Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Life in the kingdom”
Our Bible verse for today: “He demonstrated this power in the Messiah by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavens – far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put everything under His feet and appointed Him as head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of the One who fills all things in every way.” Ephesians 1:20-22
Our thought for today: “When Jesus is in His rightful place of Lordship over our lives and over our churches, Satan is a defeated foe.”
Jesus rules and reigns over His kingdom, both in the physical and in the spiritual realms. In a previous devotional message I wrote of how Satan works hard to establish his own kingdom which is in competition with and opposed to the kingdom of God. But while that is true, it’s also true that Satan’s kingdom is nothing but a cheap imitation of Jesus’ kingdom and it pales in terms of power and glory.
The truth is that Satan does have some power, but it is nothing compared to Jesus’ power. And the kingdom of Satan does have some allure, but it is a deceptive and secretly poisoned thing that only leads to death and destruction. Additionally, Satan can only employ his power over the lives of individuals, churches, and society, if we allow him to. As Tony Evans explains, “Satan does not have the authority to use his power when people function under the covenantal covering of Jesus Christ.”
That’s why it is so important for us as individuals, as churches, and as groups of churches working together, to be completely submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It’s when we are intentional about discovering His will and remaining in the center of it – individually and collectively – that Satan is rendered powerless and defeated. However it’s when we as individuals and churches act in self-interest and in pursuit of worldly goals that Satan has power to advance his kingdom’s agenda.
Again quoting Tony Evans, “This is why Satan will try so hard and long to lure people and divine institutions out from under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Satan knows that if he can get them out from under Christ’s covering, he has free reign to deceive, trick, and harm them however he chooses.”
As long as we keep Jesus in His rightful place of Lordship over our lives and over our churches, Satan will be a defeated foe.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for 9/18/13

Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Life in the kingdom”
Our Bible verse for today: “Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.” Romans 12:4-5
Our thought for today: “We are all on the same team.”
Romans 12:4-5 is a passage that is commonly used to help us understand that every member of the church is important and we all need each other. That’s certainly true and it’s a good application of the passage. However in a larger context, in terms of the kingdom of God on earth, it’s also true that every church is a part of the Body of Christ on earth and that every church is important and every church is needed.
Far too often Christians segregate and isolate themselves based upon denominational differences. I personally believe that to be sinful and I believe it grieves the heart of God. Anyone who has placed his or her faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins is a brother or sister of mine and I can therefore find common ground with them for the sake of the kingdom.
Yes, we may have different beliefs about how often to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, or about how to structure a worship service, or about the issue of speaking in tongues, or about a thousand other manmade distinctions and differences. But those are all secondary and therefore less important issues. The reason there are so many different kinds of churches is because there are so many different kinds of people, and there is a church that is right for everyone. But the common bond we all share, and the only thing that really matters, is faith in Jesus Christ. Our shared faith makes us all part of the family of God regardless of how we choose to practice the faith.
Since we are all part of the same family, all making the same journey through this world towards the same heavenly home, and since we all have the same assignment of being about our Father’s business while we’re here, we need to work together and help each other.
One of the reasons the church today doesn’t have more power and influence in the world is because we are so divided by our differences. If we would learn to put all that aside and focus instead on the more important goal of helping to build our Father’s kingdom in this world, we would all be a whole lot more effective. One of the things I love about Oak Hill Baptist is that we have formed so many strategic partnerships with others outside of our own church and outside of our denomination. We come alongside them to work together for the sake of the kingdom regardless of whether or not that activity will result in more people sitting in our own pews.
It would do us all good – it would do the kingdom of God good, if we would remember that as Christians we’re all on the same team, working towards the same goal, and therefore we need to work together.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim