Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A life that matters”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “We are to be kingdom people.”

 

Many of you probably noticed that our Bible verse for today and our thought for today are identical to yesterdays. That’s because I want to continue the discussion we began yesterday about being kingdom people, as well as what obedience to Jesus’ command in Acts 1:8 should look like in the lives of individual Christians and their churches.

 

The editors of “The Mission of God Study Bible” made an interesting point when they wrote, “God is a sending God, a missionary God, who has called His people, the church, to be missionary agents of His love and glory … Although it is frequently stated “God’s church has a mission”, according to missional theology, a more accurate expression is “God’s mission has a church.”

 

I like that – “God’s mission has a church”. Jesus called us to be His missionary agents in this world. That’s what Acts 1:8 is all about. To accomplish that we have to take the practice of our faith outside the walls of the church building, making a difference by spreading the love and glory of God in a broken and bleeding world.

 

The way we accomplish that at Oak Hill Baptist Church is we have adopted one mission project in our Jerusalem (Cumberland County, TN) which regularly takes us as a group out of the church building. In our case we partner in a variety of different ways with the Bread of Life Rescue Mission in our town. In our Judea (the state of Tennessee) we have a partnership with the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home. We regularly leave our church building and go do things with the girls who live in that home. In our Samaria (the coal mining region in eastern Kentucky) we partner with a small church in a very impoverished rural area. Three times a year we take weekend mission trips to bring relief supplies to help them minister in their community. And throughout the year some of our members go on short-term overseas mission trips with CERT International (The Christian Emergency Relief Teams). We are also the host church for a family of Southern Baptist Missionaries serving in Southeast Asia.

 

Not all of our members can actually go on mission trips overseas, or to Kentucky, or even to the children’s home or the rescue mission. But all of our members can pray for the works, and they can contribute financially, and they can help pack supplies, wrap Christmas presents, and much more. Participating in those ways constitutes involvement in the Great Commission of Jesus as expressed in Acts 1:8.

 

As we continue to think about how we will invest our time in 2017 I want to ask you to prayerfully consider actively being on-mission with Jesus outside the walls of your church building. Actually think it through and plan for it. Put in on your calendar. Whether your mission activity will be in your Jerusalem, or your Judea, or Samaria, or to the ends of the earth, God and His Kingdom are much, much bigger that just what you can experience in your own little piece of the world. Let Him expand your understanding. Make a plan to be on-mission with Jesus.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A life that matters”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “We are to be “kingdom” people.

 

In Acts 1:8 Jesus established a Biblical perspective that He expects His followers to adopt. It’s what we call “a kingdom perspective.” This is the understanding that the kingdom of God on earth is much larger, and includes much more, than just what we personally experience in our own church and in our own community. The kingdom of God on earth is worldwide and manifests itself in an incredible array of cultural settings. It involves people of every color and language and ethnic group.

 

The problem for many of us is that our understanding of God and His kingdom is usually extremely limited. It’s limited by what we see and hear and experience in our own church and in our own community. That being the case, since our church and our town is such a miniscule part of the world, it means that we miss out on most of what God is doing. To a large degree we remain unaware of and insensitive to most of the ways in which He expresses Himself and interacts with His people. That’s such a shame! We’re missing so much!

 

In Acts 1:8 Jesus called for His people to expand their vision (and therefore their perspective). He commanded us to get involved in the kingdom of God beyond just our own little piece of the world. When we do that we get to see and experience God in many new and different ways and our understanding of Him and His ways and His kingdom grows exponentially.

 

At Oak Hill Baptist Church in Crossville, TN we have adopted what we call “The Acts 1:8 model of ministry.” This is an understanding on our part that our Jerusalem is Crossville, TN. Our Judea is the state of Tennessee. Our Samaria is the United States of America. And the ends of the earth, well that’s everywhere else beyond the USA.

 

We have then structured our church life in such a way that all of our members are able to participate in a variety of different ways in ministry activities in all of those different locations. This approach to ministry and to church life has had a transformative impact on our church. If you would like to learn more about the Acts 1:8 model of ministry, I encourage you to visit our church website at www.oakhillbaptist.net and click on the tab for “Acts 1:8 model of ministry”.

 

As we consider how we will use our time and structure our lives in 2017, being on-mission with Jesus in our world has got to factor into our thinking. Tomorrow we will continue this discussion and I’ll offer you some ideas for how any church or individual Christian can follow Jesus’ command in Acts 1:8.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A life that matters”

 

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

 

Our thought for today: “You can and should be serving others.
I once knew a man who had the spiritual gift of criticism. Seriously, he was an expert at finding fault in others and he was committed to utilizing his special ability with enthusiasm and gusto. So whenever you encountered this guy you could count on him to be prepared to tell you exactly what was wrong with other people – and with you.

 

What a blessing! As long as you had him around you didn’t need to waste time and effort on deep introspection, trying to discover your flaws and faults and looking for ways to improve – he was happy to help you with that.

 

Obviously I’m being sarcastic. Criticism is not a gift of the Spirit, it’s a sin inspired by Satan. And if that guy had spent a little time searching his own heart he would have discovered the truth of 1 Corinthians 12:7 that God has given each of us a spiritual gift, along with skills and abilities, that can and should be used for the common good. We are to use our spiritual gifts, our skills and abilities as a means of blessing others and making the church stronger.

 

There are four main passages in the New Testament which teach about spiritual gifts. They are Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 1 Corinthians 12:28-30; and Ephesians 4:7-12. The spiritual gifts listed in those passages are things like preaching, teaching, administration, service, mercy, leadership, and more.

 

It’s also commonly understood that God has given each of us skills and abilities such as musical talents, handyman skills, financial understanding, and much more, which are also intended by Him to be used by us as a means of blessing others. All of these things are collectively known as “ministry gifts” – or ways in which you are uniquely suited for serving God and others for the common purpose of building up the body of Christ.

 

The point is that God has intentionally equipped each of us in different ways so that we can serve Him and bless others. When each of us serves in the way in which we are best suited, all of the areas of ministry are covered. I can preach and teach, but I can’t drive a nail straight or turn a wrench in the right direction. Fortunately there are others who may not preach or teach, but they are very gifted at fixing things. I’m also not musically inclined, but God has brought us others who are. And the examples go on.

 

What gifts, skills and abilities has God developed in you that you should be using as a means of serving Him and blessing others? If you’re not sure what your gifts and skills and abilities are, please let me know and I will help you to discover them. In my office at the church I keep a supply of a handy little booklet called “The Ministry Gifts Inventory”. It’s a short test which will help you to better understand how God has equipped you to serve.

 

As we approach 2017 I urge you to consider the ways in which God intends for you to be using your gifts and skills and abilities in ways that matter.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Hello Everyone,

As I write this I am still in Peru. Later today I will begin the long journey home but I will still be traveling tomorrow morning when I would normally send out the daily devotional. That being the case, I’m sending tomorrow’s to you today.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A life lived well”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, dear friends, since you know this in advance, be on your guard, so that you are not led away by the error of lawless people and fall from your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:17-18 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Have a plan for spiritual growth”

 

In his book “The Doctrine of Salvation”, Dr. James Robinson offers some thoughts about how it is that our spiritual growth in this lifetime directly affects our capacity for appreciating heaven for all eternity. To paraphrase an illustration he used, imagine that in this lifetime a person develops the spiritual maturity of a fifty gallon drum. In heaven that person is filled to overflowing with all the good things of heaven, enjoying them to their absolute maximum capacity. Another person developed the spiritual maturity of a thimble. In heaven that person too will be filled to overflowing, but their capacity for taking-in and enjoying heaven is vastly different from that of the first person- both of them fully enjoying heaven to their fullest capacity – just vastly different capacities.

 

That thought is biblically based and it is expressed in the Bible using a variety of examples including rewards, positions of authority, stature, the storing up of treasure in heaven, and more. The point is that how much we mature spiritually in this lifetime directly affects our nature and stature in eternity.

 

That being the case, what could be more important for a follower of Jesus in this lifetime than to do the things necessary to be growing spiritually? Certainly that would have to be one of the most important uses of our time now. Therefore as we continue to think about how we’re going to use our time in 2017, the changes we will make, the goals and objectives we will focus on achieving, the new habits we wish to form, spiritual growth must be high on our list of priorities.

 

The activities that help to facilitate spiritual growth are collectively known as “spiritual disciplines” and include things like prayer, daily Bible study, full participation in the life of a good church, involvement in ministry activities, and more. One of the most complete and easy-to-follow resources I know of for helping Christians to understand and implement the basic spiritual disciplines of the Christian life is Richard Foster’s classic work “The Celebration of Discipline”. In that book Foster identifies what he considers to be the thirteen most important practices a Christian could incorporate into his or her life to place themselves in a position before God, whereby God can have full access to their whole life.

 

I want to encourage you this morning to actually develop a plan for your spiritual growth in 2017. Ultimately it’s the work of the Holy Spirit in your life which brings about spiritual growth. You cannot do it by your own will or in your own power. But there are things each of us has to do in order to cooperate with the work of the Spirit in our lives. It’s up to us to engage in the practices which place us in a position before God where we are fully open to Him and surrendered to His will. The basic spiritual disciplines of the Christian life accomplish that.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A life that matters”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” Romans 12:11 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “It’s always easier to do nothing than it is to do something.”

 

Those of you who know me well know that one of my favorite U.S. Presidents of all time is Teddy Roosevelt. To be sure, he was far from perfect. He had his share of warts and pimples and character flaws. But I love his spirit. He lived with enthusiasm, zest for living, and a never ending quest for adventure. I’m also inspired by his example of simply doing things. Teddy was not one to sit on his rear end thinking about things that needed to be done but never actually doing them. Instead, once he decided that a thing needed doing, he got up and did it.

 

One of my favorite TR quotes comes from a speech he delivered on April 21, 1910 at the Sorbonne in Paris, France. He was speaking about the responsibility of citizens in a free society to be doers, rather than just people who talk about doing things but then never actually do them. This is what he said:

 

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but he who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great devotion; who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails while daring greatly, knows that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls, who know neither victory nor defeat.”

 

My friends, it is always easier to do nothing than it is to do something. A timid person will find excuses and think up innumerable reasons for not even trying. A bold person simply gets up and does it. Oh yes, they might stumble and fall, but at least they will have tried. And if they keep trying, their chances of success multiply exponentially. The credit belongs to those in the arena giving it their best.

 

As we continue in our month of devotionally thinking about living a “Life that matters”, I want to encourage you to avoid giving in to negative thinking. Don’t allow yourself to come up with excuses or rationalizations for why you won’t attempt this thing or that. In the days to come will consider multiple ways in which your time in 2017 can be well spent, but each of them will require both effort and risk. Nothing worth achieving is ever achieved without effort and risk.

 

In Romans 12:11 Paul urged us to live with zeal and fervor – especially in our service to the Lord. Let’s resolve to do exactly that.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A life that matters”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “God will hold us accountable for the life we lived.”

 

In 2 Corinthians 5:10 the Apostle Paul makes reference to a great Biblical truth that is often the cause of confusion. Some Christians mistakenly believe that the only ones who will stand before God for judgment are non-believers who did not accept Christ in this lifetime. That’s simply not true. “All” people will stand before God, believers and non-believers too.

 

It’s true that believers will not have to account for their sins – Jesus took care of that on the cross. But we will have to account to God for our stewardship of the time, skills, talents, abilities, and financial resources that he entrusted us with. That’s what Paul was writing about in 2 Corinthians 5:10. He also addressed it in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15. In that passage he wrote of how in that day, when we stand before God to give an account of what we did with the things He entrusted to our care, only that which was done for Christ will matter. Every other achievement will be looked upon as worthless by God and will be tossed aside.

 

That means that God will not be impressed with your career achievements, or with the size of your bank account, or with your level of physical fitness, or with your good looks, or with any other achievement, accomplishment, possession, or anything else that did not specifically and directly honor Him, bring Him glory, help to build His kingdom, and bless others in His name. Only that which was done for Christ will be considered to have been of eternal worth.

 

This same truth is addressed in numerous other places in the New Testament, including by Jesus Himself.  I encourage you to go online to the Oak Hill Baptist Church website at www.oakhillbaptist.net. Click on the “listen” tab and select the sermon for 10/23/16. There you will learn about a time when Jesus very directly taught this same lesson.

 

This is important and it applies to our theme for this month. As we prayerfully consider how we will use our time in 2017; as we think about changes we want to make, goals we want to set; accomplishments we want to achieve – we must do so with the thought in mind of what eternal value those things have. That does not mean that we shouldn’t focus on career achievements, or set financial goals, or attempt to improve our physical fitness and nutritional habits. But it does mean that we need to be sure our lives are centered on serving Christ and that the use of our time and our activities reflects that. We will talk more about how to accomplish this in the days to come.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “A life that matters” 
Our Bible verse for today: “For my days vanish like smoke.” Psalm 102:3 (NIV) 

Our thought for today: “We must make the best use of our time.” 

One of my all-time favorite quotes about the proper use of time comes from Benjamin Franklin. He once posed the challenging question: “Do you love life? Then value your time, because time is the stuff life is made of.” 

Think about it. Your life is made up of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. Time – you only have so much of it. The Bible tells us repeatedly that God has numbered our days and they pass quickly. Additionally, once each segment of time has passed, it is gone forever and you can never have it back. So what you do with your time matters very much. 

I have often counseled people to consider carefully who you give your time to because since your life is made up of time, when you give somebody some of your time you have in essence given them a little piece of your life. And since once the time has past it is gone and you can never get it back, that means that when you give someone some of your time you have given them a piece of your life, and you can never have it back. That being true, giving someone your time is a precious gift. But not everyone is worthy of such a precious gift. Not everyone deserves to be given a little piece of your life that you can never have back. So give careful thought to who you will allow to take up your time. 

As we approach the New Year beginning in January, and as we spend November thinking about how we will use our time in 2017, we need to remain conscious of just how precious that time is. Let’s not waste it on activities that really don’t matter, or on people who are not worthy of receiving such a precious gift.

Yes it’s true that all people are important to God and should therefore be important to us too. But it’s also true that we have a limited amount of time available to us, and it is precious time that can never be retrieved once it is gone. So we must be selective in our choices of the activities we will be involved in, and the people who will be allowed to have some of our time. 

Do you value life? Then value your time, because time is the stuff life is made of.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A life that matters”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.” Psalm 39:4 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Resolve to live your life well.”

 

Today is the last day of October but it is the first day of the new week. Therefore I have chosen to begin the theme for the month of November today. In just sixty-two days we will begin 2017. New Year’s is often when we take time to evaluate our lives and consider habits we would like to break, goals we would like to achieve, and things we would like to change.

 

I personally believe that is good. New Year’s resolutions are helpful. I think we should periodically take stock of where we’re at in life and identify areas in which we need to make improvements and changes. I also believe it’s important to have dreams and goals that we’re working on. A focused life is a life of purpose and direction. A lack of focus usually results in a person wandering through life with no real direction and consequently achieving little.

 

In Psalm 39:4 the great King David was prayerfully reflecting on the truth that life is short and therefore we need to be thoughtful and intentional about how we spend our days. He was asking God to help him better appreciate the value of life and it’s relative brevity. There’s a great truth there. Life is short, so don’t waste it.

 

I don’t know about you but I want to live a life that matters – a life that makes a real difference in ways that count. When it’s all said and done I want to know that I lived well and that I did the best I could with the time and opportunities I had.

 

To help us think about plans, goals, objectives, and changes we would like to achieve in 2017, we will spend the month of November considering how we can be sure we’re living a life that matters. In the Bible God gives us all the guidance on this issue that we will ever need. Therefore each day we will examine a different passage of Scripture and consider how it applies to living life well. I’ll then offer thoughts and suggestions about how we can go about incorporating those things into our lives.

 

A word of caution: Change takes time, and we can only effectively focus on a few things at a time and still do them well. Therefore each of us will want to select no more than two or three, and maybe only one, area in which we’re going to focus on making significant improvements in the coming year.

 

I look forward to learning and growing with you.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Excellence”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” 2 Timothy 2:22 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Just live a simple life of faithfulness.”

 

Most of us know the story of Helen Keller. She was blind and deaf and therefore went through life without being able to see or hear. And yet, amazingly, she learned how to interact well with the world around her. She communicated well through touch, signs, and writing and she lived a life that was rich and full and which many others have since found inspiring.

 

Just like us, Helen wanted to live the best life possible, but she often felt hindered by her limitations and she longed to be better and do more than she could. Eventually she wisely realized that, “I long to accomplish a great and noble task; but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.”

 

That right there is the key to living an “excellent” life by God’s estimation. We are to simply focus on doing small things well. We are to live simple lives of faith, honoring God and blessing others in the normal ebb and flow of our regular daily lives.

 

In 2 Timothy 2:22 the Apostle Paul offers us some simple advice that captures the essence of what Helen wrote about. When he says we are to “flee youthful passions” he’s saying that we are to grow to maturity in our faith. Just apply yourself to spiritual growth.

 

He counsels us to pursue things like righteousness, faith, love, and peace. Those are godly values – Christlike characteristics – which are lodged deeply in our hearts and then show themselves in how we interact with the people and with the world around us.

 

And he tells us to do it “along with those who call on the Lord with a pure heart.” In other words, surround yourself with others who are also striving for godly excellence in how they live. This is a reference to the age-old truth that you become like those you associate with. So if you want to be a man or woman who is striving to live a life that is filled with godly excellence, then associate with others who are living that way too.

 

The best place to find such people is in a good church family. Today is Saturday, tomorrow is Sunday. The people of God in towns and cities across the nation will be gathering together in their churches. I encourage you to gather with them. If you’re in the area of Crossville, Tennessee then I invite you to join us at Oak Hill Baptist Church. We’re located at 3036 Genesis Road in Crossville. Sunday school beings at 9:00 and Worship at 10:00. I can’t think of a better group to associate with.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Excellence”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:26-28 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Take your eyes off of yourself.”

 

One of the most impressive and inspirational men I have ever known was a retired pastor by the name of Dick DeGrow. When I first met Dick he was already in his 70s. He was a member of the first church I was the Pastor of and he served as a deacon, Sunday school teacher, and as the church custodian. Yes you read that right, he was a retired Pastor and he was the church custodian.

 

Dick was a calm and quiet man who always had a smile on his face and was usually softly humming some old favorite hymn. He had great knowledge of the Bible, a lot of life experience, and he was wise in the way that great men of God are wise. People came to him frequently for advice and counsel – including me.

 

One of the things I remember most about Dick was his servant’s heart. He loved people and he cared about them. He was available at all hours of the day and night to talk, counsel, and pray with others, and he was always looking for things he could do to help make their lives a little better, a little easier. He found great joy in simply and quietly being a blessing.

 

Jesus was like that. Matthew 20:26-28 is just one of the many Gospel passages that describe for us the servant-heart of our Lord. The main thrust of that passage, and of the others like it is “Go and do likewise.” As a follower of Jesus we are to be like Jesus. If He came to serve others, then that’s what we need to do too.

 

Interestingly, Dick DeGrow was also one of the happiest and most content people I have ever known. He just seemed to have a deep-seated sense of quiet contentment and peace. I believe that’s true in general of those who have a Christ-like servant’s heart. When we take our eyes off of ourselves and focus instead on being a blessing to others, our own cares and worries seem to fade away and become much less significant in our own minds. Those who focus endlessly on themselves and on their own problems tend to be consumed with those thoughts and as a result, they spend their time agitated and worried.

 

Jesus calls us to follow in His footsteps and to be a servant. If we make service to others our focus, we soon discover that the quality of our own lives improves significantly. Worry is replaced with peace and our own issues just don’t seem as big and bad anymore. I encourage you today to take your eyes off of yourself and to focus instead on doing things for others.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim