Oak Hill Baptist Church

Let go and be lifted-up

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Christian community”

Our Bible verse for today: “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.” Psalm 25:1 (NRSV)

Our thought for today: “Let go and be lifted-up”

In addition to writing a daily devotional message each morning, I also read some written by others. A devotional book I’m currently using in my personal quiet time is “A Year of Slowing Down: Daily Devotionals for Unhurried Living” by Alan Fadling. I’m finding it refreshing and helpful. Yesterday Alan offered this interesting insight about what King David wrote in Psalm 25:1 (above):

“The imagery of being lifted up here seems to be about buoyancy. Water lifts up a floating object like a piece of wood or a boat. A boat doesn’t expend immense effort to float. Floating is what happens when a boat is set in the water. It is carried without a great attempt at floating. I lift up my soul when I let God’s Spirit hold me and make me buoyant. I can cooperate with this lifting up, but I cannot control it.”

What Alan is referring to is surrender. He means we have to offer our soul to God and let it go. Then the Holy Spirit will lift us up into an encounter with God and it will have been through no effort of our own. We will be floating and rising higher like a boat on a rising tide.

As I write this it is Saturday morning. Tomorrow is Sunday when my church family will gather for worship. I’m visualizing myself in the midst of worship with my brothers and sisters. The spiritual dynamic is strong. We’re all lost in the music; offering our souls to God in an act of worship; surrendering; letting go as the Holy Spirit lifts us up higher and higher into an encounter with God.

This is one of the benefits of Christian community. It’s why we gather to worship together. We can, of course, worship alone, anywhere anytime. But when a group of Christians are gathered like that, the spiritual dynamic is strong and we can easily get caught up in the rising tide of a worship service that lifts us higher and higher into an encounter with God.

I encourage you to attend the worship service in your church tomorrow. Offer your soul to God in worship – then just let go and be lifted-up.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

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

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May you prosper in every way

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Christian community”

Our Bible verse for today: “Dear friend, I pray that you are prospering in every way and are in good health, just as your whole life is going well.” 3 John 2 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “May you prosper in every way”

As human beings we are God’s highest form of creation and we are very complex. Our being consists of body, mind, and spirit, and all three are inextricably connected. Each impacts the other. If your physical body is suffering that will impact you mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Likewise, if you are suffering mentally, emotionally, or spiritually, that will have a negative effect on you physically. In order to be fully healthy and truly thriving we must be healthy in body, mind, and spirit.

That is what John was praying for his friend Gaius. John prayed that Gaius would prosper “in every way.” And, evidently, John had heard that Gaius was in fact doing well in his whole life, and he was pleased to hear that. How pleased are you to hear that your brothers and sisters are doing well in all areas of life, and how much do you want that for them? Do you pray that for them? Do you even try to help them achieve it? An important part of Christian community is that we want the best for each other and we are willing to take steps and create conditions to help each other be whole – to be well in all areas of life.

Of course, church life must focus first and most on our spiritual well-being. If your church isn’t helping you to be spiritually healthy then you need to change churches. But how about physically, mentally, emotionally, and maybe even financially? Does your church promote good physical, mental, emotional, and financial health? Do the members help and encourage one another to be healthy in those ways too?

Being spiritually healthy will go a long way towards promoting good mental and emotional health if the teaching and preaching clearly shows how Biblical principles can be applied to mental and emotional issues. But likewise, spiritual nurture should also include sound teaching about good stewardship of our finances and of our bodies. The Bible does teach that our body and our money are gifts from God that are to be properly cared for and used for His glory.

Good Christian community promotes, encourages, and practices the health of the whole person – body, mind, and spirit. So, let’s help each other to be healthy and whole in all of life.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

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

Be Barnabas

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Christian community”

Our Bible verse for today: “Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus by birth, the one the apostles called Barnabas (which is translated Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” Acts 4:36-37 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Be Barnabas”

Barnabas is one of my favorite people from the New Testament. He was such a positive, uplifting, encouraging presence to other Christians that the apostles actually nicknamed him “The Son of Encouragement”. What a great reputation to have!

I’ve written before of how, back in the 1990s, my wife and I owned a book company called “The Barnabas Book Company”. Our motto was, “Encouraging books that will change your life.” I think I also mentioned that I was a terrible businessman. I was so eager for people to read our books that I gave away more than I sold. Obviously, that was not a sound business practice. I got a little carried away trying to be like Barnabas in terms of being generous as an effort to encourage others.

But what a great thing it would be if our Christian community today included more people like Barnabas. How much healthier our churches would be if more of our members were sons and daughters of encouragement. What if we were all less concerned with finding fault and nitpicking at others, and more concerned with lifting-up our brothers and sisters and offering words of encouragement and blessing rather than criticism or complaint?

I once heard a church referred to as “A house of joy.” I love it! Does that describe your church? And if not, what are you doing to change things so that it is a house of joy? And not just in church. What if Christians were known out in the world as being sons and daughters of encouragement? What if our reputation was as people who speak words of encouragement and blessing and who routinely bring sunshine and hope into dark and dreary situations?

I want to encourage all of us to be more intentional about blessing and encouraging rather than criticizing and complaining. Be a son or daughter of encouragement. Be Barnabas.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

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

Instant karma’s gonna get you

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Christian community”

Our Bible verse for today: “From the fruit of a person’s mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is filled with the product of his lips. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:20-21 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Instant Karma’s gonna get you”

“Karma” is usually understood to be a Hindu and Buddhist concept. “Instant Karma” was the title of an old John Lennon song that was intended to convey in a humorous but snarky way that what you do to others will come back on you and in the end (sometimes instantly) you get what you deserve.

But that concept is also Biblical and it’s what Solomon was referring to in Proverbs 18:20-21 with respect to how we use language. There he notes that the words that come out of a person’s mouth have a positive or negative influence, not just on the person or persons hearing those words, but also on the person speaking them. Let me requote those verses as rendered in the Amplified Bible:

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words.”

In yesterday’s devotional we considered the truth from Proverbs 16:24 that words of blessing and encouragement can build others up and have a positive impact on them physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. That is true. But as Solomon makes clear here in Proverbs 18:20-21, words can be either positive or negative – they can speak death or life. And those words have their effect on both the ones hearing them, and on the person speaking them.

The fact is that we make ourselves feel better or worse by the words we speak to others. So, if you aren’t motivated to speak words of life (words of blessing and encouragement) to others for their sake and for their good, then you should be motivated to do so for your own sake and for your own good. You yourself will feel better or worse based upon the nature of the words you speak to others.

This is an important issue when it comes to safeguarding our Christian community. You and others will be feeling better or worse based upon the nature of the words that come out of your mouth. It’s not just others who are impacted by your words. You are too. And so, as Solomon and John Lennon have both warned us, “Watch out! Instant karma’s gonna get you!”

God bless,
Pastor Jim

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

Rediscover the language of blessing

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Christian community”

Our Bible verse for today: “Pleasant words are a honeycomb: sweet to the taste and health to the body.” Proverbs 16:24 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Rediscover the language of blessing”

This past Sunday at Oak Hill Baptist Church my friend, Will Foster, preached an uplifting message about the importance of encouragement. You can watch the video of that message on our YouTube channel (see note below).

Encouragement and speaking words of blessing to each other is a crucial aspect of Christian community that is very much needed today. We live in a very negative culture – especially with respect to social and political issues. There is so much anger, bitterness, and mean-spirited discourse out there! Criticism, mocking, and even taunting seem to be the order of the day. Sarcasm, character assassination, and mean memes are all over social media. We’re awash in negativism. It seems to define our culture these days.

I think of it as a kind of nationwide Gotham City. If you remember Gotham City from the Batman movies you will remember that it was a dark, ugly place where hoodlums were unrestrained and innocent citizens were huddled in their homes, afraid to venture out. The social and political discourse in our nation is like that. We live in a verbal Gotham City and the rhetorical hoodlums are in charge.

But that should not be true of Christians. It should not be true of how we conduct ourselves out in the world, and it especially should not be true of how we conduct ourselves in church and in our interactions with other Christians. Instead, we should be the ones speaking words of blessing and encouragement. We should be the lights in an otherwise dark world.

In Proverbs 16:24 Solomon noted that pleasant words are like honey, sweet to the taste. Pleasant words are refreshing and enjoyable and they bring a smile to a person’s face. According to Solomon, pleasant words even bring health to the body. How could that be? In what way does the hearing of pleasant words improve someone’s health? Well, for one thing, pleasant words can help to relieve some of the stress and anxiety we’re all under. That then will lower the heart rate, clear the mind, settle the stomach, and calm the nerves. Pleasant words and a warm smile can help to improve a person’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

As Christians we need to rediscover the language of blessing, and then we need to use it a lot more than we do. The Christian community, and society in general, would be a much nicer place if we all spoke more words of blessing and encouragement.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

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

Who are your mighty men and mighty women?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Christian community”

Our Bible verse for today: “Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good character”
1 Corinthians 15:33 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Who are your mighty men and mighty women?”

In 1 Corinthians 15:33 the Apostle Paul gave us one of the most important rules of thumb there is regarding Christian community – choose your friends carefully because over time you become like those you associate with. That is a Biblical truth, but it’s also a basic fact of human nature. If you hang around with bank robbers, soon you will probably be robbing banks too. If your group of friends are all using drugs, you will be using them soon too. If the people in your circle all use profanity, you probably will too.

Conversely, if you surround yourself with good, strong Christians who love the Lord and each other – people who are kind, compassionate, generous, and faithful in their attendance at church, you will probably become like that too. Over time, we become like those we associate with. So, choose your friends carefully. Find a group of people who have character traits you admire and would like to develop in your own life. Surround yourself with people who have the kind of life that you would like to have and spend lots of time with them.

Much of your life’s accomplishments will be influenced by and determined by the people you associate with. For instance, consider what we learn about King David in 2 Samuel 23:8-39. That entire passage records the exploits of King David’s mighty men. They were the counselors and military leaders that he surrounded himself with and who helped to make David the success that he was. And please don’t miss that point – David’s reign was not a one-man show. David didn’t do it all by himself. Instead, he was constantly surrounded by mighty men of God who were bold, courageous, and very wise in the ways of the Lord.

That insight into David’s life and successes caused me to think back over my own life and to remember all the mighty men and women of God who have played such a big role in my life. I thank God for them. My life would have been so diminished and less successful had it not been for their crucial help, guidance, and influence all along the way.

Who are the mighty men and women of God in your life (past and present)? Do you have such people in your life? If you do, thank God for them. If you don’t, then ask God to bring you some. We become like those we associate with. The quality of the people we surround ourselves with matters very much. Who are your mighty men and mighty women? Choose them carefully.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

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

In the end it will be the people that mattered

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Christian community”

Our Bible verse for today: “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is close. 2 Timothy 4:6 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “In the end it will be the people that matter”

One of the books I’m reading right now is “An Unhurried Life” by Alan Fadling. Yesterday I came to a passage where Alan wrote about how it is that at the end of life, during deathbed conversations, people seldom talk about accomplishments, possessions, trophies, or things like that. Almost always our final thoughts and words are about the people we loved and who mattered most to us. That caused me to think about my father.

For the last year of my father’s life, he and my mother lived with me and my family in our home in California. He died in his bed in my home with my mother, my wife, and myself sitting by his bedside as he breathed his last breath. The evening before he died, knowing he was about to die, he shared some final thoughts. He thanked me for bringing him and my mom into our home and caring for him as he died, and he asked me to continue caring for my mom (she lived another ten years). He also talked about his love for my mother, and for his six children, sixteen grandchildren, and (at that time) one great-grandchild.

As he lay there dying what mattered most to him was his family. That’s what he cared about and that’s what he wanted to talk about. In the end, it was the people that mattered. In the end, it’s always the people that matter. It won’t be the professional achievements, the houses, cars, money, or trophies. It will be the people. And if you are fortunate enough to have deathbed conversations before you die, I’ll bet that’s what you will talk about too.

But in order to have those fond memories and those warm feelings of love then, we have to be cultivating and enjoying those relationships now. In the end, will your thoughts be warm memories of good times together, or regrets over missed opportunities? I encourage you to spend time with people now, while you can, because in the end you will realize that more than anything else, it was the people in life who mattered the most.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

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

It’s the best day of the week

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Christian community”

Our Bible verse for today: “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!” Psalm 133:1 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “It’s the best day of the week”

On Fridays my thoughts always turn to Sunday. Sunday is the best day of the week because it’s the day when our church family is all together, gathered in one place, rejoicing, praising, and enjoying each other’s company. It’s a time of loving, laughing, hugging, and lifting up and encouraging one another. It’s also a time of spiritual nurture and renewal – and it’s a refuge and respite from the storms of life.

Sunday fellowship reminds me of my favorite scene from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I know I have shared this with you before but it’s a scene I love and one which I think of frequently. In fact, I have it written down on a notecard and I use it as a bookmark. Frodo and his friends were in the middle of a difficult and dangerous journey. But at one point they came to the fortress of an elf king, a good friend who offered refuge and rest, and this is what they experienced:

“The future, for good or for ill, was not forgotten, but ceased to have power over the present. Health and hope grew strong in them, and they were content with each day as it came, taking pleasure in every meal, and in every word and song.”

For me, Sunday is like that. It’s the best day of the week. Now, not all pastors can make that claim. For many, Sunday is the hardest day of the week. It’s the day they have to contend with fussy, critical, complaining members. It’s the day they have to settle disputes, smooth ruffled feathers, and coddle grumpy old men. But that’s not how church is supposed to be. Sunday is not a time to be fussy, critical, and complaining. There shouldn’t be disputes and ruffled feathers and grumpy old men. Instead, there should be peace and joy and harmony. Like the psalmist said, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!”

Today is Friday, but Sunday is coming, and I’m looking forward to it! I hope you are too – it’s the best day of the week!

God bless,
Pastor Jim

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

Let’s get our tactics right

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Christian community”

Our Bible verse for today: “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 …” 1 Peter 3:15-16 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Let’s get our tactics right”

Recently I was given a copy of the book “Choose Life: Answering Key Claims of Abortion Defenders with Compassion.” It was given to me as a gift from the father of the author. Dr. John Goodrich is a professor of the Bible at Moody Bible Institute. His uncle is a friend of mine and a member of our church. His father has visited our church on several occasions.

The book is a compilation of twenty essays written by medical, legal, and academic professionals from across the spectrum of the pro-life movement. The essays provide Christians with well-researched facts which can then be offered in a bold, but also calm and reasoned manner in discussions with those who promote the pro-choice side of the debate. Goodrich writes, “Christians must embody not only the boldness but the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. We must engage, but do so peaceably (Rom. 12:18). We must speak the truth, but do so in love (Eph. 4:15). We must bear with the assaults of our critics, but do so with “compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, and patience” (Col. 3:12).”

To highlight the effectiveness of this approach, one essay notes that in the early years after the Roe v Wade decision made abortion legal nationwide, Christian pro-life demonstrators were often angry and sometimes violent. It was not uncommon to see crowds of demonstrators outside abortion clinics chanting, yelling, and intimidating women as they approached the clinic seeking an abortion. Some abortion clinics were firebombed. Several abortion providers were assassinated. For the most part, all those tactics did was scare people and make pro-lifers appear to be extreme and dangerous fanatics. And during those years the abortion rates in the USA skyrocketed. The tactic was largely ineffective in stopping abortions.

But then the pro-life movement changed tactics. Instead of angry and violent protests, the emphasis shifted to pregnancy care centers where pregnant women were treated with kindness, love, and respect. They were offered counseling, ultrasounds, information about adoption, resources for pregnancy care, financial aid, and much more. The feel and tone were totally different – and much more effective! Soon the abortion rate in the USA began to fall (and has continued to fall ever since). The more the pro-life movement practiced kindness instead of angry confrontation, the more people were willing to listen to us, and the more effective our efforts became.

There’s an important lesson in that. Almost always, kindness, compassion, and grace are what’s called for. That’s the way of Jesus. Although all of us have our moments when we may momentarily lose our temper, angry confrontation as a strategy is rarely if ever the right answer. As James reminds us, “My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.” James 1:19-20

Let’s get our tactics right. Let’s be bold but also respectful, compassionate, and kind.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

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

Like a spiritual oak tree

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Christian community”

Our Bible verse for today: “And they will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” Isaiah 61:3 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Like a spiritual oak tree”

This morning I want to take us back to our discussion from yesterday regarding “Wherever you go, find the Christians”. We need to surround ourselves with other Christians because it’s only within the environment of good Christian community that we can truly grow strong in the Spirit. In order to illustrate that, let me take us to Isaiah 61:3 as it is rendered for us in the Amplified Bible. The Amplified Bible is a translation that uses all the English words needed in order to capture the full meaning of the original Hebrew and Greek:

“So they will be called the (oak) trees of righteousness (strong and magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with God), the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

The prophet was describing what it would be like when people were living in right relationship with God and with others. He said they would be like mighty oak trees, strong and magnificent. They will be noted for integrity, justice, and right standing with God. He was writing about people who were once broken and in need of grace, but who become whole and strong and deep over time – like strong spiritual oak trees.

In his book, “An Unhurried Life” author Alan Fadling explains Isaiah’s metaphor in this way: “Oaks take a long time to grow. A newly planted acorn can take two and three decades to provide significant shade, and these slow-growing oaks can live more than two hundred years. One reason for their longevity is the taproot they send deep into the earth that makes them very drought-resistant. Oaks are indeed solid, stable, reliable, majestic trees – but it takes them a while to get there.”

We need to take this same long view of our Christian growth. Spiritually, we can and should become like the solid, stable, reliable, majestic oak – with a taproot that runs deep and which keeps our soul nourished and strong. We get that way by settling into a consistent practice of the Christian faith that includes all the basic daily spiritual disciplines such as prayer and Bible study, as well as regular fellowship with other Christians. Full ongoing involvement for years and years in the life of a good church is critical for our spiritual growth.

We all can and should be in the process of becoming spiritual oak trees. But it will only happen if you are well-planted in a good church, settling in and staying put, as your roots go deeper and deeper. Let’s all strive to be spiritual oaks.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(Join us at Oak Hill Baptist Church 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 http://www.YouTube.com/oakhillbaptistcrossiville)