Oak Hill Baptist Church

We need a guide to take us deep with God

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Deep Discipleship”

Our Bible verse for today: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “We need a guide to take us deep with God”

Over the course of his ministry years the Apostle Paul played many important roles including evangelist, exorcist, preacher, teacher, church-planter, and pastor. He was also a mentor to many. That’s what he was referring to in 1 Corinthians 11:1 when he urged his readers to follow his example. I like the way the Amplified Bible translates that verse, “Imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.” Paul spent his life studying the ways of Jesus, doing his best to live as Jesus lived, and then he urged others to follow his example just as he followed Christ’s example.

When it comes to learning how to live the Christian life well, especially when it comes to going beyond the basics and going deep with God in deep discipleship, we usually need a guide. We need someone older, more mature, and more experienced in the ways of God to guide us and to show us the way. That was an important role that Paul played in many lives – especially in his later years.

While it is very helpful to have an in-person mentor we can actually meet with, someone we can spend time with, observe, and emulate, often such mentoring and guiding comes to us in written form as well, rather than in-person. That is, after all, what Paul was doing in 1 Corinthians 11:1. He was guiding and mentoring by means of a letter. This is also why I titled my second book “Walking with Paul: A Journey Through the Lessons of Ephesians.” The cover art depicts Paul walking with a young man down a path, with his arm around the young man’s shoulder, head turned in his direction, and obviously imparting words of wisdom as they walked along together.

As was noted in a previous devotional in this series, the Christian life is an adventure. It is a journey through this world towards our real home in heaven. Along the way we need good guides to walk with us – coaching us, teaching us, and helping us to make the journey well. The optimum situation is to have an in-person mentor. But as was noted, many times that guiding takes place through other mediums, such as good Bible studies.

Tomorrow I will recommend a few good Bible studies which provide this kind of excellent guidance for the journey to a deeper place with God.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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Deep calls to deep

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Deep discipleship”

Our Bible verse for today: “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your billows have swept over me. The Lord will send his faithful love by day; his song will be with me in the night – a prayer to the God of my life.” Psalm 42:7-2 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Deep calls to deep”

God is deep and He calls to the deep places in our heart. In their great book “The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God,” Brent Curtis and John Eldredge describe God as “The Great Romancer.” They explain that God loves us deeply, passionately, and He is always romancing us, calling out to us, drawing us to Himself.

We know this. We sense it deep within us. Curtis and Eldredge observed, “You were made for something more. You know it.” This calling and drawing from God touches us at the deepest place in our heart. This is what Solomon was referring to when he wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:11, “He has put eternity in their hearts.” There is a place in the human heart that can only be filled by God. Intuitively we know this. Down deep we just know there must be a God and we want to know Him; we want to be in a good relationship with Him; and we want to spend eternity with Him. That’s simply the way God has designed the human heart and that is why every culture that has ever existed in the history of the world has always had a belief in the supernatural.

The superscript in my Bible, which appears above Psalm 42 (sort of like a title for the Psalm,) reads, “Longing for God”. That’s what the entire Psalm is about. The writer was longing for God. In verses 1-2 the writer describes thirsting for God like a deer thirsts for a cool drink of water from a cold mountain stream. In verses 3-6 he writes of how in the middle of trials and struggles he seeks God even more. Then in verse 7-8 and 11 he writes of finding God and getting relief and comfort as a result. As it turned out (as verses 7-8 suggested,) all the while, while he thought he was seeking God, God was actually calling to him, drawing him, romancing him.

Whenever we respond to this deep calling from God we are on the road to deep discipleship. The more time and effort we put into our response to God, the deeper we will go and the more we will experience Him. Prayer, Bible study, quiet reflection, worship, service, fellowship with other Christians, are all ways of going deeper with God. The more of those disciplines we practice, the deeper we go with God.

Tomorrow, I will tell you about another way.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Deep discipleship leads us to deep truth

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Deep discipleship”

Our Bible verse for today: “But solid food is for the mature – for those who have been trained to distinguish between good and evil. Therefore, let us leave the elementary teaching about Christ and go on to maturity …” Hebrews 5:14 – 6:1 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Deep discipleship leads us to deep truth”

Over the course of the last three daily devotional messages, we took the time and made the effort to do a deep-dive into the complex subject of what constitutes a legitimate marriage in the eyes of God and of the Christian community. Doing so required some thought, effort, and research. Deep discipleship is like that. Deep discipleship leads us away from superficial or simplistic answers to complex questions and causes us to think, pray, and study before we arrive at our conclusions. Deep discipleship leads us to deep truth.

This is the kind of thing the writer of the letter to the Hebrews was referring to in Hebrews 5:14 -6:1. The editors of the Experiencing God Study Bible offered this insight with respect to that passage, “Deep spiritual truths are reserved for the spiritually mature. Though the immature may hear the truths, they will not grasp them.”

That reminded me of one of my favorite quotes regarding the adventure of living the Christian life and about the rewards of deep discipleship. It was written by author Jim Peterson: “One of the greatest gifts God has given us is the infinite opportunity for spiritual growth. But however much we have matured, there is always more beyond. It is in this that we find the adventure of living. There will always be new, unexplored dimensions of His person beckoning to us. The possibilities go off the chart.”

In the time remaining to us this month, we will consider some practical ways to engage in deep discipleship. God reserves the deepest spiritual truths for the spiritually mature who will take the time and make the effort to seek them out.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Is it okay to cut the government out?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Deep discipleship”

Our Bible verse for today: “On the third day a wedding took place in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding as well.” John 2:1-2 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Is it okay to cut the government out?”

As we continue our deep-dive into the complex question of what constitutes a legitimate marriage in the eyes of God and therefore in the eyes of the Christian community, let’s remember that for thousands of years, across generations and across cultures, Christian men and women have been coming before God and the Christian community and dedicating their union as husband and wife to God. Many, if not most of them, have done so in societies that knew nothing of government-sanctioned marriage and government-issued marriage licenses. And yet, they were still considered to be married in the eyes of God and in the eyes of their Christian community.

But what about Christians who live in societies where the government is involved in sanctioning and regulating marriage? Do Christians have to be married both in the eyes of God and in the eyes of the government? My personal opinion is that “biblically” the answer is “no”. There simply is no biblical imperative given on the pages of Scripture requiring the people of God to obtain government sanction in order for their marriages to be legitimate in the eyes of God or in the eyes of the Christian community.

And if they do get married in the eyes of God but not in the eyes of the government, here in the USA they are not breaking any secular law, because there is no secular law that prohibits consenting adults from living together (I checked, only two states have such laws on the books but they are unenforced).

However, I still believe Christian couples should have a government-issued marriage license if their society offers one. I believe this for two reasons: first, there are many benefits to it, including legal protections and tax advantages. But second, if they don’t have a marriage license it will appear as if they are cohabiting – just living together for the sake of convenience and perhaps sex. That would be a bad witness to the unbelieving world and I believe Christians should avoid even the appearance of impropriety.

But there are rare cases when it makes sense for Christian couples to keep the government out of marriage. One such case involves developmentally disabled adults who depend on government healthcare and income assistance. There are laws on the books in many states that cut their individual benefits if they get married, thereby making it almost impossible for them to survive. As single adults they get full benefits but as married adults they would each get only partial benefits. In my opinion that’s evidence of a coldhearted bureaucracy hurting innocent people with stupid laws. If those couples can cut the government out, be married in the eyes of God and in the eyes of the Christian community, without violating any secular law, and without losing the benefits they desperately need, then they should. (I have performed such a wedding and I offer no apologies for having done so.)

Likewise, senior citizens sometimes find themselves in a similar position. A widow and a widower both have annuity benefits earned with their deceased spouses. But if they remarry those annuity benefits are either cut or terminated altogether, thereby taking away a source of income that was earned along with their deceased spouse and which is rightfully theirs. In such cases I encourage the couples to quietly get married before God, and to simply cut the government and the insurance companies out of it. The couple is violating no law by doing so.

So, the answer to our question is that in probably 99% of the cases, Christian couples should get married in the eyes of both God and the government. But there are those special cases which require an extra measure of grace, common sense, and understanding on the part of the Christian community. It just takes a little extra effort to think such things through. The practice of deep discipleship helps us to develop the skills for doing so.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Is it a real marriage?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Deep discipleship”

Our Bible verse for today: “But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Mark 10:6-9 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Is it a real marriage?”

Adam and Eve did not have a marriage license. Neither did Abraham and Sarah, Boaz and Ruth, Joseph and Mary, Aquila and Priscilla, or any other couple recorded on the pages of the Bible. Please don’t misunderstand me, I’m not dismissing the importance of a government-issued marriage license. In 99% of all the weddings I have performed as a minister the couples had a marriage license – and they should have. There was no reason not to. However, there is a point to be made here.

Historically there have generally been three forms or structures of marriage that have been acknowledged by societies as constituting a “legitimate” marriage. First, for thousands of years men and women have had their unions consecrated in a religious ceremony. That constitutes being married in the eyes of God. Second, in more recent history, some societies have instituted government-sanctioned marriage which requires a government-issued marriage license. And then some societies (including eight states in the USA), recognize what is known as “common-law marriage” as a legitimate form of marriage. (My state, Tennessee, has not codified common-law marriage but it does recognize common-law marriages initiated in and recognized by other states.) In common-law marriage the couple seeks neither religious nor government sanction, but still consider themselves to be married.

The question for us today is, “Do Christian couples have to have a government-issued marriage license for their marriage to be a “real” marriage in the eyes of God and in the eyes of the Christian community?” Since there is no evidence of any couple in the Bible seeking or needing a government-issued marriage license for their marriage to be viewed as legitimate, do Christians have to have one in order for their marriage to be a real marriage? For most of history few societies have had government-issued marriage licenses. And for thousands of years Christian couples have been coming before God and before the Christian community dedicating their marriages to God, and their marriages were viewed as legitimate based just on that. Their secular governments had nothing to say about it.

But what if Christians live in a society that does have the structure of government-sanctioned marriage and government-issued marriage licenses? Can a man and a woman still be married in the eyes of God and of the Christian community even if they are not married in the eyes of the government?

For the answer to that question we will have to wait until tomorrow. Sorry, but this practice of avoiding simplistic answers to complex questions can take a little work and it can be a little time-consuming. Sometimes it requires more than a single one-page daily devotional message to discuss it. Deep discipleship can be like that. It takes time and effort to think these things through. So, hang in there with me. We will finish our thinking about this subject tomorrow.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Avoid simplistic answers to complex questions

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Deep Discipleship”

Our Bible verse for today: “Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all of this.” 2 Timothy 2:7 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Avoid simplistic answers to complicated questions”

Deep discipleship helps us to avoid the trap of accepting simplistic answers to complicated questions. Deep discipleship teaches us to arrive at our conclusions slowly and thoughtfully, and only after we have taken the time to pray about it and to do our homework by searching the Scripture and gathering facts.

In 2 Timothy 2:7 Paul urged Timothy to “reflect” on what he was saying and to “seek insight” from the Lord about it. To reflect on something means to mediate on it, contemplate it, ponder, brood, mull it over. It means to ruminate, evaluate, examine, and to study a matter. When we seek insight, we are investing time and effort to dive deep into a subject. The Amplified Bible translates 2 Timothy 2:7 this way, “Think over the things I am saying (grasp their application), for the Lord will grant you insight and understanding in everything.”

Acts 17:11 tells us that when Paul was in Berea preaching to and teaching the people there, he discovered that they were thoughtful and diligent students who took the time to study and research rather than jumping to quick and easy conclusions. Luke writes, “The people here were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, since they received the word with eagerness and examined the Scripture daily to see if these things were so.”

Too often we assume we know the right answer to hard questions and complicated situations, but often our answers are based on incomplete information or on a superficial understanding of the issue. This is how we end up accepting simplistic answers to complicated questions. Deep discipleship helps us to avoid this.

Tomorrow I will offer an example of a common misunderstanding about an important and complex issue that is sometimes problematic for Christians. And I will show how deep discipleship – the kind of reflection, contemplation, studying, and examining that the Bereans did and which Paul was urging Timothy to do, can help to reveal deeper meaning and greater understanding that could be missed if we answer too quickly because we assume we already know the answer. The question that will serve as our example for how doing a deep dive into a complex subject can help us gain a better understand of it is, “What factors or conditions must exist in order for a marriage to be considered a legitimate marriage?”

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

We all need a good church home

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Deep Discipleship”

Our Bible verse for today: “The one who walks with the wise will become wise …” Proverbs 13:20 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “We all need a good church home”

This Sunday is Homecoming Sunday at Oak Hill Baptist Church. It’s an annual event for us, held at the beginning of the new church year (September). The idea is that as the old church year unfolded, some members might have drifted away for various reasons – perhaps life just got very busy. Also, over the summer attendance tends to dip as people travel for vacations and do lots of other summertime type activities. This special Homecoming event helps us to get the new church year started well by getting everyone back and reengaged with the full life of the church.

Every Christian needs to be fully involved in the life of a good church. God intends for it to be so. The Bible gives us no examples of “Lone Ranger Christians.” The healthy Christian life is always depicted as one that is lived in community with other Christians. (Even cloistered monks live that life in a community of other cloistered monks.)

In terms of deep discipleship and growing into a mature Christian, that too happens in community. We need each other and we learn from each other. That’s what Solomon was referring to in Proverbs 13:20 – you become a mature disciple of Christ by spending lots of time with other mature disciples of Christ, “The one who walks with the wise will become wise …”

The Apostle Paul flipped the script on this by communicating that same truth in a negative way. In 1 Corinthians 15:33 he wrote, “Bad company corrupts good character.” It’s like your mamma always said, “Choose your friends carefully because you become like those you associate with.” That’s true, and it’s true for both good and bad depending on the type of people you surround yourself with.

A quick check of a Bible concordance revealed more than 75 verses of Scripture in both the Old and New Testaments which teach this truth – we need to surround ourselves with people of good godly character. We need to be part of a good church family.

If you are close to Cumberland County Tennessee, we invite you to join us for our Homecoming Sunday on September 10^th. Sunday school begins at 9:00, the worship service will be at 10:00. Immediately following the service we will have a potluck lunch and an afternoon of games and fellowship. If you can’t be with us in person then join us online on our YouTube channel.

You need a good church home where you can learn and grow as a disciple of Jesus. If you don’t already have one, come and visit with us!

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

God wants to be heard and understood

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Deep Discipleship”

Our Bible verse for today: “Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son.” Hebrews 1:1-2 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “God wants to be heard and understood”

Paraphrasing Henry Blackaby, “If we can’t hear God when He is speaking to us and know what He is saying, we are in trouble at the heart of our relationship with Him.” He has made that statement in his Bible study “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God,” and I have heard him say it several times in person.

And he is right. One of the most exciting truths in all of Scripture is that God wants to be heard and understood by His people. From Genesis to Revelation, we are given example after example of God speaking to His people through dreams, visions, angels, prophets, preachers, burning bushes, and in many other ways. Scripture itself, every word of it, is God speaking to us.

We just need to learn to hear Him. We need to learn the ways in which He speaks to us, and we need to become spiritually sensitive enough to understand what He is saying. Not only is it possible to hear and understand God, but it is essential to hear and understand Him. God wants to be heard and understood by His people and if we can’t hear Him, and if we don’t understand what He is saying, we are in trouble at the heart of our relationship with Him.

That’s why at Oak Hill Baptist Church our Sunday evening Fall Bible Study will be “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God.” We will be learning how to hear and understand God so we can then live life in the center of His will.

If you live in Cumberland County Tennessee, or if you are even close, I want to invite you to join us. The study will be on Sunday evenings at 6:00, September 17^th through December 10^th. It will include a workbook with five daily lessons, a DVD session with Henry Blackaby, and a group discussion. Everyone is welcome.

One of the greatest truths in all of Scripture is that God wants to be heard and understood by His people, and you can learn to hear and understand Him.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

God restores life to dry bones

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Deep discipleship”

Our Bible verse for today: “This is what the Lord God says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live. I will put tendons on you, make flesh grow on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 37:5-6 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “God restores life to dry bones”

The Old Testament prophet Ezekiel had a tough task. Judah had been conquered by the Babylonians, Jerusalem was destroyed, and along with 10,000 others, Ezekiel had been taken to live as a captive in Babylonia. He was then tasked by God to be a minister to the exiles, but also to be a prophetic voice of hope. God would restore Israel, if they would return to Him.

To provide a dramatic illustration of that promise, in chapter thirty-seven we read of the time when God led Ezekiel to a valley filled with dry bones. There had evidently been a great military battle in the valley and lots of corpses were left to rot in the open. Now the valley was filled with dry bones. God then asked Ezekiel if he thought it was possible for life to be restored to the bodies the bones had come from. Ezekiel affirmed that God could do it if He wanted to. And so, God did. The rest of the passage records the scene as the bones came together with a great rattling noise; tendons and sinews formed; bodies took shape; features appeared; and then the breath of life was breathed into each body. Finally, there was a mighty army of living people standing in the valley when moments before, there was only dry bones.

The scene illustrates the great truth that God can restore life to that which is dead. Not only is that true physically, but even more so spiritually. God can and will take the dry bones of our souls and breathe fresh life into them if we will just return to Him.

I love stories of revival and renewal. Spiritual revival has happened on a large scale in the USA on multiple occasions in our history. More commonly, we read of revival happening in regions of the country, or on college campuses. Often, we hear of individual churches that experience great revival and a church that was once mostly dry bones, becomes alive, thriving, and dynamic once again. It can and does happen!

But more common are the revivals that take place in individual hearts as we see lukewarm or wayward Christians suddenly come alive in their faith. They are renewed with new passion and enthusiasm. As a pastor, those are the examples that are nearest and dearest to my heart. Especially if they are people I know and love and have been ministering to for years.

If you are feeling spiritually dry, lukewarm, bored, or lacking passion and enthusiasm, God will breathe new life into the dry bones of your faith if you want Him to. A renewed commitment to deep discipleship is the answer.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

You are a work in progress

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Deep discipleship”

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

Our thought for today: “You are a work in progress”

Recently I came across an interesting comparison and contrast between two of Jesus’ first disciples. The individuals involved were Judas and Peter. Early on, by all outward appearances, Judas was by far the more impressive of the two. Judas was successful in all the ways the world typically measures success. Since he was selected to manage the ministry funds, he must have been skilled at managing money. Therefore, he probably had a professional air about him and he probably came across as smooth, confident, and self-assured. A man to be admired!

Peter, on the other hand, was somewhat buffoonish. Big, awkward, frequently saying and doing things that were inappropriate and embarrassing. A man easily dismissed as being socially inept and perhaps even a little dimwitted.

But time, of course, revealed what was really true about the two men. Judas became a byword for betrayal, and Peter became a saint (a leader in the early church, a writer of Scripture, and one of the most beloved and revered figures in the New Testament.) What ultimately made the difference? Two things: discipleship and sanctification. Peter was a true follower of Jesus and a fully committed disciple. Judas was not. Peter went on to decades of faithful service and a place in glory, and Judas went to hell.

Discipleship leads to sanctification. Sanctification is a fifty-cent theological term that simply means being set apart by God and for God, and then being progressively transformed into the person God wants you to be. Peter was set apart by God and for God. He was also committed to deep discipleship and consequently, he experienced incredible transformation as the Holy Spirit changed him into the man God wanted him to be.

Sanctification does the same work in our lives. That’s what Paul was referring to in Philippians 1:6 (above). As a true disciple of Christ, as one committed to a lifetime of deep discipleship, the Holy Spirit is slowly but progressively transforming you into the man or woman God wants you to be. It is a lifelong process, and it won’t be complete until the moment you arrive in heaven – it will continue throughout your life. There’s an old saying that applies here. It goes, “I may not be who I should be, but thank God I’m no longer who I used to be.”

And all God’s people said, “Amen!”

I urge you not to get discouraged. You are a work in progress. Commit yourself to a lifetime of deep discipleship and then trust God to slowly transform you into the person He wants you to be.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville