Oak Hill Baptist Church

Worship Jesus and serve others

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Fully Alive”

Our Bible verse for today: “Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.” 1 Peter 4:10 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Worship Jesus and serve others”

People often remark that there seems to be something special and unique about our church. There’s a spirit of joy and fellowship that’s above average. One Sunday morning during our time of greeting and fellowship in the worship service one visitor looked around and said, “This is such a happy church!” We get that a lot.

A big part of the reason that’s true is because Oak Hill Baptist is a service-oriented church. First and foremost, we take good care of each other. Christians should take care of Christians and so we’re intentional about looking for ways to be a blessing to each other. Second, we’re an Acts 1:8 church. We are actively and intentionally on-mission with Jesus outside the walls of our church building. We have ministry partners and mission projects in our county, state, country, and world. There’s never a time when we’re not in the process of preparing for the next mission project.

Third, we encourage every person in the church to find at least one way to serve within the church. Then each year, at the beginning of the new church year (in September), we ask everyone to commit to serving in some ministry within the church for one year. We even provide a long list of ways each person can serve and we ask them select one or two they would like to help with (most people choose more than just one or two).

All of that emphasis on serving others helps to keep our focus where Jesus wants it to be, on Him and on others. We worship Him and we serve others. As long as we’re doing that, then our focus is not on ourselves and it’s not on small petty things that church members sometimes argue and even fight about. When people are focused on Jesus and others, there’s not much room left for selfishness or pettiness. The end result? Peace, love, unity, harmony. And joy (This is such a happy church!)

What I’ve just described is an important aspect of healthy church life, and so I have more I would like to say about it. We’ll get to that tomorrow. For now, know that you individually and your church as a group will be most fully alive when your focus is on worshiping Jesus and serving others.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Bearing fruit for Jesus enriches your own life

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Fully Alive”

Our Bible verse for today: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.” John 15:16 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Being fruitful for Jesus enriches your life.”

One of the features of Facebook I appreciate is that it notifies you when a friend has a birthday. And, if in the past you have posted pictures of that friend, then on their birthday Facebook will show you some of those pictures. It then allows you to post those pictures and share those memories along with your birthday greeting to your friend.

Since I’m Facebook friends with lots of people who have gone on international mission trips with me over the years, and since there have been lots of pictures from those mission trips posted on Facebook, all throughout the year I’m able to send birthday greetings to old mission team members along with pictures of those past mission trips. The person always appreciates that because the memories from those trips are special. Mission trips are often referred to as “mountaintop experiences”, and rightly so. Mission trips change lives. Not just the lives of the people on the receiving end of the ministry, mission trips change the lives of the people who go on them. That’s true because being fruitful for Jesus enriches your own life.

In John 15:16 Jesus said that He has appointed us to go into the world and bear fruit in His name. The lesson of the New Testament, and the example set for us by Jesus and the Apostles, is that we are to go into the world and serve others. How do we do that? In a thousand different ways. It can be anything from going on an international mission trip to a remote corner of the world, to serving a meal at your local homeless shelter, to mowing the lawn for an elderly shut-in, to sharing the gospel with a co-worker, and an unlimited number of other ways. Any effort made to bless someone in the name of Jesus constitutes producing fruit for the Lord.

Our theme this month is all about being fully alive. In other words, living life large, on-mission with Jesus, fulfilling your purpose in life. Jesus said that He has appointed you to go and bear fruit for Him. When you’re doing that, you are fulfilling your primary purpose in life as a Christian, and that is the point at which you will be most fully alive.

This is an important point – it’s a crucial aspect of being fully alive, and there’s much more to be said about it. Therefore, we will continue this discussion tomorrow. Being fruitful for Jesus enriches your own life.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Take your eyes off of yourself

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Fully alive”

Our Bible verse for today: “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will save it.” Luke 9:24 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Take your eyes off of yourself”

You are your own most favorite person. It’s true of all of us. You’re with yourself more than you’re with anyone else. You think about yourself more than you think about anyone else. And you talk to yourself more than you talk to anyone else. It’s true of all of us and therefore our natural human tendency is to be self-absorbed. It will happen automatically and naturally unless we work to make it otherwise.

