Bucky Kennedy Podcast

The Bible clear tells believers to be thankful. Yet, living each day with a spirit of gratitude is rare because we tend to think more about what we don’t have than what we do have. Thanksgiving is more than a day we celebrate; it’s a life we live. As Christians, we need to deal with anything that inhibits thankfulness in our lives.

Bucky Kennedy marks his one year anniversary at North Hall Church with a state of the church address. How did God grow a church from under 40 people to over 300 in the middle of a pandemic? Bucky recaps the church’s progress over the last year, gives a biblical roadmap for moving ahead, and talks about what drives him as a pastor.

Hebrews urges believers not to drift away from the truth. There’s no such thing as neutral Christianity. If we’re not paying attention, the currents of culture will pull us away from what the Bible teaches. Bucky discusses the danger of spiritual drifting and how to correct it.

Living for Jesus can be a struggle, especially in our current culture. The intensity of temptation is greater today than it’s ever been. That’s why it’s crucial for believers to “contend earnestly for the faith.” But if we forget the significance of eternity, we won’t understand what we are contending for. Even when we struggle, God can keep us from stumbling.

Most people live by their instincts, their senses, and their gut reactions. Rather than trust in God, they trust only what they can see and feel. This is not new or unique to our culture. Many have rejected God’s Word and authority throughout time. Jude puts a name and face to three types of rebellion that still exist today: Cain, Balaam, and Korah. And God will not tolerate defying His authority...

Jude encouraged believers in his day to “contend for the faith” because false teaching about God’s grace had crept into the church. Grace was seen as protection for sin rather than freedom from sin. A similar corruption of grace thrives today. Living for Jesus is impossible without a biblical understanding of God’s grace and how it works in our lives.

This message kicks off a new series in the book of Jude, which calls on Christians to “earnestly contend for the faith.” In order to be contenders we need to understand where evil comes from and how it works. Jesus warned that false prophets are wolves in sheep’s clothing. But if we aren’t aware of good and evil, then we won’t recognize right from wrong, or truth from error.

God always has a remnant—people who resolve to remain faithful to the Lord. God is currently using the discipline of distress to get His people’s attention; just as He did in the book of Malachi. And a remnant of faithful believers are making themselves known around the world. The last book of the Old Testament closes by illustrating the characteristics of God’s faithful remnant.

God said in Malachi that His people were robbing Him by neglecting tithes and offerings. Does that mean tithing is an Old Testament concept? Well, Malachi 3 shows us how personal generosity is directly connected to our faith. Why would a Christian give less under grace than under the law? We can get weary of giving and serving when we focus on the temporal over the eternal. That’s why nothing test...

Why is God allowing evil to run rampant? God’s people wondered the same thing in the book of Malachi. Israel was upset that God hadn’t dealt with the wickedness all around them. Like Israel, you may wonder, “Where is the God of justice?” The Lord’s answer in Malachi 3 is both helpful and challenging for believers who long for Jesus to return and set things right.

Helping people develop strong, healthy marriages is one of the most important things a church can do. Why then are so many churches silent on issues that assault marriage? The second chapter of Malachi points out two key reasons marriages in Israel were in trouble. God’s people need Malachi’s candid language as much today as they did then.

Israel had become apathetic in their worship of God. And when He addressed the problem, their answers were filled with arrogance. There are clear similarities between Israel in the book of Malachi and many Christians today. No one suddenly wakes up apathetic—we drift into it over time. This message looks at two ways we slowly drift into apathy, making our worship displeasing to God.

This message kicks off a new series entitled, Déjà vu. The book of Malachi was God's last message to His chosen people, Israel, before His Son came to Earth the first time. That message contains lessons for the Church today, as we await the second coming of Jesus Christ. Like Israel, we may question God’s love for us but seldom stop to examine our love for Him.

The Bible is full of godly people who failed in some way but were still used by God to accomplish great things. The lives of Moses, David, and Peter are not defined by their failures because they chose to get up after they fell. Bucky closes this series on Living in Victory by encouraging believers to stop dwelling on past failures and answer the question, “How do I get up?”

America has fundamentally changed over the last 50 years. Now, we’re moving from subtle changes to sudden changes; many of which are greatly concerning to believers. But God always has a remnant—faithful followers whose worldview is shaped and determined by Scripture. Bucky discusses a few recent changes in our nation’s social and political landscape, how they may fit into end times prophecy, and...

The weakened state of the American Church is no secret. Yet many Christians, and even pastors, can’t seem to grasp why. The answer is simple—sin. We don’t talk about it very much, if at all; and we definitely don’t deal with it. But tolerating sin always brings defeat—in our individual lives and in the life of a church. Just as Israel learned in the battle of Ai, we cannot experience victory when...

We all develop a life strategy according to what we believe. And what we believe depends on who or what we allow to speak into our lives. Joshua had the perspective of victory because his beliefs were molded by the Word of God and the presence of God. With all that’s going on in the world today, we desperately need a right perspective.

The foundation for victorious living is faith; which is simply believing and behaving as if everything God says is true. Since our ultimate purpose is to please God, then we need to live by faith. That doesn’t mean we’re perfect, but that sin in our lives is the exception rather than the rule. Bucky looks as these aspects of victorious Christian living from Joshua 1 and Hebrews 11.

We cannot live in the victory of Christ without the Holy Spirit as our Guide, especially in these days. But many believers misunderstand how the Holy Spirit works and what His role is in our daily lives. Bucky explains what the Bible says regarding the Spirit—how He functions and what it means to live in the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Christians are promised a victorious life—not someday, but right now. As believers, we choose whether to live each day in the Spirit or in our flesh; in victory or in defeat. Like the apostle Paul, we can live in the victory of Jesus Christ regardless of our circumstances, but we may need to adjust our attitude.

As Christians, we cannot claim God’s promises without living in His presence and power. We see a perfect example of this in Numbers 14. Like the Israelites, our faith proves to be futile when we attempt to achieve God’s purposes without Him. Bucky lays out four characteristics of futile faith, challenging believers to live with victorious faith instead.

We often feel powerless to change difficult situations. So, we tell God what we need and how we want Him to fix the problem. As believers, however, the power of God is always working in our lives. God gives us everything we need to do what He calls us to do. So, what is the power of God and how does it show up in our lives?

Believers are the temple of the Holy Spirit. But if we allow a sinful thought, attitude, or habit to become a stronghold in our lives, the devil has a base of operation from which to work. The only way to overcome a stronghold is to remove it. Because we belong to Jesus, He has the right to clean out our hearts and minds.

Every leader faces challenges. But the challenges of spiritual leadership often come from within ourselves. In fact, being a spiritual leader can make us more aware of our weaknesses than our strengths. Bucky looks at two Old Testament leaders whose lives show us that God is more interested in our availability than our abilities.

Spiritual leadership isn’t just for pastors. God calls each of us to places of influence. But it takes courage to answer God’s call. Sadly, too many of us quit the moment we face opposition. Nehemiah gives us a pattern for good spiritual leadership. It starts with a concern that leads to a commitment because of a God-given call.