,

I wonder how much you’ve thought about the theme of “wilderness” in Scripture.
Surprisingly, it’s a prominent theme. Of course, we know that Israel wandered in the
wilderness for 40 years on their way to the promised land. But there are also many
other “wilderness” instances in Scripture. Hagar was driven into the wilderness on a few
occasions. David found himself in the wilderness when he was fleeing from Saul. Elijah
was in the wilderness when he ran from King Ahab. And of course, Jesus was driven to
the wilderness for 40 days.

I’m working through a book called Your Wilderness is Not a Waste by Dustin Crowe. I
commend it to you! He argues that “On a human level, the wilderness is a place of
emptiness, but when God shows up, He turns it into a place of bounty.” (pg. 12) He
says, “The wilderness is a place where God teaches us who He is and transforms our
faith.” (pg. 16) Therefore, “Your wilderness is not a waste.” (pg. 18)
All of life is a wilderness. We, like the people of Israel of old, are journeying towards the
promised land. We haven’t arrived yet. We’re not at our final destination. Our home is
the New Jerusalem, the new creation, heaven. This world is not our home. It’s our
wilderness.

However, at various times in our lives, we feel the heat and disorder and trouble of our
journey through the wilderness to the promised land more acutely than other times. So I
ask, what’s your wilderness right now? What intense trouble are you facing? What heat
are you experiencing?

Look to Christ who walked through the wilderness without grumbling, without sin, with
full trust in his Father. Look to him how obey where Israel, where we, could not. Keep
looking to him in your wilderness and he will, but the power of his Spirit, bring you home
to the promised land.

Love,
Pastor Josh

Beloved Kinney,

As we prepare our hearts to give thanks to God on Thanksgiving, I want to draw our attention to a beloved Psalm of Thanksgiving: Psalm 100.

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
 
Let me draw out two ways this Psalm helps us cultivate thanksgiving to God. First, it reminds us that we belong to him. “It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” Have you thought recently how glorious it is to know what we belong to God? We are owned by God. We are cared for by God. We are protected by God. He treats us as his prized possession, his beloved children, his sheep.

This Thanksgiving, give thanks to God for this simple but profound truth: we belong to him!

Second, the LORD is good to us. “Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” He is so good to us. He loves us with an unbreakable, covenant-keeping, promise-securing, unwavering, everlasting love. He will NEVER be unfaithful to us. NEVER! God is so good.

This Thanksgiving, give thanks to God for his goodness to you. Consider writing a list of gracious gifts he’s given you this past year and thank him for those things.

May your heart be filled with thankfulness this Thanksgiving as you reflect on these glorious truths: we belong to God, and he is so good to us.

Love,
Pastor Josh

Beloved Kinney,

I’ve been so thankful for our Bible reading plan because the Lord is so kind to show me
things from his Word that I desperately need for the day. He did it again this morning.

Hebrews 13:18 says, “Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience,
desiring to act honorably in all things.”

We don’t know who wrote the book of Hebrews, but he was likely either one of the
apostles or an apostolic representative. In short, he held some position of leadership
authority among the churches, and that’s what makes his request insightful. He asks for
prayer from the church to whom he is writing that he (and whomever he is with) would
“act honorably in all things.”

Ministry work is hard. Very hard. And many times, ministers are put in positions where it
is easier NOT to act honorably, but it is all the more vital they do. This prayer request is
something I ask of you often for the pastors of Kinney, that we would act honorably in all
things. Please keep praying this for us!

But did you notice the statement the author of Hebrews grounds his request in? “For we
are sure that we have a clear conscience.” A clear conscience is so important for the
Christian life! But it’s so easy for our consciences NOT to be clear when in fact they
should be! If you know, before the Lord, you have acted honorably in any given
situation, your conscience should be clear. After all, it is “before the face of God” that we
give an account.

So let me encourage us in this: seek to act honorably in any given situation—at work,
with your family, in your marriage, among church members, with neighbors, etc.—and
let your conscience be clear before the Lord.

AND keep praying you will continue to act honorably in all situations so that your
conscience can be clear and you can be freed to serve the Lord heartily.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Josh

Beloved Kinney,

I read this morning in our church’s Bible reading plan this passage from the book of
Hebrews:

“The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from
continuing in office, but [Jesus] holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues
forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God
through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” (Heb. 7:23-25)

Why does the priestly work of Jesus continue forever? Because he’s not ever going to
die again. His resurrection from the dead, leading to an immortal life, is good news for
us because it means he will never stop his priestly work on our behalf.

What is his priestly work? The text says he makes intercession for us. He, in a very real
sense, is constantly pointing the Father’s attention to his finished work. He is our forever
mediator.

That’s why the text says, “he is able to save to the uttermost.” Jesus doesn’t partially
save. He doesn’t even mostly save. Jesus completely saves. He saves to the uttermost.
Why? Because he lives forever to keep his priestly work continuing.

What assurance! What joy to know that Christ always lives to intercede for us! May you
find confidence in his finished and complete and uttermost work as your great High
Priest.

Love,
Pastor Josh

Beloved Kinney,

I’ve always been struck by the logic Paul uses in Titus 3 about why we should love non-
Christians. Listen to what he says, “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and
authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to
avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.”

These commands are different ways of speaking of love. And it seems Paul is telling
Titus to tell the churches on the island of Crete to love the non-Christians there because
of what he goes on to say, “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray,
slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated
by others and hating one another.”

In other words, “You should love these people because you used to be one!” Doesn’t it
give you compassion toward those who might be hard to love to know that, were it not
for grace, you’d be in the same place?

And that’s exactly what Paul goes onto say, “But when the goodness and loving
kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in
righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and
renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our
Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope
of eternal life.”

What glorious truth! And what compelling reason to love those who might be hard to
love. May the free gift of grace in Christ move you to love non-Christians this week.

Love,
Pastor Josh

Beloved Kinney,

Last week, I provided 30(!) possible manifestations of the fear of man. If you weren’t
convicted, then you might need to grow in greater self-awareness OR think of other
ways your fear of man manifests!

In this blog, I want to provide one vital way of battling the craving to be approved of by
others; namely, root your worth in Christ. Colossians 3:1-4 helps us in this endeavor.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are
above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your
minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear
with him in glory.

Rooting your worth in Christ happens when, by faith, you are reminded you’ve been
accepted by a holy God on the basis of the finished work of Christ so that you are freed
to forget yourself and find joy in the glory of who God is in Jesus.

Paul calls us to seek and set our minds on what’s above. When we care too much about
what others think of us, we are seeking what is below rather than what is above. We are
setting our minds and hearts on the worth we find from their approval, rather than the
worth we HAVE in Christ.

Stop believing the lies that set your affections on things NOT above:
 “I NEED this person to think well of me.”
 “If only I got a little respect, then I would be happy.”
 “If they just made me feel a little bit loved and valued, then I wouldn’t be so
bitter.”
 “If I could just get a compliment every once in a while, I wouldn’t be depressed.”
 “For all that I do, I deserve a little bit of recognition.”
 “It’s just better not to share my struggles because I would be burdening people
with them anyway.”

We need to stop believing lies that invade our minds which simply feed our craving to
be thought well of in the eyes of people. Replace those lies with the truth of who you
are and what you have in Jesus. “Lord Jesus, I’m fully loved and valued and accepted
and approved of by God because of you! What more do I need?? If I have you, I don’t
NEED the approval of others. Let me now be ruled by it so that I can actually be freed
up to love others and not use them for my selfish benefit.” Amen!

Love,
Pastor Josh

Beloved Kinney,

We all struggle, in varying ways and to varying degrees, with what the Bible calls “the fear
of man.” Put simply, we care too much about what people think of us. Proverbs 29:25
says, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.” There’s so
much security in trusting God rather than entrusting our hearts to the opinions of man.

I must admit, this has been a struggle for me for much of my life, and the fight has only
had to increase after becoming a pastor! I want us to consider some other
manifestations of the fear of man in our lives. Read and pray over this list of various
behaviors we might exhibit that are likely indicators the fear of man is present in our
hearts.

1) You receive an excessive amount of joy when you are affirmed of or complimented by
others.
2) You feel inordinately down when you are not approved or affirmed by others.
3) You become anxious about what others might think about you.
4) You pay too close attention to what pleases or displeases others.
5) You over analyze people’s body language, facial expressions, or tone of voice and
begin to assume they meant something by it when perhaps, they didn’t.
6) You twist what people say to mean something they did not intend.
7) You are easily offended.
8) You serve others in order to be noticed by them.
9) You will not let others serve you because you don’t want to come across as needy.
10) You expect people to serve you because you believe you deserve their appreciation.
11) You have an excessive fear of confrontation.
12) You fish for compliments and affirmations either directly or indirectly.
13) You are overly sensitive to correction or constructive criticism.
14) You keep people at arms length for fear of being rejected or hurt by them.
15) You use flattering words toward others so that they’ll like you.
16) You get disappointed or angry when someone contradicts you or disagrees with
you.
17) When meeting new people, your sole focus is on making a good impression rather
than sincerely getting to know them. 
18) You are overly shy when meeting new people because you’re afraid of making a
bad impression.
19) You give into sin in order to be accepted by others.
20) You are unwilling to confess your sins, struggles, or failures to others because you
don’t want them to have a negative view of you.
21) You are overly concerned with your physical appearance.
22) You must be the center of attention in order to gain approval.
23) You must avoid being the center of attention for fear of being seen.
24) You’re preoccupied with what people think of you during times when your focus
should be elsewhere.
26) You show favoritism.
25) You are easily embarrassed.
26) You are overly agreeable.
27) You are overly disagreeable.
28) You are a “sympathy-seeker.”
29) You come across as having it “all together,” even when things are not going well.
30) You are unwilling to share the gospel.

Next week, I’ll do a blog on how to fight against the fear of man! Until then, confess this
to the Lord and ask him to change your heart.

Love,
Pastor Josh

Beloved Kinney,

Do you know what “apologetics” is? It’s a fancy word that means to “give a
defense.” When we speak of apologetics as it pertains to the Christian faith,
we mean that we are using arguments from Scripture and sound reason to
defend the Christian faith.

In yesterday’s sermon, I quoted C.S. Lewis from his book Mere Christianity
who gives one of the most important and useful defenses of the Christian
faith. Here’s the quote:

“I want to prevent anyone [from] saying the really foolish thing that people
often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher,
but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not
say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said
would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the
level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the
Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the
Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up
for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his
feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing
nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open
to us. He did not intend to.” (Lewis, Mere Christianity, 52)

Lewis’ argument can be summarized like this: Given the outlandish claims
Jesus made about himself, there are only three logical conclusions you can
draw regarding his identity: 1) He is a liar, 2) He is a lunatic, or 3) He is
Lord. You must pick one.

Let me encourage you to consider using this argument in your
conversations with non-Christians as you seek to talk to them about Christ.

Press on Kinney! Jesus is, indeed, Lord!

Love,
Pastor Josh

Beloved Kinney,

I recently came across a penetrating rhetorical question asked by Carl Henry, founder of
Christianity Today, when he was asked about how he remains humble. Here’s what he
said, “How can anyone be arrogant if he stands beside the cross?”

The cross is the epitome of humility. Paul says so much in Philippians 2, “And being
found in human form, [Jesus] humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of
death, even death on a cross.” That God became man is humble enough. That he came
to die demonstrates humility all the more. That he came to die for unworthy sinners like
you and me shows it even more. That he came to die on a cross…well, there is no
greater act of humility.

And therefore, if we spend any amount of time truly reflecting on the cross, how can we
possibly be arrogant? How can we look at ourselves with great esteem while we’re
looking at the cross with great esteem? It’s impossible. And therefore, whenever there is
an ounce of arrogance in us, it’s because we’re not looking hard enough at the cross.

Or to state it differently, if you want to kill any ounce of arrogance in you, look at the
cross. Look at what Jesus did for you. He came to earth…as a man…to die…a
criminal’s death…on a cross.

“Amazing love! How can it be? That thou my God shouldst die for me!” Amen.

Stay humble, my friends. Look to the cross.

Love,
Pastor Josh

Beloved Kinney,

As we are working through this sermon series called Common Lies of Our Age, this past
Sunday we tackled a lie that contains some truth: “God wants me to be happy.” That’s
only true when we properly define happiness.

I quoted from the book The Gospel According to Satan by Jared Wilson, who helps us
understand what true happiness (joy) really is. He says, “Joy is the music that plays
when our hearts are tuned to the frequency of God’s glory and our connection to it. Joy
is the heart’s settled and worshipful contentment in our justification with God. Joy is the
conviction that, no matter the sadness of our circumstances or the weakness of our
bodies, we are secure in the sovereign God who loves us…Happiness [as defined by
our culture] is dependent upon our circumstances. Joy [as defined in the Bible] is
dependent upon our Savior.” (Wilson, 21)

Do you have joy? It’s not an option for Christians. It’s a matter of obedience. Philippians
4:4 commands us to “Rejoice in the Lord always!” To say that “God doesn’t care about
our joy, he only cares about our obedience” is like saying “I don’t care so much for
apples, I only like fruit.” An apple is a fruit! Joy is obedience!

But how do we cultivate it? How do we pursue it?

Let me encourage you to read the book When I Don’t Desire God: How to Fight for Joy by John Piper. This book will help you learn to get serious about joy!

Love,
Pastor Josh