December 2024
Merry Christmas
Section 1 News
Mark your Calendars:
Save the Date:
Thursday, January 9th, at FPC
6500 North W Street, Pensacola.
Dinner will be served at 6:30 and the proceedings will begin at 7:30.
Children’s Ministry Update
Your giving to Save Our Children this year makes it possible to host Holy Ghost rallies throughout North America and beyond where hundreds of children have received the Holy Ghost this year.
942 children have been filled in Global & North American Holy Ghost Rallies & camps in July & August alone! Thank you for giving so that NEXT starts NOW!
Here are reports from our global Holy Ghost Rallies:
Angola - 149 Children filled with the Holy Ghost
Philippines - 160 Children filled with the Holy Ghost
Argentina - 256 Children filled with the Holy Ghost
Sierra Leone - 255 Children filled with the Holy Ghost
El Salvador - 60 Children filled with the Holy Ghost
PASTORS
〰️
PASTORS 〰️
Pastors,
Please feel free to submit a teacher from your local assembly receive the Fl District teacher of the month award. Submit photo and short bio to the CM Email: Fldistrictcm@gmail.com
Please submit any upcoming events you would like announced by emailing kherbst@firstpent.org
Youth Events
1/2-3 – HYC – Ocala – Registration is now live. $75. http://www.flupciyouth.com/hyc-2025.html
Bible Quizzing Update
Bible Quizzers had a great time at the Florida BQ Pre-Season event, with over 150 people in attendance! Thank you to Bro Terry Marshall, Bro Jimmy Votaw, and our JBQ and SBQ staff for investing in our quizzers, coaches, and parents. Looking forward to an awesome season!
From Pain to Promise
The Second Mile Church
Everyone enjoys Christmas differently and looks forward to spending time with family and sharing the love of Jesus with others.
The story of Jesus and the wonder of His birth never gets old. For He is the greatest gift ever given.
When the angels appeared to the shepherds and announced the birth of Jesus, they were entrusted with the good news that Messiah had come, which set their hearts on fire. They had to see for themselves if this testimony was true.
The definition of a testimony is “seeing for yourself” if what you have been told is true. I can testify, “Jesus is everything they told me and so much more.”
Even wise men came from the East, guided by a star. They were privileged to have front-row seats to witness the most miraculous historical event. Jesus was heaven’s hope, wrapped in promise. He came, died, and rose again onthe third day to give us hope and new life.
The Price of Promise
When the angels announced the birth of Jesus, they said:
“Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).
“Glad tidings” were filled with great promise. God gavethese promises to Israel through the voice of His prophets in the Old Testament. His plan was now coming to pass, forged before the world’s creation.
However, every promise comes with a price. The journey from Bethlehem’s manger to the victory of the cross has always been filled with trials and adversity. When Herod heard the news of the birth of Jesus which posed a possible threat to his throne and political power, he went into a jealous rage and unleashed his hate on Bethlehem by killing the children two years old and under. He wanted to exterminate the threat of Messiah. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus had to flee to Egypt to escape the slaughter.
The promise demanded a price be paid.
When you study the lives of the patriarch Joseph, all the prophets, and even Jesus, it is apparent that every one of them had to face unexpected challenges to accomplish their mission and see their promise become a reality.
We too will go through this proving ground and must endure to the end if we are going to find the treasure that Jesus said was in the field. That field of pain, delay, and difficulty is a reality we all must face, but I thank the Lord for promising all of us that the treasure is in the field.
The promise is worth the pain.
At that moment, we understand the Apostle Paul when he said,
“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
The Promise is Greater than the Price
Remember that the hope Jesus gives is real, even in the face of adversity.
Although it may take longer and cost more, it is worth every long mile. So don’t hesitate to fully commit your life to the potential of what we can become through His grace. The promise is worth the price, and the hope of Christ far surpasses any adversity we might encounter along the way.
Jesus said it so well: “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world”(John 16:33).
Yes, Jesus has already overcome the world.
The opposition we face and the trials we endure are not the end of the story. They are just preparing us for what God has planned for our lives. Even Jesus discovered that He had to grow into His purpose, and He faced the darkness and overcame it, not by cursing the night but by being the light.
As followers of the Master, will will conquer the darkness by walking in the light of His victory. The birth of Jesus proves that God’s plan is working, even when we can’t see it and even amid chaos.
The quality of our faith is determined by how we continue to press forward during our trials, forwe are called to be more than conquerors.
Let’s agree with Paul when he said,
“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).
Speak that word in your pain, and let’s see God’s promise fulfilled in your life.
We Are a Second Mile Church in a One Mile World
God is calling us to embrace our destiny by being a second-mile church in a one-mile world. In Matthew 5:41, Jesus taught the principle of going the extra mile:
“If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.”
This is more than just a call to service—it is an invitation to live an abundant life, a life of deeper relationship with the Master Himself.
First-mile people offer what is expected. They fulfill the basic obligations of life and faith.
Second-mile people offer something far greater: a relationship that transcends mere duty. They embody both grace and truth because that is the way Jesus Christ transforms you and the world around you.
First-mile people learn the craftsmanship of the Master’s work, but second-mile people learn the Master Himself. We are not called to simply follow a set of rules, but to live for Jesus with a passion for His purpose, and when we do so He will mold and shape us into the believers that bring glory to His Name.
This Christmas, let us commit to being second-mile people, reflecting the love of Christ in all we do. The promise that began in Bethlehem is alive today, and it is a promise worth every sacrifice, every challenge, and every second mile we walk. For in the end, as Jesus overcame, so too shall we.
“Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Corinthians 15:57).
People are More Important than Gifts
Jesus taught us that people are more important than gifts.
The true gift of Christmas is not found under a tree but in the love we share with one another, reflecting the love of Christ. Therefore, we should follow in His footsteps.
“For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45).
In this season of giving, let us focus on what truly matters—our relationships with one another and with Christ. Material gifts may fade, but the love of Christ and the connections we build with one another will endure for eternity.
As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, I bless you and your family with the joy, fun, and fellowship of the Christmas season. May you experience the fullness of God’s promise in your lives, both now and in the New Year. The true joy of Christmas comes not from what we receive but from what we give, and there is no greater gift than Jesus.
May the light of Christ shine brightly in your hearts and homes this Christmas, and may His peace guide you into the New Year.
In the Name of Jesus Christ, Merry Christmas!
Pastor Kinsey
