Our theme for this month: “Life on this side of the cross”

Our Bible verse for today: “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” John 16:33 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Don’t be afraid of what lies ahead.”

In his great little book, “The Care of Souls: Cultivating a Pastor’s Heart”, Harold Senkbeil was writing primarily to encourage pastors to stick with the task of caring for God’s people regardless of whatever the current set of circumstances happen to be. Towards the end of the book he pointed out how it is that the world has always been in a state of flux and turmoil, that’s normal, and therefore regardless of whatever else is going on in the world, the task for God’s people remains the same – we are to seize the day for the cause of Christ. At one point he was comparing our current day to the dawn of the Middle Ages and here is what he wrote:

“In many ways our world is much like theirs. Things familiar and comfortable have vanished, replaced by radically different lifestyles and values … We live in an era of change now between the age of reason and whatever comes after it. It is much like the world of late antiquity – when the classic age was collapsing and the early Middle Ages were just beginning to dawn. But those threatening years turned out to be the church’s moment in the sun, one of its best periods of vigorous mission and growth. It wouldn’t be too many centuries before those Germanic hordes that had sacked and looted the city of Rome would themselves become Christians.”

As we conclude our study of “Life on this side of the cross”, and as the COVID 19 pandemic begins to wind down and we start moving forward into whatever lies ahead for us as individuals and as a nation, there is no need to fear it. In all probability life is going to be different now in significant ways, but the mission of God’s church hasn’t changed. And the promise of Jesus that He will never leave us and never abandon us (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5) is still true. Likewise, John 16:33 is still true too. There will be challenges ahead and there will be trouble, but we are to face it courageously because Jesus goes forward into it with us and He has already conquered the world.

In every generation of human history there have always been troubles and challenges, disasters and times of crisis, but they have always passed and history has marched on. The same will be true for us in our day. For our part, we need to be faithful and remain focused. Our mission is to shine for Jesus in the middle of whatever the circumstances are, and to help build His kingdom here on earth. Don’t be afraid of what lies ahead and do not be deterred. There will be great opportunities for good things to happen as we go forward from here.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Life on this side of the cross”

Our Bible verse for today: “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Protect yourself against assimilation”

In yesterday’s message I noted that in time this COVID 19 pandemic will be over and we will recover from the economic meltdown. Like all of the other disasters that have engulfed the world over the course of history, including plagues, wars, famines, natural disasters, and economic meltdowns, this one too shall pass.

But a problem that will not pass is the sinfulness of the pagan world. The ways of the world are evil. Entire cultures rebel against God, and this situation will continue to get worse and worse as history unfolds and as we get ever-closer to the end of time. The challenge for the people of God has always been to be “in” the world without being “of” the world. We have to live within the culture, making a positive difference for the cause of Christ, without being absorbed and assimilated by that culture. This is our problem today, and it’s not going away.

On the other side of the cross, in the Old Testament Age, this was actually less of a problem for the Jews than it is for Christians today on this side of the cross. The Jews were a people set-apart from the cultures around them. In terms of language, appearance, customs, beliefs, and lifestyle, the Jews were always different. Historically, in whatever country they found themselves, the Jews have tended to live in isolated communities so they could keep themselves separate and so they could protect their faith and their customs. But even with that strict sense of separation, if you know your Old Testament history, you know that they were frequently infected by the cultures around them anyway, and it was always their downfall.

The problem is more acute for Christians, and especially so for us today in the USA. For the most part, we don’t live as a called-out and separated people. Instead we are knee-deep in the culture around us. So much so, that we are often indistinguishable from the people around us. This is what Paul was warning against in Romans 12:2, and it’s the battle we will continue to have to fight long after the COVID 19 pandemic is just a footnote in history.

Christians today often lament the opposition and perceived persecution we believe we face because of our faith. But I say to you this morning that much more than opposition or even persecution, the bigger danger we all face is assimilation – being absorbed into the culture and becoming just like the society we live in.

As we go forward in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead, I encourage you to take the steps necessary to protect yourself from being assimilated. You are still part of the called-out people of God, and I encourage you to live like it. Be in the world, but don’t be of the world – don’t be just like the culture you are suppose to be helping to change.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Life on this side of the cross.”

