Suffering Produces Character

…because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.  Romans 5:3-5 (NIV)

Picture this: A young Christian goes to an older believer and asks, "Will you pray that I may become more patient?" Putting his hand on the young man’s shoulder, the older man begins to pray, "Lord, send this young man problems in the morning; send him pressures in the afternoon; send him…. " Just then the young believer blurted out, "No, not problems, not pressures,  I asked for patience." "I know," said the wise Christian, "but it's through dealing with problems and pressures that we learn patience."

Only a believer who has faced distress can develop perseverance, the ability to remain steadfast under difficulties without giving in. That in turn develops character. When the apostle Paul told the Christians in Rome that "suffering produces perseverance"  he was speaking from personal experience. He had suffered beatings, whippings, stoning, shipwreck, and persecution. Yet he remained steadfast in his faith and did not shrink from his responsibility to preach the gospel. 

If you are facing a difficult test know that everything that happens to us—whether pleasurable or painful—is designed to help us develop Christlike character.

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

God's Family

Hebrews 2:10"God is the one who made all things, and all things unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ."

The entire Bible is the story of God building a family. God is building a family for Himself that is going to last not just here on earth, but forever and ever and ever in eternity. It is an eternal family. This is what I Peter 2:17 says. "Love your spiritual family."

God wants you to learn to love the people in your family.  Why is that?

Ephesians 2:19 says this "You are members of God's very own family and you belong in God's household with every other Christian."The key thought in this verse is this “You belong”.

The Christian life is not just a matter of believing. It is matter of belonging, and you and I must choose to belong.  When you were born, you automatically became a part of the human race. But you have to choose to belong to the family of God, the church.

The C3 church family got together last night for a picnic where we hung out and enjoyed getting together as family. Thank you to Shawn Chance and the C3 Men’s ministry for organizing.

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle  

Micah & Trish Dunn say goodbye to friends at family at our church picnic. Micah has accepted a ministry position at the First United Methodist Church in North Platte Nebraska.

Jesus Said Go

"You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria…. Acts 1:8 

Jesus commissioned His disciples to share the good news with those in Samaria, whom were despised by those in Jerusalem. God’s love demands that we move beyond our comfort zone, even to people that we don’t know or don’t like. He doesn’t want anybody left behind.  God is passionate about lost people. We have been given the best news in the world with the responsibility to  share it with people from different backgrounds, different education, and different economics status. Our mission has eternal consequences, heaven and hell. The Bible is very clear that there are only two choices we can make and they end us up in heaven or hell. There are no other choices. We must be willing to risk anything to get that message out. Let me ask you a question. If you had the cure for Aids, or Alzheimer’s  or for Cancer, would you do your best to make sure everybody who needed it knew? Of course you would.  It would be wrong to keep it a secret.

You have something even more important than that, you know the way to eternal life. People in our own community have been terribly wounded by the curse of this world. They are grappling with the consequences of sin and disobedience. They may even have been hurt by a church in the past. We can either curse them or bless them. Christians are called to build bridges, not walls.

I once read that you can’t spell "God" without seeing the word "go." You can’t spell "Good News" without "go." You can’t spell "gospel" without "go." You and I have to  been told by Jesus to go!

Celebration Community Church is hosting a “Bring A Friend” Sunday event THIS SUNDAY September 27^th. Invite a friend, relative, neighbor or co-worker to attend one of our 4 services at 8:30, 10, 11:30am. (we usually have 5 services but our C3 Family Picnic at 5pm at Frontier Park will take the place of our 6pm service).

GO tell someone about C3 services this Sunday.

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

GO!

Go into the entire world and preach the good news to all creation." Mark 16:15

When Jesus said that, He was talking to all his followers then and now. When Jesus first said this to His disciples, they had limited means of transportation and communication. Today we can reach the farthest points of the world by plane in a matter of hours. We have phones, the internet, post office and cars the to go and reach the world. It has not been easier to fulfill your mission. We also can give of our means to send others to reach those we cannot go to. Last year Celebration helped send C3’s Youth Pastor Nick & Sarah Eiden for a 9 month Mission to Uganda.

We are not all called to go to Uganda and teach little African children about the love of Christ. But all of us can participate in a couple of important and meaningful ways. The first is to participate in our Annual Mission Auction. At C3 we support dozens of missionary and outreach ministries like the organization that the Eidens are a part of. Mark your calendars for November 15th. Another way to fulfill one of God’s purposes for you in sharing the good news is to invite someone to church this Sunday. Celebration Community Church is hosting a “Bring A Friend” Sunday event THIS SUNDAY September 27th. Invite a friend, relative, neighbor or co-worker to attend one of our 4 services at 8:30, 10, 11:30am. (we usually have 5 services but our C3 Family Picnic at 5pm at Frontier Park will take the place of our 6pm service).

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

You Will Be My Witnesses

God has chosen us to complete the mission. God has put the future of reaching the world in our hands. us look at three things from Acts 1:8. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Jesus said, "You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem..." When Jesus told this to his followers, they were in Jerusalem. Here’s the principle; start at home. Start with the people closest to you. Jesus once healed a demon possessed man and said, "’Go back home and tell people how much God has done for you.’ So the man went all over town telling how much Jesus had done for him." (LK 8:39)

So where are you to start? Right at home, in your own neighborhood. Go to your friends, your family, your coworkers, your neighbors, the person who delivers the paper, or the clerk in the store. People all around us are interested in spiritual things. They are spiritually hungry. George Gallup did a survey, discovered that over 100 million Americans have no church home, but 50 million of them said they would attend if somebody would just invite them!

According to Brown Church Development Group who C3 is partnering with,”there  are over 23,000 people within ½ hour travel time of our church” just waiting for an invitation!

Celebration Community Church is hosting a “Bring A Friend” Sunday event THIS SUNDAY September 27th. Invite a friend, relative, neighbor or co-worker to attend one of our 4 services at 8:30, 10, 11:30am. (we usually have 5 services but our C3 Family Picnic at 5pm at Frontier Park will take the place of our 6pm service).

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

Jars of Clay

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 (NIV)

The death of a loved one, the betrayal of a friend or the loss of a job can paralyze and debilitate even the strongest of souls. Pressures from every side can be perplexing; persecution can make us feel as though we've been struck down. When life is filled with despair, we must not give up. Instead we can turn to God, our loving Father, and His powerful Word to regain focus.

In 2 Corinthians 4:7 we read about a treasure, but the treasure is kept in a jar of clay. That seems like an odd place for a treasure. Usually we would keep our valuable treasures in a vault, in a safety deposit box, or in a strong, protected place. A jar of clay is fragile, and easily broken. Upon further inspection, this jar of clay reveals flaws, chips, and cracks. It's not a vessel of great worth or monetary value, but rather a common, ordinary vessel.

We are that earthen vessel, that fragile clay pot! Our bodies, our outward appearance, our physical disabilities, our well laid plans, our shattered dreams, these are all elements of our jar of clay. None of these things can bring meaning or a sense of value to our lives. If we focus on our human side, doubt, depression, and defeat are bound to enter in with quick procession.  

But the wonderful secret to overcoming despair is also revealed in these verses in 2 Corinthians, chapter 4. Kept inside that broken, fragile, ordinary jar of clay is a treasure, a priceless treasure of immeasurable worth! The powerpacked spirit of the living God!

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

Celebration Community Church’s  11^th Annual Mission Auction is coming in November. Would you like to serve on the Planning and Implementation Team?  Come to the meeting TONIGHT at 6pm at C3.  

SONflower Brunch

Like sunflowers that grow beautifully in Kansas soil so do the women of Celebration Community Church who are planted and nurtured in God’s fertile fields.  One of the unique characteristics of sunflowers is that they turn toward the sun, their source of light and strength. This is exactly what Katherine Burnett encourages women to do as she leads Celebrating Women, C³’s ministry to women. Katherine is an inspiring organizer, successful business owner, realtor, loving wife, dedicated mother, and spiritually gifted Biblical teacher who was called to Celebration  a couple of years ago to help turn our women toward the life giving power of the Son. This weekend Katherine, DeLynn Rice and a van full of Celebration women are in Colorado Springs at a Joyce Meyer Conference. 

Next Saturday Katherine is inviting all women to“SONflowers” Ladies Brunch with special Guest Speaker, Dr. Mirta Martin the new President of Fort Hays State University.

From 10am until noon, women of all ages will be treated to a wonderful meal, an opportunity to engage in fun filled fellowship, make meaningful relationships and learn about the growth God is calling the women of Celebration Community Church to experience in Christ.   

My wife Debbie will be on hand doing what she does best, seeing  that all women are  welcomed, included, and receive emotional support in order to grow in their relationships with God and develop healthy, positive, uplifting relationships with other women.

The reason Katherine and her team are so committed is in hope that the women of C3 will grow spiritually in order to better serve Christ and His church as we fullfil our mission to this community and beyond.  

RSVP for SONflowers TODAY by contacting Katherine at womens@celebratejesus.org or by calling 785-432-1360.Child care is available.

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

Don’t’ miss part 2 this Sunday learn that small changes in the way we think will make a BIG difference in how we feel.

One Thing

Last Sunday at Celebration Community Church as we began a new series called “Small Things-BIG Difference” we looked at the importance of the “one thing”. Throughout the Bible we see that by focusing on the one thing amazing things can be accomplished. 

“One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. Psalm 27:4

David the author of that Psalm had a real insight into who God was and set his heart to follow him. This means that David's heart was totally focused on who God was. He was locked in to what was right. As a result we are told that David was” a man after God’s own heart” 

Paul made a similar statement in the book of Philippians: "One thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" Phil.3:13-14

Paul had decided on one thing, that he wasn’t going to let his  past define his future.

One thing. Everybody has the one thing in his or her life. I ask you: what is that one thing for you. What is your clear focus in life? Our greatest danger in life is permitting the urgent things to crowd out the important; to fail to live by a clear set of priorities. A popular adage is “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing”. There is wisdom in that.  What is your one thing?

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

 

One Thing

Last Sunday at Celebration Community Church as we began a new series called “Small Things-BIG Difference” we looked at the importance of the “one thing”. Throughout the Bible we see that by focusing on the one thing amazing things can be accomplished.  

“One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. Psalm 27:4

David the author of that Psalm had a real insight into who God was and set his heart to follow him. This means that David's heart was totally focused on who God was. He was locked in to what was right. As a result we are told that David was” a man after God’s own heart”  

Paul made a similar statement in the book of Philippians: "One thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" Phil.3:13-14

Paul had decided on one thing, that he wasn’t going to let his  past define his future.

One thing. Everybody has the one thing in his or her life. I ask you: what is that one thing for you. What is your clear focus in life? Our greatest danger in life is permitting the urgent things to crowd out the important; to fail to live by a clear set of priorities. A popular adage is “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing”. There is wisdom in that.  What is your one thing? 

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle 

Integrity

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out. Proverbs 10:9. These words of wisdom from Proverbs ring true in our ears today.  Do you consider yourself a person on integrity? 

Rick Warren gives us several examples of what people of integrity do:

“People with integrity live by fairness, even when fairness puts them at a disadvantage or causes them significant difficulty. They fight fair even when those around them do not. 

People of integrity consider their word their bond, allowing their “yes” to mean “yes” and their “no” to mean “no.”

People of integrity are authentic and transparent; they act the same, no matter who is present. Their lives are “what you see is what you get.” 

People of integrity are straightforward in their conduct. They don’t hide what they’re doing, and they don't say one thing and do another. They are people “in whose spirit is no deceit” Psalm 32:2 .

God doesn't bless dishonesty. Proverbs 16:11 says, "The Lord demands fairness in every business deal". That includes wages, sales, and taxes. If you want God's blessing on your finances, you've got to be honest.”  If you want God's blessing on your marriage, you've got to be faithful in that.   

Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery. Hebrews 13:4 

I love the Toby Mac song we often hear on 98.5 THE TRUTH, “I don’t want to gain the whole world and lose my soul. This echoes what Jesus said, "What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul?" (Matthew 16:26) 

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

Back to Work

Labor Day seems like a good time to pause, give thanks to God for the abilities He has given us and take a closer look at what it takes to make our work life more meaningful.  Here are a few thoughts with the guidance of God’s word: 

• We must work to provide for those who depend on us.                                     If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.  (1 Timothy 5:8)

• No matter what our task, it's our duty to work for God's glory. 

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men”, (Colossians 3:23)

• The way we work can earn the respect of those who do not follow Christ.  

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12). 

Work can be hard. Even for those who truly enjoy their work, it was nice to have a Labor Day breather. But until the day comes when our work is over, our task is to make our labor, whatever it is,  a testimony to God's glory. 

Hope you had a Happy Labor Day!

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

Thank you to Randy & Paula Staab for a great summer of leading Celebration @ The Lake. So many people have been blessed by your services and your C3 family is SO proud of you. 

Celebrate Labor Day

After an extremely busy week and weekend I looked forward to a day off today, Labor Day. Please do not get me wrong, I love what I do, and all that is involved with it. I enjoy teaching the Bible, preaching the Word, leading a staff, baptizing believers (we baptized 40 believers yesterday) dedicating babies (Pastor Brant dedicated 5 baby yesterday ) 

I enjoy promoting outreach events, working side by side with others on work projects or cooking meals for our college group. I love officiating at weddings and funerals (I will be attending one tonight), working within the community. I even enjoy counseling with people who are in need, visiting with families in the hospital, and writing these devotionals each weekday for you.

How do you feel about your job? Are you pleased with what you are doing or do you suspect God would prefer you in some type of "full-time Christian service"? It is important for you to resolve this issue because work is so central to life.

I remember reading, “Your Work Matters to God “by Doug Sherman which demonstrates biblically just how important secular work really is to God. 

Once you realize how many different ways there are to influence your coworkers for Christ (without preaching a word), you'll be challenged to develop a lifestyle so striking and true, the people you work with will be eager to let you talk about what makes you different.

Just because God may not call you to vocational ministry does not mean you and your work are insignificant! As a matter fact, more Christians need to see their current jobs as God's place for them to minister to others for His glory! So when we return back to work tomorrow remember God has placed you there for a purpose.

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

Praise Report: 40 Believers were baptized on Sunday as a part of our 5^th Sunday festivities. Thank you for Luke &  Julisa  Haines for hosting us at their pond and for providing lunch for all. 

Another Praise Report: 

Last Sunday as we did with our first building loan, we have again  paid off our loan 

with Golden Belt Bank in less than half the length of the loan! By paying this off 

early, we saved $321,300 in interest! Celebration Community Church is DEBT FREE!  

Thank you, church, for your generous giving and commitment to C3’s growth and 

fulfillment of our 2020 vision to reach Hays, KS and beyond with the life-giving 

message of Jesus Christ!



Pictured are some C3 Board Members who joined Pastors Kyle & Brant on the platform at all 5 of our services Sunday to “burn our mortgage”