Oak Hill Baptist Church

Astrophysicists for Jesus!

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Living by faith”

Our Bible verse for today: “… since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse.” Romans 1:19-20 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Astrophysicists for Jesus!”

Over the last two days we have learned that God created us with an intuitive understanding that He does exist, there is a spiritual world, and this life is not all there is. We have also learned that our soul is who we really are, and it is our soul that makes us aware of God. That right there is enough to create within each person a yearning for God and to lead a person to faith in Him.

In today’s Bible passage we learn from the Apostle Paul that in addition to creating us with that inborn desire to know Him, God has also made Himself known through His creation. We see evidence of God everywhere. The evidence of God in creation is so overwhelming that Paul declares all people to be without excuse for not believing. If you would like to learn more about how God reveals Himself through His creation, I recommend Lee Strobel’s book, “The Case for a Creator”.

The evidence for God seen in the wonders of His creation is strong. Sarah Salviander discovered that to be true. As a teenager and young adult Sarah was fascinated by science, and especially astrophysics, which she went to college to study. She was quickly surprised to discover that some of the best physics professors at her college were also Christians. When she questioned them about what she believed to be the conflict between science and faith in God, her professors helped her to see that the amazing complexity and order, the sheer beauty of the universe, had to be the result of a Supreme Being, a Creator.

In time, Sarah discovered that many scientists in all fields, but especially those who study deep space, do in fact acknowledge the strong case for a Creator. Ultimately Sarah earned her doctorate in astrophysics, and she also came to faith not just in a Creator, but in the One True God and in His Son Jesus Christ.

Not surprisingly, Sarah’s favorite Psalm is Psalm 19, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.” Psalm 19:1-2 (NIV)

The creation itself is proof enough for any person to know there is a God.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

You are a soul who has a body

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Living by faith”

Our Bible verse for today: “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8 (NKJV)

Our thought for today: “You are a soul who has a body”

This morning I want to continue our thinking from yesterday regarding the important truth that God has created human beings with a sense of eternity in our hearts. Deep down we just know that there is a spiritual world and that there is more than just this lifetime. It’s because God created us with a sense of eternity in our hearts, and it’s actually the presence of your soul that makes you aware of it.

In his book “The Case for Heaven” Lee Strobel explores the question of what a soul is and what it does. He writes, “The soul is considered to be the seat of our consciousness, the locus of our introspection, volition, emotions, desires, memories, perceptions, and beliefs. It’s the ego – the “I” or the self. The soul is said to animate and interact with our body, though it is distinct from it. ‘When we speak of the soul, we speak of our essential core,’ said philosopher Paul Copan.” Lee goes on, “The soul is that which makes us more than matter, more than advanced primates, more than simply brains. The soul is the impenetrable core of a person, given by God.”

It was the great Bible scholar J.P. Moreland who once said, “I am a soul, and I have a body”. In other words, our soul inhabits this body of flesh and bones but the real you is that magnificent spirit that will live for eternity. For now, your soul lives in this body of flesh and bones; someday, it will live in a resurrection body; but the real you is your soul.

This is what Paul was referring to in 2 Corinthians 5:8 (above). To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. The moment this body of flesh and bones ceases to function, the soul is released from it and the real you goes off into eternity.

As we learned yesterday, we know this to be true. We sense it deep down in our hearts because that’s how God created us. So, again today I want to encourage you to trust what you sense to be true about you. You are a soul who has a body, and it is your soul that causes you to yearn for God and to choose to have faith in Him.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Trust what you sense to be true

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Living by faith”

Our Bible verse for today: “He has also set eternity in the hearts of man.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Trust what you sense to be true”

Anthropology is the scientific study of human beings down through the ages of history. Anthropologists research and analyze cultures and societies, past and present, to understand human behavior down through the ages and across geographical, language, and cultural boundaries. And one thing anthropologists have discovered to be true regarding humans in general, is a belief in a spirit world and in life after death. That tends to be true in almost all cultures down through history.

But why? Where does that belief come from? How could it be that regardless of the period of human history being considered, and seemingly despite geographic, language, and cultural issues, the overwhelming majority of humans have believed in a god or gods, a spirit world, and life after death?

The answer is that God has created humans with a sense of eternity in our hearts. That’s what Solomon meant when he wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:11, “He has set eternity in the hearts of man.” God created humans with an innate and intuitive understanding that there is more than just the physical dimension we experience with our five senses, and there is more than just this lifetime.

That’s where faith in God comes from. Even if a person doesn’t know Him as the One True God; and even if they haven’t accepted His Son Jesus as personal Savior and Lord; human beings still have a sense deep down in their heart that there is a God, they do want to know Him, and they do want to please Him because they want to go to heaven.

Faith is born in the heart and is the result of a deep longing for God. God created us to want a relationship with Him. It’s part of our DNA. This is what the early theologian Saint Augustine meant when he wrote, “You have created us for yourself, oh God, and our hearts are searching, restless, until we find our rest in you.” It’s what the French philosopher Blaise Pascal was getting at when he wrote, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of man that can only be filled by God.”

Deep down in your heart you know there is a God and you yearn to have a close relationship with Him. I encourage you to trust what you sense to be true.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Further up and further in!

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Living by faith”

Our Bible verse for today: “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Further up and further in!”

Before we go any further exploring our adventure in faith, I want to whet your appetite for our study this month by telling a story and sharing a quote.

In their wonderful little devotional book “Finding God in the Land of Narnia”, Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware relate the scene at the end of the last volume in the Narnia series, “The Last Battle”. In this scene Lucy, Edmund, Peter, Eustace, and Jill are finally arriving in the real Narnia (Heaven). The wars are over; Aslan reigns supreme; the children and their troop of odd and unusual Narnian friends (fawns, fairies, unicorns, dwarfs, eagles, etc.), are on the outskirts of paradise; and Aslan is waiting.

As they’re running into Narnia, going deeper and deeper into it, experiencing one wonder after another, Farsight the Eagle is flying above and in front of them urging them on, leading them in, and calling out encouragement, “Further up and further in!”

In my mind that joyful scene depicts the journey of faith we are all on. As we mature in Christ and journey deeper and deeper into the person of God, we experience new things and we come to new understandings about God and His ways as mysteries are revealed and our spiritual eyes are opened.

One of my favorite quotes about the adventure of living by faith comes from author Jim Peterson in his book “Lifestyle Discipleship”. He writes, “One of the greatest gifts God has given us is the infinite opportunity for spiritual growth. But however much we have matured, there is always more beyond. It is in this that we find the adventure of living. There will always be new, unexplored dimensions of His person beckoning to us. The possibilities go off the chart.”

Living by faith is an adventure that leads to ever-increasing spiritual growth as we learn and grow and experience God in deeper and more revealing ways. So, let’s get to it. We have an entire month in front of us of learning to live by faith. “Further up and further in!”

God bless,
Pastor Jim

What is faith?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Living by faith”

Our Bible verse for today: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “What is faith?”

What does it mean to have faith in anyone or in anything? The dictionary says that faith is “the complete trust or confidence in someone or something.” Synonyms for faith are belief, confidence, conviction, certainty, assuredness, and dependency.

The dictionary further says that when that definition is applied to God it means, “a strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.” That last phrase is a crucial part of our understanding of what faith is and how it develops, “…based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.” “Spiritual apprehension” means that faith grows as we mature spiritually and as we gain a better understanding of spiritual things. As our understanding of God and His ways increases; as our personal relationship with Him deepens; and as we experience Him at work in our lives in more and more ways; our confidence in Him, our conviction and certainty about Him, and our dependance on Him continues to grow.

In Hebrews 11:1 the Bible tells us that faith is being sure and certain of things we cannot actually experience with our physical senses. We can’t see, hear, touch, taste or smell such things, and yet we are certain of them. How can that be? How does it happen? Where does such belief come from and how do we get more of it? Does it even make sense to believe in things our senses can’t detect and for which we don’t have direct physical proof?

The answer, of course, is “yes”. The case for faith in God is very strong, and the case for living by faith is strong as well. Living by faith is the only lifestyle that makes good sense. So, all this month we will consider what it means to live by faith. We will think about what faith is, how we get more of it, and how we incorporate faith into our lives in practical ways that make a real difference.

The life of faith is an exciting adventure and I’m looking forward to exploring it with you.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Eat your ice cream

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Enjoy the journey by redeeming the time”

Our Bible verse for today: “Remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy …” Exodus 20:8 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Eat your ice cream”

So, we will finish our month of thinking about enjoying the journey, redeeming the time, living in the moment, and observing Sabbath worship and Sabbath rest, on a Sabbath day (Sunday July 31^st). Call it divine timing, or poetic justice, or whatever, but I think it’s perfect.

As we learned yesterday, God designed Sabbath worship and Sabbath rest into the DNA of creation. The six-to-one ratio is part of the God-ordained rhythm of the universe and when we are in synch with the rhythm of God’s universe, by observing a Sabbath day and by incorporating and maintaining a Sabbath mindset into the rest of life, we are then best positioned to truly enjoy our journey through life.

But isn’t it interesting – even odd – that God would have to command us to make Sabbath a regular part of our lives? It’s the only spiritual discipline that made it into the Ten Commandments. Reading your Bible did not. Nor did fasting, praying, or giving. All of those things are addressed in other places in the Bible, but they’re not one of the Ten Commandments. Only observing the Sabbath made that list. God has commanded us to do it.

But why was that necessary? If a Sabbath day and a Sabbath mindset are so good for us, and if they go such a long way towards enhancing the overall quality of our lives, why do we have to be commanded to do it? As John Mark Comer quipped, “It’s like commanding us to eat ice cream!” We should want it. We should be eager for it.

But we humans are stubborn and rebellious. We often reject and push back against the very things that are best for us, and the reason we do is simply because God or someone else has told us to do the thing. I imagine if God had commanded us to NOT observe the Sabbath, we would have to sell tickets to get into the churches and there would be waiting lines out into the parking lots!

Sabbath worship and Sabbath rest are good for you. Sabbath is part of the God-ordained rhythm of creation. Observing Sabbath is like eating ice cream – you should enjoy it and you should be eager for it. So, I encourage you to eat your ice cream. Redeem the time and enjoy the journey by making a Sabbath day and a Sabbath mindset the rhythm of your life.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Keep the rhythm

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Enjoy the journey by redeeming the time”

Our Bible verse for today: “On the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.” Genesis 2:2 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Keep the rhythm”

I think it’s perfect that our month of thinking about redeeming time, living in the moment, sabbath-worship, and sabbath-rest, is ending on a weekend (just in time to observe the Sabbath). What will you do this weekend? Will at least one of the days be spent in rest and worship?

In Genesis 2:2, in the creation story, we discover that after God had spent six days working and creating, He spent an entire day resting. Why? Was He tired? I think not. God doesn’t get tired. So, why did He rest? And why did He make it a point of not only recording in the Bible the fact that He did rest, but He then made it one of the Ten Commandments for us to do so as well?

The answer is that He did it as an example for us. If God can take time off then so can you. This is so important that when God made it part of the creation story and one of the Ten Commandments, He built worship and rest into the rhythm of life. John Mark Comer writes that God built Sabbath into the DNA of creation, “… he built a rhythm into the DNA of creation. A tempo, a syncopated beat. God worked for six, rested for one. When we fight this work-six-days, Sabbath-one-day rhythm, we go against the grain of the universe. And to quote the philosopher H.H. Farmer, “If you go against the grain of the universe, you get splinters.”

In other words, if Sabbath is not part of the rhythm of our lives we are out-of-synch with the tempo of creation – and there’s no way that can be good. There’s no way it can result in a contented and happy life. Words and phrases like hectic, disorganized, frazzled, discontent, and overly busy are coming to my mind.

The practice of a Sabbath day is important because it helps us create a Sabbath mindset that then carries over into the rest of life. A day of Sabbath-worship and a day of Sabbath-rest can become an orientation for all of life – a life that is lived in synch with the rhythm of God’s creation.

I encourage you to keep the rhythm. Observe the Sabbath. Observe it as a day, and then incorporate it as a lifestyle.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Slow down, simplify, and center your life

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Enjoy the journey by redeeming the time”

Our Bible verse for today: “Make it your ambition to live a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Slow down, simplify, and center your life”

Have you seen the movie “Yesterday”? If you’re a lover of Beetles music (as I am) then you will probably enjoy it. It’s about a young man named Jack Malik who has an accident, bangs his head, and ends up in an alternate dimension of reality where the Beetles never existed but where he, Jack, has all the Beetles songs in his head and all the musical talent of the real Beetles. As a result, he ends up a rock superstar performing all of the Beetles’ music, but doing so as if it was his own. However, he soon discovered that it was a crazy life lived at an insane pace and he really didn’t like it very much.

In one scene late in the movie, Jack pays a visit to a man who is an older version of the real John Lennon. But this man, now a senior citizen, lives by himself in a remote home on the seashore, spending his days painting and thinking and in other artsy kinds of activities. It was evidently a simple and quiet life that was very different from what he would have had as the rock star he actually was in real life.

Sometimes readers of 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 mistakenly conclude that Paul was calling all of us to adopt some kind of simple, sleepy, even dull lifestyle. But is that necessarily what Paul meant? Are we all supposed to be living the life of a recluse by the sea; or as a farmer scratching out a living on a small piece of land; or as a carpenter in a small village; or as a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker? What about school teachers who work in the classroom all day and prepare lessons at home in the evening? How about law enforcement officers who spend their days in dynamic and even dangerous environments; or nurses working twelve-hour shifts in a busy hospital; or busy mothers; or corporate executives? How does Paul’s teaching apply in those situations?

John Mark Comer offers some insight in his great book, “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry”. He writes that whatever our role in our current season of life may be, our objective should be to simplify and center life around the things that truly matter. The fact is that most of us are too busy. Most of our lives are too crowded with things that aren’t really very important and which therefore don’t deserve much of our time or attention.

The point is that regardless of your current life situation, decisions have to be made regarding which people and which activities matter the most to you, and are therefore deserving of your time and attention – and which aren’t. Then we center our lives around the people and activities that truly are the most important.

I think another way for Paul to have expressed his point would be “Slow down, simplify, and center your life around the people and activities that truly matter.” That sounds like good advice for all of us.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

How you use your time shapes your life

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Enjoy the journey by redeeming the time”

Our Bible verse for today: “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “How you use your time shapes your life”

As we begin to draw our month of thinking about redeeming the time to a close, let me ask you to consider, “What kind of a person are you in the process of becoming?”

We’re all in the process of becoming someone different from who we have been. Living things do not remain static. Even if you do nothing, time will change you. The days will pass, your body will get older, your patterns of thinking will become more established, the effects of your habits will accumulate and compound. Let me say it again, even if you do nothing, time will change you – either for good or for bad.

Therefore, it’s imperative that we be proactive and incorporate practices and patterns of living that will have a net positive effect on us, and which will help us to continue changing for the better. The best and most important use of our time is the time we spend with God. Redeeming the time and living in the moment by focusing on God draws us closer to God. You can be as close to God as you want to be, but it will depend on how much time you choose to spend with Him and how much you remain focused on Him. Throughout this month we’ve discussed various ways to accomplish this.

This morning I want to leave you with a question posed by Mark Buchanan in his great book “The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath”. Mark challenges us to ask ourselves, “Does the path I’m walking lead to a place I want to go? If I keep heading this way, will I like where I arrive?” That brings me back to my opening question, “What kind of person are you in the process of becoming?” If you continue doing what you’re doing, will you like the person you end up being?

We can be intentional about redeeming the time God has granted to us and use it in life-giving ways that are spiritually nurturing. I encourage you to make good use of your time. By doing so you are shaping your life.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Redeem the time by guarding your heart

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Enjoy the journey by redeeming the time”

Our Bible verse for today: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Redeem the time by guarding your heart”

In Proverbs 4:23 Solomon issued an important word of caution regarding the critical role the heart plays in the quality and character of our lives. By heart he means mind (the place where thoughts and emotions originate) and he says that the heart is the wellspring of life, meaning that the rest of life flows from the heart. Therefore, we have to guard the heart by controlling what is allowed into it. And, if the heart has been polluted, then steps need to be taken to cleanse it.

Jesus spoke to this important truth on multiple occasions. In Luke 6:45 He told us, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”

“Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” In other words, sooner or later whatever is in your heart will rise to the surface and show itself in words and deeds. You may effectively control your words and actions for a while, despite what is really in your heart, but sooner or later the good or bad that is in your heart will show itself in words and deeds. So, you had better pay attention to what’s in your heart. Guard it.

As Curtis and Eldredge explain in their book “The Sacred Romance”, “Our heart is the key to the Christian life.” And, “Sadly, most of us watch the oil level in our car more carefully than we watch over the life of our heart.”

It’s true – most of us pay more attention to the external things of life than we do to the internal things of the heart. But God is much more concerned about our inner life than our outer life because it’s the inner life that drives the outer life. That’s exactly what Solomon and Jesus were trying to get us to understand.

Our objective, moment-by-moment, should be to focus less on the externals of life and more on the internals of the heart. It is possible to reclaim a healthy heart-life. But you need to put your focus where the focus needs to be, and that’s on your relationship with God.

God bless,
Pastor Jim