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Ken Peters
Monday, March 01, 2010 9:25 AM
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Dear Family of God, Greetings in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. This month I would like to have us look at another key to the kingdom of God: the key of forgiveness! Matthew 6:14-18 tells us if we forgive men when they sin against us, our heavenly Father will also forgive us. But if we do not forgive men their sins, our Father will not forgive our sins! This statement cannot be any clearer – for us to be forgiven, we must forgive! Never cut what can be united (Joseph Joubert). He who cannot forgive destroys the bridge over which he may one day need to pass (Bickat). Listen family, when we have been wronged, a poor memory is our best response. Never carry a grudge, because while you are straining at carrying its weight, the person with whom you’re mad is out producing! Forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them more. There is no revenge as sweet as forgiveness. The only person you should try to get even with is the one who has helped you! Hate & unforgiveness are prolonged forms of suicide! Every Christian is called to a ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18). Build bridges – not burn them. People who burn their bridges will be isolated and alone and will deal with enemies the rest of their lives. When faced with the need to forgive and forget, never make the excuse, “But you don’t know what they did to me!” That way may be true, but it is more important to know what unforgiveness will do to you! Unforgiveness shuts off the flow of grace, healing, prosperity and peace, and also destroys unity and oneness of spirit. Life is an adventure in forgiveness, look to God’s power to see the future, rather than the pain. This will eliminate the temptation to hold grudges. Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do (Colossians 3:13). Remember, keys open the doors to the Kingdom! We love you, Pastor’s Ken & Tonja
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Ken Peters
Monday, February 01, 2010 1:10 PM
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Greetings Family of God, Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you are enriched in everything by Him in all speech and all knowledge even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift eagerly awaiting, for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Did you notice this passage is about you? Grace, concern, giving, enrichment, confirmation and no shortage and finally blameless in the day of our Lord. Psalm 138:8 says, “The Lord will complete that which concerns me…” Family we can fully enjoy the peace of God in all matters once we understand that the Lord is about what concerns us! God is so faithful, that regardless of circumstance or issue, He continues to fulfill in His loving power everything that will enrich us, strengthen us, deliver us, perfect us, establish us and comfort us for every good word and work! Let’s not lose sight of the goal… the fullness of the Lord in our lives. Blessings to you all, Pastors Ken and Tonja
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Ken Peters
Friday, January 01, 2010 9:50 PM
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Dear Family of God, Grace and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ! May the sweet fellowship of the Holy Spirit fill your hearts with joy and hope for the New Year! Tonja and I want to thank each of you for the tremendous generosity you have extended to us during Christmas and the holidays. What a joyous season you have made it for the Peters household! Family, 2009 was certainly a challenging year. Many of God’s people experienced trials and test of faith that possibly they had never faced before in their walk with the Lord. Some of the challenges were truly frightening, and in some ways even disheartening; no doubt about it 2009 was a year of judgments. When I look back upon different situations that have been presented to God’s people I realize why the Lord has called The Gathering to such diligence in prayer and faith. We have been like the man found in the parable in Matthew 7:24…the wise man built his house upon the rock! The troubles came, the challenges came, the hardships came; rain, floods, and wind beat upon his house but it fell not! For it was founded upon a rock… Our lives are built upon the rock of ages, Jesus Christ. Listen with your heart to these comforting words for the New Year: My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly trust in Jesus’ name. On Christ, the solid rock, I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand. When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace; In every high and stormy gale my anchor holds within the veil. On Christ, the solid rock, I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand. His oath, His covenant, His blood support me in the whelming flood; when all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay. On Christ, the solid rock, I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand. The foundation is the key to our victory; the rock is our foundation. We are being built upon Jesus! Take courage my friends and be not moved from your faith, your victory is guaranteed! Happy New Year and May the very best of God’s blessing be upon each of you. Pastors Ken & Tonja
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Ken Peters
Tuesday, December 01, 2009 10:06 PM
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Greetings Family in Christ!
What a wonderful Thanksgiving Feast we all celebrated together; tremendous food, awesome fellowship and a great softball game (I won’t mention which team conquered). God has truly blessed us, and the love we feel for one another was expressed in such liberty and friendliness.
This month I would like to again give you some important keys for victory in the Lord’s kingdom.
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:11-12, NIV
In several passages, in the epistles to the churches, Paul boils down our walk of faith to simple, yet profound principles. Let’s look at three spiritual keys found in his letter to the Roman believers.
In the first key Paul tells us to “be joyful in hope.” In the scriptures hope is not wishful thinking as in, “I hope my investment makes 30 percent this year.” No, hope is a strong expectation of God’s deliberate action. It is not wishing at all; it is confident believing. And with such confidence, our hearts sing as we anticipate God’s divine ability to accomplish His will in our lives.
The second key is patience in affliction. Difficulties are a part of this life we live. We live in a fallen world, with fallen people all around us, and beyond that God “prunes” faithful believers so that we will bear even more fruit—and pruning is painful! When we experience problems, our reaction is to try to get out of them as quickly as possible, but this is not the response the Lord is looking for. Whether He takes us out of them or through them, God wants us to seek Him for wisdom and His strength during the trial so that our faith in Him grows stronger.
Unfulfilled expectations, unexpected difficulties, and waiting for the Lord’s answers can make us want to give up. But the Lord has another key of victory for us…continued prayer with resolve! In difficult times, our prayers deepen and take on a new urgency. And if the delay continues, we stop asking and start listening, which may have been the lesson the Lord wanted to teach us from the beginning.
Which of these keys is a strength in your walk now?
Which needs some attention? What will you do about it?
Family, use the keys to the kingdom to gain all the victories the Lord has for you.
Blessings upon you all,
Pastor Ken & Tonja
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Ken Peters
Sunday, November 01, 2009 3:47 PM
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Greetings dear family in Christ! Tonja and I pray the Lord’s favor and grace upon you during this fall season. We pray that the presence of the Lord comforts you and also guides you perfectly into His will for each of your lives!
“Key’s to the Kingdom”
I would like to release some great information about another key to God’s Kingdom. The second key to look at is the key of Faith.
Hebrews 6:12 tells us not to become sluggish, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
There are really three main issues with this verse (in order):
First
– we must not slow down, or allow anything to cause us to become dull in our pursuit of God’s promises. The Apostle Peter reveals to us that God has given to us exceedingly great and precious promises and through these (fulfilled promises) we become partakers of His Divine Nature. God wants us to receive and fully experience these tremendous promises. Precious! Wow! What a description of what is waiting for us to receive… After receiving or participating in His promises, we become more like Him; His divinity begins to fill us and change us to His wonderful nature, not through laws and rules, but by accepting, receiving and living in His promises!
Second
- We are giving permission to copy, or mimic, those who before us exhibited faith and patience; in other words, look for godly people (friends, leaders, bible relatives…) who know how to believe and are willing to wait to receive. Imitate them, follow them, hang out with them so their spirit touches yours and you become contagious with faith and patience.
Finally
– Accept the fact that you are an inheritor; a will has been written defining your inheritance, possessions, blessings and promises.
You must allow your spirit-man to speak to your mind the truth of your adoption and rightful position as God’s child.
Daily dwell on this verse, Psalm 84:11 –
“For the Lord is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
Sun and shield, provision and protection, grace and glory, humanity and divinity – nothing withheld, all released.
Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.
We love you all,
Pastor Ken and Tonja
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