IN THIS ISSUE BELIEVE THE LOVE BY PASTOR ROGERS PAGE 3 BECOME A PARTNER PAGE 5 LOVE ONE ANOTHER BY FIRST LADY ROGERS PAGE 6 MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS PAGE 7 EXPERIENCING THE LOVE OF GOD PAGES 8 DATE NIGHT IDEAS PAGE 10
TUNE INTO LIFE IN THE WORD WITH DR. GABRIEL ROGERS CHARLOTTE, NC EVERY WEEKDAY AT 7:30AM AND SUNDAYS AT 9:30AM CHARLESTON, SC
KINGDOM CONFERENCE PAGE 11 10 TESTS OF SUCCESS PAGE 11 MEMBER SPOTLIGHT PAGE 12 MESSAGE OF THE MONTH PAGE 12
SUNDAYS AT 11:30AM NORFOLK, VA SUNDAYS AT 11:30AM RALEIGH, NC SUNDAYS AT 10:30AM KNOXVILLE, TN SUNDAYS AT 9:00AM
WOMEN’S CONFERENCE PAGE 14
“Believe the Love” 1 John 4:16 NASB We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.
God bless you, Partners! I am so excited about all the Lord is doing in our midst. As most people know, the month of February is often viewed through lenses of love. February 14th is what the world calls Valentine’s Day and typically people take this day as an opportunity to express their love to those they are in close relationship with. Albeit sometimes this is a day of “misuse of affection” when some people use it to become sinful and engage in wrong sexual acts with people they are not married to, nonetheless, it is still a day where even Believers find time to give a card and perhaps have a meal with their spouse, family members and friends. Yet, there is more to this concept of love that is more than just how we feel about another human. The Bible declares that “God is Love” (1 John 4:8). This means that love is the very nature and character of God. God loves His children so very much and wants us to both know and believe the love that He has for us. For so many people, this is a tough attribute of God to adapt. We have so often been taught the wrath of God and very seldom are we taught the love of God in its proper context. John had the right revelation of the love of God. I like the NASB version of 1 John 4:16 because it gives us a clear picture of how we really come to a place of not only knowing the love of God, but also “believing” the love that God has for everyone. Notice the verse starts off by saying, “we have come to know”; this is a relationship statement. We did not just know the love of God in totality when we first met Him, we had to “come to know” or “get to know and believe the love.” So many Christians are deprived of the love of God because they do not spend enough time with Him. Just like everyone else, God is someone that you and I need to “come to know.” Once we come to know Him, believing His love is going to come so much easier. Now, when you start to believe the love of God, your faith will start working because you will know that God loves you and desires that you have what you are believing for. Believing the love of God will transcend any problem or issue that you are dealing with. Once I know that God loves me, I can trust Him for provision and protection. Once you are born again, the keys to believing the love of God are as follows: 1. Spend time with God daily 2. Stay out of intentional sin 3. Say God loves me “often”
Sin is a “confidence stripper.” Satan will do his best to get you on the outs with God by convincing you to rebel against God. Hear what John had to say about sin and how it seeks to strip us of confidence towards God: 1 John 3:20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. Intentional sin is the biggest confidence blocker for a believer. When a person purposely sins knowing what God said about it, they walk in condemnation and tend to not believe the love God has for them. We tend to not expect blessings when we have lived a compromising life. As a Christian, once you see the light of God’s truth, you are to walk in it and it will give you great confidence towards God. My faith works best when I know that God is pleased with me. Finally, “keep saying” how God feels about you. Say, “God loves me”, often. Faith comes by hearing so you need to hear yourself talk about the love that God has for you and as you do, you will begin to grow in faith in this area. If I were deficit in this area, I would quote John frequently by saying “I come to know and believe the love that God has for me.” You will soon discover that God is so driven to love you affectionately. The Word of God through the prophet Jeremiah sums it all up: Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord has appeared [a]of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. Let God love you. Work on this revelation and your life will begin to improve greatly. Let me end this partner letter by saying thank you to all of you who so willing participated in our annual Super Seed Sunday; it was a huge success! The resources will help us to continue to forge ahead in vision. We are so excited about the multiple projects and outreaches that we have underway today. Thank you so very much, partners for your support and please know that I am praying for you constantly. God loves you and so do I. Please remember, “Jesus is coming back real soon!”
