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.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “Plans fail when there is no counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Proverbs 15:22   Our thought for today: “Don’t live in an echo chamber – part two”   In 2005 Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin published her bestselling work “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln”. It was about how upon winning the Presidency, Lincoln recruited into his cabinet to be his closest advisors a team of political rivals who had previously vigorously opposed him. Lincoln brought these rivals into his inner circle for numerous reasons, but one was because he wanted intelligent people around him who would challenge his thinking and force him to be clear and sharp about what he believed and why he believed it.   The kind of intellectual courage and confidence displayed by Lincoln by surrounding himself with people from opposing points of view used to be an attribute that was admired, promoted, and taught in American society. College campuses used to be places where young people were forced to grapple with a vast array of competing and conflicting ideas and to sort through them, eventually deciding for themselves what ideas were true and best.   But not anymore. Today in our culture it is much more common for people to retreat into “echo chambers”, or “safe-spaces” where they don’t have to deal with competing ideas. The term “echo chamber” is a metaphor for an environment where only safe and agreeable ideas are allowed in, and all others are shut out. Therefore, the only ideas the person inside the echo chamber is exposed to are those they already agree with.    As was note in yesterday’s devotional, the most extreme example of this is seen on college campuses among young liberals. However, conservatives are equally guilty of creating echo chambers, and this is not a good thing. Proverbs 15:22 is just one of several Proverbs where wise King Solomon exhorted his readers to be open to considering various points of view before deciding what to believe and what actions to take.    This is important advice. Christians in our day need to be strong and clear in our thinking so we can effectively engage with people regarding the important issues of our day. I believe that all of us, on both sides of the political spectrum, need to come out of our echo chambers. We need to have the courage to honestly listen to and explore the ideas being promoted by those different from us.   Abraham Lincoln wasn’t afraid of giving serious thought to opposing ideas, and we shouldn’t be either. We need to be willing to listen to what others are saying, compare that to what we believe, and then decide what the best position is. If we do that, our own thinking will be sharper and our intellect will be stronger. And also, we just might come to a better understanding of the people who see things differently than we do.    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: “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisors make victory sure.” Proverbs 11:14   Our thought for today: “Don’t live in an echo chamber.”   This morning we will continue our discussion from yesterday about the fact that the sky is not falling and therefore it’s important that we don’t sound as if it is. When we Christians allow ourselves to get swept up in and carried away with extreme or fatalistic thinking, it diminishes the power of the redemptive message our Lord has given us to preach. In the eyes of the unbelieving world we begin to appear silly and simple-minded, and that damages our credibility.   One of the ways we can sometimes slide into a “sky is falling” perspective, is when we allow ourselves to live in an echo chamber environment. The term “echo chamber” is a metaphor for an environment where only safe and agreeable ideas are allowed in, and all others are shut out. Therefore, the only ideas the person inside the echo chamber is exposed to are those that they already agree with.    The most extreme example of this is seen on college campuses where uncomfortable ideas and opposing ideologies are deemed as being “emotional violence”, and students are afforded safe-space echo chamber environments which they can retreat to in order to avoid anything that doesn’t conform to their way of thinking. Creating echo chamber safe-spaces for those students is extremely damaging. It reinforces the belief that they should never have to be exposed to or required to contend with opposing ideas. It also cripples their ability to engage in critical thinking.   However, conservatives are equally guilty of creating echo chambers. How many of us get our news exclusively from conservative sources? How often do we engage in serious discussions about important issues with those who think differently than us, rather than just with our friends who already agree with us? The truth is that like those students on college campuses, we too sometimes shut-out opposing points of view. Also, when we do consider opposing viewpoints, rather than going directly to the liberal sources to determine what their ideas really are, our information about those issues often comes to us filtered through the conservative reporters and commentators we rely on for our news.   This is life in an echo chamber and it amounts to allowing others to think for us. But in Proverbs 11:14 Solomon was writing about the importance of considering various points of view before we come to the conclusion that we fully understand an issue and therefore know everything we need to know about it.   The further our nation drifts from Biblical principles, the more important it is for Christians to be strong and clear in our thinking and able to articulate our message in a reasoned and convincing manner. Life lived in an echo chamber is not only limiting, it is damaging in that it hinders our ability to effectively engage with those who think differently than us. This is so important that we will continue our discussion of it tomorrow by considering a courageous and inspiring example from President Abraham Lincoln. He refused to allow an echo chamber environment to exist in his White House.   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: “… I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” Matthew 16:18 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “The sky is not falling.”   Chuck Colson served as Special Counsel to the President during the administration of Richard Nixon. He was known as Nixon’s hatchet man because he was relentless in attacking and undermining the President’s political enemies. If you crossed the President, or Colson himself, he would cut you off at the knees and toss your body into the parking lot. He was ruthless.   Chuck ended up going to prison for his part in the Watergate scandal and while there, he became a Christian. He then spent the rest of his life serving prisoners and their families, writing good Christian books, and being a high-profile spokesman for many Christian causes. One of the last books he wrote before he died was “The Sky is Not Falling: Living Fearlessly in These Turbulent Times”. It was written in response to the embarrassing way in which many conservative Christians conducted themselves after the election of Barak Obama in 2008. To listen to them you would have thought that Barak Obama was the anti-Christ, that the apocalypse was upon us, and surely Jesus was coming back at any moment. In short, they were running around like a bunch of “Chicken Little’s” crying that the sky was falling.  But it wasn’t.   And it isn’t in our day either. As difficult as our times seem – with a pandemic, with racial tensions at a high level, with riots in the streets of major cities, with an economy in the toilet, with a nasty Presidential election in the offing, with the liberals going so far left that they’re halfway to Hawaii and still going, and with the prospect of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in some important position in a Joe Biden administration – yes, as bad as all that seems, the sky is not falling. Jesus is still on the throne, you are still saved, and the kingdom of God will continue to spread all across the globe. As Colson wrote back then and as is still true today:   “Only one compelling claim to transcendent truth remains, one secure hope: Christianity. The church has stood unshaken through the ebb and flow of two millennia. It has survived both the barbarian invasions of the Middle Ages and the intellectual assaults of the modern era. Its solid walls rise up above the ruins littered across the intellectual landscape. This moment, when the culture at large is facing the bankruptcy of its systems, is the worst possible time for Christians to despair. On the contrary, it is time for us to blow trumpets and fly the flag high.”   Amen! What was true in 2008 is still true today. This is a time for us to claim the cultural high ground, be salt and light, serve in the name of Christ, and preach the Gospel without fear and without apology.   I encourage you to resist getting caught up in the fear and hysteria being spread by so many in the Christian community (especially on social media). Think for yourself. Better still, let Jesus think for you. He proclaimed that the gates of hell itself could not and would not hinder His kingdom-building work. That is our sure confidence. Jesus wins, and therefore so do we.   The sky is not falling. So please, let’s stop acting as if it is.   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: “May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me; I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.” John 17:21; 23 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Come out of the world for a while.”   John chapter seventeen has been called “The great priestly prayer of Jesus”. The entire chapter records a lengthy prayer spoken by Jesus to the Father. In it He prays for Himself, and for those who were His disciples in that day, and for all those who would ever be His followers. That’s the section in which John 17:21; 23 appears – it’s part of Jesus’ prayer for all future believers.   Jesus was praying there that His followers would enjoy a sense of unity and peace among themselves that would be similar to the relationship enjoyed by the three persons of the Trinity. That then, would be a great testimony to the world and it would bring glory to God. This is an important understanding for us as we prepare to gather with our church families this Sunday.   As a Pastor I spend a lot of time with people behind the scenes of their personal lives, helping them to sort through all sorts of difficult and painful life situations. Doing so helps me to appreciate the truth that everybody has stuff going on in their lives that they wish wasn’t there. Everybody. Including you and including me. We’re all dealing with stuff. That’s just life. And that means that life is challenging and stressful for all of us, even during the best of times.   But then, if you add on top of the normal stuff all of the craziness that’s part of our world these days, including the COVID 19 pandemic and all of its associated side issues; along with the racial tensions and the protests and riots; along with the angry and divisive political situation we have right now in this country; and all of it together will absolutely wear a good person out! The constant stress and strain of all of it combined leaves everyone a bit edgy and jaded. And that of course, can result in unpleasant and unhelpful additional tensions and problems.   Back to John 17:21;23: Jesus’ prayer is that His people will come together in unity and enjoy the sweet, sweet fellowship that He enjoys with the Father and the Holy Spirit within the structure of the Trinity. That’s an image of what our times together as a church family should look like.   Sabbath is a day for worship, fellowship, rest, and renewal. It’s a time intended by God for His people to be rejuvenated in body and soul. It’s a time to take a break from all the thinking that the rest of life requires from us the other six days of the week. I encourage you to come out of the world for a while and enter into the sweet fellowship of the Body of Christ as your church family comes together. It’s what Jesus prayed for. I hope to see you on Sunday.   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: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” Isaiah 5:20 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Beware of ‘The Brave New World’, but don’t fear it.”   In 1932 British author Aldous Huxley published his dark and disturbing novel “A Brave New World.” The story is set in a futuristic One World society where individuals are genetically engineered in the womb to fit into certain classes, and where overlord government officials use sleep-learning and a variety of other psychological tools to manipulate and control the population. The result is that the authorities are easily able to control the people, getting them to believe and do whatever is required of them. There’s much more to the story, including some brave heroes who discover the truth and rebel against it, but now you have the context and the setting of the story.   Our world today has become something of a “Brave New World”, and in the same bad way. In our case the efforts to control and manipulate people haven’t reached the draconian depths depicted by Huxley in his story, but they are heavy-handed and they are bad. We’re in the situation the prophet Isaiah wrote about in Isaiah 5:20 whereby powerful persuasive cultural forces have convinced masses of people to abandon long-held and time-honored traditional Biblical principles of morality and righteousness, and substitute for it a severely distorted understanding of right and wrong, of good and evil. Ours has become an up-side-down world where what used to be called good is now considered evil, and what used to be evil is now considered good. And, worse, if you don’t agree with that new perspective it means that you are evil too.   Sadly, masses of people, including many Christians, are giving in to the powerful cultural forces and are being swept up in the new way of thinking. They’re abandoning the time-honored long-held beliefs given to us by God in the Bible, and accepting the theology and morality of our Brave New World. Why? Sometimes it’s because their moorings in correct theology weren’t strong to begin with and therefore, they are easily fooled into believing a lie. In other cases, they have found that life is easier if you just go along so you can get along. In either case, they drank the cool-aid and they have joined the larger culture in the new up-side-down way of thinking.   The way we as Christians avoid that happening to us is to think for ourselves. First, we must be solid in our faith. We must know what we believe and why we believe it. We must be securely moored to the foundational principles of our faith. Then we have to have the courage to resist the lies and to stand strong for what we know to be true.   Life in our Brave New World is not going to be easy, but the good news is that Jesus promised us He would never leave us nor abandon us (Hebrews 13:5), and that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).   Beware of the Brave New World, but don’t fear it.   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 dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.” James 1:19-20   Our thought for today: “Don’t take the bait.”   More than twenty years ago author John Bevere wrote a great book that has become a classic of Christian literature and which is still widely studied by Christians today. The title was “The Bait of Satan: Living Free from the Deadly Trap of Offense”. The premise of the book is that Satan wants people to be offended and angry because, as James said, anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. So he studies us; he determines the things that are most likely to jerk our chains and cause us to be offended; and then he points them out to us and encourages us to be outraged. The potential offense becomes “bait” and Satan dangles it in front of us tempting us to snatch it and get hooked into being offended.   That was twenty years ago. Personally, I’m thinking too few of us read the book. America today is the land of outrage and offense. Our society thrives on outrage. It exists on all sides of the social and political spectrums and it weakens us as individuals and as a society. Congressman Dan Crenshaw writes, “If you’re losing your cool, you are losing. If you are triggered, it is because you allowed someone else to dictate your emotional state. If you are outraged, it is because you lack discipline and self-control. These are personal defeats, not the fault of anyone else. And each defeat shapes who you are as a person, and in the collective sense, who we are as a people.”   To be sure, there are things that should bother us and cause us to speak up. But the kinds of outrage and offense that John and Dan write about in their books is anger and offense that is driven by emotion rather than by reason.   Today offense and outrage are not only common, they are trendy. It’s hip to be outraged. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez even publicly declared “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention!” The message is “Be part of the cool-kids club. Join us in our outrage!” It’s that mob mentality we were thinking about in an earlier devotional in this series.   But according to the Bible, being easily offended, and being driven to the kind of outrage that we’re talking about here, is not cool, instead it’s actually a sign of intellectual and spiritual weakness.   I encourage you to resist the bait. Don’t allow Satan to entice you into participating in the outrage culture. Most things that people allow to trigger them are relatively unimportant in the grand scheme of things and therefore should be like water off a duck’s back to us. It should just roll right off. I encourage you to resist the bait of Satan. Don’t allow yourself to be triggered. Don’t be part of the outrage culture.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

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