Oak Hill Baptist Church

Stay focused on the goal and keep moving forward

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Steadfast and immovable”

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: “Stay focused on the goal and keep moving forward”

Last Saturday our Youth Department sponsored a 5K run/walk at the Cumberland Mountain State Park (a big “thank you” to Shawn and Amanda, Josh and Shelby for your excellent leadership in planning and supervising it. You did a great job!) It was a fun event complete with business and family sponsors, tee shirts for all the participants, water stations, music, and hot dogs on the grill at the end. There was also a park ranger with a gun. (I wasn’t sure if the gun was because of the possibility of bears or if he had heard that Southern Baptists can sometimes be stubborn and difficult. Either way, I felt safe).

The course was over a moderately difficult unpaved hiking trail with inclines and declines, small streams to cross, and other obstacles to navigate. It wasn’t particularly difficult but then again, I’m not twenty-five anymore. Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I used to be a jogger. I was never fast but I could jog a long time and cover a lot of distance. I once completed a half-marathon (13.1 miles). But that was then and this is now. I walked this course (meandered), and a six-year-old finished thirty minutes ahead of me (true story).

The key for me, whether I was jogging a half- marathon or meandering through at 5K while being beaten by a six-year-old, has always been to do what Paul wrote about in Philippians 3:13-14 (above), stay focused on the goal and just keep moving forward. My thoughts were on the finish line and I just kept putting one foot in front of the other until I got there.

That’s a good strategy for a run/walk event, and it’s also a good strategy for life. Stay focused, keep putting one foot in front of the other, and don’t stop. It has been rightly said that “many people leave the dock five minutes before their ship would have come in.” I’ve shifted metaphors but I think you see the point. Most people stop way to soon when they should keep going. It’s the primary reason people fail instead of succeed – they stopped when they should have kept going.

If something is worth starting then it’s worth completing. I encourage you to stick with the things you start. Stay focused on the goal and just keep moving forward.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Steadfast and immovable does not mean rigid

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Steadfast and immovable”

Our Bible verse for today: “To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win Jews; to those under the law, like one under the law – though I myself am not under the law – to win those without law. To those who are without the law, like one without the law – though I am not without God’s law but under the law of Christ – to win those without the law. To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every means possible save some.” 1 Corinthians 9:20-22 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Steadfast and immovable does not mean rigid”

There’s an age-old fable told, about a mighty oak tree and a willow tree standing in the same field. The willow tree envied the strength, power, and sheer majesty of the oak tree. One day a storm with great winds and torrential rains blew through the field. After the storm was over the willow tree saw that the mighty oak had fallen over. In confusion, she asked the farmer who owned the land what happened to the mighty oak. “How did the storm blow the oak tree over and yet I’m still standing?” asked the willow. The farmer explained that although the oak was mighty and solid, it was also rigid and inflexible. So, when the winds became too much for it to resist, it broke and toppled. The force of the wind and the pressure of the storm was just too much for the oak to withstand and so, it collapsed. By comparison, the willow was flexible and adaptable and was therefore able to bend with the wind and weather the storm.

Please note that the willow did not become uprooted – she held her ground and was immovable from the place she was planted, but she was flexible enough to bend as necessary and to do so without giving ground. Steadfast and immovable does not necessarily mean rigid and inflexible.

There’s a lesson in that for us. There is a lot to be said for the formidable strength of the oak, but there’s also great danger in being rigid. Often being flexible will be of much greater advantage – it allows us to bend while still holding our ground.

This is important. We Christians can often be rigid when we should be flexible. It is possible to be faithful to the Lord, true to our doctrine, and firm in our positions, while still being flexible enough to adjust ministry methods and practices as necessary according to the situations we find ourselves in. There’s a rule of thumb which applies to this. It reads, “The message never changes, but the methods must.”

That’s the lesson Paul modeled in his own life and ministry, as described in 1 Corinthians 9:20-22 (above). Paul was rock solid in his faith. He was a pillar of strength and courage and fortitude and he never budged an inch in his doctrine. But he was also flexible in the way he interacted with people and in the ways in which he conducted his ministry among them. Therefore, he was about to adjust to the cultural settings he found himself in.

Paul had the strength of the oak, but the flexibility of the willow. That’s a pretty good goal for us too. Being steadfast and immovable does not mean being rigid.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

No timid silence, please

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Steadfast and immovable”

Our Bible verse for today: “One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid, keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you …” Acts 18:9-10 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “No timid silence, please”

If you’ve been following the events in eastern Europe then you may be aware that after decades of being officially “neutral”, both Finland and Sweden are on the verge of applying for membership in NATO. Russia has become so aggressive, and poses such a serious threat to her neighbors, that both countries have concluded they can no longer safely afford to remain neutral. They have to pick a side.

The Holocaust survivor, author, and Nobel prize winner, Elie Wiesel once wrote, “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

Wiesel was entirely correct. If a brutal aggressor like Russia cannot convince you to be their ally, they will settle for your neutrality. If they can get you to simply stand aside, inactive and silent, that will suffice for their purposes. Satan operates in exactly the same way. If he can’t get Christians to actively engage in his schemes with him, he will settle for our neutrality. If he can get us to stand aside, timidly silent and inactive, that will suffice.

We cannot allow that to be the case. As we learned yesterday, we need to be people actively engaged in the arena of life. We need to be steadfast and immovable in our resolve to oppose evil. We must be people who will speak up and take action when and where it is needed. What was true for Paul in Acts 18:9-10 (above) is also true for us. The Lord urges us to put aside our fear and doubts, to speak up and to act as necessary. He is with us just as He was with Paul.

In Proverbs 31:8-9 Solomon spoke to this as well: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

As Christians we don’t have the luxury of remaining neutral in the face of sin and injustice. Our neutrality aides the enemy. We have to pick a side and take a stand. As we do so we must be cautious that our words and actions are in accordance with Biblical principles, and that we don’t allow uncontrolled anger to lead us to become sinful in our own words and actions, but we do need to pick a side and take a stand. No timid silence, please.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Be a person in the arena

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Steadfast and immovable”

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, since we also have a such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Be the person in the arena”

On April 23, 1910 President Teddy Roosevelt gave a speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris, France. The title of the speech was “Citizenship in a Republic”. It was a good and inspiring speech in its entirety, but one passage has become especially famous and often repeated. The passage is often referred as “The Man in the Arena”. Here it is:

“It is not the critic that counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but he who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great devotion; who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails while daring greatly, knows that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls, who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Teddy was writing about someone who willingly enters into situations which require courage, skill, or tenacity, and then continues to strive and to push forward despite the obstacles – as opposed to someone who sits on the sidelines of life watching and critiquing the efforts of those who are actually attempting and doing things (often hard things).

For years I’ve had a framed copy of that quote in my office and I look at it frequently. I find it inspiring and encouraging, especially when times are hard and progress seems slow or non-existent. Teddy’s words also remind me of the words of the writer of the letter to the Hebrews in 12:1-2 (above). God calls us to run the race of life (a marathon); keeping our eyes on Jesus; continually pressing on and moving forward.

I encourage you to be a person in the arena of life. Don’t sit on the sidelines watching as others accomplish meaningful things for the cause of Christ. Be a part of it. And when times get tough and progress is hard, lean into it, push forward, keep moving, be steadfast and immovable in your resolve to be a doer of deeds rather than just an observer of them.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

He is risen!

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Steadfast and immovable”

Our Bible verse for today: “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and grace was upon them all.” Acts 4:33 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “He is risen!”

One of the most remarkable aspects of the early Christian church is not just that it somehow managed to survive, against all odds in a world that was strongly opposed to the teachings of Christ, but that it thrived. Yes, the church didn’t just survive, it thrived. It spread like wildfire across the known world and it has continued to do so for almost two thousand years.

They were in a Jewish culture that believed Christianity was a gross and offensive perversion of Judaism. They were also in a brutal Roman world that was harsh and cruel – a society that accepted and worshiped dozens of gods from multiple cultures and which therefore had little tolerance for a faith that claimed there is only one true God. Into that setting the apostles preached Jesus with power and effectiveness. So much so, that neither the Jewish nor the Roman authorities could stop it, despite their best efforts to do so.

The reason, as Luke says in Luke 4:33 (above) was the resurrection. Those early believers had personal encounters with the resurrected Christ and that provided them with the courage, boldness, and determination to preach the Good News at all costs and in the face of any persecution. They were steadfast and immovable in their resolve to tell others about Jesus.

Us too. We want everyone to hear about the resurrected Christ. We want others to have their sins forgiven and to receive the promise of eternal life too.

We also read that “great grace was upon them all.” They were together; they were celebrating the resurrection of Jesus; and the grace of God was heavy upon them all. Again, that’s true for us too. That’s what corporate worship is all about. It’s about giving glory to God in the name of the resurrected Christ, and it’s about His people experiencing an overwhelming sense of His grace.

This Sunday – Easter Sunday – we at Oak Hill Baptist will gather together to worship and celebrate the resurrected Jesus. We will have a brunch and Easter egg hunt beginning at 9:00, and our resurrection celebration will begin at 10:00. Please join us in-person if you can. If you can’t, then I encourage you to watch the livestream of the service on our Facebook page. And also, please be sure to invite your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.

It’s really true. He is risen! It’s the greatest news the world has ever known and we want everyone to hear about it.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

We need to be together

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Steadfast and immovable”

Our Bible verse for today: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.” Acts 2:42 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “We need to be together”

I love the picture of the early church which Luke paints in Acts 2:42, they were together every chance they had because they knew they needed to be. They lived in a tough world. Life was hard for many reasons and church was their refuge from the storm, it was their safe harbor and their place of renewal. Their times together were spiritually rich, nurturing, and refreshing, and they needed it.

The same is true for Christians today. It’s a tough world out there and we need our times together. That’s why in Hebrews 10:24-25 the writer tells us that we are not to neglect our times of gathering together. Although that’s true all the time, it’s especially true when Christians are living in the midst of unholy chaos, like our society has become. In such times it’s even more important for us to come together on a regular basis – weekly at least, and other times throughout the week if possible.

When we’re together we strengthen each other, we encourage one another, and we minister to each other. This is why in Proverbs 27:17 Solomon tells us that “Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another.” And it’s why, in Psalm 122:1 King David declared, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” David looked forward to his time with other believers with eagerness and anticipation – and so should we.

But since all of this is true, it’s also true that one of Satan’s most effective tactics is to isolate believers from each other. We’re stronger together and weaker alone, and therefore, Satan will always work to keep us from gathering with other Christians. He will help us come up with a dozen reasons to skip church, and every one of them will seem convincing and logical to us (in our human reasoning). I encourage you to not allow him to do that to you. You are weaker when you are alone and you are stronger when you are with other Christians. There’s strength in numbers.

This Sunday is Easter. Typically, this is the high attendance day of the year for most churches. That being true, it’s also the best opportunity we have each year to draw people to the church. At Oak Hill Baptist we will have an Easter morning brunch beginning at 9:00, along with an Easter egg hunt for the children. Our resurrection celebration service will begin at 10:00. We will also be livestreaming on our Facebook page.

We invite you to join us! And please be sure to invite your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers to join us too. There is strength in numbers and we need to be together.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

A long obedience in the same direction

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Steadfast and immovable”

Our Bible verse for today: “As long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils, my lips will not say anything wicked, and my tongue will not utter lies.” Job 27:3-4 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “A long obedience in the same direction”

One of my favorite Christian authors is Eugene Peterson. One of his best and most helpful books was, “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society”. As the name implies, the purpose of the book revolves around the truth that discipleship is a discipline that takes time. In fact, it takes a lifetime. A person must want to grow in Christ, and then that person must apply him or herself every day to the basic disciplines of prayer, Bible study, worship, service, and the other practices that the Holy Spirit uses to mold and shape us spiritually. It is “a long obedience in the same direction”. It takes determined effort, applied consistently, over a lifetime.

This morning I want to return us one more time to the example of Job from the Old Testament. He is a study in being steadfast and immovable – but not just during his time of suffering. Job was steadfast and immovable before and after the circumstances which are the focus of most of the book. Remember what the author said about him in 1:1, “This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.” And in 1:8 God Himself said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

Job had obviously been diligent and resolute in the practice of his faith long before he was ever faced with the major trial of his life and therefore, he was ready for it when it came upon him. The editors of the “Every Man’s Bible noted, “God’s presence is so penetrating in Job’s damaged life that he can still conclude that God lives and redeems his own.” They were referring to Job’s declaration in Job 19:25-26, “I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.”

If we live long enough, each of us will face major trauma and trials in life, probably multiple times. Are you ready for it? Will you be steadfast and immovable in the middle of it? As people observe how you handle it will the synonyms for steadfast and immovable come to their minds, “steady, intent, constant, dedicated, reliable, grounded, uncompromising, unyielding, tenacious, resolute, anchored, unflinching, unwavering, determined.”?

Now is the time to prepare for then. A long obedience in the same direction when times are good, helps us to be ready for when times are not so good. I encourage you to be prepared.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

The ministry of presence

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Steadfast and immovable”

Our Bible verse for today: “Now when Job’s three friends … heard about this adversity that had happened to him, each of them came from his home. They met together to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. They wept aloud, and each man tore his robe and threw dust into the air and on his head. Then they sat on the ground with him seven days and nights, but no one spoke a word to him because they saw that his suffering was very intense.” Job 2:11-13 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “The ministry of presence”

Yesterday we learned an important lesson from the example of Job regarding being steadfast and immovable in the midst of pain and suffering. Today I want to return to his story because there’s another important lesson for us to learn, this one from the example of his three friends.

Overall, Job’s friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, handled themselves pretty badly. For most of the story we find them being critical of Job and unkind and unsympathetic. In the end, God gives them a pretty good dressing down for it. But they actually started out well. As we read in 2:11-13 (above), initially they were very empathic. They grieved for Job and with Job; they entered into his suffering and they simply sat with him as he suffered and grieved. That’s what we call “the ministry of presence”. We bless and help someone simply by being with them – showing them our love and support as they go through a tough time.

The ministry of presence is a powerful thing. Just being there communicates how much you care. Sometimes it may involve words of sympathy and comfort, but often there’s really not much that can be said – or which should be said. Sometimes words get in the way (Job’s friends were at their best when they were silent. It was when they started talking that they became a problem).

The ministry of presence can also include doing helpful chores for the person. While they’re dealing with their grief maybe you can wash their car, or mow the lawn, or cook a meal, or do the dishes. Better yet, maybe you can do those things with them so they are engaged in an activity that helps to take their mind off of their grief for a while.

Through the ministry of presence we bless someone by letting them know “I’m here for you and I will continue to be here for you as long as you need me.” Let them know they can count on you no matter what. Be steadfast and immovable in your support for them.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

The language of pain and the language of faith

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Steadfast and immovable”

Our Bible verse for today: “I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.” Job 19:25-26 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “The language of pain and the language of faith”

The Old Testament story of Job is a great Biblical case study of being steadfast and immovable in the middle of personal suffering. Job was the richest and most respected man of his day. Job 1:3 says, “He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.” 1:1 tells us the reason he was so great and so blessed, “This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.” Job was such a strong, steadfast, and immovable man of God that God decided to use Job’s faith to make an important point and to teach a powerful lesson about remaining faithful even in the worst of times, and even when we don’t understand what’s happening or why it’s happening.

God allowed Satan to attack Job and to remove all of his blessings – including his wealth, his children, his status, and even his health. And it wasn’t because Job had done anything wrong. On the contrary, it was precisely because Job had done so much right that God knew He could count on Job to model courage, dignity, and strong faith in the middle of suffering and pain.

But that doesn’t mean that Job didn’t complain or that he didn’t give voice to his pain. He did. Read the story. Job’s pain, anguish, and heartache were real, and it would have been artificial and phony if he had pretended otherwise. So, Job spoke about his pain, and he gave voice to his frustrations. He was honest about what he was going through. That’s what we call “the language of pain”. And it wasn’t wrong for Job to do that. Talking is therapeutic and often we need to get it out, we need to give voice to our pain.

But he never allowed the reality of his pain and suffering to diminish his faith in the ultimate goodness and righteousness of God. And so, even as he suffered, he told of his faith. That’s what we call “the language of faith.” The language of pain and the language of faith can coexist. Both are real, and both can be expressed without one diminishing the other. I would go so far as to say it’s important for both to be expressed. If we don’t give voice to our pain, we’re not being honest about what we’re experiencing, and others will see that. And if we don’t give voice to our faith, others won’t know that we still trust God, even though life is hard at the moment.

That’s the lesson of Job. That’s why God allowed him to experience those things for a brief season of life. If you read the story, you’ll discover that Job himself learned some important lessons about himself and about God through his experiences. But also, the lesson of Job has been a powerful example for God’s people down through the ages. It teaches us how to handle our own times of suffering and pain, and how to continue to trust God through it.

The entire story of Job is one long dialogue – it’s all about talking about what we’re experiencing. From that story we learn that there is a language of pain, and there is a language of faith, and it’s okay to give voice to both.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Trust God in the middle of it all

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Steadfast and immovable”

Our Bible verse for today: “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Trust God in the middle of it all”

The last two devotional messages have been a little heavy, and maybe even dark. They were about the steadily declining levels of church attendance in America, along with the diminished influence of the church in American society.

But God is sovereign over everything that’s going on in our nation and in the world. In the middle of everything, He is still working miracles and bringing about blessings. Romans 8:28 assures us that good things are happening, even if we’re having trouble seeing them. (Let me be quick to point out that although the verse says all things work together “for” good, it does not say that all things “are” good, because obviously, many things are not good. What this does mean is that in the middle of all the bad things that are happening, God is at work bringing good things out of the bad.)

Is an increasing percentage of our population unreceptive to the Good News about Jesus? Yes. And yet, people continue to come to faith in Him every day (we had two teenagers in our church come to faith and present themselves for baptism just last week). Is overall church membership declining too? Yes. Any yet, people do continue to join churches (we’ve had new members recently). Do many professing Christians in our land seem to be sleepwalking through life spiritually? Yes. But many others are on fire for Jesus and actively on-mission with Him in communities all across the country.

The truth is that God is actively at work in the middle of all the tough stuff, and He is bringing good things out of it for those who love and honor Him. We just need to pay attention and look for the good in the middle of the bad. I’ve cited just a few examples. If you think about it, I’m sure you could come up with many more. And I encourage you to do that.

Spend some time this morning allowing the Holy Spirit to bring to your awareness some of the many ways God has recently brought something good out of a bad situation. Then give Him praise for it. One of the reasons we can be steadfast and immoveable in the midst of a broken, bleeding, hurting, and chaotic world is precisely because God is good and He is at work bringing good out of bad.

God bless,
Pastor Jim