With Love, Pastor Gabe
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Love One Another First Lady Rogers 1 John 4: 7, 8, 11, 20, 21 (NKJV) 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. The principle here is clear; love validates a person’s claim to have a relationship with Christ. A person can claim to know Jesus as Lord and have fellowship with God, but love is the evidence of true children of God. Again, if you claim to have relationship with Christ and there is no manifest love for your brother and sister, your claim is meaningless, you are a liar and you abide in darkness. This is quite strong, but it is a hard-core truth. Too often, Christians make up excuses for their lack of love; they say, “I’ve done all I can, but this person is impossible to love”, or “if you knew what this person did you would understand why I don’t love them”, or “I just don’t connect well with this person”; however, the Bible does not hand out passes to withhold love. The truth is, how we treat others and more specifically, how we love one another, really matters to God. This matters so much to God that He says everyone who loves is born of Him and knows Him. You may say, “But wait, I do love the Lord and with all of my heart!” True enough, maybe. It is easy to deceive yourself into thinking you love God, when in fact you do not if you are not walking in love towards others. God does not mince words. He is very clear and says again, “If someone says, ‘I love God’, and hates his brother, he is a liar”. However loudly one affirms their love and devotion to Christ, hatred, dislike, jealousy and envy (all polar opposites of love) for a brother or sister affirms you do not know or love God. As we are focusing on our efforts to strengthen the church, I pray we turn our attention towards our relationships with one another. It is time for us to be strengthened in our love walk so that we walk in love, unity and the oneness that Jesus prayed for (John 17:21).
Prayer of Salvation
Vision and Leadership Conference The leadership conference was phenomenal. Pastor Rogers taught a dynamic message each day. Starting on day one with Increase Night, we learned that we can have the wisdom to increase financially by getting into the wisdom of God like Solomon. On day two, we learned we are becoming Greater and Greater in developing a pattern of success because the Lord is with us and not to despise the day of small beginnings. Pastor shared there are three things to keep your vision alive: you must have purpose (know it and go after it), a plan (always be planning), and the pursuit of success. On day three, we learned about “The Pyramid of Success” and standing on the scripture, Philippians 4:9 “The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you”. Finally, on day four, we enjoyed seminars on practical measures for becoming successful in business i.e. project management, evangelism at work, and accounting metrics.
Youth Seminars There were 2 seminar tracks from which the youth could choose: “Entrepreneur Track” and “General Leadership Track”. Each youth was able to choose what track they wanted to attend. In the Entrepreneur Track, one of the lessons was on How to Make Money without Loving Money. In the General Leadership Track, some of the youth were taught how to use their influence correctly in evangelism. “Many of the youth had already started businesses so they were very interested in increasing their business. I believe they grew in understanding how to remain a Christian leader in the world.” said one of the conference speakers. One youth who attended the Entrepreneur Track said “I learned that I’m not too young to have a successful business and to walk in humility to become greater in it.”
By Lameka Murphy
Experiencing the Love of God
To truly experience the love of God, we have to know that God absolutely loves us. Most people are familiar with John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” As Christians, we should have a revelation of God’s love for us and experience His love in every area of our life. We must know and believe the love that God has for us (1 John 4:16). What does experiencing the love of God look like? It looks like knowing God’s will for your life. It looks like favor with God and man. It looks like having compassion for others – sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As we submerge ourselves into the Word of God, we learn just how much God loves us. God calls us His children because of the kind of love that He has given to us (1 John 3:1). God loves us with an everlasting love and continues His faithfulness to us (Jeremiah 31:3). God wants the best for us, just like a father wants the best for his children. Experiencing the love of God is knowing who we are in Him, understanding our Kingdom rights and loving as God loves. Remind yourself often that God loves you and you are the apple of His eye (Zechariah 2:8). By: Kendra Polk
Heart Healthy Baked Salmon with Asparagus INGREDIENTS 1 pound (450g) salmon filets, divided 2 tablespoons vegetable broth or chicken broth 1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste 1 tablespoon of your favorite hot sauce (we used Sriracha) 4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves) Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste 3-4 tablespoons butter, diced into small cubes (or ghee) 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley or cilantro 1 lb (450g) medium-thick asparagus, woody ends trimmed DIRECTIONS
1. To prepare the oven-baked salmon in foil packs: Preheat your oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Cut 2 sheets of 14 by 12-inch (35 x 30 cm) heavy-duty aluminum foil, then lay each piece separately on the countertop. Combine broth, lemon juice, and hot sauce in a small bowl. 2. Season both sides of the salmon filets with salt and pepper and divide the salmon onto the aluminum foil near the center, then place trimmed asparagus on one side of the salmon, following the long direction of the foil. 3. Adjust the salmon filets’ seasoning with more salt and pepper, then sprinkle garlic on top. Drizzle the mixture of broth, lemon juice, and hot sauce generously over the salmon filets and asparagus. 4. Divide butter pieces evenly among the foil packets, layering them over the salmon filet and asparagus. 5. Wrap salmon foil packets in and crimp edges together, then wrap ends up. Don’t wrap too tight – keep a little extra space inside for heat to circulate. 6. Transfer the salmon foil packs to a baking sheet and bake salmon in the oven, sealed side upward, until salmon has cooked through – about 9 – 12 minutes. 7. Carefully unwrap the baked salmon in foil packets, drizzle with more lemon juice, and garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro and a slice of lemon. Enjoy! Source: https://www.eatwell101.com/baked-salmon-asparagus-foil-packs-recipe
Date Night Ideas for All Budgets Oftentimes married couples are so preoccupied with day to day obligations that they neglect to dedicate time to nurture their marriage. It is important that we set aside time to reconnect with our spouses often. Just as we dated prior to marriage, we should continue to date our spouses even the more in marriage. Here are some date night ideas for all budgets.
1. Cooking together - pick one of your favorite dishes and prepare that dish together. You can even include shopping for the ingredients as a part of the experience. 2. Game Night - play your favorite childhood games like Uno, Connect 4 or Jenga. Use that time to talk about fun childhood memories and create new ones together. 3. Find a new restaurant that neither of you have visited. Whether it is a 5 star establishment or local family owned restaurant, focus on having meaningful conversation with your spouse in a different environment. 4. Plan an activity - make reservations for bowling, miniature golf or an escape room. Step outside of the comfort zone of dinner and a movie. Activities are a good way to learn more about your spouse. 5. Staycation - book a hotel in your city, or surrounding area for an overnight staycation. Explore attractions that you may have not had time to explore such as a museum or a new shopping center. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a “getaway”. 6. Make or create - there are various do it yourself date options available; candle making, custom wood art or cooking classes. If your spouse enjoys creating or making things, schedule a reservation to attend one of the do it yourself classes, even if you aren’t the most talented craft person. 7. Vision/Faith Boards - this date option allows you and your spouse the opportunity to discuss vision for your marriage and family. Talk about what you would like to accomplish as a married couple as well as individually. Discuss what you are believing God for and what scriptures you are standing on in faith. For other date night ideas, get a copy of Gary Chapman’s 52 Uncommon Dates. By: Kendra Polk
New Book Release!
Member Spotlight Brian and Dianna Allen joined Kingdom Christian Church in November 2023. They initially learned about Kingdom Christian Church from a KCC member who invited them in 2016. They were later re-invited by a close friend who attended KCC and have been at KCC ever since. Brian and Dianna are college sweethearts with 3 children: Destiny (14), Zuri (6), and Omari (3). Brian currently works as an IT professional. Dianna has a Masters degree in Wealth and Trust management and currently works in banking as a Portfolio Analyst. When asked what led them to join KCC, they stated Pastor Roger’s consistency in teaching bible based doctrine and his evident anointing by God is what led us to join in November 2023. “We admire the different ministries and the discipleship model KCC offers that has cultivated our spiritual growth.” Brian was also drawn to join when Pastor promised “your money and your honey are safe here”. “We love the family dynamic that is promoted here. We’re excited about our future here as we have already grown collectively in this short period of time.” In their free time, Brian enjoys aviation, gardening, and sports. Dianna enjoys working out, trying new restaurants, and traveling.
Meet The Allens!
Thursdays at KCC!
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