Oak Hill Baptist Church

It’s a great loss

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Writing and reading”

Our Bible verse for today: “When he had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the testimony, stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God.” Exodus 31:18 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “It’s a great loss”

I would like for us to think this month about the gift of writing. By that I’m not referring to those who seem to have a gift or talent for communicating well in writing. I’m referring instead to the gift of the written word itself. The ability for humans to communicate by means of the written word is a gift from God.

But sadly, it’s a gift that is increasingly under-appreciated and under-utilized in our day. Study after study reveals a serious, rapid, and steady decline of writing and reading of all sorts, on all subjects, across all age groups, and around the world. Literacy rates have actually been declining for almost forty years. I’m not referring to the simple ability to read, that basic measure of literacy continues to increase. What those studies measure is depth of literacy – the ability to engage in deep reading about meaningful subjects for a prolonged period of study, and to understand what was read.

The most rapid decline in this type of literacy is among the younger generations. The reason is technology. For that group, screen time spent on television shows, streaming services, social media, and games is more than ten times higher than time spent reading. But it’s not just young people. Only 19% of adults read for pleasure. Almost 35% of adults admit that once they left high school or college, they’ve never again read a book cover-to-cover. Not once. Not in all the decades of life since. Not one book.

This represents a great loss, and in some respects, it’s leading to a dumbing down of the population across age groups. Please don’t take that as an insult. I’m not making fun of anyone nor am I calling anyone stupid. I simply mean that when we don’t exercise our minds in the way deep reading requires, our critical thinking skills aren’t as strong as they could and should be. The brain is essentially a muscle and like any other muscle, it must be exercised in order to be strong. The lack of reading often leads to diminished critical thinking skills.

Written communication is a gift to the human race from God. There’s immense value in written communication of all kinds, and it’s a great loss that so many people do so little reading anymore. Throughout the month of June, we’ll consider this from many different angles. I look forward to exploring this important subject with you.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

It’s a matter of attitude and focus

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be smart, be strategic”

Our Bible verse for today: “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Romans 8:37 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “It’s a matter of attitude and focus”

In Acts chapter sixteen Paul and Silas where prisoners in the jail in Philippi. They had been falsely accused, arrested, stripped, beaten with rods, jailed, and locked in a cell with their feet in stocks. In Acts 16:25 we read, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.”

What a great attitude they had about their suffering for Christ! This is what Paul was writing about in Romans 8:37 when he said, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” At that moment they couldn’t control their circumstances, but they could control their attitude about their circumstances. That reminds me of a line from a poem about attitude and outlook which also alludes to a jail scene: “Two men looked out through the same bars; One sees the mud and the other the stars.”

It also reminds me of the elderly Christian woman who had been very active in church work and missions her entire life but, in her old age and due to declining health, she was now a shut-in. But instead of withdrawing and becoming depressed, she simply shifted gears and continued to minister in ways that her circumstances allowed. In her case she prayed over the church directory every day, looking at the pictures and praying for the individuals by name. She also made numerous phone calls to church members just to stay in touch and to encourage them. And she wrote letters and sent notes. She told her pastor, “I may be shut in, but I am not shut out.”

We’ve all known special people who seem to suffer well, or who rebound from one loss after another, or who just handle difficulties well. It’s not that they have fewer troubles than the rest of us – they may in fact have more, but they still seem to appreciate life and they find joy in the midst of the challenges.

What’s their secret? Attitude and focus. Their focus is on Christ and their attitude is positive. He is their source of strength and hope and joy. Consequently, they refuse to be defeated. They agree with Paul that despite the challenges, they are more than conquerors through Christ.

Having the right attitude and keeping your focus on Jesus is smart because with a good attitude and a right focus you will find ways to deal with and overcome your challenges. I encourage you to be smart and strategic by having a good attitude and keeping your focus on the Lord.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Knocked down maybe, but not knocked out

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be smart, be strategic”

Our Bible verse for today: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Knocked down maybe, but not knocked out”

Two weeks ago, I was among a small group of pastors who spent two hours with Dr. Randy Davis. Randy is the Executive Director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, and the leader of Southern Baptists in the State of Tennessee. In that capacity he has many roles, but the role that is nearest and dearest to his heart is that of being a pastor to pastors. After having been a pastor himself for over thirty-seven years, he now considers it his job to look out for and to take care of the Southern Baptist pastors in the State of Tennessee.

And right now, he’s concerned. Pastors and churches are struggling. Randy told us that more pastors are leaving the ministry right now than ever before, and fewer are entering the ministry than ever before. As a result, more churches are without pastors, and it’s taking them longer to find a new one. Also, for many reasons, many churches are still struggling to gain their footing after the pandemic. Some have closed. Others still may close. These last couple of years have been tough on pastors and on churches.

So, Randy is traveling all over Tennessee, to all forty-nine Southern Baptist Associations, and visiting with as many Southern Baptist pastors as he can. His mission is first just to minister to and encourage the pastors to hang in there. But second, to remind us that there is hope and things are getting better. Amidst the declines and difficulties, there are many positive things happening in SBC churches across the state. Attendance is slowly moving back towards pre-pandemic levels; people are being won to faith in Christ; new ministry and outreach efforts are being started; new churches are being planted; and much more. The Church is coming back. His word to us was, “We may have been knocked down, but we were not knocked out.”

Now is not the time for pastors or for churches to be discouraged. There’s too much at stake to give in or to give up. Instead, it’s time to get up, step up, and get busy. Our nation needs strong and active churches. As the English statesman Edmund Burke once observed, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” So, let’s not do nothing. Let’s do something.

At Oak Hill Baptist Church this is our week for Vacation Bible School. It’s a superhero theme – “Bible Man”. Bible Man is an animated superhero leading a team of superheros to confront evil with Biblical truth. The VBS is for children and teens of all ages. It runs from 5:30 – 8:00, Monday-Friday, with a free supper being served from 5:00-5:30. If you’re in Cumberland County, TN please come and join us!

God bless,
Pastor Jim

The Church has left the building

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be smart, be strategic”

Our Bible verse for today: “… on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18 (NKJV)

Our thought for today: “The Church has left the building”

I love the picture Jesus painted in Matthew 16:18. But, unfortunately, it is often misunderstood, or at least, under-appreciated and not taken literally enough by the Church.

Jesus had just asked His closest disciples who they believed Him to be. Peter boldly declared that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus responded that it would be upon such bold and confident faith that He would build His Church. In other words, the strong faith of His disciples would be the motive force that would propel them out into the world, and the bold proclamation of the Gospel message would draw multiple millions of people to Him.

And then Jesus declared that the gates of Hades (hell) would not prevent it from happening. Now, here comes the important understanding for us: Gates are defensive in nature. They’re designed to keep people out. When a gate is erected it’s because a threat is perceived and therefore a barrier is constructed to keep the threat out. The lesson is that Satan sees the advance of Christ’s kingdom as a threat. Therefore, he has constructed gates (barriers) to protect his territory. But Jesus says that the obstacles and barriers Satan has erected in an attempt to stop the progress of the kingdom of God will not prevail. Satan’s obstacles can’t stop God’s people.

What Jesus is describing here is a strong, strategic, intentional offensive action by His followers as we push into territory currently occupied by Satan, but which we are to conquer and claim in the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus says that the obstacles created by Satan will not be able to prevent that from happening.

But then why isn’t it happening? Or at least, why isn’t it happening more? As has been noted in the two previous devotional messages, evil is pervasive in our society and is getting progressively worse. Where’s the church? What are we doing? Are we out in the communities, on the offensive and reclaiming territory for Jesus? Or, are we safely hunkered down in our little religious forts, gathered together in our holy huddles, singing songs and eating ice cream?

You know the answer. There is some good work being done out in the communities and neighborhoods by many churches – but not enough. Not even close. Far too many churches, and far too many Christians, are doing little or nothing. And therein lies the problem. There’s the answer to why evil seems to be winning in our society. The Church needs to step up its game.

It’s true that no single church can make much of a dent in the problem of evil in the nation as a whole. But every church and every Christian can make a difference in their own communities. So, rather than focusing on the big picture of an immense problem, focus instead on the person standing in front of you at the moment. And then, once you’ve made a positive impact in that one life, shift your focus to the next one. If enough of us do that, it will add up and ultimately make a big difference.

The answer is for each Christian and for each church to leave the building and storm the gates. Let it be known that we are on the move and we’re reclaiming territory Satan has stolen but which belongs to Jesus. On the streets, in the homes, in schools and hospitals and nursing homes, in offices and on job sites, in PTA meetings and on children’s sports teams, serving meals, offering rides, meeting needs, sharing the love of Jesus and ministering in His name.

Let it be known across the nation that the Church has left the building and is on the move. Better yet, just do it. If you do, it’ll become obvious pretty quickly.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Yes, the Church is the answer

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be smart, be strategic”

Our Bible verse for today: “You are the salt of the earth … You are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:13;14 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Yes, the Church is the answer”

In yesterday’s devotional I quoted all of Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:13-16 regarding His intention that His followers be like salt, which acts as a preservative and helps to prevent the spread of decay and corruption; and like light, shining the truth of the Gospel into the spiritually dark places of the world. The Church is the answer to evil in the world.

But then I posed the question that if the Church is the answer, what’s the problem? Since there are hundreds of thousands of churches in communities all across this land, filled with tens of millions of professing Christians, why is evil still so pervasive in our communities? Could it be that we, as the followers of Jesus Christ, aren’t doing our jobs as intended by our Lord? Has the Church in our nation become ineffective?

Evil is present in our society. It is pervasive, and it’s becoming more so. The more our society drifts from the Judeo-Christian Ethic upon which our nation was founded, and from the Biblical principles which undergird that ethic, the worse the situation will continue to get. The question is whether or not the Church can help to prevent the spread of evil, or even slow it down.

And the answer is, “it depends”. The potential is certainly there. Individually and collectively we as the followers of Christ have the power of the Holy Spirit working in us and through us. So, yes, we can effectively stand against the evil. And yes, we can slow it down. In some cases, we can even prevent it altogether. The question isn’t if we can, the question is if we will.

The problem is that the Church in America today has become lethargic and weak, apathetic and ineffective. It’s as if we’re sleepwalking through this mess which is our society, numbed and overwhelmed to the point of indifference (or, maybe, to the point of despair). Attendance is way down in the majority of churches; ministry activities in and out of our churches have been pared back; Biblical principles have been compromised for the sake of getting along with the culture; and so much more.

Often, I hear Christians loudly condemning what they consider to be heavy-handed government intervention in our private lives as elected officials desperately search for answers to events like the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. And I agree. I don’t want government intervention either. But the fact is, the worse the situation gets in our society, the heavier the hand of government will have to be in an effort to contain and control it. If we, the Church, want less government intervention, then there will have to be more spiritual intervention.

And that’s on us. That will have to come from us. We’re the ones who have been commanded by Jesus to be the salt and light that is so badly needed in our world.

More about this tomorrow.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

If the church is the answer, what is the problem?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be smart, be strategic”

Our Bible verse for today: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “If the church is the answer, what is the problem?”

I’m writing this morning with a heavy heart and deep sadness. My thoughts are on the tragic events surrounding the school shooting on Tuesday in Uvalde, Texas. An eighteen-year-old walked into Robb Elementary School, opened fire with a rifle and a handgun, and 19 children and 2 teachers are dead. The shooting occurred only eighty miles from my son’s home. One of those children could have been my grandson – or yours.

According to one news channel, this is the twenty-seventh school shooting in the USA so far in 2022. That’s not counting all the other shootings in other settings, and it doesn’t even begin to account for the incalculable other acts of violence which occur every day in our nation from domestic violence, to rapes, to muggings, and so much more. Our society is broken and bleeding. We have a deep systemic problem.

Now, in the wake of this latest shooting, politicians across the political spectrum are saying the usual things, demanding this piece of legislation or that one, which they insist will fix the problem. And news media outlets are trotting out all the regular experts to talk about violence in the streets, the need for more gun laws, ways to increase security in schools, and on and on. But as helpful as some of those things might be, are any of them really the answer? For that matter, are guns or knives or fists or sex drives really the problem? Or, perhaps, is it deeper than that? Maybe those are just the symptoms and manifestations of something deeper and even more sinister.

Maybe sin is the problem, and maybe Jesus is the answer. And if that’s true, then more legislation, and double steel doors, and teachers with sidearms aren’t really what we need. And if those things are not what we really need, then elected officials and law enforcement officers and political activists don’t really have the answers.

In Matthew 6:13-16 Jesus said that we, His followers, the church, we are the answer. We are what our culture needs. The followers of Jesus Christ, armed with the truth of the Gospel and the love of God, we are the ones who are supposed to be the salt that helps to protect against decay in society. We are the ones who are supposed to be shining the light of the Gospel into the dark corners of the world.

Maybe if we, the Christians, were more actively on mission with Jesus in our communities; maybe if our churches were actually being smart and strategic and intentional about making a real difference in our little corners of the world; maybe then we’d be burying fewer of our children. If the church is the answer – okay, but then what is the problem? Why does evil seem to have such free reign in our society? If there are hundreds of thousands of churches scattered throughout every community across this nation, with tens of millions of professing Christians, why is evil still so pervasive?

We’ll think more about this tomorrow.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Just be who you are with what you have

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be smart, be strategic”

Our Bible verse for today: “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Just be who you are with what you have”

I know a man who is a cowboy at heart. He loves cowboy culture and he enjoys dressing up in cowboy gear – with a big hat, leather chaps, and a real six-shooter. He posts lots of pictures on Facebook of him and his family posing in cowboy-type scenes, and he attends a cowboy church outside of Nashville. It’s a good church, a solid conservative evangelical church, but it’s designed for people who love the cowboy culture.

Before we move on from thinking about the strategically small church, I want to emphasize again that the reason God has created so many different kinds of churches is because there are so many different kinds of people, and there’s a church that’s right for everyone. That also means however, that not every church is right for every person. Not all churches are the same, nor should they be. No church can be all things to all people.

1 Corinthians 12:4-7 is another of the many passages in the New Testament which teaches about spiritual gifts. First and foremost, it’s about how God equips individual Christians with particular gifts, abilities, and talents, so they can then use them in acts of service. The point is that not all people are the same, and therefore not all people are gifted in the same way. There are a wide variety of gifts, talents, and abilities, and all of them are important and needed in their own way.

The same is true for churches. God doesn’t equip all churches in the same way, and therefore not all churches are intended by Him to do the same things. There are basic aspects of church life that are common to all churches but beyond that, God equips individual churches to serve in their unique settings, and in their unique ways.

So, the key for each church is to prayerfully consider how God has made-up your church family. Who has He brought to you? What are their gifts and abilities? That’s a clue about what kind of church you’re supposed to be. If your church has a lot of millennial soccer moms, there’s a good chance you’re not supposed to try to be a cowboy church.

Oak Hill Baptist is an Acts 1:8 church. God has filled us with a lot of people who have a passion for mission work and compassion ministry. So, missions and compassion ministry are the heartbeat of our church life. We also have all the basics of church life as well, including age-appropriate small groups, Vacation Bible School, church picnics, etc., but we’re specifically and especially equipped by God for mission work.

No church can be all things to all people. So be smart, be strategic. Consider carefully how God has formed your unique fellowship, and then build on your strengths. Just be who you are with what you have.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Just be faithful with what you have

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be smart, be strategic”

Our Bible verse for today: “The man with two talents approached. He said, “Master, you gave me two talents. See, I’ve earned two more talents.” His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.” Matthew 25:22-23 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Just be faithful with what you have.”

Years ago, I was a student at the Billy Graham School of Evangelism, which was sponsored by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). It was a one-week course for pastors designed to provide training and resources to assist them in the evangelistic efforts in their churches. It was a long time ago and so my memory is a little fuzzy, but one of the workshops was called something like “Evangelism in the small church”. It was taught by an old pastor by the name of Harold (I don’t remember his last name).

Harold had been the pastor of the same rural church someplace in the mid or northwestern US (Montana? Idaho?), for almost fifty years. In all those years the church had never grown bigger than 50 or 60 members. During those years he had baptized perhaps 1-3 new Christians a year, buried many others, dedicated babies, performed weddings, and simply cared for and discipled his flock.

Harold said he was surprised and pleased when he was asked by the BGEA to teach this workshop about evangelism in a small church context, but he was also confused. After all, almost all conference speakers and teachers at events like this are bigshot pastors from big churches, usually there to tell you about the latest book they’ve written or the new program they’ve developed. Seldom is a small church pastor asked to speak about how he grew his church from 25 to 50 in only forty years.

But the BGEA is different. They know that the overwhelming majority of churches are small, and therefore the overwhelming majority of salvations in the body of Christ occur in small churches not large ones, as does most discipleship. Therefore, since the body of Christ is comprised mostly of small churches not big ones, it’s essential that small churches (and small church pastors) remain faithful in their small church ministry. Small churches are the backbone of the kingdom. This is where most of the work is done week-in and week-out – and it adds up! There are hundreds of thousands of small churches scattered across this land. If each of them is baptizing, discipling, and caring for small groups of 100 or less, that adds up to many millions of Christians across America being nurtured in the faith through small church ministry.

The servant depicted in the scene in Matthew 25:22-23 had only been given a little to work with. But he was faithful with it and the Lord was pleased. The same is true for you and your small church. Whether you’re the pastor of a small church or a member of one, be smart, be strategic, keep at it, and just be faithful with what you have.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Deep is better than wide

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be smart, be strategic

Our Bible verse for today: “I never stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.” Ephesians 1:16 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Deep is better than wide”

I have a small framed picture on my desk at church that was given to me many years ago by some friends at Oak Hill Baptist Church. It’s a picture of a small white clapboard church in a country setting. We’re viewing the church from the outside, from the front. It’s nighttime and lights are glowing through the stained-glass windows. There’s a single horse tied to a hitching post out front.

The first time I saw that picture it grabbed my heart because I realized that as a pastor, I had what that picture represented (and I was glad I did). It spoke of a small congregation of faithful believers living quiet lives and enjoying a simple church life. Something about it said, “small but happy”, “small but very good”, “small but deep and nurturing”.

In the early years of being a pastor I was caught-up in the numbers game of how success as a church was measured – “bigger is better, small is broken”. Fortunately, in the book “The Strategically Small Church”, I learned a lesson that changed everything for me. It was that being the pastor of a small church can be a very satisfying and rewarding experience when viewed from the proper perspective.

Oak Hill Baptist is the smallest of the three churches I’ve been the pastor of over the last twenty-five years. It is half the size of one and 70% smaller than the other. Yet, for many reasons, I find it to be a more rewarding and enjoyable experience than either of the others. One of the reasons that’s so is precisely because of the size. I’ve discovered that the more members you have the less time you can spend with them individually, and the less well you can know them. In terms of the quality of the relationships a pastor can develop with congregants, you can either go deep or wide, but you can seldom do both. You can touch a lot of people a little, or you can go deep in the relationships, but with a fewer number of people.

I choose deep over wide. It’s better. I remind myself frequently that I’m the “pastor” of Oak Hill Baptist Church, not the “evangelist” of Oak Hill Baptist Church. Although evangelism is part of what I do, my primary role as a pastor is to care for the people God has already given me. The deeper I can go with them the better I can care for them.

I believe deep is better than wide, and that pertains to all members of a small church, not just the pastor. You can only be truly close to a limited number of people and the larger the church, the fewer members you will know well, or at all. But in a small church you can know everybody. That’s just one of the many strengths of small church life. In the days to come we will consider some of the others.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

The strategically small church

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be smart, be strategic”

Our Bible verse for today: “The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets in their house.” 1 Corinthians 16:19 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “The strategically small church”

First thing this morning, I need to correct something I wrote yesterday. Yesterday I wrote that over 90% of all churches consist of less than 100 members and attenders. I wrote that statement from memory (which is often faulty) without checking my facts. In my research for today’s devotional, I came across the correct numbers and so I want to give them to you. Approximately 94% of all churches have less than 500 in attendance on an average Sunday, and almost 70% have fewer than 100. Those are the correct numbers, but the point still holds that the vast majority of churches are small not large. That has always been the case, from the earliest days of Christianity and for the two thousand years since then.

There’s a mistaken notion that because thousands came to faith in Christ in response to Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost, and since Acts chapter two tells us that the Lord added to their numbers daily, the early church in Jerusalem must have been the first “megachurch”. But that would be an inaccurate understanding. The large gatherings we read about on the day of Pentecost, and events like when Jesus fed the 5000, those were more like Billy Graham crusades. They were special events involving large crowds. Most of the regular gatherings of Christians were small affairs that met in homes. Almost all Christian churches in those days were house churches, which is what Paul was referring to in 1 Corinthians 16:19.

However, despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of churches are and have been small, we still have this bad habit of measuring success by the size of the crowd. I once read a statement that described perfectly what almost every pastor of a small congregation (including me) feels when someone asks about the size of our congregation. This pastor wrote, “I love our congregation and what God is doing through it. So why is it I feel insecure every time someone asks me how many people attend our church?”

That statement came from the most helpful “pastor book” I’ve ever read. It is “The Strategically Small Church: Intimate, nimble, authentic, effective” by Brandon O’Brien. In it, O’Brien makes the case that “small church” is the Lord’s preferred model for church life, and that the small church is actually strategically built to be the most effective kind of church. He then proceeds in the book to help pastors and church leaders understand how to identify and build on the inherent strengths of their smallness.

In the days to come we will think about some of the most helpful points from that book. I hope doing so will help pastors and members of small churches to see their small church in a new way. The fact is that we can be smart and strategic about being small.

God bless,
Pastor Jim