Jesus spoke to this issue in Luke 9:24. There He said, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will save it.” That same statement is recorded five times in the four gospels, each time in a slightly different context but with the same meaning. The more we focus on ourselves the smaller our lives are. The more we focus on God and others the more fully alive we are. This is one of the mysteries of life in the kingdom of God. You give to get; you let go in order to receive; you to die to yourself in order to really live.

The Christian music group “Big Daddy Weave” once recorded a song based upon this Biblical truth. The name of the song is “Give My Life Away”:

“I earn it just to spend it, throw it out when it’s broken
Like a hamster on the wheel I keep making the spokes spin
Do I have what I have or does it have me?
There’s only one way I know I can be free:

I wanna give my life away
I wanna give my life away
Move every little thing standing in the way
Oh I wanna give my life away”

That’s what Jesus was talking about. He continued the thought in Luke 9:25 when He said, “For what does it benefit someone if he gains the whole world, and yet loses or forfeits himself?”

When we’re preoccupied with ourselves, we lose. When we shift our thinking to God and to others, we win. It seems counterintuitive, but life in the kingdom of God often is because God’s ways are different from ours. The truth is that the more we take our eyes off of ourselves and focus instead on serving God and others, the more fully alive we will be.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

The glory of God is a human fully alive

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Fully alive”

Our Bible verse for today: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “You bring glory to God when you are fully alive”

Irenaeus was one of the leaders in the early Christian church. He lived from 130 – 202 A.D. and he knew people who had known the Apostle John (the longest living of all the original apostles). Irenaeus was a church-planter, pastor, scholar, and trusted theologian. He is remembered for helping to define and defend orthodox Christian doctrine during a time when there were many divergent and false teachings being promoted in the Christian world. Irenaeus is often referred to as the father of Christian orthodoxy.

The single statement he is best remembered for, and the one that is frequently quoted even in our day almost two thousand years later is, “The glory of God is a human fully alive.” I love that thought. We bring glory to God when we live a full, active, and productive life. This is the life Jesus proclaimed for us when He said in John 10:10, “I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” It’s the life the Apostle Paul described in Galatians 5:22-23 when he wrote, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” It’s the life Jesus was calling us to when He said in John 15:16, “I have appointed you to go and produce fruit …”

The fruit that Jesus wants to see in our lives is the fruit of the Spirit as described by Paul. It’s also the acts of service to others that He taught, modeled, and called for throughout the Gospels. And it’s our participation in the Great Commission as we help with His kingdom-building work on earth.

Interestingly, Paul captures all of that and sums it up for us in 1 Corinthians 10:31 with the simple instruction to do everything for God’s glory. He doesn’t say that we necessarily have to build churches, start schools, establish hospitals, fill stadiums, or go as a missionary to serve Pygmies in the jungles of Papua New Guinea. He says “whatever you do”, and then he cites simple everyday things like eating and drinking, working and playing, coming and going. Do it all with the Lord in mind and for His honor and glory.

It brings glory to God when His people are fully alive in Christ, living victorious lives of simple faith. I encourage you to embrace life with enthusiasm. Live it with vigor and gusto. Be fully alive in Christ.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Celebrate Freedom

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Fully Alive”

Our Bible verse for today: “For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve on another through love.” Galatians 5:13 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Celebrate freedom”

I believe in “American Exceptionalism”. American exceptionalism is the understanding that the United States is inherently different from and better than other nations. The concept of American exceptionalism originated at the time of the American Revolution when our Founders intentionally set out to establish a nation that was different and better than any nation that had ever existed. Our credo would be “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as being unalienable rights granted to us by God, and the undergirding principles which would guide the governance of our nation would be those found in the Bible.

Our founding as a nation was unique, and it has resulted in a nation that has indeed proven to be the greatest nation in the world. We have also proven to be a great blessing to the rest of the world. Americans as individuals and as a nation are brave, strong, generous, and willing to use the strength and prosperity of our own nation for the benefit of others.

As I write this, we are preparing to celebrate the Fourth of July here in the USA. And, since the Fourth falls on a Sunday this year, I am also preparing to preach a special Fourth of July sermon at our church (Oak Hill Baptist), which will be about what has come to be known as “The Judeo-Christian Ethic”. The Judeo-Christian Ethic has guided our nation for 245 years. It is largely responsible for the freedom and prosperity we enjoy and which the rest of the world would like to have. Historically as a nation we have honored God, and in return God has blessed us. As Christians it is our responsibility to help our nation remain aware of, and be faithful to, our Judeo-Christian Ethic. Otherwise, we will lose God’s blessing.

There’s much that needs to be said about our Christian heritage and the role that the Judeo-Christian ethic has played in our national life. I invite you to join us at Oak Hill Baptist Church tomorrow. Join us in-person if you can, or online at 10:00 for a Facebook live-stream. The entire service will also be available for your viewing afterwards at www.oakhillbaptist.net and on the Oak Hill Baptist Church Facebook page.

Join us tomorrow as we celebrate this great country that God has blessed us with.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Faith and service is a learned lifestyle

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Fully Alive”

Our Bible verse for today: “Join in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and pay careful attention to those who live according to the example you have in us.” Philippians 3:17 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Faith and service is a learned lifestyle”

A lifestyle of faith and service is something we learn, usually from the example of others. Yesterday I introduced you to Tim Shriver’s great book “Fully Alive”. It’s all about faith and service. Tim learned his lessons about faith and service first and foremost from the example of his parents, and also from other adults in the extended Kennedy family clan (especially from his grandmother Rose Kennedy). Faith and service were essential and foundational elements in the life of the entire family. Tim’s parents started every day by going to Catholic mass. Every day. First thing in the morning, before they went to work or anywhere else, they went to an early morning church service. Every day. That’s impressive faith.

In terms of service, Tim’s father, Sargent Shriver, was the founder of the Peace Corps and he also created, led, and supported numerous other philanthropic and service organizations over the course of his life. Tim’s mother Eunice Kennedy Shriver was the founder of the Special Olympics. It started in the 1960s with Eunice bringing busloads of special needs children to the Shriver family compound in Maryland every day throughout the summer. She called it Camp Shriver and it was intended to give the kids a summer camp experience commensurate with their physical and intellectual abilities. Tim grew up with that from the time he was three years old. Today he is the National Director of the Special Olympics. He learned about faith and service from his parents, from his grandparents, and from his aunts and uncles. They lived it out in front of him and modeled it for him.

We also learn a lifestyle of faith and service from other people we associate with. The fact is that over time we become like those we associate with and therefore we need to choose our friends and associates carefully. At Oak Hill Baptist Church, as a congregation we teach, preach, and practice faith and service. It’s simply who we are as a people. Therefore, over time it has become the case that the majority of the congregation are people of deep faith who are committed to serving others in the name of Jesus. We become like those we associate with.

We also learn a lifestyle of faith and service from the books we read, which is one of the reasons I’ve shared a little with you about Tim book “Fully Alive”. Much of the story takes place within the context of Special Olympics and people with physical and intellectual disabilities. I can tell you from personal experience that people with physical and intellectual limitations are often great examples of faith, service, courage, and perseverance.

Faith and service is a learned lifestyle, which means that not only can we learn it and practice it ourselves, but we can teach it and model it for others. I encourage all of us to do both.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Be fully alive

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Fully Alive”

Our Bible verse for today: “I have come so that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Be fully alive”

I want to tell you right up front (and without apology) that I have stolen the title for this month’s theme. It comes from a book with that same title which I’ve just finished reading – “Fully Alive” by Tim Shriver. Some of you may recognize Tim’s name. He’s part of the Kennedy family clan. His mother was Eunice Shriver. Along with her famous brothers John, Bobby, and Teddy, she was one of the nine Kennedy kids who made up that large family. Tim’s sister Maria was married to Arnold Schwarzeneggar, and so she was the former First Lady of California.

Being from a long line of passionate Democrats, Tim’s political and social positions are different from mine. But that doesn’t matter because the book wasn’t really about those things. The book was something of an autobiography in that it follows the course of Tim’s life from his early years as a child, all through the school years, and into middle-age. But the primary focus of the story pertains to Tim’s personal development in two crucial areas of life, both of which combine to determine how “fully alive” a person is. The first area is spiritual development. Tim is a Christian and so he writes about his personal journey from childhood faith into a deep discipleship relationship with Jesus Christ as an adult.

The second area of the book’s focus pertains to a life of service. Tim argues (and I agree) that a person isn’t fully alive until that person is living a life of service to others. Faith and service were fundamental elements in the life of the family he grew up in, which is why they produced so many public servants including a President, Senators, Congressmen, and leaders of philanthropic organizations. The family creed was “You have been given much; you must serve others in exchange.” In other words, “The more you have, the more you are expected to give.” That, of course, was taught by Jesus in Luke 12:48 and is a key element of Christianity.

I enjoyed the book, and I’ll quote some helpful passages from it throughout the month. I’m also in full agreement with the author’s conclusion that we’re not fully alive until we are fully alive in Christ, and living a life of service to others. We will spend the rest of this month exploring both of those truths.

We all want to be fully alive – in the best sense of the phrase, so let’s think about how that can happen.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Today is the tomorrow you were looking forward to yesterday

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Savor the time”

Our Bible verse for today: “For I know the plans I have for you – this is the Lord’s declaration – plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Today is the tomorrow you were looking forward to yesterday.”

Not long ago a friend posted an insightful and thought-provoking statement on her Facebook page. She said, “I am currently right in the middle of what I used to look forward to.” As I considered that statement several things occurred to me. First, whatever it was she was experiencing in her life when she wrote that, it was something she had been looking forward to and now it was in happening. But beyond that, she was aware of and appreciative of the fact that it was happening. Evidently, she wasn’t taking it for granted.

Many people spend their lives looking forward to something but once it happens, rather than savoring it, their thoughts quickly turn instead to the next thing they’re looking forward to. The adolescent longs to be a teenager because he thinks being a teenager will be cool. But then the rebellious teenager longs to be a high school graduate so he can break free from the authority of his parents. The high school graduate longs to be a college graduate so he can be done with school and have a career. The young parent looks forward to middle-age when the kids are grown and there is extra money for travel and fun. The middle-aged person is planning for retirement. The retired person is longing for the next visit from the adult kids and grandkids. And on and on it goes.

Much of our thinking and emotional energy gets focused on what’s next rather than on what’s now, and as a result, we often miss the best moments in life. Or at least we don’t fully appreciate and enjoy them.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 is a classic passage which speaks about the fact that God has a purpose and a plan for your life. All throughout your life He is leading you and guiding you along a path He has selected for you. He doesn’t necessarily dictate every step you take and every choice you make, but He does have a purpose and a plan for you. As you travel through life, He brings you progressively to one day after another, one event after another as your life unfolds. What a shame if rather than appreciating and enjoying where the Lord has you at the moment, you are instead constantly looking forward to what might lie around the next bend in the road. Psalm 118:24 reminds us that, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Yes, this is the day; this is the moment. Enjoy it. Savor it. Then, when you get to the next day, the next moment, enjoy and savor it as well.

Chances are you are currently right in the middle of what you used to look forward to. Today is the tomorrow you were looking forward to yesterday. Enjoy it! Savor the time.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Stop grumbling and be grateful

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Savor the time”

Our Bible verse for today: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.” Philippians 4:4-5 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Stop grumbling and be grateful”

This past Sunday, after the service ended and as people were leaving, one of our members stopped to comment on something I said in the sermon. The topic was “Loving God and Loving People” and it was based on Matthew 22:34-40 where we read about the two great commandments given to us by Jesus. My point was that rather than Christianity being a complicated religious system of dos and don’ts (similar to Old Testament Judaism), Jesus simplified it and reduced it down to a matter of the heart, “Love God and love people”. Once you have those two things right, everything else will take care of itself. (You can watch that sermon on our website at www.oakhillbaptist.net)

The comment my friend at church made was that he agreed with my point about the practice of the Christian faith being a simple matter of the heart, and he added that in his own life he has found it helpful to focus on being grateful. He constantly reminds himself of all that he has to be grateful for, and that helps him to be positive rather than negative. That then has a positive impact on every other area of his life as well, including his interactions with other people.

That’s what the Apostle Paul was teaching in Philippians 4:4-5 when he instructed us to “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Interestingly, when Paul wrote that he was an old sick man sitting in a Roman dungeon facing probable execution. Yet in the midst of such terrible circumstances, he wrote what is certainly the most joyful and upbeat book in the entire Bible (Philippians), and he encouraged us to find our joy in the Lord in the middle of our difficult circumstances too.

Then in verse 5 Paul touched on what my friend from last Sunday referred to, “Let your graciousness be known to everyone.” You see, when your heart is right it will be evident in your demeanor and that then will impact every other part of your life, including your interactions with other people. Gratitude makes you gracious.

What does all of that have to do with our theme of savoring your time? Everything! You cannot savor and enjoy and make the most of your time if you’re grousing and grumbling and being miserable. The condition of your heart will be evident in your demeanor, and it will color and impact every other part of your life.

So, stop grumbling and be grateful. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, Rejoice in the Lord!” And, “Let your graciousness be evident to everyone”.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

This is why we call it “quiet” time

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Savor the time”

Our Bible verse for today: “A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper …” 1 Kings 19:11-12 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “This is why we call it “quiet” time.”

We do not live in a quiet world; we live in a noisy world. Very noisy. There’s seldom a time when we’re not exposed to some kind of manmade noise. Think about it. Even when you have turned off the television and the radio; even when there are no other people around you talking; even if you can get away from the sounds of traffic in the distance; there’s still manmade noise. Can you hear the air conditioner humming in the background? Is the lightbulb in the room buzzing? Can you hear the gentle hum of your computer hard drive? It’s difficult to achieve real silence. Many people don’t even want to. Some people are afraid of true silence because then they have to listen to all the noise in their head.

But silence is an essential part of entering into deep communion with God. Seldom does God shout to be heard. Instead, His voice is usually soft and subtle.

That’s what Elijah discovered in 1 Kings 19:11-12 (above). Elijah was having a bad day. He was physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted after an extended time of intense ministry. He was in the desert in a cave when God confronted him regarding the pity-party he was indulging in. As something of a dramatic set-up for His coming appearance, God sent a tornado-force wind to blow. Then there as a ground-shaking earthquake. That was following by roaring flames of fire. But God wasn’t in any of that. Instead, after the dramatics were over and God had Elijah’s attention, He spoke to Him in a soft, subtle, gentle voice which Elijah would have to pay close and careful attention to if he wanted to hear it. This is what is sometimes referred to as “The still, small voice of God”.

This is how God typically speaks to us too. Seldom does He speak to us with a booming voice out of the whirlwind, the earthquake, or the fire. Those things can be helpful in getting our attention and causing us to settle down and listen, but when God speaks, it’s usually out of the quiet.

And … that’s why we call it “quiet” time. If you want to hear the voice of God you will have to settle down, shut down, stop the noise, and just be quiet before Him.

We call it “quiet time” because we need to be quiet if we want to hear from God. I encourage you to be quiet and listen to Him this morning.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim