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

Our Bible verse for today: “You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world …” Matthew 5:13;14 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “A Christian response to the COVID 19 pandemic.”

As we follow the ministry of Jesus through the Gospel accounts, we see that He was drawn to those who were suffering. He healed a leper and an unclean woman with a flow of blood that made her impure; he raised the dead; He allowed Himself to be touched by a prostitute who was considered ritually unclean; He dined with sinners and outcasts; and on and on it went. He then taught His followers to go and do likewise – and they have been doing so ever since.

Down through the ages, for almost 2000 years, during plagues, famines, natural disasters, and much more, Christians have always viewed such periods of mass human suffering as an opportunity to “be Jesus” to those who were suffering. Whether that meant caring for the sick, providing food to the hungry and water to the thirsty, clearing debris after a tornado, or comforting the distraught and sharing the Good News of the Gospel, Christians have a history of treating times like that as an opportunity to be salt and light as Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount.

That continues to be true today. As the world is currently wrestling with the outbreak and rapid spread of the COVID 19 virus, and as governments and health agencies scramble to respond to it, many people are succumbing to fear and panic. We see news reports of crowds of people storming to big box stores, clearing shelves of basic commodities, fighting in the aisles over rolls of toilet paper, and all sorts of other outrageous behavior driven by fear and uncertainty.

As sad and serious as the current situation is, it’s also an excellent opportunity for Christians to shine for Jesus. This is the time for us to wade into the chaos and be the agents of peace, the voices of reason, the ones who help to make things better instead of worse.

On Sunday March 15^th at Oak Hill Baptist Church I preached a sermon about the COVID 19 outbreak. In that sermon I attempted to separate fact from fiction in order to dispel some of the misinformation that is being spread about this situation, and I also offered a Biblical perspective and a roadmap forward for individual Christians and for the Church. You can listen to that sermon on our website at www.oakhillbaptist.net. Just click on the “listen” tab and select the sermon for March 15, 2020.

In the midst of any crisis and chaos there is always an opportunity for Christians to shine. This is one of those times. I encourage you to shine the light of Christ into the darkness of fear and uncertainty. Be a calming influence and a voice of reason, an agent of peace and love in the midst of panic and human despair.

We’ll think more about this tomorrow.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

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

Our Bible verse for today: “If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you.” John 15:18-19 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Satan hasn’t stopped us yet, and he’s not going to stop us now.”

Over the last few days we’ve been considering how it is that on this side of the cross we – the followers of Jesus – are to be on-mission with Him in this world blessing people in His name and sharing with them the Good News of the Gospel. And we have considered the fact that often that mission can seem a lot like “Mission Impossible”. Sometimes it can be just plain hard! We also thought about the fact that we are engaged in constant spiritual warfare as the forces of Satan oppose our efforts, but we also found that Jesus promised us that His kingdom will prevail and the very gates of hell will not be able to stop it (Matthew 16:18)

In John 16:18-19 Jesus told us it wasn’t going to be easy. Satan, the forces of evil aligned with him, and the people in the world under his sway, all hate Jesus and therefore they will also hate and oppose those of us who follow Him. That’s just the way it is. And, it has always been like that. From the time of those first followers of Jesus, down through the last 2000 years and right up until today, Christians have always been opposed by the forces of evil in the spiritual realm and in the world. It’s no different for us today but remember, you’re on the winning side! The very gates of hell cannot prevent us from accomplishing the Father’s will.

To prove that point let me share some statistics with you. There are approximately 7.5 billion people living on earth this morning. 2.4 billion of them profess to be Christians. That’s roughly 1/3 of the entire population who profess to follow Jesus. Your guess is as good as mine as to how many of those professing Christians are true followers of Christ but still, 1/3 of the population of the world claims to be. Despite all the satanic opposition Christians have faced over the last 2000 years, there are more Christians in the world today than ever before. Yes, the kingdom will grow and prevail and the gates of hell cannot stop it!

Here’s another fun fact: Although it’s difficult to accurately calculate what the total population of the earth has been over the 2000 years since the time of Christ (estimates vary), the right number seems to be right around 60 billion. And likewise, it’s difficult to estimate how many professing Christians there have been over that time (although thanks to church records this one is a little easier to calculate), but there seems to have been approximately 3 billion up to the current generation. Adding the current 2.4 billion to that number, the total number of professing Christians ever, since the time of Jesus, is somewhere between 5-6 billion. Not bad for a movement that started with a scared bunch of dejected disciples huddled together in an upper room in Jerusalem!

Courage my friends. Satan hasn’t been able to stop us up to this point and he’s not going to stop us now! We’ll think more about this tomorrow.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

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

Our Bible verse for today: “Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus responded, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” Matthew 16:16-18 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Even the gates of hell can’t stop us.”

Yesterday we thought about the Great Commission Jesus gave to us and how it is that sometimes that mission can seem like “Mission Impossible”. The fact is that we live in a broken and sometimes crazy world. Satan and his demonic hordes are present and very actively working in opposition to the people of God.

That’s especially true for Christians who are passionate about being on-mission with Jesus. Casual Christians don’t need to worry about encountering too much opposition from the dark side because they’re not doing much that causes Satan any real concern. Therefore, he and the demons don’t need to pay too much attention to those people. But for the ones who are serious and intentional and who are out there making a real impact for the cause of Christ, buckle your seat belts! It’s likely to be a rough ride. The forces of evil will oppose your efforts. That’s what Paul was writing about in Ephesians 6:10-20 when he went to such great lengths to stress the reality of the spiritual warfare believers are engaged in every day.

So, it could seem as if this mission of ours is indeed close to impossible. And that would be true except that we have the Holy Spirit working in us and through us to accomplish the objectives of God. In Matthew 16:16-18 Jesus made it clear that His kingdom will be established, and His goals will be achieved, and that the best efforts of the powers of hell will not be able to prevent that from happening. When Jesus said the words “on this rock I will build my church” He was referring to the strong profession of faith that Peter had just made. It is upon a strong and bold profession of faith like that, and on the actions that flow from such strong faith, that the church of Christ is built. Nothing Satan and the demons do can prevent it. The forces of darkness are powerful, but they are no match for the power of God at work through His people.

So what does that mean for you and me as we live our daily lives on-mission with Jesus in this crazy and difficult and sometimes dangerous world? We will explore that thought further tomorrow. In the meantime, just know that you are on the winning side! The very gates of hell cannot prevent the kingdom from being established and from growing.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

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: “Your mission, should you choose to accept it is …”

When I was growing up in the 1960s there was a popular weekly television series called “Mission Impossible”. Each episode began with special agent Jim Phelps (Peter Graves) listening to a cassette recording of a deep male voice saying “Good Morning Mr. Phelps. Your mission, should you choose to accept it is …” And the voice would then go on to describe some impossible mission that Mr. Phelps and his team would have to accomplish in the 30 minutes allotted to that weekly episode. The audience would then watch as the cassette tape self-destructed with hissing and smoke.

In Matthew 28:19-20, and again in Acts 1:8 and Mark 16:15, Jesus gave us, His followers, our mission. We are to go into all the world on His behalf, sharing the Good News of the Gospel, leading people to faith in Christ, and teaching them how to be His disciples too. This is the primary reason God left you here on earth after He saved you from your sins. God’s great desire, and His ultimate goal, is to create an eternal family to spend eternity with Him in heaven. It is His desire that none be lost (Matthew 18:14; John 6:39; 2 Peter 3:9), but that all should have the opportunity to place their faith in Christ and be adopted into the family of God. This is why Jesus came to earth to begin with.

Once a person has placed his or her faith in Christ, the Father could instantly bring that person to heaven now that His ultimate objective for that person has been accomplished. But seldom does He do that. Instead, He leaves us on this earth for some period of time so that we can participate in this mission of helping to draw others to Him as well. That’s what the Great Commission is all about. It’s the mission of the followers of Christ to spread out across the earth carrying on the work of Christ.

Sadly, many Christians don’t accept that mission, or at least they don’t participate in it in any meaningful way. Sometimes it’s because they’re lazy; other times it’s because they’re not really concerned much about the salvation of others; sometimes it’s because they haven’t been taught how to participate in the mission; and sometimes it’s because they’re afraid. This mission of ours really can seem as if it is “Mission Impossible” and it can therefore sometimes be a bit intimidating.

But we don’t need to feel afraid or intimidated. Remember, we have the Holy Spirit living in our hearts teaching, leading, guiding, and empowering.  He is the One who makes it possible for us to be successful in what would otherwise be an impossible mission. We’ll think more about this in the days to come. In the meantime, I encourage you to accept your mission and get busy telling others the Good News of the Gospel.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

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

Our Bible verse for today: “When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them.” Acts 2:1-4 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “The sequence of events was complete and the new era had begun.”

The Day of Pentecost was the last in a long sequence of events that brought mankind into the final chapter (or dispensation) of human history before Christ will return. It began with the incarnation of Christ, which led to His birth, followed by thirty-three years of life, then His death on the cross, then His resurrection three days later, and then forty days of post-resurrection appearances and ministry, followed by the ascension.

For ten days after the ascension the disciples huddled together in Jerusalem in eager anticipation of the coming of the Holy Spirit. They didn’t know exactly when that would be or what it would mean, but they knew He was coming and that God would then be present with them in the form of the Spirit, rather than in the human body of Jesus.

On the day of Pentecost they were all together, presumably in a prayer meeting or worship service, and the Spirit arrived in spectacular fashion with wind and noise and power. He filled them and gave each one the ability to speak in tongues. But, as verse 11 explains, the tongues they were speaking in were human languages that they had not known prior to this, but which they were now miraculously fluent in and which they used to share the Good News with the people around them who spoke those languages.

So now all the pieces were in place. The new era was fully inaugurated and the disciples of Christ were prepared to spread out across the world carrying on His work to spread the Good News of the Gospel far and wide – even to the very ends of the earth. This is the age of human history that you and I now live in. The question we are left with then, (borrowing a great book title from the eminent Bible scholar Francis Schaeffer) is, “How Should We Then Live?” In other words, since we have the full revelation of God about Himself in the form of the Bible; and since we have the Holy Spirit of God living in our hearts informing us, guiding us, and empowering us; and since we have been adopted into God’s family making us co-heirs with Christ of God’s kingdom; what is it God expects of us His people? Now should we now live?

We will spend the rest of the month exploring that question.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

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

Our Bible verse for today: “Then he led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. And while he was blessing them, he left them and was carried up into heaven. After worshiping him, they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they were continually in the temple praising God.” Luke 24:50-53 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Jesus was gone, but not for long.”

Jesus spent approximately thirty-three years on earth in a human body. Then, after His resurrection, He spent forty days more on earth in His resurrection body. The Bible records ten different occasions during this forty-day period when the resurrected Jesus appeared to hundreds of people. There could very well have been more occasions that the Bible does not tell us about, but we do know there were at least ten involving hundreds of different people.

Then, at the end of the forty days, Jesus took a group of His closest followers out to the Mount of Olives near the village of Bethany, about a day’s walk from Jerusalem. He was about to leave them and return to heaven, and this confused them. They had been thinking all along that the Messiah, when He finally came, would restore the kingdom of God on earth – and they were especially thinking that once they witnessed Jesus in His resurrection body. So as they stood there on the Mount, with Jesus about to leave them by ascending back into heaven, they asked Him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” (Acts 1:6) But Jesus said, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8).

There was then one more thing that had to happen before the final phase of God’s plan for mankind would be fully inaugurated. The Holy Spirit was coming and He would infuse them with the power they would need in order to carry on the work of Christ on earth. They still didn’t fully understand what that meant, but they were eagerly looking forward to it. That passage in Acts chapter one goes on to tell us that as soon as Jesus had said these words His body literally left the ground before their eyes and He ascended up in the air and out of sight. Then angels stood before them and said “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

The disciples then returned to Jerusalem filled with joy and eagerness and a great sense of expectation. Ten days later, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came as promised. We will pick the story up there tomorrow.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

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

Our Bible verse for today: “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” asked the men. “He is not here, but he has risen! Remember how he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee, saying, ‘It is necessary that the Son of Man be betrayed into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day’? And they remembered his words.” Luke 24:5-8 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Jesus defeated the curse of death.”

All this month we’ve been considering how it is that Jesus changed everything with respect to the manner in which people are able to relate to God. We’ve seen first that Jesus was God in a human body. While He was here, He spoke the words of God to us and He showed us who God is and what He is like, and He did it in ways that we can understand and relate to.

We also learned that when He died upon the cross, He took upon Himself all of our sins, and in exchange He gives us all of His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Because of that great act of substitution, we can now enter into God’s holy, pure, and perfect heaven. Then, next in the sequence of changes that had to occur in order to usher mankind into the final age of human history, Jesus defeated death.

The resurrection of Christ has rightly been called the greatest event in all of human history. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, humans have had to contend with a steadily deteriorating physical condition that ultimately results in physical death. Death is often referred to as a curse, and it is something humans fear. But when Jesus arose from the dead, He defeated death. When He demonstrated His power over death, He made it possible for those who have faith in Him to defeat death as well. That doesn’t mean that we will never die physically, even Jesus suffered physical death. But it does mean that just as Jesus had life after death, so will we (Mark 16:16; John 3:16; 3:36; 5:24: 6:47).

So at this point in the sequence of events, with the resurrection an accomplished fact, the groundwork had all been laid – all but two of the pieces were in place. All that was left before the last era of human history was fully inaugurated was for Jesus to ascend back into heaven, and for the Holy Spirit to come on the day of Pentecost. We will consider those two events next.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

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

Our Bible verse for today: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” John 6:44 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “The Holy Spirit draws us to Christ”

So far in our study of life on this side of the cross we’ve learned that when Jesus came to earth, He changed everything. He ushered the human race into the final age of human history and from that point on, we would be able to relate to Father God in a completely new, and much more personal way than was ever possible before.

Throughout His ministry here on earth – especially in the months before His crucifixion and then in the six weeks after His resurrection, Jesus promised that once He ascended back to heaven the Holy Spirit would be sent to earth to take His place. Jesus explained that the work of the Spirit would be to serve as our counselor and guide, and He would convict us of our sin.

Another role of the Spirit is to draw people to God through Christ. In John 6:44 Jesus said that no one would be able to come to Him unless the Father draws him. In John 12:32 Jesus promised that once He had been lifted up and glorified, returning to His place in heaven at the right hand of the Father, the drawing would then take place: “But when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself.” The drawing is actually accomplished by the work of the Holy Spirit. The Father and the Son are in heaven, the Holy Spirit is at work on earth. The Spirit draws us to the Son for salvation, and the Son presents us to the Father as His children to be adopted into the family of God.

The Holy Spirit draws us to Christ first of all for salvation. All throughout your life the Spirit works quietly behind the scenes creating situations to confront you with your sin and to show you your need for a Savior. Then, once you have placed your faith in Christ, His drawing power shifts to the work of discipleship. As your counselor and guide, and as the one who convicts you of your sin, it’s His job to draw you into an ever-deepening relationship with Jesus and the Father.

For the people of God on this side of the cross we are actually drawn to God – first for salvation through Christ, and then into serious and deep discipleship with Him. The Holy Spirit is the One who does the drawing.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

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

Our Bible verse for today: “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say?” Luke 6:46 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Accept Him as Savior, and follow Him as Lord.”

Obedience has always been a problem for God’s people. Beginning with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and extending all the way through history to you and me this morning, living in faithful obedience to God’s commands has always been something of a challenge for us.

For the Old Testament Jews God provided detailed instructions which began with the Ten Commandments, and it eventually included the entirety of the Mosaic Law. The Scribes and Pharisees then took what God had given through Moses, and embellished it in extraordinary ways in an effort to give the people detailed instructions to guide virtually every aspect of life. But still, it wasn’t enough. The people still lived in disobedience and were constantly having to offer sacrifices to atone for their sins.

Even in the days when the human Jesus was walking among us, people disobeyed Him. That’s what He was referring to in Luke 6:46 when He asked, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say?” It’s no different in our day. There are plenty of people running around professing to be Christians, calling Jesus “Lord, Lord”, but then not doing the things that He says.

This is where the Holy Spirit comes in. As we learned yesterday, one of the things He does in our lives is to convict us of sin. Therefore, when we do stray from acceptable standards of conduct we have our personal mentor and life coach, the One who lives in our heart and who is with us 24/7, the One who whispers quietly into our heart “You’re not supposed to be doing that, you big dummy!” (Or words to that effect).  He then guides us to the truth, counsels us, reminds us of what we know to be right based upon our knowledge of God’s Word, and He nudges us back into the center of God’s will.

Sadly, there are many people who profess Jesus as Savior but who do not follow Him as Lord. A real and deep and dynamic relationship with the Holy Spirit will help us to avoid that pitfall. The Holy Spirit is the One who draws us to Christ for salvation (we will see this tomorrow), but He is also the One who enables us to follow Him as Lord. I encourage you to nurture your relationship with the Spirit and follow Jesus as Lord.

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 about sin, righteousness, and judgment.” John 16:7-8 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in our lives.”

In yesterday’s devotional we read about Jesus starting to prepare His disciples for His departure from this world and for the coming of the Holy Spirit in His place. In today’s passage from John 16:7-8 He even tells them that they will be better off when He is gone and the Spirit has come. At that time, they couldn’t possibly comprehend how that could be. They didn’t understand that rather than having the human Jesus living with them, they would instead have the Holy Spirit living inside of them. That understanding still eluded them, but it shouldn’t elude us. The important truth about the nature of the Spirit’s work in the lives of believers pertains to our lives too, and therefore we must understand it and embrace it.

Yesterday, in John 14:16, we read that Jesus called the Spirit “The Counselor”. What that means is that the Spirit living in our hearts whispers wise words of counsel to us as we make decisions day-by-day and moment-by-moment. He guides us in big ways and in small. Jesus also called Him “The Spirit of truth”, meaning that the Spirit helps Christians to discern truth from lies – the ways of God from the ways of Satan. In John 16:13 He said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.”

In John 14:26 Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will teach us, and He will also remind us of the things we have learned. In other words, once you have made the effort to learn the important truths of God, and once you have memorized passages of Scripture, the Holy Spirit will bring those lessons and those passages to your mind at the times when you need them. (However, He won’t bring to your mind things you never bothered to put in there to begin with! So, study the Bible, learn the lessons, and memorize the verses so they will be there for the Spirit to remind you of.)

Finally, in today’s passage, in John 16:8, Jesus tells us that another function of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of sin. By “world” Jesus meant the individuals who make up the world. In other words, you and me. The Holy Spirit will convict you and me of our sins. That’s one of the important roles He plays in our lives.

As Jesus was patiently working with His young disciples and building this body of understanding for them, He was helping them to understand that on this side of the cross, rather than relying on the Old Testament Law as our guide for living, or even on the human Jesus walking with us, we would have the Holy Spirit of God living in our hearts and working in our lives to convict, teach, guide, counsel, and remind. He is your own personal mentor and life-coach who is with you 24/7 and who never leaves you. How well do you know Him? How much influence are you allowing Him to have in your life?

We’ll continue thinking about this tomorrow.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim