Oak Hill Baptist Church

Never stop learning

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Great thoughts from great Christians”

Our Bible verse for today: “Instruct the wise, and he will be wiser still; teach the righteous, and he will learn more.” Proverbs 9:11 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Never stop learning”

Virtually everything we know we have learned from others. It’s true. There are very few original thoughts; very little that is discovered out of thin air. Everything we know we have learned from others. Even those things that we do figure out for ourselves come out of a foundation of knowledge that we have learned from others. And no matter how much we have learned, there’s always more to learn. Therefore, we should never stop learning. For all of life we should be active learners. This is what Solomon (the wisest man of his day) was urging us to do in Proverbs 9:11. The wise man or woman will be a lifelong learner.

As we’ve seen over the course of these last two months that we’ve been exploring the theme of “Great thoughts from great Christians”, there’s much we can learn about how to live the Christian life well from great men and women who have gone before us. That’s why I so appreciate the insightful lesson from Billy Graham’s brother-in-law Leighton Ford, “I surround myself with the thoughts of those who have thought much about God.”

I encourage all of us to make it a point to be intentional lifelong learners. Spend time with those who are older, wiser, and more spiritually mature than you are. Listen to them; observe their conduct; learn from their example. This is one of the primary benefits of being physically present for gatherings of the church body. When we gather with the church we can directly interact with and observe wise men and women who we can learn from. This is what the Apostle Paul was urging in Philippians 3:17 when he wrote, “Join in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and pay careful attention to those who live according to the example you have in us.”

We can also learn from great Christians with whom it isn’t possible to actually be with. We do so by reading good Christian books, magazine articles, and essays. We can listen to sermons online. Keeping a journal and recording the “great thoughts from great Christians” that you come across is very helpful. You can then go back and review those great thoughts from time-to-time.

As we come to the end of our second month with this theme, I could easily continue it for many more months to come. There’s so much good stuff out there! But, it’s time to move on. Beginning November 1^st, we will start a new theme. However, I encourage you to commit yourself to being a lifelong learner. In many ways and in different forms, be intentional about surrounding yourself with the thoughts of those who have thought much about God.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Read with your heart

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Great thoughts from great Christians”

Our Bible verse for today: “I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Read the Bible with your heart not just with your head.”

Poetry is widely misunderstood and underappreciated. Surveys indicate that fewer than 10% of Americans claim to like poetry, and only 7% say they have intentionally read a poem in the last year. However, it’s just not true. The truth is that they do read poetry and they do like it, even if they don’t realize they do. For instance, words in a song are a form of poetry. Song lyrics are essentially poetry set to music. So, if you like songs then you do like poetry. Also, roughly one-third of the Bible is given to us in some form of poem. Therefore, if you love the Bible, and if you read it, then there’s another form of poetry that you do like and which you do read.

One of the big problems people have with all forms of poetry is that we try to understand it with our head instead of with our heart. This is especially true when we read the Bible. We read it as narrative and expect it to make logical sense to our intellect so we can learn and memorize some lesson that will enable us to live better. But poetry isn’t intended to appeal to our intellect; it’s intended to appeal to our heart. It’s designed to involve us on an emotional level not on an intellectual level. Do most of the songs you love connect more with your head or with your heart? With your heart, right? You enter into the story of the song with your imagination, and then the story captures you at an emotional level, not on an intellectual one.

You listen to and appreciate a song with your heart more than with your head, and that’s the best way to read the Bible too. We are to enter into the story and using our imaginations, engage with it on an emotional level. Connect with it in your heart rather than in your head. Author Matthew Mullins calls it “reading with your gut”. In his book, “Enjoying the Bible: Literary Approaches to Enjoying Scripture” he writes, “When reading the Bible, we need the music with the message or it becomes just cold hard doctrine … Read with your gut.” He goes on, “We need to read with the heart of a poet and with an appreciation for the beauty.”

In Psalm 119:11 did the Psalmist say he treasured the Word of God in his head? No, he said he treasures it in his heart. In other words, more than just connecting with the Word on an intellectual level, he was engaging with in on an emotional level. He was reading with his gut, engaging with his emotions. That’s how we come to understand and appreciate any form of poetry – be it a children’s nursery rhyme, a traditional poem by Emily Dickinson, a song on the radio, or a passage from the Bible.

In your Bible reading today try reading with your heart and not just with your head.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Slow Down

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Great thoughts from great Christians”

Our Bible verse for today: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Slow down”

In his great little book “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry”, Pastor John Mark Comer tells the story of a missionary in Africa who was eager to go deep into the heart of the continent to reach lost souls for Christ. He arrived at the coastal port, hired a group of locals to carry his vast load of supplies for him, and he promptly set off for the deep jungle at a fast pace.

For two full days he pushed and pushed, relentlessly moving forward, urging the men carrying the supplies to move faster and to keep up. Finally, on the morning of the third day, as the missionary was rushing to break camp so they could continue their journey, the hired men refused to budge. They sat around the campfire and gave no appearance of making preparations to get moving. In frustration the missionary demanded to know why they weren’t packing up and moving out. After a moment one of the men informed him that they needed to slow down and wait for their souls to catch up with their bodies.

Hello! The story of my life. I need to slow down and let my soul catch up with my body. You probably do too. Way too many of us are way to busy. We pack our lives full, right up to the edge and then to overflowing. Then we rush from thing to thing, person to person, chore to chore, phone call to phone call. Not only does this wear us out physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, but it greatly reduces our effectiveness at everything. We’re stretched so thin that we’re not giving enough attention to any one person or to any one task. John Mark Comer wrote, “All of my worst moments come when I’m in a hurry.” Amen, brother. Mine too.

In Psalm 46:10 God calls us to slow down and be still. To spend some time remembering who God is, what He is like, and that He is sovereign over the affairs of life. “He” is sovereign over the affairs of life. “I” am not.

I love the thought of slowing down and letting my soul catch up with my body. As Comer wrote, “If you slow down your body you slow down your life.”

I encourage all of us to spend some extra time today just being still before God. Let your soul catch up with your body.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

It just makes sense

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Great thoughts from great Christians”

Our Bible verse for today: “In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.” Acts 1:1-2 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “It just makes sense”

Throughout history some of the most brilliant men and women of all time have considered the claims of Christ and have concluded it must be true that Jesus is the Son of God, he died upon the cross for our sins, he arose from the grave, and by means of faith in Him we too can have eternal life. A serious and open-minded study of the Bible consistently leads the best minds to faith in Christ.

The Gospel writer Luke was a physician, a learned man of medicine. He came to faith in Christ and then he wrote both the Gospel of Luke and the books of Acts. Luke wrote Acts to a man named Theophilus, whom Bible scholars believe to have been an important and influential public official. Again, a learned and intelligent man.

The Apostle Paul had a considerable intellect. At one point he hated Christ and he hated Christians. But once he was converted, he spent the rest of his life as a passionate advocate for the cause of Christ, leading many others to faith in Him and starting numerous churches. Often the greatest enemies of Christianity end up becoming the best preachers and evangelists.

There are too many examples of this to list them all here this morning but some of the prominent names you might recognize who were once atheists or agnostics, and who then went on to be champions for Christ would include Saint Augustine, John Newton, C.S. Lewis, Josh McDowell, and Lee Strobal. Another was Malcolm Muggeridge.

Muggeridge was a brilliant and somewhat eccentric British author, journalist, media personality, socialist, and agnostic. He scoffed at the Christian faith and thought it was silly. What eventually convinced him otherwise was the fact that so many great minds before him had considered the claims of Christ and concluded that the Bible had to be true. After his own conversion Muggeridge wrote:

“… the greatest artists, saints, philosophers, and scientists through the Christian centuries have assumed that the New Testament promise of eternal life is valid … To suppose that these distinguished believers were all credulous fools whose folly and credulity in holding such beliefs has now been finally exposed, would seem to be to be untenable; and anyway, I’d rather be wrong with Dante and Shakespeare and Milton, with Augustine of Hippo and Francis of Assisi, with Dr. Johnson, Blake and Dostoevsky, than right with Voltaire, Rousseau, Darwin, the Huxleys, Herbert Spencer, H.G. Wells and Bernard Shaw.”

Placing our faith in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins simply makes sense. One of the best and most helpful modern books on this subject is “The Case for Christ” by Lee Strobal. If a person has any doubts about the truth of the Gospel, this book will help to answer those doubts.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Let’s get some exercise

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Great thoughts from great Christians”

Our Bible verse for today: “For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made.” Psalm 139:13-14 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Let’s get some exercise”

A few days ago, I encouraged all of us to take a few moments to read Og Mandino’s “The God Memorandum”. The memo is a fascinating description about the amazing intricacies of the human body. The human body is a miraculously complex creation of God. It’s impossible that it could be anything less than that.

Recently I came across another insight about the human body which I found both fascinating and helpful. It was in a book written by Andrew Le Peau entitled, “Write Better: A lifelong Editor on Craft, Art, and Spirituality”. At one point Andrew was commenting on the fact that writing is an activity that requires the person to be in a sitting position for long hours – and that’s not healthy. He argued that to be our best as writers, we have to be disciplined about getting exercise. He made the case that there’s a direct connection between physical health and cognitive ability.

To that point, he used the example of the great chess master Boris Spasky. Spasky had a brilliant mind which he said he kept sharp and healthy by remaining physically fit. He was certain that his cognitive ability was directly tied to his physical health. So, he was an avid tennis player. He also swam, lifted weights, and engaged in various aerobic exercises, all to help him stay in shape. He firmly believed that to be his best at chess, his whole body needed to be fit.

To further make his case about the connection between physical fitness and cognitive ability, Le Peau went on to cite a study from the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology which concluded, “Not so many years ago, the brightest minds in neuroscience thought that our brains got a set amount of neurons, and that by adulthood, no new neurons would be birthed. But this turned out not to be true … only one activity is now known to trigger the birth of new neurons: vigorous aerobic exercise.”

Here’s the great thought I wanted to share with you this morning. It is Andrew Le Peau’s conclusion about the importance of exercise: “Writers, editors, programmers, students, and others who sit and use their brains in concentrated work … should take a tip from the grand master (Boris Spasky), if they want to stay at the top of their game: exercise!”

I encourage all of us to get plenty of exercise. Exercise helps us to stay as healthy as we can for as long as we can – physically and mentally. So, let’s get some exercise!

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Need motivates prayer

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Great thoughts from great Christians”

Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Need motivates prayers, and prayer enhances our relationship with God”

The omniscience of God is a theological truth which means that God knows everything. There is nothing God doesn’t know. That revelation really doesn’t surprise us because after all, He is God. But the truth of the omniscience of God does beg the question, “If God already knows everything, what’s the purpose of prayer?” Good question. Why should we bother praying if God already knows in advance what we’re going to pray for, and He already knows the answer to our prayers before we even ask. Doesn’t that make prayer an exercise in futility? Isn’t prayer just a waste of our time, and of God’s?

George MacDonald, the Scottish pastor, theologian, and Bible scholar from the mid to late 1800s had some thoughts about the real reason God calls us to pray. He wrote, “What if He knows prayer to be the thing we need first and most? What if the main object in God’s idea of prayer is the supplying of our great, our endless need – the need of Himself? Hunger may drive the runaway child home, and he may or may not be fed at once, but he needs his mother more than his dinner. Communion with God is the one need of the soul beyond all other need: prayer is the beginning of that communion, and some need is the motive of that prayer …”

This is insightful and helpful. It provides us with one answer to why we pray. Our unmet needs – whether they concern finances, family, illness, or anything else – those needs drive us to our knees in prayer because we know that God can address those needs for us. That then brings us into communion with God which, it turns out, is what our soul needs more than the answer to the prayer itself. Our soul needs communion with God more than our body needs food or health or finances. The unmet physical needs become the things that lead us into communion with God, which is what we really need more than anything else.

This is what Paul was teaching in Philippians 4:6-7 (above). Don’t fret and worry, don’t be unduly anxious about the rent money, the aching back, the rebellious child, or anything else. Bring all of those things and more to God in prayer, and then allow Him to minister to your soul. The prayer time will bring us peace. It might also result in an answer that helps to address the original need, but whether it does or not, it will have accomplished the greater and more important purpose of nourishing our soul through communion with our Lord.

The fact is that needs motivate prayers, and prayers enhance our relationship with God.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

It’s not about ability but availability

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Great thoughts from great Christians”

Our Bible verse for today: “Brothers and sisters, consider your calling: Not many were wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-27 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “It’s not about ability but availability”

As we continue to “Surround ourselves with the thoughts of those who have thought much about God”, we’ve been considering “great thoughts from great Christians”. This morning I want to return us to the thoughts and words of Dwight L. Moody. Yesterday I told you of how successful Moody was in the breadth and scope of his ministry efforts. He led many thousands to faith in Christ; he counseled with Presidents and world leaders; he started a Bible college; he was the founder and publisher of a magazine; he wrote books; and much more.

What I didn’t tell you is that D.L. Moody was a simple man with a humble background. He was raised as a poor farm boy. Despite his success in life and ministry, he never did become a smooth and articulate speaker. It was sometimes said of him that “He butchers the King’s English!” He was often thought by the sophisticated and cultured in society to be an uncouth country bumpkin. And yet, D.L. Moody is consistently rated by Christian historians as having been one of the great evangelists and leaders in the history of the Church. He is commonly mentioned along with figures like Jonathan Edwards, Charles Finny, and Billy Graham.

How could that be? We find the answer in Moody’s own words: “The world has yet to see what Almighty God can and will do with, for, through, in, and by a man wholly and fully yielded to Him and to His service.” In a similar vein, he also wrote, “The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him. By God’s help, I aim to be that man.”

Moody was well aware of his own shortcomings and limitations. But he also knew that God can do a lot with a little. God doesn’t need our ability. Instead, He’s looking for our availability. This is what the Apostle Paul was explaining in 1 Corinthians 1:26-27 (above). Most of the Corinthian Christians, like D.L. Moody, were simple people with no special training or ability. But God can and will do a lot with a little. All He needs is our willingness and obedience. He will then supply the rest. That was true of the Corinthians, it was true for D.L. Moody, and it will be true for us too. Just be available and obedient. God will supply whatever else is needed.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

He made it, but just barely!

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Great thoughts from great Christians”

Our Bible verse for today: “If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience loss, but he himself will be saved – but only as through fire.” 1 Corinthians 3:14-15 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “He made it, but just barely!”

By any measure, Dwight L. Moody was a great Christian, and he certainly had lots of great thoughts to share. He was the Billy Graham of his day. He preached to large crowds, led many thousands to faith in Christ during his lifetime, and commonly met with Presidents, Kings and Queens, corporate CEOs, and celebrities.

Moody was very successful at leading people to faith in Christ and encouraging them to then become committed disciples. But it especially bothered him if he witnessed someone settle for casual Christianity instead of becoming a passionate follower of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 the Apostle Paul was writing about the security of the believer and how it is that many true but unserious believers live lives that add up to little for the sake of the kingdom of God. In such cases they are still saved, but just barely. Here’s what D.L. Moody had to say about that:

“We see clearly from this that we may be saved, yet all our works are burned up. I may have a wretched, miserable voyage through life, with no victory, and no reward at the end; saved, yet so as by fire, or as Job put it, “with the skin of my teeth.” I believe that a great many men will barely get to heaven as Lot got out of Sodom, burned out, nothing left, works and everything else destroyed.”

I once heard another preacher say it like this, “That guy might make it into heaven, but his hair will be singed and his clothes will be smoking!”

We might chuckle at that word picture, but the Bible writer Jude gave us instructions about this as well. Writing to committed Christians about how to deal with backslidden Christians and those who have yet to place their faith in Christ, Jude instructed in verses 20-23 (in the only chapter in his little book), “Have mercy on those who waver; save others by snatching them from the fire …”

Do you know someone who needs to be encouraged to attend church this Sunday? Perhaps you can help to “snatch them from the fire.” There are many people who will make it to heaven – but just barely! Their hair may be singed and their clothes might be smoking, but they’re be there!

God bless,
Pastor Jim

God can be seen in creation, for those who will see

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Great thoughts from great Christians”

Our Bible verse for today: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “God is present in His creation, for those who will see”

Mondays are normally my day off and I usually plan some outdoor activity. This past Monday was a beautiful autumn day, sunny and in the low 50s, the leaves beginning to change colors. So, I decided to go for a long hike on mountain trails. I packed a lunch and a good book, and prepared to set out for the day.

Typically, as I prepare for such trips, the Lord reminds me of the poem from Elizabeth Barrett Browning which I shared with you yesterday. That poem helps to prepare my mind and heart to truly enjoy the wonder and splendor of God’s creation:

“Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”

On this particular Monday morning, as part of my personal quiet time with the Lord just before I was going to leave, I came upon a devotional thought from the great preacher, teacher, and writer of an earlier time, F.B. Meyer. He too had something to say about God’s presence in His creation:

“In the gentle movement of the trees in the forest, can you not hear the stepping of God’s feet? And can you not detect the movement of God’s Spirit at this moment upon your hearts? Does not his quiet hush, this eagerness, indicate the presence of the skirts of the Eternal as they fall upon us? The whole earth is full of God – all time, all space – and it is because God is here, because there is as much of the Holy Ghost in this place as ever there was in the Upper Room on the day of Pentecost, because the forces of God are unexhausted, because the mighty river of God which is full of water is flowing through this place, that you and I are certain of blessing.”

Amen! God can be seen and encountered in His creation. He is here, if we will only make the effort and take the time to see.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Earth is crammed with heaven

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Great thoughts from great Christians”

Our Bible verse for today: “Let the seas resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the Lord …” Psalm 98:7-9 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Earth is crammed with heaven”

I’m an outdoors person. I’ve always loved being outside. As early as I can remember in my childhood, I would be out of the house early in the morning and my mother would have to come looking for me in the evening. Winter, spring, summer, or fall, it didn’t matter – I was outside.

I’m still like that now. If I have a choice between being inside or outside, I choose outside. My wife and kids have often laughed at me because even in the middle of winter I’ll be sitting outside on the porch – heavy coat, blanket, space heater blowing on me, drinking coffee and reading a book. I especially enjoy exploring the outdoors. Hiking, kayaking, motorcycle riding, on a mountain bike, traveling – God has created a beautiful world and we should get out and enjoy it.

Years ago, I came across a great little poem by the 19^th century English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. It has become one of my favorites. She wrote of how it is that the most beautiful things on earth are actually glimpses of heaven. Heaven itself is hinted at and revealed in God’s amazing creation. She wrote:

“Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he wo sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”

That’s profound and insightful. Glimpses of heaven are evident all around us, but we have to pay attention to see it. We have to get out and look for it. This is especially true in our culture today where so many people have become sedate. The trend is to spend large amounts of time indoors staring at screens. Therefore, it’s increasingly important we be intentional about getting outside to experience and appreciate God’s amazing creation.

We’ll come back to this thought tomorrow. For now, I encourage all of us to go outside and get a little glimpse of heaven, because earth is crammed with it. Evidence of God is everywhere.

God bless,
Pastor Jim