August 2025
Youth Events
8/8 – FAC Milton, Pastor Webb - Back to School Rally – Rev. Josh Carson
9/26 – FAC DeFuniak, Pastor King – Rev. Noah Currie
12/30- HYC
Let’s celebrate what God did at #NAYC25! Over the course of three days, we’re thrilled to announce that 1,087 received the gift of the Holy Ghost, evidenced by speaking in other tongues, 375 were baptized in Jesus Name, and there were 105 notable miracles! This one changes everything!
Children’s Ministry Update
As Vacation Bible School season is coming to a close, we’re excited to share what God has done through children’s ministry in our section!
Please send your event information (with pictures) to kherbst@firstpent.org to be featured in next month’s newsletter!
Below is a brief summary of two VBS events this summer:
FPC Pensacola- What an incredible time in God’s presence! Each night was filled with laughter, learning, and the powerful move of the Holy Spirit. Our worship was full of energy and joy, and hearts were open and hungry! Many received the gift of the Holy Ghost and lives were changed! God is good!
FAC DeFuniak Springs- VBS was amazing!!! 🙌🎪 We started on Thursday and went through a family night on Sunday. We had everything from a live monkey, to baptisms, to entire families reviving the Holy Ghost! We ended the event with “The Grand Finale” skit, games, pizza party, lesson, and Bible story. God showed up! There was a powerful move of the Holy Ghost as families prayed together at the altar!!
The Magnificence of The Cross
The Cross is more than wood; it is more than an emblem; it is more than a vertical intersected by a horizontal.
The event is more important than the symbol.
1 Corinthians 1:17-18 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
NIV: “Lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.”
Weymouth: “Lest the cross of Christ should be deprived of its power.”
Greek Word: “Kenoo” - “To Make Empty”
The governor answered and said unto them, 'Whether the twain will ye that I release unto you?' They said, 'Barabbas.'"
The preaching of the cross of Christ to the Jews, it's a stumbling block, and to the Greeks, it is foolishness, but to those who are saved, it is neither a stumbling block nor is it foolishness. The Bible said it is the power of God.
And every minister who has ever preached on the subject of the cross of Christ has felt his inability and inadequacy to do so.
There are so many wondrous things about it, and, to use the modern word, there are so many awesome things about the cross that it's a subject that's just almost too high, too wide, too deep for the minister to attain.
And even a child can kneel at the foot of the cross and find forgiveness and cleansing. And savior who died for all of us, who gave Himself for each one of us. And Calvary is at the center of it all.
Actually, they say, the location of Golgotha is the exact geographical center of the earth.
I don't know about that. I do know that Calvary is the center of the universe, and of all the ages.
Calvary
Everything before Calvary looks to it. Everything after Calvary looks back to it.
And Calvary, once and for all, Christ put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
When the cross confronts us, when we are confronted by it, either we turn around and walk away from it or we are changed forever by that confrontation.
The Cross is the Finished Work of Redemption
It is the wrath of God appeased.
It is the triumph over death, hell, and the grave.
It has purchased healing as well as salvation.
Reconciliation: Ephesians 2:16 “And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:”
Peace: Colossians 1:20 “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”
Law Abolished: Colossians 2:14 “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”
Forgiveness: I Peter 2:24 “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Divine Healing: Isaiah 53:5 “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
The Magnificence of the Cross
Number one, The preaching of the cross to the Jews is a stumbling block. To the Greeks, it's foolishness. But to those who are saved, it’s the power of God. It's not a stumbling block.
The cross is a grand spectacle. And yet, it is personal that it touches our lives.
When the cross touches our heart, it changes our life forever.
Number two, the cross was cruel, but even though it was, it elevated and has dignified man's sense of worth.
That is what man, is capable of doing to the choicest, cleanest, perfect person who ever lived upon the earth.
There, the full measure of what sin really is, is revealed. And it shows the baseness of what man can fall to and what he can become.
But the paradox in all that is that cruel, terrible, tragic death that Jesus died elevates and dignifies man's sense of worth and possibility and his life itself because it was for us that Christ died.
So, the same cross that revealed man at his worst has made man to believe in himself to be his best.
Whenever a king stoops to pick something up, it must have tremendous value. You have value.
Church is not a museum of saints. It's a hospital for sinners.
Number three, it's the most terrible thing that could happen to Jesus, but it was the best thing that happened to Him. That's so strange
That's why as high as the heavens are, so are God's ways different from our ways and God's thoughts are different from our thoughts.
You cannot be defeated when you stay at the cross.
God brings victory out of what looks like to be defeats.
God brings blessings out of trials. God brings blessings out of souls.
God brings blessings out of hurts and pains.
God brings victories out of so many disappointments that we experience.
Number four, the cross was a crushing defeat of righteousness, but at the same time, this is the paradox. It was the greatest victory righteousness ever won.
What can we make of the enigma that the future belongs to the failure of the cross?
For one thing, Jesus is not dead, but He lives today.
And the same power that resurrected Christ from the grave is the same power that's required to resurrect us from our sins.
Number five, The cross is a denial of God, but it's the supreme revelation of God.
To the Jews, it's a stumbling block. To the Greek, it's foolishness. But to those who are saved, it's the power of God.
I just want to run the race. I want to finish the course. I want to win the prize. I want to hear him say, "Well done, thou good, thou faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things. I'll make you a ruler over many things."
I want to go to church and shout. I want to go to church and chat. I don't want to go to church and clap my hands. I want to go to church and worship,.
However, we can empty the glory in the cross by our perspective.
Word Picture 1: Taking a vessel of dishonor and throwing out the water. Because it is no longer useful.
Word Picture 2: Taking the salt and throwing it out into the street because it has lost its saltiness. It’s preserving power and tastiness.
How you respond to the word can empty or fill the cross!!
Your words can empty the cross.
Your theological perspective determines your speech.
The Cross Needs a Glory Replacement
Habakkuk 2:14 “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”
Psalms 72:19 “And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.”
Before there can be a glory replacement we must first gain the knowledge of the Glory and find out where it comes from.
We create the glory of God by thinking upon the subject, thinking good about it, then begin to add weight to it.
Consider it of great value.
Then begin to show pleasure and extreme delight.
God refuses to operate outside of His glory. Glory is created by the admiration of the creature for His creator.
We are the Glory Makers: The angels will have to step aside as the church, the Bride comes walking through.
In Ezekiel 1:26-28 the glory of the four living ones supports the throne. God never works outside of His Glory.
In Isaiah 6:2-4 – The Seraphims cried one to another, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts.” They did not say this to God, they said to one another.
Isaiah 6:3 “And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
God revealed Himself between the Cherubims (Exodus 25:22). He will also reveal Himself between those who gather in His name.
Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Psalms 34:7 “The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.” Before angels can be released somebody has to replace the glory so the gap will not be left open.
Isaiah 42:8 “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”
I Corinthians 1:29 “That no flesh should glory in his presence.”
God refuses to accept any less glory. All the glory belongs to Him.
However, if you refuse the rocks will cry out (Luke 19:40).
Holy Ghost in – Glory out
Glory releases three things in our lives that will change who we are into sons of God.
Releases Power: Psalms 63:2 “To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.”
Releases Grace: Psalms 84:11 “For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”
Releases Joy: Psalms 149:5 “Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.
Yours for the Kingdom,
Pastor Kinsey
