Kodiak Church of Christ

03/09/2024

Someone once asked, "You do the Lord's Supper every week? Doesn't that take away some of the significance? Doesn't it get mundane?" My response to that is, No. I never get tired of starting my week off in intentionally thinking about what my Lord has done for me.

In this podcast episode (I did not participate in it), these three ministers do an excellent job discussing the devotional thoughts that go with taking communion.

Many Congregations preface Communion with a short Communion talk. This Communion talk typically consists of a Scripture reading and a few thoughts to help th...

02/25/2024

‭‭Psalms 37:7a
"Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him"
We all know that the Lord works in His time, not ours.
We also know that everything works out in the end. It might not be how we imagined it, but if it's God's way, then it's the best way.

It's been a long process, and we still have some ways to go, but we finally reached a milestone with our church building... In September 2023, we began updating and renovating the walls of our church building to make it a more welcoming environment and to make us even more comfortable in our worship! This week, the walls are finally finished. I feel as happy as Nehemiah after he completed the walls around Jerusalem.

Tony and Esther Furio have done a MARVELOUS job painting, sanding, and texturing! Our building has never looked so good! I praise God that I get to be in a community with such loving and talented people.

02/02/2024

There was a time when parents would yell to the kids to settle down because they just want some "peace and quiet." That's the funny thing about peace; many times, it doesn't require stillness. I can find peace by watching the waves crash on the beach or find a peaceful moment on a mountain drive. A peaceful setting doesn't need to be absent of movement. So, what is peace absent of? Danger? Stress? Conflict?

A concept that is often likened to peace is rest. "Rest in peace," they say, but do I need to be asleep to experience peace? Coming to peace with something is often a process that is followed by a choice. A decision that says, "I am not going to let this bother me or ruin my day." It's seldom an easy time to drop it, so there is a process of letting things go.

Paul reminds us of God's peace: Philippians 4:7 - "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Whether you find peace in your work, with your loved ones, or in solitude, it's important to understand that your peace is limited to your comprehension. In Christ, the peace of God is life-changing. Your fears seem conquerable. Your problems seem temporary. Your ability to let go seems attainable.

Shalom

01/05/2024

Psalm 28:7
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

01/04/2024

The Hebrew word, "shuv" means "to turn back." Literally, it means to be going in one direction and suddenly (not gradually) going the opposite direction. We've probably seen that dreaded warning on our GPS or map app, telling us to make a U-turn. The wince of seeing your route be "redirected" is a feeling I think we all have experienced.

"At church," you have probably heard this word described as repentance. The thing about repentance is it's not a one-and-done action. You don't take one step in the opposite direction then immediately go back the same path you were just going. It starts when you recognize that Jesus needs to do some work in your life, but he's not the only one. You need to start doing work in your life to keep walking in the direction God is calling you to walk. To have repented and not needed to repent again.

Acts 2:37-38 - "Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

- Brandon

01/01/2024

So, God made a Christian
• After God had finished his redemptive work to save mankind from their sins, he considered the state of the world. He said, “I need a messenger.”
o So, God made a Christian
• God said, “I need somebody willing to get up early, study my word, pray before he eats, get his family started for the day, go to the office, patiently and passionately work, come home with enough energy to play with the kids and check on the wife, steadily helping with chores and homework, before reading my word again with the family before bed, and ending the day in prayer.”
o So, God made a Christian
• “I need somebody with their heart strong enough to stand up against corrupt morals and heavy opinions, but gentle enough to love them anyways. Somebody to seek the things that are above, work with integrity, listen to little old ladies who tell their stories, and invite strangers over for meals.”
o So, God made a Christian
• God said, “I need somebody willing to sit at the sides of death beds into the late hours of the night with a grieving family, somehow find the words to encourage them to say, “see you soon.” I need somebody who can walk in the light, know what’s right and wrong, live with justice, build up wisdom, endure through suffering, and counter temptation.
o So, God made a Christian
• God had to have somebody willing to help others without credit, Give without receiving, and to resist the urge to shake their fist at the sky when times get tough.
o So, God made a Christian
• God said, “I need somebody brave enough to sit with the homeless. Confident enough to stand on their faith when another cites atheistic works.”
• It had to be somebody who would sow the seed, plow with their eyes forward, squeeze through the narrow gate, not cut corners, willing to sing, read, lead, pray, preach, teach, clean the building, shovel the snow, help them move, cook the food, wash the dishes, and picking up the chairs – all without complaining. Starting every week, meeting together with the church to regain the energy to do it all over again this week. Somebody who would hold a family together in the divine principles of Christ. Who would laugh with joy, when his kids grow up to do the same things.
o So God made a Christian.

I wrote this based on Paul Harvey's speech from 1978, called, So, God Made a Farmer. I used it in my sermon on 12/31/23 with this prompt in mind: What do I want to look like in 2024?

- Brandon

12/28/2023

Do you ever go outside just to sit and enjoy your surrounding? Whether it be somewhere on a trail, by the water, or just on the porch, it's refreshing to enjoy the fresh air of the outdoors, and to listen. You might hear distant cars or kids playing. You might hear birds chirping or the wind blowing through the trees.

In Hebrew, the word meaning "to hear" is: SHEMA.

For Jews, "The Shema" comes from the 5th book of Moses. It serves as an invitation from God to come, listen, and let the message transform you. The message needs a recipient and the recipient needs to act. This is not just an invitation to hear, but to do.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

- Brandon

12/12/2023

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ

11/03/2023

I pray you all feel welcome to join us for bible study on Sunday from 10AM-11AM and Worship from 11AM - 12:01PM

Psalms 139:9 & 10
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

10/27/2023

Please come and join us this Sunday at 3457 Spruce Cape Rd.
Colossians 3:14-16
Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.