Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “A gentle answer turns away anger; but a harsh word stirs up wrath.” Proverbs 15:1 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Change the tone”   Many of us today are just plain weary of all the anger, bitterness, and hatefulness that has come to characterize our national dialogue on many issues, including politics, race, and numerous social issues. Much of it is driven by out-of-control emotions; some of it is born of the mistaken assumption that the louder we get the more convincing we are (but anger drives people away instead of drawing them in); but a lot of the hot rhetoric is also just outright meanness.   In his book “Thou Shalt Not Be A Jerk” Eugene Cho tells the story of Ann Coulter and Frank Stephens. Ann Coulter is a far right political and social commentator who is known for her harsh and abrasive style. Her speech is often belligerent, intentionally provocative, and sometimes mean and insulting. For a while she had the unkind habit of publicly labeling her opponents and critics as being “retarded”. Frank Stephens is a polite and soft-spoken young man with Down syndrome. Frank decided it was time to take issue with Coulter’s continued use of the R-word and so he posted a response to her on the Special Olympics website. Here’s what he wrote:   “Come on Ms. Coulter, you aren’t dumb and you aren’t shallow. So why are you continually using a word like the R-word as an insult? I’m a 30 year-old man with Down syndrome who has struggled with the public’s perception that an intellectual disability means that I am dumb and shallow. I am not either of those things, but I do process information more slowly than the rest of you. In fact, it has taken me all day to figure out how to respond to your use of the R-word last night.”   Frank’s response to Ann Coulter went viral. He was interviewed on numerous television programs and he testified before a Congressional committee regarding people with disabilities. It was immediately obvious that Frank is intelligent and well-informed, and he is also unfailingly polite and pleasant to everyone. He is engaging and confident and interesting. Frank quickly gained a lot of fans and changed a lot of hearts. But sadly, Ann Coulter never apologized or responded in anyway.     One thing many people discovered through that story was that they liked Frank Stephens and his ways a lot more than they liked Ann Coulter and her ways, and many hearts were changed for the better.   Solomon was right when he wrote in Proverbs 15:1 that a kind word is more effective than an angry one, and that more people will be persuaded with reasoned and respectful dialogue than with angry and insulting rants.   I encourage you to be part of the solution in our country. Help to change the tone. Be calm, kind, and respectful, rather than angry, mean, or insulting.     God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “My son, don’t forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commands; for they will bring you many days, a full life, and well-being. Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you. Tie them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will find favor and high regard with God and people.” Proverbs 3:1-4 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Find the balance between your head and your heart.”   As we conclude our discussion about how it is that a cult of personality mindset can have a negative impact and lead us to poor decision-making, we also need to appreciate the need for balance between our mind and our heart. On the one hand, it is important to consider how our closest and most trusted friends and associates think and feel about a subject. If they’re good people with strong minds and they are spiritually mature, then how they see the situation does matter and should be considered. However, on the other hand, that still doesn’t relieve us of the responsibility to think for ourselves by engaging in critical thinking.   Last Sunday at church the lesson in the adult Sunday School Quarterly was about this very subject. The writer of our lesson quoted Proverbs 3:1-4 and then observed:   “Solomon urged his son: don’t forget my teaching. This was a call to use the mind and intellect. Then he added, let your heart keep my commands. Added to the call to exercise the mind is the call to heart (the will and emotion). Both the mind and the heart matter. The mind without the heart characterizes a person who is unfeeling and dispassionate. The heart without an informed mind can lead to experiential chaos. Solomon’s injunction to be wise combined both the head and the heart, the intellect and the will, thought and emotion. Jesus made the same connection between the head and the heart when He said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37, see also Deut. 6:5).   The connection between the head and the heart is vital to good decision-making. We need to pay attention to both. Feelings and emotions do matter, but so do thought and intellect. As has already been noted in previous devotionals, our feelings and emotions are often heavily influenced by those around us, sometimes for good but also sometimes for bad, and therefore they need to be balanced with good critical thinking skills.   Don’t ignore what others are thinking and feeling, but also don’t allow yourself to be swept up and carried away by it either. Think for yourself. Find the balance between your head and your heart.   God bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ.” Colossians 2:8 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Check it out for yourself”   In a cult of personality, the followers tend to feed off of everyone else’s fear and emotions. If everyone else in the group is expressing anger, then this person expresses anger too. The person may not even fully understand what the anger is all about. All they know is that everyone else in the group is angry about this, that, or some other thing, and therefore they conclude that they should be angry too. If others are engaged in heated and frenzied rhetoric about the issue, then this person shouts with them. And again, often without even fully understanding why.   The group dynamic of a cult of personality is such that everyone’s thinking and emotions are keyed to everyone else’s thinking and emotions. Sometimes this is referred to as a mob mentality. In the corporate world it’s called “group-think”. Several persuasive people promote an idea to the group and they slowly persuade others to believe it too. Then, as more and more people join in that thinking, the sheer numbers of people in agreement becomes convincing. The holdouts then begin thinking, “Well, everyone else in the group thinks this way, therefore it must be right and I guess I should think that way too.” And soon everyone is in agreement, even if the initial premise is completely wrong.   A cult of personality, by definition, revolves around the influence of a charismatic leader. However, the “group-think” or “mob mentality” characteristic that is found in cults of personality also infects other group situations, even if the group doesn’t revolve around a single charismatic leader. It’s simply human nature to be influenced by the thinking and feelings of the people around you. This can be either good or bad – but often it is bad. That’s why independent critical thinking is so important.   I encourage you to check things out for yourself before you come to conclusions, form judgments, and take actions. Don’t allow yourself to be triggered by the fear and emotions of those around you. Thoughtfully consider what the actual facts of the situation are and then come to your own conclusions based on good judgment and sound reasoning. In other words, think for yourself.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “The one who gives an answer before he listens – this is foolishness and disgrace for him.” Proverbs 18:13 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Don’t surrender your critical thinking skills.”   One of the things that happens to individuals who allow themselves to be drawn into a cult of personality is that they give-up critical thinking. Critical thinking involves considering and analyzing facts before forming a judgment. It comes from the understanding that situations are usually complex and nuanced, and therefore in order to gain an accurate understanding of what a situation or position is, we have to listen carefully and then engage in rational unbiased analysis of factual evidence before we conclude that we know enough to arrive at a reasonable and informed conclusion about the issue.   But people in a cult of personality don’t do that. Instead, they are so enamored with the leader that they simply accept as truth whatever the leader and his or her closest aides say the truth of a matter is. Beyond that, if the official position of the leader is challenged by skeptics or critics, the cult follower responds emotionally and often with anger. Rather than giving serious consideration to an opposing point of view (critical thinking), the follower has already predetermined that whatever the policy and position of the dear leader is, that must be the truth of the situation and therefore they don’t need to know anything more about it.   As was noted yesterday, this is dangerous. A cult of personality tends to bring out and enable the worst aspects of a leader’s personality. The kind of leader that is most likely to allow and encourage a cult of personality to form around them usually has a serious ego problem to begin with. Now to be fair, not all the followers of a particular politician or religious leader are guilty of drinking the Kool-Aid. They don’t all have a cult of personality mindset. Probably even most of them don’t. But many do, and they usually constitute the base of the leader’s support.   In Proverbs 18:13 Solomon was calling for critical thinking. His point was that as mature intelligent individuals with well-developed critical thinking skills, we should carefully consider the various positions and perspectives associated with any situation, and then slowly and thoughtfully form our own opinion about it, rather than immediately assuming we already know everything we need to know about the issue.   I encourage you to avoid the cult of personality mindset. Don’t surrender your critical thinking skills.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “On an appointed day, dressed in royal robes and seated on the throne, Herod delivered a speech to them. The assembled people began to shout, ‘It’s the voice of a god and not of a man! At once an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died.” Acts 12:22-23 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Avoid the cult of personality”   One definition of a cult of personality states that, “The cult of personality phenomenon refers to the idealized, even god-like, public image of an individual consciously shaped and molded through constant propaganda and media exposure. As a result, one is able to manipulate others based entirely on the influence of public personality … the cult of personality perspective focuses on the often shallow, external images that many public figures cultivate to create an idealized and heroic image.”   Cults of personality have existed in some form for much of human history. The Roman Emperors were considered to be divine and they were worshiped by the people (see Acts 12:22-23 above). Napoleon Bonaparte achieved near total power in France by means of a large and loyal cult of personality behind him, as did Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union, Adolph Hitler in Germany, Saddam Hussain in Iraq, and Kim Jong-un in North Korea, just to name a few. In 1978 the religious leader Jim Jones led over 900 people in his cult of personality to move with him from San Francisco to the jungles of Guyana, where they all ultimately committed suicide by drinking poisoned cool-aid.   In a cult of personality, the followers become so enamored with their leader that they begin to believe the leader can do no wrong. Even if the actions taken would be wrong if someone else did them, if the dear leader said it or did it then it’s okay because after-all, he’s the dear leader.   The situations cited above were extreme examples of cults of personality. In our day, in our nation, we find less extreme, but still troubling versions of this cult of personality mindset. We find it mostly among the followers of charismatic politicians, and to a lesser degree, influential religious leaders. Some would say that the most hardcore supporters of Donald Trump fall into this category because to listen to them, the man is never wrong no matter what he says or does. On the other end of the political spectrum the supporters of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez do the same thing. In the religious world we find something of a cult of personality surrounding pastor and author Joel Osteen. A cult of personality is always a dangerous thing because it diminishes accountability and it enables and encourages the worst aspects of the leader’s personality.   As mature Christians who think deeply and Biblically, we should never allow ourselves to be drawn into a cult of personality mindset. We can support, encourage, and assist our political and religious leaders while still holding them accountable when they’re wrong, and without giving them a free pass to do or say whatever they want.   We’ll think more about this tomorrow.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “…(be) ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do this with gentleness and respect …” 1 Peter 3:15-16 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Not all who bear Christ’s name also bear His image.”   Our discussion this month about the theme of “Think for yourself” centers on three primary reasons that we Christians sometimes do not think for ourselves (or at least do not think well and deeply). They are: Being content with simplistic or superficial thinking; giving-in to cultural pressures; and, being influenced by a cult of personality.  This morning I want to conclude our thinking about the impact cultural pressures have on us. Tomorrow we will move on to those cults of personality.   There can be no denying that ours is an angry society. Issues of politics, race, gender, sexuality, perceived economic disparities, and much more divide us into hostile camps defined by strong opinions and characterized by hot rhetoric. And Christians are not immune. All too often we’re part of one of the camps and we’re out there with them pointing fingers, shouting slogans, and fueling the anger. Or, we join them in endorsing policies, positions and beliefs that are unbiblical. When that happens, we’re allowing the culture to influence us in a negative way rather than us influencing the culture in a positive way.   This is a problem because as author Ken Gire writes, “Not all who bear Christ’s name bear His image. There is a difference between being a Christian and being conformed to the image of Christ.”   Sadly, when engaged in cultural issues, many Christians don’t sound much like Christ. Instead, they sound more like the people all around them in the angry shouting crowds. This shouldn’t be. Our goal is to be conformed to Christ not to culture, and to conduct ourselves in society in a manner that truly does reflect Christ.   As the followers of Christ we should be actively engaged in the important issues of our day, because that’s one of the ways we have a positive influence in the world. But we are to do it in the manner described by Peter in 1 Peter 3:15-16. We are to boldly and accurately share Biblical truth as it pertains to the situation at hand, but we’re to do it with gentleness and respect.   Unfortunately, it’s true that not all who bear Christ’s name also bear His image. My prayer is that more and more of us Christians will come to be known both by His name and by His manner.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths. But as for you, exercise self-control in everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:2-5 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Stick to the script”   I’m tempted to think Paul must have written 2 Timothy 4:2-5 with our society in mind. I know he didn’t; I know the words he wrote apply to all people in all places at all times and that such a situation exists to some extent in every culture, but still, his words sure do describe us. “For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine …” Sound doctrine often makes people mad – and not just among unbelievers. For instance, the Bible says that Jesus is the only way to salvation. That statement makes unbelievers mad. But some surveys show that perhaps 30-40% of professing Christians also aren’t sure John 3:16 is actually true and they’re therefore uncomfortable with it.   The Bible also says that homosexuality is a sin, but for many people those are fighting words. Yes, even many Christians who agree that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God still take the position that homosexuality is no different from heterosexual love in the eyes of God.   What that leads to is: “… but according to their own desires, (they) will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths.” It’s an easy thing to find a teacher, preacher, church, or denomination that will tell you what you want to hear. They have cleverly devised explanations to explain-away the hard and inconvenient parts of the Bible (or they just ignore those parts), and they will teach you lessons to support whatever it is you’ve already decided you want to believe.   Paul’s answer for us? “Stick to the script” (the Bible). Just preach the word. Do it in season and out of season (when it’s easy and when it isn’t). Correct wrong beliefs, challenge the myths, preach and teach the truth. But do it with patience and self-control. In other words, as we have been learning all this month, speak the truth but do it with love and kindness, with grace and with respect.    A couple of years ago I published a book on this subject called, “Getting Along without Going Along: Biblical sexual ethics in an age of conflict and controversy.” It’s all about how to discuss the Biblical truth about sexual ethics, but in a respectful way that treats others with dignity and grace. The specific topic of that book is Biblical sexual ethics, but the practice of communicating it boldly but with grace applies to all issues. If you would like to purchase a copy of it let me know and I would be happy to send you one.   Paul’s advice for us in these difficult days in which we live is “Just stick to the script”.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “We need strong men in tough times”   I had the good fortune to be part of the Promise Keepers movement throughout the decade of the 1990’s. That was a time when hundreds of thousands of Christian men were filling football stadiums across the nation for the purpose of worshipping Jesus, listening to encouraging and challenging speakers, and enjoying great fellowship with other Christian men. It was a powerful movement which made a big impact across the land.   One of the most popular Promise Keepers speakers and authors was Ewin Louis Cole. Of all the books he wrote for men his bestseller was “Strong Men in Tough Times: Developing Strong Character in an Age of Compromise”. In that book Cole made a convincing case for the need for strong Christian men to stand-up, speak-up, and take action to deal with the serious problems associated with the rapid decline of morality and values in our society. He wrote, “In all of human history there has never been a time when the call for strong men was louder or the need greater.… and “The world is looking for strong men who will overcome drifting philosophies and bring order, hope and dignity back to a world in desperate need of men who will be heroes”.… and “Today’s world is progressing technologically but regressing morally and spiritually.”   Those statements were true when Cole first wrote them in 1993 and they’re even truer today. The need for strong Christian men of virtue and courage who will take a stand for faith, family, and righteousness is greater today in our nation than ever before. Far too many men, even Christian men, are giving-in to the cultural pressures of our day. But in 1 Corinthians 15:58 the Apostle Paul called us to stand firm; let nothing move us; give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord; and know that our faithfulness is not in vain.   On this Father’s Day weekend 2020 I want to commend and encourage all the courageous and faithful men out there who are not afraid to take a stand for Christ in the midst of an immoral and hostile culture. Thank you for standing firm. You are making a difference.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so you may know how you should answer each person.” Colossians 4:6 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Don’t be a jerk for Jesus”   Yesterday I wrote about the “silent majority” of Christians who remain silent when they should speak up, and who are unengaged when they should be doing something. I said that many of them are effectively AWOL (Absent Without Leave), rather than being where they should be and doing what they should do. And I said that one reason for their absence was that it’s easier to remain silent and unengaged rather than speaking up and doing something.   But there’s another reason Christians remain silent and unengaged, and it’s because the public arena has become so toxic and divisive when it comes to the major issues of our day and they don’t want to get swept up in that. They don’t want to become just another angry and combative voice in an already too angry and too combative society.   I’m with you. Neither do I. I want to be helpful rather than hurtful, shining light rather than adding to the darkness. But it’s hard. It’s so easy to just add to the overheated rhetoric. Pastor Eugene Cho wrote about this dilemma in his book “Thou Shalt Not Be A Jerk: A Christian’s Guide to Politics”. He writes:   “So many of us are wondering how we can be faithful to Christ, remain engaged, and maintain our integrity. In other words, how can we continue to be Christlike in the chaos and craziness of our political climate?”   Pastor Cho goes on to caution us not to be “a jerk for Jesus”. A jerk for Jesus is someone who is harsh and unnecessarily provocative in the way that they promote their beliefs, and they believe they’re doing it as an act of ministry. They’re being a jerk, and they think they’re doing it for Jesus. Don’t be that guy.   In Colossians 4:6 the Apostle Paul encouraged us to make sure our speech is always kind and gracious, seasoned with the appropriate amount of salt (truth), but gracious in content and tone. That right there is our answer. It is possible to confront falsehood with truth and to do it in a kind, respectful, gracious manner. That was exactly the point Chuck Colson was making in his book “The Sky is not Falling”, which I quoted from several days ago. It is possible to speak Gospel truth; it is possible to be actively engaged in the important issues of our day; and it is even possible to offer critical commentary about things we disagree with (the election of Barak Obama for instance); without using overheated rhetoric or unkind words.   Paul had it right when he cautioned us to make sure our manner and tone of speech is kind, respectful and gracious. By all means, speak up and be involved. But don’t be a jerk for Jesus.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.” 2 Timothy 4:9 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Don’t be AWOL”   The term “silent majority” is normally used to refer to American citizens who, for the most part, remain silent about important issues. It is said that such people actually constitute the majority of the population and if they could just be mobilized, they would be a powerful force that would reign-in the extremists on both ends of the political spectrum.   I personally believe the term is accurate and that there is a large middle group of Americans who are reasonable, logical, and willing to work together with others to arrive at fair solutions that benefit everyone. The problem is that to a large degree the silent majority is, well, they’re silent. They’re busy just living decent lives, raising their families, going to work, and doing the things that need to be done, and they’ve surrendered the national stage to the fringe elements on both the right and left.     I think that’s true of the U.S. population in general, but it is also true of Christians in particular. Too many of us are silent when we need to be speaking up. Too many of us are unengaged in the issues of our day when we need to be actively involved. There are multiple reasons for the silence, but a big one is that it’s simply easier and safer to remain silent. Many of us just want to be left alone to enjoy our comfortable lives and we’re content to let others address the difficult issues for us.   That’s the equivalent of being AWOL (Absent Without Leave). It’s a military term given to a soldier who has deserted his or her post without permission. The reason the person goes AWOL is usually because they would rather be somewhere else doing something else, instead of being where they’re supposed to be, doing the things they’re supposed to be doing.   In 2 Timothy 4:9 the Apostle Paul told the story of a man named Demas who was a fellow worker, but who went AWOL when his help was still needed. And why did Demas leave instead of staying and doing what was needed of him? “Because he loved the world”. In other words, he was seeking ease and comfort at the expense of the important ministry work that still needed to be accomplished.   Thinking for yourself can be hard work. It certainly requires extra effort, as opposed to simply letting other people tell you what to think. And then, acting on your convictions is harder still. It’s so much easier to let others be the ones to speak up and to take action.   I encourage you to not be AWOL. Don’t be part of the silent majority of Christians who are absent when they should be present, and who are quiet when they should speak up. Your voice is needed, and so is your help.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.