Our Blog

Pastor's Points - December

Dear Church Family,

I am really looking forward to the Christmas season this year.  We will be considering a series of messages entitled “Unto Us” based out of Isaiah 9:6 which sates… “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be on His shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

This is the greatest birth announcement that has ever been! In fact, most birth announcements are sent out after a baby is born but this announcement is different. Isaiah shared this announcement some 700 years before the birth of Christ.  Steven Witmer shares in an article entitled, To Us a Child is Born…

“The prophet Isaiah delivered it to the people of Israel while they were facing a threat from the growing superpower of Assyria (which would eventually destroy the northern kingdom of Israel and lead many Jews into captivity). Isaiah addressed this situation by promising the coming of a future King.  The seven-hundred-year delay was not because God was unable to fulfill his promise sooner, but because he wanted to give his people the hope of a future King to sustain them through dark times. The long period between  promise and fulfillment was, in fact, a gift from God to his people.”

I am praying that God would use this four-week series of messages as a gift of hope to us as well.  Not in the fact that we are waiting for a messiah to come one day, but in the fact that He has come, and He is coming again!  But until He returns, we need to rest in the truths that our Savior is the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.  Make plans to be here each week as we consider this series of hopeful messages during the Christmas season.

Also, I want to share with you briefly about the status of our new property!  Our elders and a representative group of our deacon body met with Cornerstone Collaborative as they led us through a time of considering the best use of our current facilities and the new piece of property that we have purchased.  Our leadership that met with Cornerstone was unanimous in going forward and presenting this plan to our church family! God has used Cornerstone to lead us to an exciting, reasoned, faith-requiring plan that will help us to stay on our mission to make disciples for years to come!  This plan leads us to the best use of what God has given us, and helps us continue to move with God as He is moving among us!  I could not be more excited for our future!  We will share all the details that we have beginning in the new year!  Let’s enjoy this Christmas season as we consider the hope that Jesus has brought us, and the hope that we have looking into 2020 as God leads us into a new chapter in the life of Oakhill Baptist Church!!

I love you and I love being your pastor!

Pastor's Points - November 2019

Dear Church Family,
Last month I shared an article with you about thankfulness. We have much to be thankful for as a church family! Thankfulness should not depend on our circumstances, or our emotions.  Simply put we should just be thankful.  We choose thankfulness.  And one way we show our thankfulness to the Lord is by giving regularly and generously to Him.  Currently our church is exceeding our budget by about 3% which we thank God for.  But we are entering a time in the life of our church where we will need to raise funds over and above our regular giving to the church.  This is an exciting opportunity for us to grow in our faith in the Lord as we give over and above our regular giving.  Consider this article written by Dr. Jason Allen, President of Midwestern Baptist Seminary about giving.

“Did you know that Jesus spoke more about money than any other topic? That’s right. In fact, sixteen of Christ’s thirty-eight parables reference our handling of earthly treasure. In the Gospels, one out of every ten verses when Jesus is speaking addresses money. As John Piper observed, “Jesus spoke more about money than he did about sex, heaven, and hell. Money is a big deal to Jesus.”

I learned long ago that what is important to Jesus ought to be important to me. If this principle is true, then we must think intentionally about money, just as he did. If Jesus died to redeem every aspect of us—as we mentioned before—then the gospel affects our pocketbooks. As his gospel transforms our life, he transforms our view of money—and its use.

How then, should we view money? How should we evaluate earthly wealth? What does it mean for the gospel to redeem our pocketbooks? How can you honor God with your earthly resources? As we consider these questions, know the stakes are high. Remember Billy Graham’s observation: “If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life.”

Don’t Love the Provision, Love the Provider
One of the reassuring realities of the Christian life is God’s scrupulous care and lavish generosity on his children. Not only is he able to care for us; he is committed to doing so. Not only is he willing to bless us; he delights in it. In Matthew 6:26-33 to see that this is true.

The sparkling reality of the Christian life is that God not only meets our needs but often far surpasses them. As he provides, we must worship the Provider. As he gives, sure, we can enjoy the gift, but we should delight in the Giver most of all.

Pursue Contentment More Than Gain
This is key, as the apostle Paul teaches us: “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6). The reality is, discontentment is like a leaking basin that can never be filled regardless of how much water you put into it. Conversely, contentment is like an artesian well, never running dry regardless of how much you take out.

I love how Paul David Tripp frames this reality. He writes, “Love of money is really about contentment. Love of money is about humility. Love of money is about identity. Love of money is about worship that really roots at deep issues. Maybe the most subtle of the indications of love of money is an ongoing, chronic discontentment in me that, no matter what I have, I am still not content.”

Realize that in Christ, you have all you need. Be content in him.

View All That You Have through the Prism of Stewardship
Stewardship is a concept we are all familiar with, but perhaps not as much as we should be. To be a steward is to recognize that we are not the owners of our possessions—just temporary overseers. We will be judged by rightly stewarding—storing up for ourselves treasure in heaven.

As we conclude, ask yourself: How are you doing with the love of money? Are you content in Christ? How are you stewarding your resources? How you answer these questions will reveal a lot about what you actually think of the gospel.”

As we give regularly to the Lord, I pray we see it as an act of worship to the One who has given us everything!  He is so good to us!  And if you do not give regularly, please read these words and find encouragement to begin to give regularly and walk in the blessing of obedience.  And in the coming days as we share about our church’s future, lets thank God for the opportunity to give sacrificially over and above what we normally give as we expand the footprint of our church for the continued growth of the church and most importantly for God’s glory!

I love you and I love being your pastor!