Oak Hill Baptist Church

This is an important part of Christian community

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Christian community”

Our Bible verse for today: “He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:4

Our thought for today: “This is an important part of Christian community”

An important part of Christian community is helping and comforting each other when we are struggling or suffering. As Paul notes in 2 Corinthians 1:4, God comforts us, and then He wants us to comfort each other.

That lesson has been brought home to me in a powerful and personal way over the last couple of days. On Sunday afternoon I was walking one of our dogs – a cute and cuddly little eight-pound Maltipoo. Melody was friendly, affectionate, and very good-natured. Sadly, as we were walking, we were attacked by a large and aggressive pit bull that had gotten lose from a neighbor’s house. Long story short, it killed my dog and injured me.

Anyone who is a dog lover, especially of a cuddly little lap dog, knows how much a part of your life and of your family they become. Therefore, losing one to death can feel like losing a family member. Linda and I loved Melody very much and we are grieving her loss. But we have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and support we have received from our church family and from neighbors. Many people have told us about the pain and grief they went through when they lost a pet of their own and how they could therefore relate to what we are feeling now.

Empathy is a term that describes an ability to understand or feel what another person is experiencing. It allows us to enter into someone else’s suffering with them, and to help them bear that burden. This is what Paul was referring to in 2 Corinthians 1:4. Having suffered yourself, and having been comforted when you were, makes you better able to be there for others when they are suffering.

One of the most important and helpful benefits to being part of a strong and loving Christian community is having people who care deeply about you and who make it a point to be there for you when you need them most.

If you aren’t part of such a community of believers then you’re missing out on one of the best parts of the Christian experience. God ministers to us in our times of sorrow and sadness through our brothers and sisters. I encourage you not to miss this. The time will come when you will need it. If you don’t have a good church family already, I encourage you to visit us at Oak Hill Baptist. You’ll find yourself to be very welcome.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

(Join us at Oak Hill Baptist every Sunday at 10:00. Join us in-person if you are close-by or, if you are geographically distant or if you are a shut-in, join us online at www.YouTube.com/oakhillbaptistcrossville

You have been blessed so you can be a blessing

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Christian community”

Our Bible verse for today: “I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” Genesis 12:2 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “You have been blessed so you can be a blessing”

In Genesis chapter twelve we’re reading about God’s call to Abraham to leave his home in the land of Ur and travel to the land of promise in Canaan. God promised to bless Abraham and his descendants and that they would grow into a great nation. But we often miss the last part of the promise, “and you will be a blessing”. Abraham and his descendants were blessed by God so that they could in turn be a blessing to others.

That has certainly turned out to be true for the nation of Israel. I don’t have the time or space this morning to consider all the ways the world has been blessed over more than four thousand years by the little nation of Israel. Jesus, of course, is the greatest blessing to come from them.

But there’s also a general Biblical principle contained in that verse. All the blessings of God are meant to be shared. That includes the blessings God has blessed you and I with. We are blessed so we can in turn be a blessing. There are so many verses and passages that teach this important truth. We as Christians are to first and foremost care for and bless other Christians: “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10.

We are also to use our own trials and sufferings as a platform for ministry to others: “He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

Compassion, kindness, empathy, and sharing blessings are the most effective ministry tools we have. God comforts us, provides for us, walks with us through the dark times in life, and we are to do the same for others.

As Christians, we are the recipients of manifold blessings from God. Receiving and then sharing those blessings should be one of the hallmarks of the Christian community – it’s what the world should know us for. Others should be blessed because we have been.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(Join us at Oak Hill Baptist Church Sundays as 10:00. Join us in person if you are close-by, or if you are geographically distant or a shut-in, online at http://www.YouTube.com/oakhillbaptistcrossville)

Is the Good Shepherd searching for you?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Christian community”

Our Bible verse for today: “What man among you, who has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open field and go after the lost one until he finds it? Luke 15:4 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Is the Good Shepherd searching for you?”

One of the praise songs we sing in our church is “Reckless Love” by Cory Asbury. It’s based on Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep, found in Luke 15:3-7. The chorus goes like this:

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ‘till I’m found, leaves the 99
And I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still you give yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God.

Some people misread the parable of the lost sheep to be about Jesus seeking after lost souls who have never professed their faith in Him. But that wasn’t Jesus’ meaning at all. While he does care deeply for every lost soul, and He is of course seeking them, the parable is about a sheep that was one of His already but then wandered off and is now out there somewhere, alone, in the wilderness, and extremely vulnerable to predators. In the parable the shepherd leaves the ninety-nine sheep who are safe and secure in the flock, and he rushes out to find the one who has strayed and is now alone and in great danger.

The parable is about us. It’s about Christians who have left the flock and are out wandering in the spiritual wilderness. There’s safety in numbers. Sheep in a flock, under the care of an attentive shepherd, are safe and secure. A lone sheep is exposed and vulnerable, and as Peter warned us in 1 Peter 5:8, “Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.”

The Bible makes no provision for “Lone Ranger” Christians. The New Testament always pictures Christians in close fellowship with a community of believers, meeting regularly for worship, teaching, service, and support. If you are not involved in the full life of a good church, then you are that lost sheep that has strayed. I encourage you to let Jesus bring you back into the safe and secure environment of a healthy church family.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(Join us at Oak Hill Baptist Church every Sunday at 10:00. Attend in-person if you are close-by or, if you are geographically distant or a shut-in, then please join us online at www.YouTube.com/oakhillbaptistcrossville)

Shine, make ’em wonder whatcha got

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Christian community”

Our Bible verse for today: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Shine, make ‘em wonder whatcha got”

In yesterday’s devotional I said that the reason the Christian faith has stood the test of time is because Jesus is irresistible and if we Christians will just help unbelievers to see that, then they will want Him too. The problem is that we Christians often are not so good at helping others to see Jesus as He really is. We are His disciples, which means we’re supposed to be like Him. We are to say the things that He said, and do the things that He did. Sadly, we often don’t.

This reminds me of the comment once made by the famous Hindu leader Mohandas Gandhi in India. This was during the days when the British were the colonial rulers of that land and they were pretty brutal about it. They professed to be Christians, but they didn’t act like it. At one point a British leader asked Gandhi why more Indians weren’t open to hearing about the Christian faith and Gandhi famously replied, “We like your Jesus, we just don’t like you Christians.” He meant that while Jesus was kind, compassionate, winsome, and likeable, the British Christians were loud, obnoxious, demanding, even mean and cruel. The Christians were nothing like the Christ they professed to be following. Sadly, all too often some Christians do act like that, and it damages the testimony of the entire Christian community.

In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus described a practice we are all supposed to adopt that will help us to be more like Him (and less like us). He pictured a team of oxen yoked together. In every team of oxen there is a lead ox and a follower ox. The lead ox is bigger, stronger, and more experienced. He carries most of the load and provides all of the direction. The follower ox is to stay yoked to the lead ox, walk side-by-side with him, and learn from him. That’s what the Christian life is to be like. Jesus is our lead ox. We are to stay yoked to Him, walk side-by-side with Him, learn from Him, and become more and more like Him. If we will do that, the practice of our faith will begin to look more and more like the Christ we profess to follow.

The contemporary Christian music group, The Newsboys, once recorded a song called “Shine”. Here’s the chorus:

“Shine. Make ‘em wonder whatcha got.
Make ‘em wish that they were not
On the outside looking bored.
Shine. Let it shine before all men
Let ‘em see good works and then
Let ‘em glorify the Lord.

So, there’s your assignment for today. “Shine. Make ‘em wonder whatcha got”.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(Join us at Oak Hill Baptist Church on Sunday mornings at 10:00, in-person if you are close-by, or if you are geographically distant or a shut-in, then online at http://www.YouTube.com/oakhillbaptistcrossville)

Jesus is irresistible

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Christian community”

Our Bible verse for today: “… I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Matthew 16:18 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Jesus is irresistible”

I know yesterday’s devotional was a bit tough but I hope it didn’t paint a grim or defeatist picture. While we do live in a broken and troubled world, there is hope and healing found in Jesus.

In Matthew 16:18 Jesus promised that He would build His church and all of hell would not prevent Him from doing so. And sure enough, that has turned out to be true. Here we are two thousand years later, the faith is still alive and well and there are more Christians on this planet today than at any time in history. Christianity has survived every form of opposition the devil has ever brought against it. Despite resistance, persecution, imprisonment, torture, and even death, people have continued to come to faith in Christ across the ages and around the world. Enemies have come, they have huffed and puffed, they have shaken their fists and taken their best shots, but they are dead and gone, Jesus is still on the throne, and the faith continues to spread.

Why? What is it about the Christian faith that has stood the test of time and that people have found so appealing? The Apostle Paul answered that for us in Galatians 5:22-23 when he wrote, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Those are the virtues the Spirit of Jesus develops in a person’s inner life. Also, Jesus Himself said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you.” He was talking about inner peace. The fact is that Jesus changes hearts and lives for the better, and that makes Him irresistible to people everywhere.

Today the Christian faith is spreading quickly in places like Africa, South America, and China. Sadly, in other places like Europe and the USA, we’re going in the opposite direction. Churches across Europe are largely empty now, and in the USA, as was noted yesterday, there is rapid decline. We should praise God for the growth elsewhere, but we should grieve the decline in our own land.

However, even here in the USA, today there is a wave of revival sweeping across Christian college campuses right now. As I write this, for weeks college students across our land have been gathered by the thousands in chapels that are overflowing as the Holy Spirit draws unbelievers to faith in Christ, and believers to renewal and rededication. Pray that the movement of the Holy Spirit will now spread beyond those campuses into the communities, and then to the rest of the nation.

The truth is that all is not lost. Not even here in America. There is still hope for our land. Jesus is irresistible. People everywhere need Him and, they will want Him if they come to realize what they’re missing. We, the Christians, those who already know and have Jesus, we’re the ones who need to help others come to know Him too. And that’s where we have been failing. We’re not doing our part and that’s why Christianity is in decline in our nation. We’ll think more about this tomorrow.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(Join us at Oak Hill Baptist Church every Sunday morning at 10:00. Join us in-person if you are close by, or if you’re geographically distant or a shut-in, then live online at www.YouTube.com/oakhillbaptistcrossville)

We’re rapidly losing ground

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Christian community”

Our Bible verse for today: “And let us watch out for one another to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “We’re losing ground quickly”

In recent years there has arisen an increasing flood of sermons, Bible studies, blogs, essays, articles, and research studies from pastors, denominational leaders, ministry leaders, seminary professors, and Christian research institutes, sounding the alarm that the Christian community in the USA is weak and getting weaker. In 1937 70% of Americans reported that they regularly attended church services every week. In 2021 that number was down to somewhere between 21-28%, depending on the survey. Even among those who identify themselves as “committed” church members, only 55% attend faithfully every week. Another 30% of self-identified “committed” members average once per month. That culture of absenteeism is killing our churches.

Worse, recent research from Lifeway, Gallup, and the Pew Research Institute found that anywhere from 60-70% of “conservative” Christians are no longer certain that Jesus is the only way to heaven. Despite the Lord’s clear declaration in John 14:6 “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me”, almost two-thirds of professing conservative Christians cannot say with certainty that statement is actually true. Those same surveys found that approximately 30% of conservative Christians now believe that homosexuality is a Biblically acceptable lifestyle.

My friends, Christian influence in the USA is rapidly declining. Just in the short period of almost thirty years that I’ve been in this profession, I have experienced churchwork becoming increasingly more difficult for pastors. Just getting people to attend regularly is a struggle, and pastors everywhere are asking, “How can we teach people sound doctrine and strengthen them to lifestyles that honor God if they don’t even show up?”

I don’t mean to sound desperate or discouraged. I’m not. Jesus is still on the throne and I’m still saved. In the end, Jesus wins and Satan loses. But we do have a fight on our hands. The struggle is real and it’s getting worse.

All this month I would like to explore with you the importance and value of Christian community. In these evil days we’re living in, now more than ever, it’s essential for Christians to be united, to stay together, to be faithful, and to keep each other strong.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(Join us at Oak Hill Baptist Church every Sunday morning at 10:00. Join us in-person if you are close by, or if you’re geographically distant or a shut-in, then live online at www.YouTube.com/oakhillbaptistcrossville)

Make time for quiet reflection

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “How to inhabit time”

Our Bible verse for today: “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 42:10 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Make time for quiet reflection”

Yesterday was my day off and so I went for a long hike on a favorite trail. It was raining most of the day, sometimes hard, but I was dressed for it and it was warm, around 60. At one point I sat on the riverbank, in the rain, under an umbrella, and just watched the winding river gently flowing towards me. It was a beautiful woodsy scene, tranquil, and very peaceful. In my head I kept hearing Psalm 42:10, over and over again, “Jim, be still and know that I am God. Just be still and know that I am God.” It was the most relaxed and peaceful I have felt in a long time.

As we end our two-month study of how to inhabit time, I want to encourage all of us to slow down a bit and to be more reflective. That’s what Psalm 46:10 calls us to. When we do that, not only will we find deep peace for that moment, but the Holy Spirit also uses that quiet and reflective time to clear our minds and to help bring the rest of life into focus. He will often help us to see things we missed, or to understand things that confused us.

Do you know what a contrail is? It’s that white vapor trail we often see high in the sky that was left by a passing jet airplane. The plane has long-since past, but the vapor trail remains behind and is visible evidence that the plane had been there. Likewise, the Holy Spirit leaves contrails. It’s the evidence that He was present and active in our lives. But often we’re so busy and distracted that we’re unaware of his presence and activity. Quite reflection helps us to see the evidence of His activity in our lives more clearly, even if only in retrospect.

Quite reflection is helpful for multiple reasons. One is that it can reinforce and strengthen our faith. As mentioned, we can often see God and His activity in our lives better in retrospect than in real-time. But once we do see it, even looking backwards, we’re strengthened and encouraged by that realization.

Another reason such reflection is helpful is because the more we learn to see the presence and activity of the Spirit in retrospect, the more attuned we will be to Him in real-time. Quiet reflection increases our sensitivity to and awareness of the presence of the Spirit here and now.

I encourage all of us to make more time for quiet, thoughtful, prayerful reflection. It’s one of the most helpful things we can do to truly appreciate and enjoy life.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(Join us every Sunday morning at 10:00, live online at http://www.YouTube.com/oakhillbaptistcrossville)

We learned to be cool from You

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “How to inhabit time”

Our Bible verse for today: “But he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.” Luke 4:30 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “We learned to be cool from You.”

The singer Jimmy Buffett once sang a song with the title, “We learned to be cool from you”. It was about people he had encountered in his life who approached life with a cool head and an even temper, unflappable and confident. He sang of his admiration for them and his desire to be more like that himself.

That song makes me think about the situation Jesus faced in Luke 4:30. In that scene, a bunch of people in the synagogue in Nazareth were furious with Him because He reminded them of some Biblical truths that they didn’t like hearing. So, in a rage the crowd attempted to drive Jesus to a cliff on the edge of town and throw Him off. But the passage ends with, “But he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.”

In my mind’s eye I see a frenzied and enraged crowd all around Him, but Jesus is in the middle of the crowd calm, cool, and confident. With unflinching assurance, he cooly walks through the middle of the mob and goes on His way. Totally unfazed. Jesus was cool. He was calm and in control of His emotions.

There’s a lesson for us in how Jesus handled Himself in situations like that. Since we belong to God through Christ, and since God is sovereign over the affairs of our lives, and since nothing can touch us unless God chooses to allow it, we can live with faith and confidence too. No need to get fretful or anxious in difficult or tense situations. There’s also no need to rush through life stressed and frazzled.

Jesus was never in a hurry. Not once in the Gospels do we see him frazzled or rushing. And despite the near continuous problems and challenges He faced not once do we see Him freaking out. He was Chuck Norris, James Bond, and Cool Hand Luke all rolled into one. And remember, this was in His humanity. This wasn’t Jesus relying on His divinity, this was Jesus the man, one of us, but calm and cool. And that being the case, if in His humanity Jesus could conduct Himself like that, it must be possible for us to develop that kind of a cool head and confident approach to life too. Jesus is our Master and Lord. As His disciples it’s our goal to become more like Him. If He could be that way, then we can too.

May you be cool-headed, unflappable, steady, and confident as you pass through your day today. You know, like Jesus was.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Well done, good and faithful servant

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “How to inhabit time”

Our Bible verse for today: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.” Matthew 25:23 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Well done, good and faithful servant”

As we prepare to close our two-month study of how to inhabit time, I want to bring us back for our last few days to what is perhaps the primary issue we need to focus on if we’re going to live well – faithfulness and dependability. Although the best use of our time at any given moment varies considerably depending on a wide variety of circumstances and considerations, the truth still remains that in each moment we need to be where we’re supposed to be, doing what we’re supposed to be doing (whatever it is that is most appropriate for that moment).

The writer Bob Goff once noted, “Nobody will be remembered for what he planned to do.” Right. We will be remembered for what we actually did, not for what we said we were going to do but then never actually did. Have you ever had to deal with someone like that, the guy who always had an excuse? He had the best of intentions – he was going to do this, and he was going to do that, but then something always seems to come up. There’s always a reason he didn’t do what he said he was going to do, or wasn’t where he was supposed to be. Despite your best intentions, regardless of what you planned to do, it’s what you actually do that matters – everything is just talk.

In the parable found in Matthew 25:14-27 Jesus told the story of three servants, each was entrusted with resources, and each was expected to do something meaningful with what had been given to them. Two of them did that, and they were then commended by the master. The third made excuses and was admonished by the Lord. Jesus’ point was clear – it’s doing that matters. We’re expected to be faithful and dependable.

To live the Christian life well, and to make the best use of the gift of time the Lord grants to us each day, we must be thoughtful and faithful. We have to be intentional about how we use each moment, and we need to be faithful and dependable to do what we’re supposed to do and be where we’re supposed to be.

When it’s all said and done, will you hear the Lord say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”? That will depend largely on what you did with your time.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Dial it back and tone it down

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “How to inhabit time”

Our Bible verse for today: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Dial it back and tone it down”

The other day I began reading a book that was given to me as a gift. The title is “Choose Life: Answering Key Claims of Abortion Defenders with Compassion”. It’s a compilation of twenty essays written by Christian professionals from across the spectrum of the pro-life movement. It provides good answers to the claims made by defenders of abortion, but the answers are delivered in a kind, compassionate, and respectful manner. The book was compiled and edited by two professors, one of which was Dr. John Goodrich, a professor of New Testament at Moody Bible Institute, who is the nephew of a good friend and church member of mine.

I once wrote a similar book and for a similar reason. The title was “Getting Along without Going Along: Biblical Sexual Ethics in an Age of Controversy and Conflict”. The concept was the same – to provide good answers to tough questions regarding sexual ethics, but to do so in a kind and respectful way, rather than with harsh and overheated rhetoric.

I read a statement recently where an author declared, “The greatest moral crisis of our time is not sexual immorality, but vindictiveness.” His point was that many of us have become scathing in our assessment of everyone on the other side in the culture wars, and our rhetoric drips with scorn, combativeness, and yes, vindictiveness. Much of the rhetoric coming out of the Christian community these days with regard to political, social, and cultural opponents is harsh and mean, as well as caustic and sometimes mocking. And far too many Christians giggle and snicker when they hear it, rather than being saddened or distressed by it.

Jesus called His followers to be peacemakers. On the one hand, He did teach us to stand firmly and boldly for the truth; and we are to promote Biblical principles in word and deed. We are also to fearlessly be His witnesses even in the most hostile of situations. And yes, it’s also true that the world around us is often unkind and mean – many of the comments made about us and directed at us are overheated, cruel, and false. But still, we’re not to respond to them by being like them.

That was Jesus’ point. In Matthew 5:9, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus called His people to be peacemakers. In 1 Peter 3:15-16 Peter counseled us, “Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. But do this with gentleness and respect …”

Fortunately, many Christian leaders, speakers, and authors today are issuing the call for Christians to conduct themselves in a more civil and Biblical manner with respect to what they say and how they say it. There is an increasing flow of sermons, Bible studies, podcasts, books, and articles urging Christians to dial it back and tone it down. Your anger, bitterness, and scathing scorn isn’t going to win anyone to faith in Christ, nor is it likely to do much to further the cause of Christ on earth. But a kind and respectful response just might.

I encourage all of us to be the peacemakers Jesus called us to be. It takes more strength and spiritual maturity to respond firmly, but with reason and respect, than it does to let your emotions drive your angry rhetoric. Try it. Dial it back and tone it down a bit.

God bless,
Pastor Jim