Our Bible verse for today: “A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever; What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:4; 9

Our thought for today: “Keep it in perspective”

As we near the end of our study of “Life on this side of the cross” I want to take these last three days to consider how we should be thinking about the days, weeks, months, and years ahead of us. These are difficult and perilous times that live in. A worldwide pandemic has engulfed us. We don’t know how much longer it is going to take to run its course, or if it will ever completely go away. The world economy has ground to a halt and people are suffering great financial hardships. Even once we get our economy running again, it will take years to recover from this.

So how should we, the people of God, be thinking about the future? I believe there are several important lessons we’ve learned over these last two months of devotional messages which we need to keep in mind. First, we should not live in fear. God is sovereign over all of this. We can trust Him to strengthen us and to get us through this. Second, we should not be dismissive of the severity of what we’re dealing with. The health crisis is very real, as is the economic crisis. People are suffering physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, and spiritually. Third, we are to honor God and bless others. This crisis is an opportunity for us to shine for Jesus and to bless others with acts of mercy and compassion. Fourth, we should cooperate with our healthcare and civil authorities who are doing their best to get us all through this. As long as they’re not advocating things contrary to Biblical principles, we should do our parts to be helpful.

And also, it’s important for us to keep this current crisis in its proper perspective. As bad as it is, it’s just the current crisis in a long list of disasters and calamities that have progressively and continuously engulfed the world since the beginning of time. As wise King Solomon observed more than three thousand years ago in Ecclesiastes, generations come and generations go; time rolls on; people and events are here and then they’re gone; and there is really nothing new under the sun.

There have been pandemics before. Many times. There have also been many times of economic hardship, even serious disasters like the Great Depression. There have been wars and famines and droughts and endless examples of terrible times of crisis, but all of them have passed and history has continued to unfold. The same will be true for this COVID 19 pandemic and the associated worldwide economic meltdown. As bad as it is, it is temporary.

I encourage you to stay strong in the Lord and trust Him. Do your part to help us all get through this by staying calm and by blessing others. Keep it in perspective and in time, this too shall pass.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Life on this side of the cross”

Our Bible verse for today: “A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:7 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “You have been called by God into a life of service.”

One of the great distinctives of life on this side of the cross is found in the level of participation and involvement a person is called to in the ongoing work of God in the world.

In the Old Testament certain special people were called and equipped to be priests or scribes or to perform some other function in the temple. However for the average person the expectation was simply for them to obey the rules, participate in the rituals, and live according to Biblical principles. That was it. But in the New Testament there’s more to it. In the New Testament every individual is called to be on-mission with God in the world (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). Also, every person has been given the Holy Spirit to live within them, equipping and empowering them for acts of ministry (that’s what Jesus meant when He said in Acts 1:8 “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you …).

There’s an entire body of New Testament literature which teaches that the Holy Spirit provides, brings out, and develops particular gifts, skills, and abilities in each individual Christian which are then to be utilized to help in God’s kingdom-building work (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:7-10; 1 Corinthians 12:28-30; Ephesians 4:11; 1 Peter 4:11). There’s a wonderful tool available through the Southern Baptist Convention known as a “Ministry Gifts Inventory” which helps individuals to identify the ways in which the Spirit has equipped them to serve in the mission of God. Those acts of service and participation extend from being a preacher or teacher, to being an usher or greeter, to acts of compassion and hospitality, to caring for the church facilities, and much more. The point is that in the New Testament Age our level of participation in the work of God on earth is to be much greater than it was in the Old Testament Age.

Every summer at Oak Hill Baptist we ask each member to prayerfully consider how he or she will serve in the church in the upcoming church year (which begins in September). We do that because exercising your skills, gifts, and abilities for the sake of others is an important part of the practice of our faith in this New Testament Age. God has chosen to accomplish much of His work among His people, and in the world, through the active participation of each individual member.

I encourage you to prayerfully consider how the Spirit of God has called and equipped you to serve. If you aren’t sure, then please get your own copy of “The Ministry Gifts Inventory” from www.lifeway.com.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Life on this side of the cross”

Our Bible verse for today: “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” 2 Corinthians 1:20 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “We are heirs of the promises”

This morning we will continue our discussion from yesterday concerning which parts of the Old Testament carry over and apply to us in the New Testament Age, and which don’t. Yesterday we learned that if an Old Testament command, instruction, or principle is retaught or in some way reaffirmed in the New Testament, then it applies to us. And if it is not retaught or in some way directly affirmed for us, or if it is specifically negated (dietary restrictions, animal sacrifices), then it doesn’t apply to us.

But that still leaves us with the question of whether or not the promises of God in the Old Testament are ours to claim, and it also leaves us with the question of what to think about all that history recorded in the Old Testament.

With respect to the history: Old Testament history is as important for us. It tells us where we came from and it teaches important lessons that we need to know. The New Testament came out of the Old Testament (one flows from the other), and you cannot properly understand the New without also being familiar with the Old. Also, Old Testament history teaches important lessons about how God has historically dealt with and interacted with His people. So there is much to be gained from a thorough study of Old Testament history.

And then there’s the issue of the promises God made in the Old Testament. Were they intended for us too? Can we claim them as ours? And the answer is … it depends. The overwhelming majority of the Old Testament promises were intended for all of God’s people in all ages, and most of them have at least one New Testament companion verse or passage. For instance, compare Psalm 23 to Matthew 11:28-30 and John 10:11-18. It’s the same theme of the Good Shepherd watching over and caring for those who belong to Him. Therefore, we know that Psalm 23 is as much for us as is Matthew 11:28-30 and John 10:11-18. Likewise, compare Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:9, and Isaiah 41:10 to Hebrews 13:5-6. There we find promises that God goes before us, He is always with us, and He will protect us. That’s as true for us today as it was for the people in the days of Moses, Joshua, and Isaiah.

But some Old Testament promises were one-time promises specifically for those people in that instance, and we can know it from the context. For instance, in Joshua chapter six God promised the people that if they would march around the walls of the city of Jericho for six consecutive days blowing trumpets, on the seventh day the walls of the city would miraculously fall down all by themselves. That was a promise for those people in that day and it did happen – for them. But I’m betting it won’t happen for you if you were to try it today, because that wasn’t a promise that was intended for you, and you can tell it from the context.

The history of the Old Testament does matter and we should be familiar with it, and most of the promises of the Old Testament are ours as well, unless the context specifically teaches otherwise. We are the people of God in our day, and we are heirs of the promises found in both the Old and New Testaments.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Life on this side of the cross”

Our Bible verse for today: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “How can we know which parts of the Old Testament carry over and apply in the New Testament Age?”

In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 the Apostle Paul gave us a helpful insight into the importance and value of the entire Bible, both the Old and New Testaments. There he told us that “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable …” It all comes to us from God and it all has value for us. But does it all apply to us? All of it has value, in some way, but in terms of life-application and guidance for living does all of it apply to us on this side of the cross?

A fast and simple rule of thumb which can provide us with a basic answer to that question is to consider whether or not the New Testament specifically refers to an Old Testament law, command, instruction, or principle – either positively by reteaching it, or negatively by excluding it. For example, yesterday we learned in Mark 7:18-19 that Jesus specifically did away with the Old Testament dietary restrictions. Likewise, we learn in Hebrews 10:1-18 that since Jesus was the ultimate and final sacrifice for the sins of the world, the animal sacrifices required in the Old Testament are no longer necessary or required. So those Old Testament requirements no longer apply in the New Testament Age because the New Testament specifically negated them.

On the positive side, there are many places in the New Testament which reteach or in some way affirm an Old Testament command, instruction, or principle. For instance, rather than in any way negating the Ten Commandments, in Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus actually bundled them all together and summarized them in two: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

Likewise, in some cases Jesus took Old Testament principles and raised them to a new higher standard for life in the New Testament Age. For instance, in Matthew 5:27 He said that in the Old Testament we were taught not to commit adultery. But His standard is that we are not to even entertain lustful thoughts.

So, a general rule of thumb for determining which commands and instructions carry over and which don’t is to see which of them are directly addressed in the New Testament. Some are specifically and intentionally excluded. Others are specifically and intentionally included. For the most part, if the command or instruction is not specifically retaught and affirmed in some way in the New Testament, then it doesn’t apply to us today. That’s a good basic answer, but it’s not a complete answer. What about all the promises God made in the Old Testament, do they apply to us today? Can we claim them as ours? And then, what about all that Old Testament history? What does that mean for us in our day? We’ll think about those things tomorrow.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Life on this side of the cross”

Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t you realize that nothing going into a person from the outside can defile him? For it doesn’t go into his heart but into the stomach and is eliminated (thus he declared all foods clean). Mark 7:18-19 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Jesus did away with the Old Testament dietary restrictions.”

Yesterday some friends of mine came home from two months of serving in northern Italy with Samaritan’s Purse medical disaster relief team. They were there as part of the effort to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. The Italians were so grateful for the team’s service that they put them up in a nice hotel and hired a professional chef to prepare the team’s meals. So although my friends worked long hard hours seven days a week in a dangerous environment, they had comfortable accommodations and they were very well-fed.

When they arrived home, they had to go into fourteen days of self-quarantine in their house. To help them with that, family members and friends stocked their home with fresh groceries and put some prepared meals in the refrigerator and freezer. As I was driving to the church to deliver the meal my wife had prepared for them (a big tray of her homemade lasagna), it suddenly occurred to me that they had just spent two months in Italy being fed every day by an expert Italian chef, and we were now greeting them upon their arrival home with a big tray of Italian food! Oh well, our intentions were good anyway.

Fortunately, on this side of the cross, in the New Testament Age, we are free to eat what we want (or not!). In Mark 7:14-19 Jesus did away with all the Old Testament dietary laws that were given to the Jews in the book of Leviticus. Those restrictions had their purpose for those people in that day, but the New Testament Age was to be marked by a tremendous amount of freedom and flexibility in how the people of God could practice their faith – and compulsory dietary laws would not be part of it. To clarify and emphasize that point, the Apostle Paul dedicated lots ink and paper in his New Testament writings to teaching about this new freedom of choice when it comes to food.

Personally, I love to eat. I enjoy food very much. Food is a gift from God. So are taste buds – and it didn’t need to be that way. God could have created food simply as a source of fuel for the body. He didn’t have to make it tasty and He didn’t have to give us taste buds. But He make it tasty and He did give us taste buds simply so we could enjoy it, and I’m very glad He did. I’m also grateful that Jesus took away all those restrictions (and all you bacon lovers should be shouting some hearty hallelujahs too!).

Those dietary restrictions were one part of the Old Testament that didn’t carry over into the New Testament. Tomorrow we will think about how we can know which commands, instructions, and principles in the Old Testament carry over to the New, and which don’t.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Life on this side of the cross”

Our Bible verse for today: “Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Pray for Muslims”

Today is April 23, 2020. At sundown tonight the annual Muslim observance of Ramadan begins. Ramadan is a month-long time of prayer and fasting for Muslims. It takes place in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and it commemorates the anniversary of Muhammad’s first revelation, which led to the writing of the Koran. Ramadan begins with the sighting of the crescent moon and continues for twenty-nine to thirty-one days, or until the sighting of the next crescent moon. During Ramadan observant Muslims abstain from food, drink, tobacco, and sexual relations during daylight hours. Each day they have a large pre-dawn meal, and then a large nighttime meal, but nothing in-between.

There are approximately 1.8 billion Muslims in the world today, making Islam the second largest religious group on the planet (Christianity is the first with approximately 2.8 billion adherents).

In John 14:6 Jesus made an extraordinarily exclusive statement when He declared that He is the only way to heaven. If those words of Jesus are true (and I have no doubt that they are), that must mean that every other faith system, including Islam, is false.  If those words of Jesus are true then that must mean that contrary to popular belief, all faiths do not lead to the same destination. Also contrary to popular belief, you cannot be a good enough person in order to earn your way into heaven. You cannot give enough money to charity, or perform enough religious rituals, or light enough candles, or do any other thing that will adequately prepare you to go to heaven. Jesus said very clearly and emphatically that it is faith in Him for the forgiveness of your sins or you don’t get there.

Over these next four weeks observant Muslims around the world will be fervently praying to a god who doesn’t exist, and performing arduous religious rituals that will accomplish nothing. I encourage you to pray for them. The One True God is at work in the Muslim world. We often hear reports from missionaries about Muslims being led to faith in Christ. At Oak Hill Baptist Church we even have a personal relationship with a missionary family serving faithfully in a large Muslim-majority country, and we routinely receive reports from them about how their work there is proving to be very successful for the cause of Christ.

I encourage you to make Ramadan a time when you pray for the salvation of Muslims. Pray also for Christians, like our missionary family, who are diligently serving in Islamic countries around the world.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Life on this side of the cross”

Our Bible verse for today: “Remind them to submit to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to slander no one, to avoid fighting, and to be kind, always showing gentleness to all people.” Titus 3:1 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.”

Recently in our country there have been many public protests regarding the stay-at-home orders currently in effect as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic. Beyond just the heated chatter on social media, crowds of people are now taking to the streets, defying the orders of government officials, and not even practicing social distancing.

Is it okay for Christians to be involved in such demonstrations? Engaging in civil disobedience is a fine line even for the average citizen regardless of faith issues, but for Christians it’s more complex because it is both a civil issue and a matter of faith.

Sometimes laws are unjust and have to be opposed, and sometimes Christians should be involved in civil disobedience. Christians were at the forefront of the abolition movement that eventually led to the end of slavery in this country. Christians played a huge role in the fall of communism in eastern Europe. And Christians have taken the lead in the fight against abortion in this country. Those are all good things, and in each of those cases it required Christians to stand opposed to governmental authorities.

But probably 99% of the time the right thing to do is to pursue change through legal means not civil disobedience. For Christians the issue is Biblical. The only time we find Christians in the New Testament refusing to obey the directions of civil authorities is when the civil law was in direct conflict with God’s law. Then Acts 5:29 comes into play, “We must obey God rather than men”. But there are no Biblical examples that would lead Christians to break laws and defy civil authority like we see right now on the streets of some of our towns and cities.

The other day somebody shared with me an interesting piece of history regarding this. It comes from the great leader of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther. If you know your Christian history then you know that Luther was one of the most important and influential voices in Christianity in the last 500 years. He lived through the bubonic plague of 1527 and interestingly, the civil authorities of that day instituted the same kinds of social distancing and stay-at-home orders that are being used in our day for this pandemic. And, the Christians of that day had the same questions about it that we do today. So, they looked to Luther for guidance for what to do and here is what he wrote:

“I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I will fumigate, purify the air, administer medicine, and take medicine. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed, in order to not become contaminated, and thus perchance infect and pollute others, and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me. But I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me, however, I shall not avoid place or person, but will go freely. This is a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy, and does not tempt God.”

As citizens we do have rights, and one of those rights is to voice our disagreement and dissent regarding laws and practices that we disagree with – but we have to be careful how we do it. Disobeying the law is not normally an option for Christians unless the civil law is in conflict with Biblical principles. When we do engage in dissent, we must be respectful rather than angry or mean-spirited or unkind. Titus 3:1 is just one verse from an entire body of Biblical literature which teaches that the people of God are to be good law-abiding citizens.

Luther was a help not a hindrance during the plague in his day, and that should be true of us too during this plague in our day. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Life on this side of the cross”

Our Bible verse for today: “It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.” John 16:7-8 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Conviction of sin is a good sign.”

At some point most Christians wrestle with the question “Am I really saved?” Assurance of salvation is an important doctrine of the Christian faith and it’s one we could spend an entire month of devotional messages exploring. Personally, I believe the Bible clearly teaches that once a person has received forgiveness for their sins by placing their faith in Christ, that person is saved for all time. As Romans 8:28 teaches, nothing can then separate us from God. Jesus was clear about this too when He said in John 10:28, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.” In other words, once saved always saved. Once you belong to Jesus you are His and He will never let you go. There’s an entire body of Biblical literature which teaches the doctrine we call “The assurance of salvation”.

But that still leaves us with the question, “How can I know I am really saved?” And again, there is an entire body of Biblical literature which teaches about how to be saved and how to know you have been saved. It’s more than we can address this morning. However, I do want to talk about how a negative situation in our lives (sin) can help us to know we really are saved.

The Holy Spirit performs many roles in our lives. He is our Counselor, our Teacher, and our Guide. He is a source of comfort and peace and joy. He leads us into worship; He equips and empowers us for ministry; and so much more. He also convicts us of our sins. In that respect then, sin in our lives can actually serve as an assurance of salvation if (and this is a big “if”), if, we fall under a sense of conviction from the Holy Spirit regarding that sin. If we do sense that strong conviction, that’s proof that He is present and working in our lives, and that’s a good sign.

Have you sinned lately? Did you feel bad about it? Did you confess it and ask God’s forgiveness for it? Well, hello Holy Spirit! That’s evidence that He is at work in your life. If you weren’t truly saved the Holy Spirit wouldn’t be at work in your heart and He therefore wouldn’t be there to convict you of your sin. The sin isn’t a good thing, but the conviction of that sin is.

So, thank the Holy Spirit for convicting you of your sins, and then rest assured that the conviction of the sin is a good sign that you really are saved.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim