Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Peace”
Our Bible verse for today: “I love You Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my mountain where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:1-2
Our thought for today: “Let’s gather in the fort.”
When I talk to the people of Oak Hill Baptist about the importance of our church being actively involved in the world outside the walls of the church buildings I will sometimes teasingly say, “We cannot just circle the wagons and huddle together inside our little Southern Baptist fort shutting out the rest of the world.”
The truth is that the folks at Oak Hill are really not the types to do that to begin with but as it turns out, my teasing statement is only partially true anyway. On the one hand it is true that the Lord has called us to be “salt and light” out in the world and in order to do that we actually have to be out in the world – as individuals and as a church. But on the other hand there are also times when it is appropriate for us to come out of the world and to huddle together inside our church buildings. Those are the regularly scheduled gatherings of the church fellowship – the Sunday school, the worship service, and the mid-week prayer meetings.
In Psalm 18 King David was writing about how he found a sense of safety, refuge, and peace through his relationship with the Lord. Although the world around him was in chaos at that time, and he was certainly feeling threatened and in danger, he found peace and shelter in the Lord.
While it’s certainly true that we can and will find that sense of security, refuge and peace through our individual relationships with the Lord, it’s even truer in a corporate sense. One of the benefits of being gathered together with our brothers and sisters in our church family is that the presence of the Lord is even greater when the entire church is together. That sense of being safe, secure, and protected is greatly enhanced when we’re surrounded by the people of God.
When the church is gathered the church facilities become holy ground. In reality the buildings are nothing more than bricks and drywall and carpet and furniture. But when God’s people are gathered in that place, in the Name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit, those facilities become holy ground and the presence of the Lord is real and powerful.
In some ways our church building is a little Baptist fort – but I mean that in a good way. It’s the physical location the Lord has provided for us we can come out of the world for a while and enjoy that great sense of refuge and peace. I encourage you to gather with your church family this Sunday.
God bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 