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

Our Bible verse for today: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Help them to be good rather than to just feel good.”

In the sermon at Oak Hill Baptist Church this past Sunday (www.oakhillbaptist.net), as we continued our study of the Gospel of Matthew, we were considering some of what are called the “hard” teachings of Jesus. Hard teachings are different from easy teachings. In the Gospel accounts Jesus spoke many words of comfort and peace and of good things to come. Those are the “easy” teachings. They are lessons we like to hear and are eager to accept, and therefore preachers and Bible teachers are happy to teach those passages.

In fact, many contemporary preachers and teachers focus exclusively on those easy lessons, precisely because people like to hear them.  I call that kind of ministry “cotton-candy Christianity” because like cotton-candy, it is light and fluffy and sweet to the taste, but it lacks substance, it has no nutritional value, and it isn’t good for you. Also, the cotton-candy gospel gives Christians an incomplete understanding of what the Christian life is really like. It leaves out a large segment of the instructions Jesus gave to His followers, which fall in the category of “hard” teachings. They’re hard, and therefore not easy to listen to, but they are vital for our spiritual health and for successful Christian living.

In the Great Commission, cited above in Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus told us to go out into the world and to make disciples. He didn’t tell us to just make converts. He told us to do the hard work of helping people to grow and to become spiritually mature. We are to teach them how to live successfully as His followers in this broken and bleeding and sin-filled world.

Coming to faith in Christ is a wonderful experience. It often results in feelings of relief and freedom, of hope and joy. Beyond that, as we begin to experience the manifold blessings of God, it all leaves us feeling very good. But more than just helping people to feel good we have to help them to actually be good. That’s where the discipleship part comes in. This is where the long-term transformation occurs. It’s in discipleship that bad habits fall away and new good habits begin. It’s in discipleship that the virtues of a solid Christian character are developed and manifest themselves in good behaviors. Salvation is important, but it’s just the starting place of the Christian life. From that point on it’s all about discipleship. And that’s where the hard work takes place.

I encourage you to help people to be good rather than just to feel good. Help them to become committed disciples of Christ. That’s primarily what the Great Commission is really all about.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

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

Our Bible verse for today: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Meet with Him in the depths of your heart.”

The primary purpose of our theme “Life on this side of the cross” has been to explore the amazing and significant differences between the Old Testament Age and the New Testament Age. The ways in which we experience and interact with God are exponentially different and better now than then. Jesus changed everything!

Perhaps the most significant difference in terms of day-to-day living is the fact that the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts (Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, who was placed there by God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). In the Old Testament the people of God went to the temple to enter into the presence of God. In the New Testament the people of God are the temple, and rather than us entering into the presence of God, God is present within us. That doesn’t mean that you are God, because of course, you aren’t. But it does mean that the presence of God is in you by means of the Holy Spirit living in your heart.

In terms of worship, nurture, comfort, and peace this is huge! In the Old Testament you went into the temple to meet with God. In the New Testament you plumb the depths of your heart to encounter Him within you. That’s where you meet Him in worship; that’s where your relationship with Him is nurtured; and that’s where you are embraced by the God of all comfort – right there in your own heart!

Today is Sunday, the day in which we typically gather as a church family. In that gathering we bring the worship that is taking place within our own heart and we join with others who are also worshiping in their hearts. Being joined together like that in worship can create a powerful spiritual dynamic.

Unfortunately, we won’t be gathered in the church building today. However, since we live in the New Testament Age, and since you have the Holy Spirit right there with you in your heart, you yourself are the temple! That means that you can experience great worship right where you are; and you can go deep into your heart and embrace the comfort of God, right there, right where you are. Even though there’s great value to our group gatherings, and therefore they should not be missed (Hebrews 10:24-25), you can still have a deep encounter with God this morning right there at home.

This morning I make Paul’s prayer for the Romans my prayer for you: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

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: “Take advantage of the time.”

In Romans 12:2 the Apostle Paul highlights a key difference between life in the Old Testament and life on this side of the cross in the age of the New Testament and of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, the practice of the faith for the people of God consisted, in large part, of memorizing and obeying a long list of rules and regulations. In the New Testament, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the practice of the faith involves a careful and consistent process of nurture and growth that leads us to become increasingly sensitive and responsive to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This is the process Paul referred to in Romans 12:2 which results in a transformation of mind and heart. That then enables us to become discerning individuals who understand the will of God and who live accordingly.

Paul was writing about spiritual maturity. It’s a process of growth that leads to increasing spiritual awareness and understanding. But it’s not magic. It doesn’t happen automatically. The implication of Paul’s teaching in Romans 12:2 is that you have to consistently take actions to place yourself in a position before God everyday whereby the Holy Spirit can work in your mind and heart to transform you into that spiritually mature person. It is a process, and it does take time, and you do have to work at it.

During this time of the coronavirus pandemic most of us have a lot of extra time on our hands. Some people are older or sick and are therefore staying almost entirely in the house. Others are unemployed right now. And even if you do go to work every day, you are still no longer able to participate in many of your other social and leisure activities, and therefore you too have extra time on your hands. How are you using that time? What an excellent opportunity this is to enhance and nurture your relationship with the Lord by spending lots of extra time in prayer, meditation, Bible study, memorizing scripture, reading good Christian books, watching Christian movies, writing in your journal, and spiritual activities like that.

This time of isolation can actually be a gift that ends up resulting in great spiritual growth for you. You can come out of this different, more mature, on a new level in your relationship with the Lord. I encourage you to redeem this time. Use it for a good purpose. As Paul wrote, be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

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

Our Bible verse for today: “All you have made will thank you, Lord; the faithful will bless you. They will speak of the glory of your kingdom and will declare your might, informing all people of your mighty acts and of the glorious splendor of your kingdom.” Psalm 145:10-12 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Speak words of praise and encouragement.”

I thank the Lord for positive people. I love having them around. I’m talking about people who see the glass half full rather than half empty; people who have a sunny disposition by nature and who manage to find good even in the middle of difficult times and trials; people who praise God and declare His goodness even while others are muttering and complaining.

If you listened to the Easter sermon I preached at Oak Hill Baptist Church (www.oakhillbaptist.net) then you might remember that at one point in the sermon I quoted a line from a great poem by the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The poem is about the ability of a spiritually mature person to see God and His glory, even in the common everyday situations of life. Here’s what she wrote: “Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God, But only he who sees takes off his shoes; The rest sit around and pluck blackberries.” In other words, we see glimpses of glory and hints of heaven all around us. Spiritually mature people notice and say so, while spiritually immature people are oblivious to it.

Spiritually mature people have the capacity to see good and to see God in the normal moments of life, and also in the difficult times, and they comment on it. They call other people’s attention to Him; they sing His praises; and they live a life or praise and joy. Sadly, many others fail to see it and waste their time complaining and criticizing instead. C.S. Lewis once noted that “cranks, misfits, and malcontents praise the least” while those who are “humblest and balanced and with capacious minds praise the most.” In other words, spiritually mature people are joyful and they praise God frequently, while immature people don’t.

We’re all living through a time right now that is testing people’s patience and their faith. Some have compared this time of worldwide pandemic to catastrophic times in history such as “The Black Death Pandemic” of 1347-1353 when the bubonic plague killed something like 100 million people; or the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1920 which infected 25% of the world’s population and killed about 50 million people; or the Great Depression; or World War II; or 9/11; or … well, pick your disaster. The point is that people are scared and pessimistic and saying a lot of negative things. But that’s not helpful.

This is a time for the people of God to be salt and light, bright spots in an otherwise dark time. Don’t minimize or be dismissive of the very real suffering and the very real problems associated with this pandemic, but don’t join in the negativity either. Jesus is still on the throne, you are still saved, and we will get through this. In the meantime, there’s still much good in the world. The beauty and splendor of God’s creation is still all around us and there is still much to praise Him and thank Him for. So how about if we, the people of God, lead that choir of praise today?

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

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

Our Bible verse for today: “And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.” 1 Samuel 23:16 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Good friends in Christ help each other to be strong in their faith.”

This morning I want to continue our discussion from yesterday about how we are to help each other to be strong in our faith. In yesterday’s devotional we considered two passages from the Old Testament (Proverbs 27:17 and Ecclesiastes 4:9-12), and two from the New Testament (Romans 1:11-12 and Hebrews 10:24-25). Today we will look at another from the Old Testament and one more from the New Testament.

In 1 Samuel chapters 18 through 31 we read about the close friendship between David and Jonathan, the son of King Saul. As we follow that story of their friendship, we find that they loved each other like brothers. 1 Samuel 23:16 is especially insightful and revealing. There we find that David has been on the run in the wilderness, being chased by the armies of Jonathan’s father King Saul. Saul was intensely jealous of David and had determined to kill him, so David was running for his life. Jonathan left the comfort and safety of the palace and went on a long and dangerous trek out into the wilderness in search of his friend, for the specific purpose of encouraging him and helping him to find strength in the Lord. What an inspiring example of true friendship!

In 1 Thessalonians 5:11 the Apostle Paul urges us, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” He wrote that in a directive tense. It’s an instruction intended to move us to act. We are to be intentional in our efforts to encourage one another and to build each other up.  And whereas in the Old Testament, in situations such as the friendship between David and Jonathan, they had to depend entirely on their feelings for each other, on this side of the cross, in the New Testament age, the followers of Jesus have the Holy Spirit living in our hearts and uniting us in Spirit. David and Jonathan loved each other as true friends do, and that was certainly admirable. But the followers of Christ have a connection that goes far deeper and way beyond simple feelings of friendship. We’re united with other believers by the Spirit.

I encourage you to spend a few moments in prayer right now and ask the Holy Spirit to bring to your mind a brother or sister who needs to be encouraged and strengthened. Somebody out there needs to hear from you. There is someone who you can help to find strength in the Lord today.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

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

Our Bible verse for today: “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong – that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” Romans 1:11-12 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Encourage one another”

I came to faith in Christ during the era of the Promise Keepers stadium events. In the late 80s and into the 90s the Promise Keepers movement was sweeping across the USA. Tens of thousands of Christian men were crowding into football stadiums for weekends of great music, inspiring teaching, and fellowship with other Christian men. There were also small Promise Keepers groups in churches and communities; there were Promise Keeper CDs and videos; there were Promise Keeper Bible studies; and lots more.

Two Old Testament verses that were commonly quoted in Promise Keeper events, and which became very helpful to me personally, were Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”, and Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

The experience of Promise Keepers helped me to learn early in my Christian life about the importance of having a good church family and accountability partners. But that’s not just an Old Testament lesson. Instead, this is one of the Biblical principles that has carried over and been retaught, and therefore reaffirmed, in the New Testament. In Hebrews 10:24-25 we read, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

In Romans 1:11-12 we even read about the great Apostle Paul – church planter, preacher, teacher, mentor to many, writer of two-thirds of the New Testament – even he was looking forward to being with the Roman Christians so that he could be encouraged and strengthened by them. It wasn’t just that he wanted to teach, inspire, encourage, and strengthen them, but he needed them to do that for him too.

It really is true that we need each other. Iron does sharpen iron. Two are better than one. A cord of three strands is stronger than a cord of one strand. And we do need to encourage and strengthen each other.

Somebody needs to hear from you today. Somebody you know needs to be strengthened and encouraged. Ask the Lord to bring that person to your mind right now and then reach out to them with a word of encouragement.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

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

Our Bible verse for today: “I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Life is a cycle of highs and lows, ups and downs, peaks and valleys.”

The Inca ruins at Machu Picchu in Peru is one of my favorite places in the world. I’ve been there five or six times now and hope to go back again. It is located in the Andes Mountains of South America and the views are spectacular. Machu Picchu itself sits at over 7500 feet but it is surrounded by soaring mountain peaks that rise to over 13,000 feet. The highest peak in Machu Picchu is called Huayna Picchu. Getting to the top is a long and tough climb but it’s worth it. There aren’t many places in the world that will provide you a view like that.

I’m a pretty adventurous guy and I love being on actual mountaintops. When I’m up there I find myself thinking “I love this. I could live here.” I also love the mountaintop experiences of life. Especially the spiritual mountaintops. And just as I would love to live on an actual physical mountaintop, so too I would like to spend all of my life on spiritual mountaintops. But, unfortunately, most of life isn’t lived on the mountaintops, it’s lived in the valleys. Mountaintops are special places. And the reason they are special is because they’re rare. If a mountaintop experience was a regular part of everyday life it would soon cease being special to us.

Life itself is actually a constant cycle of highs and lows, ups and downs, peaks and valleys. The key for us is to learn how to enjoy the mountaintop experiences, while still being content and faithful in the valleys of life. It’s all part of the normal ebb and flow of life.

In Philippians 1:6 the Apostle Paul hints at one of the keys to living the Christian life well. It’s the understanding that God is at work in the middle of our situations – the ups and downs, the highs and the lows, and He is using it all to mold us and shape us into the people He wants us to be.

The key for us is to learn to enjoy the mountaintops of life, but to also live well and faithfully in the valley experiences. God will help you to do it. He’s looking for faithfulness, especially in the hard times. An Old Testament passage which speaks to this is found in 2 Chronicles 16:9 where we read, “The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” (NIV)

As this coronavirus pandemic continues to play out, God is looking for faithful Christians who are determined to honor Him with the way they handle it. He will help you and strengthen you to deal with this difficult time well. I encourage you to show yourself faithful, even during times like this when you find yourself slugging it out in one of the valleys of life.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

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

Our Bible verse for today: “Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.” Romans 12:11-12 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Don’t start to fade.”

Welcome to week number four of the COVID 19 lock-down! How are you holding up? Have you had your fill of social distancing, hand sanitizer, face masks, and an economy in free-fall? Are you experiencing a little bit of cabin fever? Do you need a haircut? Are your pants getting tight? Are you getting grumpy? Have you suddenly discovered that your spouse blinks too loud?

Well, don’t let yourself start to fade! It appears as if the spread of the pandemic here in the USA is just about at its peak and we should be on the downhill side of this thing perhaps even this week. Now is the time to get your second wind.

I think perhaps the Apostle Paul wrote Romans 12:11-12 for just such a time as this. In those verses he gives us some excellent advice for handling difficult situations like this which seem to drag on and on and on. For one thing, he tells us to be patient. Give it time. This too shall pass. He also tells us remain hopeful. Romans 8:28 is still true and God will work in the middle of this mess to bring good things out of it. And he tells us to pray. Have some extra time on your hands, do you? Well then, now you’re not too busy to pray and read your Bible.

In those verses Paul also provides us with a few action items. He tells us to be diligent in our zealousness. In other words, don’t let yourself fade! Suck-it-up; ramp-it-up; resolve to be an even more enthusiastic follower of Christ now during this difficult time. And he tells us to serve. That’s right, even during this time of social restrictions you can still make it a point to serve the Lord and other people. Get on the phone and encourage some people. Send some cards and notes. Interact on social media. Go get some groceries for a shut-in or for an elderly or sick person. Find some ways to be useful to others.

But the most helpful piece of advice found in those verses is when he tells us to “be fervent in the Spirit.” In our age, on this side of the cross, we have the Holy Spirit living in our hearts strengthening us, encouraging us, and renewing us. So reach deep and encounter Him in your heart, He’s there for you.  On the other side of the cross, before Jesus came, and before the coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the people of God didn’t have the Spirit living in their hearts like we do today. But on this side of the cross, you have Him. So take advantage of it. He is there for you!

Now is not the time to fade. Now is the time to get your second wind and deal with the rest of this difficult situation in a manner that truly does bring honor and glory to Jesus. Let the rest of the world see how a committed follower of Christ handles something like this.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

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

Our Bible verse for today: “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “What the resurrection means for us.”

The resurrection of Jesus was the most important event in history. Death is the great enemy of the human race. But when Jesus arose from the grave, He defeated death once and for all. From that moment forward, any person who places his or her faith in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins receives the gift of eternal life and that person will never truly experience death.

In Biblical terms, true death is eternal separation from God and true life is to spend eternity in the presence of God. In that respect, no child of God ever experiences death. Physically we do experience the process of this mortal body dying, but the instant this body ceases to function our spirit is released from it and we are immediately in the presence of God. That’s what Jesus was explaining to Martha in John 11:25-26.

What happened in that scene was that Jesus’ friend Lazarus was sick, and so his sisters Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus to come to them so he could heal their brother. But by the time Jesus got there Lazarus had already been dead and in the tomb four days. In verses 25-26, as Jesus and Martha stood in front of the tomb, Jesus asked Martha if she believed that her brother would live again. Martha gave a theologically correct answer indicating that she knew that because of his faith in Christ, her brother would indeed live for eternity in the presence of God. That’s exactly the response Jesus was looking for. Jesus also intended to return the mortal body of Lazarus to life in just a few moments but first, He wanted to establish this important theological truth for Martha and for the rest of us too: Faith in the resurrected Christ leads to eternal life.

This is what the resurrection of Jesus means for us. Because He lives, so will we. Because He defeated death once and for all, we too are now freed from the curse of death. This is what the Apostle Paul meant when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:54-55 “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, death, is your victory? Where, death is your sting?
The answer, of course, is that death now has no sting. Because He lives, so will we.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

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

Our Bible verse for today: “For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, in which he also went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison who in the past were disobedient …” 1 Peter 3:18-20 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “With God there is always something going on behind the scenes.”

On Friday Jesus suffered and died upon the cross, taking the sins of the world upon Himself. On Saturday He was in the grave and it appeared as if He had failed in His mission to redeem the world. To those who had observed those events, they could only conclude that it had all come to a sad end.

But there was a lot happening behind the scenes.

In 1 Peter 3:18-20 we discover that on Saturday, while His physical body was in the tomb, Jesus was in the spiritual realm declaring a message of victory to imprisoned demons. Not only did people in the physical realm believe that Jesus had failed in His mission, but at that point Satan and the demons thought so too. But what happened on the cross was actually a great victory, and what was going to happen on Sunday would be a bigger victory still. So on Saturday, while the body of Jesus was in the tomb, there was a lot going on behind the scenes in the spiritual realm. I will teach more about this in the Easter sermon at Oak Hill Baptist Church this Sunday morning. You can watch and listen at www.oakhillbaptist.net.

What we see being demonstrated in that passage is the great truth that with God there are always things going on behind the scenes, things that we are probably unaware of. This is what the Apostle Paul was explaining to us in Romans 8:28 when he wrote, “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” That does not mean that all things are good, because of course many things are not, they are bad. The crucifixion of Jesus was a cruel and horrible act that was bad. But God works behind the scenes in bad situations bringing good things out of them for those who love Him.

That was true for Jesus and it’s true in your life too. Regardless of how rough Friday was, and regardless of how bad things might look on Saturday, God is at work in the middle of your situation and Sunday is coming! As I wrote in yesterday’s devotional, hang in there. Better days are coming. God’s not done yet. There are good things being prepared for you behind the scenes that you’re not even aware of yet.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim